Agnes had been expecting pain. She knew how deserts worked, the way they heated with the day and cooled with the night, and therefore had prepared to burn her feet on impact. Better than getting grains in her shoes—a much worse outcome, she had decided.

But the sand was tepid, not swaying one way or another in terms of temperature. It was practically soothing to the young girl's blistered feet, and she couldn't help but take a pause to revel in the sensation. For the first time in a very long time, the young girl was enjoying something.

Then, Margot jumped in next to her.

"Oh, this is the most wonderful stuff I've ever touched!" she squealed, rolling around in the mess. It sprinkled her brown curls like lice, finding its way deep into her scalp. Grabbing handfuls of sand, she threw it up in the air and let it rain down on the both of them.

Agnes was done enjoying. She immediately distanced herself from Margot and started the slow trek to the trailer, the sand dragging her down as she went.

Yvonne, still on the pavement, wasn't enjoying any of it.

She was frozen to the edge, a chill slicing down her spine in a perfect arch. It was as if she could feel their absences in the air surrounding Eldritch, and it wasn't a sensation she liked at all. Looking to Hugo, she could tell he was aware of it too.

"Something wrong," he said slowly, watching the usually stagnant clouds race above them, their edges almost...gray.

Yvonne said nothing as she watched Agnes hobble through the sand, while Margot crawled on hands and knees, cackling right behind her. Somehow, the pitiful girl knew nothing good could come from following them, supported by the apprehension coating her innards. Her hair whipped around her face as the wind kicked up, threatening consequences if she so much as considered it. In short, the thought of crossing the town line went against all of Yvonne's instincts.

But she also felt a need to prove herself to Agnes. The young girl's comments about her being a coward rung deep in Yvonne's ears, much louder than her common sense. Besides, she wanted to see the look on Agnes's face once the obvious illusion disappeared. And if by some chance it didn't, well, what better payment for Nickels than proof of his beloved myth?

So, swallowing down her fears, she took Hugo's hand. "Come, sweet boy, or we'll be left behind."

He wasn't very keen about jumping over the edge, but he could feel that the voices were pleased at the idea. His dosage of the Good Stuff was beginning to wear off, leaving him open to their influence.

See what lay beyond.

"Okay, Evie," he said softly, letting her take his hand.

Then, they both stepped off the edge—and the town of Eldritch shifted.

But more on that later.

For now, we'll focus on the optimistic children playing in the sand. Yvonne was caught off guard once they landed, her sandals allowing it to filter between her toes. It was practically plush as she sunk further in, making it difficult to get her shoe loose again. Agnes's choice to go barefoot didn't seem so bizarre anymore. Slipping her sandals off, Yvonne clutched them in one hand and attempted to tug Hugo along with the other.

The terrain made the ugly's boy balance even more wobbly. He was but a palm tree in the breeze, lanky frame swaying, his feet rooted in place. No matter how hard Yvonne tugged, he didn't budge.

"Your legs, Hugo, you must use them!" she gritted out. Through a curtain of brown hair, Yvonne saw that Agnes was still trekking on toward the trailer—er, mirage. At least, that's what the pitiful girl was still stubbornly sticking with.

But Agnes, who was getting ever closer, knew it was real. She could tell by the sturdiness of its tin walls, the sharp outline of the antennas that covered the roof, the two lawn chairs stationed just outside. Sure, they were empty, but that didn't mean no one was home. With only five feet between her and the trailer, she kept her eyes trained to its broken windows for any signs of life.

"Hey, slow down!" Margot whined, still elbows deep in sand. "It's not fair, you've been in front all day."

Agnes ignored her.

"Agnes, wait a second!" Yvonne shouted from farther back. "You're going too far!"

At that, Agnes couldn't help but throw a glare over her shoulder. "Stop being ridiculous, I've barely..."

But the sentence died in her throat as she stopped dead in her tracks and took in just how far from Eldritch she was. The trailer had appeared closer before, but now the edge looked lengths away. It left the young girl perplexed; she couldn't have been walking for longer than a few moments. The progress she'd made was practically impossible.

Agnes was stuck in a state of shock—until something grabbed her ankle.

"Gotcha!" The shadow girl wrapped her whole body around Agnes's leg, anchoring her in place. "Now someone else gets to be first."

"Get off of me, you horrible brat!"Agnes shouted. When she didn't listen, more drastic measures were taken. Agnes tangled her fingers in Margot's coarse hair, then pulled with all her might. The shadow girl didn't so much as yelp.

