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A flock of blackbirds pecking the soil in Lilac’s path silenced their gossip and fluttered into the maples as she approached the sizable cabin. She climbed several steps onto the front porch and gave the entry way several sturdy knocks with her small fist before dropping her arm to her side. She frowned impatiently, inspecting the nearby garth that was laden with bright red strawberries. Indistinct clatter along with the voices of her grandparents stirred from inside the home, prompting Lilac to redirect her attention. “I should know, I was a cop!” she discerned Storm exclaiming from the other side of the door before it pulled open with an audible creaking noise. She was met with her grandfather who appeared tired and frail; each time she saw him, he seemed to lose a few more pounds. His head and beard were like wooly gray rain clouds with only several wisps of ginger still remaining. He stepped aside to welcome her in before sauntering into the kitchen to shakily pour a cup of sun tea. Stella met Lilac’s suspecting gaze and rolled her dark brown eyes dramatically. “He said you knock like the police,” she whispered with a hand cupped around the side of her mouth, “whatever the hell that’s supposed to mean.” She shook her head and rolled her eyes. “The police?” Lilac echoed, raising an eyebrow in confusion. Stella responded by shrugging censoriously. “Well, I’ll leave you two to whatever it is you do.” her grandmother decided while Storm turned to approach the dining room table. Despite her elderly age, Stella had seemed to have maintained her sharp wit and continued to be just as down-to-earth as she had always been. Lilac pulled out a chair and took a seat as she disappeared to the back of the cabin, leaving her alone with her grandfather. He, on the other hand, had progressed to an intensely paranoid and erratic state of mind. He placed his cup on the table without pausing to take a sip and began pacing- almost hobbling back and forth across the room. “I’ve been thinking Lilac, it can’t be too much longer before the FBI returns to poke around and confirm we’re staying complicit.” He halted her a moment to rub out a sore spot on his back. “I don’t know why the government is so concerned about the possibility of a rebellion.” he fretted. They keep tabs on us because four of our members used to be citizens of the C.O.W, that’s probably just protocol of some kind, and they won’t be here again soon- they were just here investigating only a year ago. “I can not help but to feel you are correct in that regard, Storm. We need to keep our eyes peeled.” she murmured pensively, straightening her posture. Storm carried on for several hours until Lilac’s freckled eyelids began to droop. She watched the beam of sunlight streaming through the kitchen window slowly change directions as time passed by at an agonizingly slow rate. They performed this ritual several times a week: Lilac would come over, her grandfather would go on interminable rants about rich assholes, the corrupt government, and the unjust system. Eventually he would become side-tracked and begin rambling about tales of his youth until he exhausted himself. She had discovered a while ago that, so long as she commented and gave some kind of feedback here and there, it would appear as though she was providing her undivided attention. She would often chime in to agree every so often, even if she opposed his convictions internally. The more she continued to do so, the more Storm seemed to trust her and surrender the power to make certain decisions for the faction without him. “Well, I suppose I’ve talked your ear off enough today, but please try to keep a closer eye out, will ya? I can’t help but feel as though something is coming, what exactly? I’m not sure.” he leaned down to place an elbow on the table and scratched his scraggly gray beard thoughtfully as he spoke. “I don’t mind at all, Storm,” Lilac assured him coolly, although my time is valuable and I wish I didn’t have to spend it listening to you bellyache for hours. She pushed in her chair and rose to her feet. “Speaking of keeping our eyes peeled, I’ve already been doing so,” she had something up her sleeve from the moment she had walked through the door, but had intentionally retained it for the end of their discussion, “and I think I may have found something you may be interested in when I was walking through the woods yesterday evening.” she mentioned matter-of-factly. Her grandfather’s blue eyes grew round in suspense and apprehension and Lilac observed his breath beginning to quicken with anxiety. “I intend to go and retrieve it and investigate.” she glanced at the angle of sunlight beaming through the window and determined it was most likely late afternoon now. “What is it? Why would you wait this entire time to bring it up?” He demanded as his fingers gripped the table. Lilac blinked at him, entirely unphased. “I said I would retrieve it and investigate, did I not?” She curled her fingers and inspected her nails. “I would have done it last night, but you and I both know I do not see well in the dark.” Storm’s only response was an exasperated huff as she approached the door to leave. “I will take care of it, Storm,” she turned to face him, lowering her head and glaring up at him with cold, intense crystal blue eyes. “Do you trust me?” she asked slowly, her icy tone dressing the inquiry in the disguise of a challenge. There was a moment of silence before her grandfather sighed in defeat. “Yes,” he answered finally as she spun around to leave, “just be sure to report back here tomorrow!” he hollered after her, but Lilac was already crossing the glade briskly. She didn’t bother to glance over her shoulder to acknowledge him. She already intended to carry out her promise as quickly as she could, although if people could have a little more confidence in me, that would be nice. As she approached the site of the construction, she realized that although there were still several hours of daylight remaining, the raucous of hammers and saws had ceased. Jay and Krystal were talking in the distance, but before Lilac could stride over to them, she was halted by her aunt. Her son, Soren, stood peering at Lilac skittishly over her shoulder. He was eight years older than Lilac herself, placing him in his mid-twenties now, but even to this day all the color drained from his face when he crossed paths with her. Odd to see him in the daylight, she reflected. Soren still rarely left the comfort of his room. She felt amused as she recalled her earlier teenage years; she had taken advantage of how frightened he had been of her and had often tormented him. After a while she no longer gained satisfaction from it and became bored when she ran out of ways to prank him. Although she had found it entertaining, her reasoning behind it had partially been fueled by revenge due to Soren’s unreasonable resentment and fear of her, for something my father did, not me. Something people still refuse to let me in on, Lilac deliberated. What could Pyma have done that was so dishonorable that she herself continued to be punished for? “You forgot to let me out of my room this morning.” Lilac remarked before either of them had the opportunity to confront her about the incident. “But that doesn’t mean you had the right to-” “You don’t have the right, and have never had the right, to cage me like a wild animal.” Lilac cut Emilee off sharply. “If you would have waited, she would have let you out.” Soren attempted to defend his mother, although his voice quivered with trepidation. Lilac lunged at him abruptly, causing him to stagger backward. She relaxed and straightened herself, for her only intention had been to startle him into silence. “If I wanted to burn down the village or go on a murder spree, I’d do it in broad daylight.” she shrugged. It had only been a dark humored joke, but Lilac could tell by the horror painted on Soren’s and Emilee’s faces that they had not interpreted that way. “On the bright side, you won’t have to worry about it anymore.” She shot a glance over the red hair on her shoulder at the freshly repaired cabin. “Good luck fixing that window!” she added mischievously as she took off in the direction of Krystal and Jay. She could feel Soren’s brilliant blue gaze burning into her back as she stormed away, leaving him and his mother speechless.