I knew something bad would happen.

Clara knocks on the front door, hoping that she properly followed Alvaro's instructions. It opens with a jolt; on the other side stands Hubert.

He looks older than he did in the darkness of last night. There are bags under his eyes, bags so heavy they seem to make the rest of his face crinkle under their weight. His dark brown hair is a mess, but his blue eyes stay soft. To Clara, he no longer looks like he was carved from stone, some sort of beautiful ancient relic that she could never touch. Instead, he is far too real.

"Are you going to come inside?" he cracks the door open but doesn't step of the way.

Clara nods and brushes past him. He smells like pine, as if he has spent the morning in the bushes fighting bears and other monsters. Really, he has spent the morning in the comfort of his own bed. Everything here smells like pine.

When she enters, Hubert smirks. He closes the door behind them and leads her into the kitchen, where he takes his spot leaning on the kitchen table. "How many scares did you get on the way in?"

Clara takes a chair out from the table, and pulls it across the kitchen (which is very small by anyone's standards) and sits down. "Only a few."

Granted, there were only a few people out and about.

"Why make the journey?" he continues.

Clara hates the smirk on his face. Like he is laughing at some joke she doesn't understand. Still, she tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I came to ask for some fabric, because Miss McWilliams has it in her mind that she is going to knit Miss Carey a glove for her degrading hand."

Absentmindedly, she touches the leathery spot on her own fingers, which is now growing down to the knuckle. It is too small for anyone to notice, but not for long. Instead, she thinks about the questions she hasn't asked Hubert.

"I can do that," he tells her. He raises an eyebrow. "If you tell me why you're really here. You have a question, Clara."

Her heart practically pounds out of her chest. She takes in a deep breath. "Why were you so upset yesterday?"

Hubert stands up, his back entirely still. He can't relax, not when she's mentioned.

"I once had a wife."

~~~

Flo is beginning to regret her decision. As she and Alvaro carry two buckets of water from the sea to the rot, and as her arms get heavier and heavier, she decides that Ivy duty is more of a blessing than a curse.

"This all seems entirely ridiculous," she groans, dragging her feet as she walks. Her dress grazes against the ground on the hill, and she laments that she is going to have to wash it. As her only dress, it reeks. Not that they all don't smell ghastly, but Flo can't seem to handle it any longer. "This is almost definitely not going to work."

"You're the one who wants to go home," Alvaro smiles, glancing back at her. "What, the outdoors isn't your cup of tea, Miss?"

"No need to mock me," she rolls her eyes. "And yes. I would much rather be indoors."

Alvaro decides he likes the sound of her voice. Her drawl is so different from the others, in both its formality and yet it's icy tone. Not at all like Maverick's. No, his voice is harsh yet regal. Alvaro shakes away the thought, even though he'd much rather dwell on it. "Well, you'll be indoors when we "finish our tasks" or whatever the Hell we're supposed to be doing."

She looks up at Alvaro, standing in the shade of a tree, and she tries to remind herself to like him. There is something about him that pulls her in, be it the glint of the gun in his hand last night or the curls of his hair, or the piercing in his ear, or something or anything, or if it's just him. He is handsome. Handsomer than anyone decent ought to be because it is so distracting. It's just that, it's complicated.

He isn't Bev. That thought is clear in her mind. She tries to suppress it, but it pops right back up again. It's buoyant, unlike her body in the sea.

Alvaro doesn't ask her what she is thinking, even though it is obvious to him that she is thinking, and that she is thinking deeply. "I don't know. I'm not sure that I really want to go home quite yet. I miss electricity and stuff- don't tell Adwin I said that- but this is fun. I like hanging out with you."

"Thanks," Flo manages.

~~~

"So, we agree that we are in a historically accurate version of Canada, correct? Now, this could be hallucination on our parts, but from what you said our cases seem similar enough," Adwin continues on with his ramble. "You know, since it happened to both of us at our desks. Me while falling asleep, you while sorting through papers."

Maverick looks up at him, resting his chin on his hand. The beach seemed a private enough place for this conversation, even though there is the danger of Flo and Alvaro showing up every so often to try and get more water. Maverick makes sure to stay vigilant.

"I say, the best course of action is to pretend this is all really happening, rather than do something rash like take our lives to end this dream," Adwin continues.

Maverick leans backwards and resists the urge to pull out his hair. This is all far too dangerous for his liking. "Right. My biggest concern is what to do when the townspeople attack us. Do we try to stay and accomplish the goals that Hubert has set out of us or do we flee?"

Finally, Adwin is caught off guard. He had been expecting that question; it was the reason he and Maverick decided to go to the beach. Still, putting it so bluntly is painful. An attack is a when, not an if. "Well, how would we flee. How far is Canada from the US?"