"Do that again and I'll bite," Margot retorted, positioning her teeth next to the other girl's ankle.

Agnes flailed harder. "Stop, stop it, you're going to make me—"

She went tumbling to the ground without finishing her sentence.

Yvonne watched it all from afar, still waiting for her brother to get adjusted to the sand. Under other circumstances, the sight of them fighting might have been humorous, but with young Agnes and the shadow girl no longer blocking her view of the trailer, any semblance of laughter caught in Yvonne's chest. Not just because she had been proven wrong; it was clear now the trailer was in fact real.

But because of the stranger that was now seated in one of the lawn chairs.

"Agnes!" Yvonne shouted.

But her name couldn't be heard over her struggle with the shadow girl, who still refused to detach from Agnes's leg. Agnes stuck her free foot in Margot's face, wriggling her toes against her cheek. "Let go or I'll kick right here, just try me!"

"Guys, knock it off and get back here!" Yvonne screamed, her panic escalating when the figure stood up—a very adult figure.

It was no use; the girls were wrestling by this point, with Margot gaining the advantage. One minute, she was dodging Agnes's foot, the next, she had used all her strength to roll onto all fours and straddle her opponent. Agnes barely had time to react before the shadow girl had her hands pinned to her shoulders and knees digging into her pelvis. Agnes thrashed, but Margot had hooked her feet behind Agnes's thighs for good measure, ensuring she wasn't going anywhere.

Once pleased she had her beat, Margot raised her head to look for Hugo. She spotted him only a few feet away, trying his best to keep up with Yvonne—who was still screaming. But Margot paid little mind to that; instead, she shouted toward her new favorite, "Get in front now, it's your turn!"

Agnes boiled under the shadow girl's weight, running a thousand murderous scenarios through her head for when she was free. But a different shadow fell over the both of them, snatching back her attention. It was then that Yvonne's message finally reached the squabbling two, its tone frantic.

"Behind you!"

Agnes blinked up at the sudden silhouette blocking out the sun. It was an adult alright, standing tall and oppressive. Dark shades restricted any access to the eyes, but the nose they rested on was slender, and below that sat a hard line for a mouth. Dark hair cropped short made it impossible to tell if they were a mom or dad—if they were a parent at all. But what scared Agnes most was the silence.

The stranger uttered not a word.

Which may be why it took Margot longer to notice their new company. Whereas Agnes had gone stoic, not wanting to provoke whoever this adult was, Margot turned her head to see what everyone was looking at—and all that effort went to waste.

The shadow girl jumped away so fast, she practically shoved Agnes into the intruder's feet. Scrambling back, Margot crouched low to the ground, baring her teeth and snarling. "Do what you want with her, but I'll tear out your throat should you come near me. It will serve as a filling meal indeed."

Agnes watched from the ground as the stranger's head lifted to appraise Margot. The red-haired girl knew she should move, or injure them, or anything else other than laying frozen in possible harm's way. But something felt different about this adult. They were sharper, more alert; intuitively, Agnes knew better than to test their reaction time.

So instead, she let the shadow girl have what she had always wanted: the center of attention.

"Ha, look how it quakes in fear. This one can't even speak nonsense!" Margot guffawed, trying to egg the adult on into madness. Still, this stranger did not stir.

Yvonne seemed to be taking a similar approach to Agnes. She gripped Hugo's shoulder to stop him from walking, which was a shame since he had just gotten the hang of it. Glancing at the sun, she recognized his time for more of the Good Stuff was drawing near, and the last thing she needed was an erratic adult sending her brother over the edge—again.

But the ugly boy was the only one not perturbed by the arrival of this unknown stranger, which was very much unlike him. Instead of tensing up, his shoulders relaxed away from his ears. There was no timidness at the sight of an adult; on the contrary, Hugo's eyes passed right over them and focused on the door of the trailer. This reaction could only be credited to the voices, who soothed him with words of comfort.

Have no fear. We are here.

The adult kept their shaded gaze on Margot in a standoff that seemed to last an eternity. Then, the unimaginable happened.

The adult smirked.

"A sweet looking child with such a sour tongue," they said in a calm, clear voice. "I never would've guessed it."

The effect was immediate; all of the children's jaws dropped and buried themselves six feet in the sand. To say they were unsettled would be an understatement. Agnes felt her brain do a backflip as it attempted to make sense of the sanity that had just come out of this adult's mouth. Not what she had said specifically—but how it was even possible.

Margot, ever the talker, recovered the fastest. "You know how to use the nice words!"

The stranger snorted. "If by that you mean I talk right, then yeah, my words are real nice."

"You're..." Agnes had never found herself speechless before, but the conclusion she was coming to didn't sound right when said out loud. "You're not an adult?"

Despite herself, the young girl flinched when the stranger held out a hand to help her up. Studying it for a beat, Agnes eventually shook off her apprehension and accepted. Once upright, her confusion only grew. This person was not only taller than the very tall girl, but also noticeably older. Lines around their stern mouth told stories of smirks past, and the calluses on their fingers spoke to a good amount of use. No child had hands like that.

"Oh, I'm years older than any of you lot," the stranger explained, never once falling into a random tangent. "Let's just say, I stayed in School."

Realizing this adult wasn't gearing up for an attack, Yvonne gingerly lowered her guard. She inched her way the last few feet over to Margot, who was still lingering a bit back from Agnes. Using the shadow girl as her personal human shield, Yvonne stood behind Margot's shoulder and observed the situation under closer scrutiny. Unlike Agnes, she preferred to think her actions through.

There was more to this adult than Yvonne had ever noticed before. It wasn't just the way they spoke, but even their stance held a sense of assurance that often withered away with maturity. The adult stood with their shoulders set, their arms sheathed in a tight leather jacket. In one fluid motion, they rummaged around the pockets and pulled out a slim, white stick, then slipped it between their lips.

"So you're from Eldritch then?" Agnes clarified with a bit more confidence. Sure, this sudden appearance had thrown her off balance, but she was never one to let a slip up keep her down for long.

"Now, I didn't say that." The stranger seemed to be splitting their focus between the children and the stick. Absently, they dug into the back pocket of their blue jeans in search of something. "Shoot, did I not leave my lighter in this pair?"

"So you're not from Eldritch," Agnes tried again.

"Didn't say that, either. Ah, here it is." With a flurry, the stranger produced the prized lighter, then covered the butt of their white stick and held it up to the flame. "You just get right to the point, don't you, kid. Why, you haven't even asked me my name."

Agnes blinked; she wasn't used to being kept on her toes by those older than her, and she didn't appreciate the feeling. Annoyance flared up in her chest, sharpening her tongue. "If you want us to know so bad, just tell us."

"You're the king," Yvonne filled in over Margot's shoulder. "Like from the myth, right? You give the Good Stuff to the adults in Eldritch."

"Look who's a believer all of a sudden," Agnes said grumpily, only to shut up at the sound of the adult...laughing?

It held the consistency of laughter, yet there was little humor behind it. Finally, the young-minded adult removed their sunglasses, revealing piercing green eyes, a stark contrast to their dark skin. They held a sense of knowing as they examined each child one by one, keeping a pace that oozed nonchalance. When they landed on Margot, there was a pause, as if the stranger were contemplating a decision.

Then, they did me the hugest of favors and said, "Name's Bex. And I'm not any king, either. Amazing, the reach of the patriarchy."

Margot burst into a startled giggle. "Bex isn't even a name at all! You really are an adult. My, you're good at acting sane. Perhaps you can give my favorite Hugo some lessons."

Agnes rolled her eyes, then addressed the newly named Bex. "Just ignore her. We usually do."

"Noted," Bex said through their inhale. They let the smoke fester in their lungs, then blew it out in a ring. "So, it seems like you lot might be in a bit of a rush, and since I never like to linger on interactions longer than necessary, why don't we just skip to the part where you tell ol' Bex what it is you want."

"How do you know we want something?" Yvonne questioned.

With a sigh, Bex eyed the pitiful Yvonne. "Nevermind. Looks like you're more partial to the question and answer game. Hang on, let me get comfortable first."

Flipping the shades back over their eyes, Bex wandered over to the discarded lawn chair by the trailer. Instead of dragging it back to where the children stood waiting, Bex plopped into it, then stared back at the group expectantly.

Over short Margot's head, Agnes and Yvonne shared a look. They'd had their differences in the past, but there was something about this predicament that brought the girls to a mutual, and silent, agreement. Yes, this was bizarre. And neither girl had any assurance that talking with Bex longer was a good idea. All four children could feel the pull of Eldritch calling them back, a constant itch at the nape of their necks. Demanding.