"If we take horses, seven days." Even though most of Maverick's father's company shipped by train, they previously had horses in charge of shipments. That journey, from Toronto, was a bit longer than seven days, but Quebec is much closer to the coast. "We would have to steal them."

"And we'd have to find some way to transport food and water, without letting Hubert in on our plan," Adwin agrees. He blinks a few times, before leaning in closer. "Are you sure we shouldn't tell the others? I feel like they have a right to know."

Maverick shakes his head. The last thing they need is panic. Anxiety might send the others back after that gun. No, the best route is through calm and patient work. "Maybe later."

Adwin isn't quite sure. He'll respect Maverick's decision; he doesn't want to ruffle too many feathers, but the feeling doesn't sit well with him. He has already messed up a few times too many.

~~~

Both Bev and Mickey are in the forest as well. Bev cradles her hand as she steps through, admiring all the leaves. It is beautiful here, more beautiful than she had ever imagined the world could be. Still, she longs to be on the helm of a pirate ship, headed to nowhere. That wish is the only thing preventing her from following the forest to the deepest part of its call.

"Have you had the feeling again?" she asks him, not bothering to glance back.

He nods. "It's spreading. Alvaro's experienced it too. Maybe the others, but I haven't asked."

Bev considers this if only briefly, for she rarely considers anything. "I have not experienced anything of the sort. However, the forest has been repeatedly calling my name. Have you?"

"Wait, what?" Mickey asks, moving the branches out of the way. He was only half-paying attention to the conversation. Instead, he thought of Clara alone with Hubert and his stomach was spinning like he was diving out a helicopter on to the ground below.

Beverly stops and spins around to stare at him. She walks up next to him and feels the forest calling her name. "Just listen. Don't think about anything."

It's nearly impossible not to think about Clara, but Mickey doesn't say anything.

"Close your eyes," Beverly would feel weird about the suggestion if she didn't regularly believe in the impossible.

He does his best. Mickey hears the rustling of the trees in the wind. It seems impossible, but he feels like he can make out each individual leaf, brushing against the others. The soft grazing of a soft green blanket. The forest seems quiet, but if you listen carefully, you can even hear the sound of ants crawling across the ground.

Then in the distance, he can hear it. A thing. Not a voice, but an idea. And it calls to him.

Beverly watches as his face twitches. She pauses, not sure how to snap him out of his daze without touching him. Eventually, Beverly decides to take a step forward, and the sound is like a tidal wave to Mickey.

He steps back, before looking at her. "What was that?"

"I think it's an angel, but I can't be sure if it's the Devil or not."

Mickey met the Devil in Germany. He wouldn't believe in the supernatural if he hadn't heard Ivy speak French last night. Something is here though.

~~~

Ivy's eyes have glossed over. The others don't know it, but she isn't quite herself anymore. Her breaths are even in another language now. It's consuming her, like a first love. If the others were to investigate, they could easily figure out what it is, but none of them have been paying much attention to her.

Only Tim has been paying attention, but she is in the back of his mind. Instead, he thinks about the ocean and his promise. His life once for his life later. Or a life later. Tim is a master of scripts, but the ocean didn't speak in words. Instead, he had the impression that he owed a debt.

He thinks he has found a way to pay it back and pay it back quickly.

Tim helps Ivy out of bed. He cradles the back of her head, making sure she is standing up.

She mumbles something in French, (he doesn't understand French, but I do. It's hard to translate, but I'll do my best. The words, brief that they are, describe the intensity of love at first sight, in the words of lighting striking the Earth. Interestingly, lightning never strikes the same place twice).

They walk through the grass. Tim makes sure to carry her carefully, darting his eyes around for any sign of the others (particularly Mickey, but really any of the others).

From there, he brings her to the cliff. She drags her feet, but the thing inside her tries to dig its heels in. It's not strong enough, not yet, to fight Tim. He holds her by her hair, bringing her into a hug. From there, he pulls her in close and cries into her chest.

Then, he lets go, and she falls through the air, her white dress billowing up like a cloud as she falls down and down.

In the water, she is unmade.

Unfortunately, the thing escapes.

Tim stares down at the water, watching her sink lower and lower. He doesn't wipe his eyes, and instead lets them redden. He is ready for the biggest performance of his life. Later, when all is quiet, he will go down to the water and ask the ocean if his debt is paid.

~~~~~

Lol, if anyone read my announcement, it's sort of a trick. I did exclusively listen to one song, but the ending was a little rougher than one might have expected. Anyway, I'm going to put out an announcement soon, so make sure to add White Secrets to your library because I'll announce some stuff that'll affect you all. Don't worry, it's melancholy at worst and exciting at best.

Anyway, thank you for all your kind messages. I went through some tough interpersonal things that have just changed my life permanently. They're not going to be resolved, but writing is a good distraction.

I'll see you all soon.