But both Agnes and Yvonne knew the possible gains of speaking with this mysterious adult far outweighed any possible consequences. Besides, what harm was there in a few minutes more?

So with a nod, both girls took purposeful steps closer to Bex, with their shadows not far behind. Margot had oodles of questions to ask the first sane adult in existence, and Hugo...well, Hugo was still staring at the door to the trailer. The voices seemed to love looking at it.

I'm sure the doorknob feels divine, they whispered hungrily. Wouldn't you love to give it a twist and see where it leads?

"Answer her question," Agnes said shortly once the group stopped at Bex's chair. For once, she was sticking up for her pitiful companion, a true testament to how dire their situation was becoming. "How did you know we needed something, and why are you so willing to help?"

"So suspicious, I'm surprised you're bothering with me at all," Bex said smugly. "But there's no reason to be paranoid. Anyone who seeks the trailer is always looking for something. No one walks around the edge of Eldritch without reason."

"So it's true, then. Adults do get The Good Stuff from you." Yvonne cut in.

"No, first about Bogart," Agnes argued, already backtracking on any growing camaraderie. She set a glare on Bex, searching for any signs of deception. "Do you have my brother in your trailer?"

A true expression of puzzlement crossed Bex's face, their brows scrunching up. "Uhh, children aren't really my thing. I'm only being nice to you lot because of the show you gave upon arrival. Most entertained I've been in a long time."

"You're welcome," Margot said sweetly, ending it with a curtsey. Yvonne elbowed her in the chest.

"So is that a no?" Agnes asked sharply. "Because there's absolutely nothing that makes me think I should believe you, and there's nothing stopping me from walking inside and checking for myself."

"Well, I am saying no to holding a child in my trailer," Bex replied calmly, seemingly ignoring the obvious threat from young Agnes. "And the part about not believing me, well, that sounds like a personal problem now doesn't it?"

"Sounds very personal to me," Margot added snarkily.

Bex nodded to her in approval. "See, Little Bits over here knows what I'm talking about. And the last part is just a joke I'm sure, because in case you're getting the wrong idea, Carrot Top, I'm gonna set you straight. You are very much mistaken if you think you're in charge of me. I answer your questions out of the kindness of my heart, not under duress of an interrogation. Move so much as an inch toward that trailer, and it will be the worst choice you'll have ever made in your very young life. Do I make myself clear?"

"Ok, perhaps we all should just take a breath," Yvonne suggested quickly, recognizing the set in Agnes's shoulders. Regardless of the fear clawing its way up her own back, she just knew her pig-headed companion merely took Bex's threat as a challenge. "We haven't come to be hostile. Agnes here is just concerned about where her brother has gone. He seems to have vanished into thin air, and we thought maybe—"

"Do you have questions concerning anything else?" Bex asked flippantly. "Because my answer isn't changing. I don't have the boy, don't know who the boy is, and therefore don't know where the boy has gone. Next topic, or we're done here."

"I've changed my mind!" Margot declared abruptly, scooching closer to Bex's chair. "You are my new favorite. Wait until the ravens learn I've befriended an adult!"

Her previous favorite wasn't within earshot to hear of his discarding. The voices were doing their shouting match, clambering over one another to get their message to Hugo. He lumbered ever closer to the precious door as if in a trance. That knob did look intriguing, and he did want to see what happened with a twist of his hand. Three steps away, two steps, one...

"Oh, will you shut up, you horrid thing!" Agnes exploded, pulling Margot back by the hair and throwing her to the ground. Then, she turned stone eyes on Bex. "I refuse to believe that your ability to appear on command has no connection to my missing brother. You know more about Bogart than you're letting on, and you're going to tell me, even if I die getting it out of you."

"That can be..." I assume the next word would've been arranged—had Bex finished the threat.

But the sane adult did not. In fact, Bex's sanity came into question all at once as they noticed a disturbance over the bold—and obviously suicidal—girl's shoulder. Lifting slowly from their seat, Bex let the stick fall from their lips and die in the sand at their feet. Above the trailer, the sun was still blindingly bright. Had Bex not been wearing such dark sunglasses, perhaps they never would've noticed the weather that had moved in over Eldritch.

For in the town that never changed, there had been a shift. A shake up that no one could explain at that moment, not even the all-knowing Bex. Never in all of Eldritchean history had the sun not shone on the town—and never in all of its history had Eldritch seen snow.

Not before today.