Her brain hurt.

Marianne's journals were stuffed to bursting with entries, drawings, pressings, and even clippings from pages that looked to be handwritten on old parchment. Detailed notes were crammed into the sidelines—properties of gemstones, levels of magic, the various demons and shadows, herbs and their uses, and so much more. She absorbed the information like a natural, but the books that left Charlie reaching for the painkillers were the business ledgers.

It's not like she wasn't able to comprehend them. No, they were all meticulously detailed and laid out in easy-to-understand terminology. It was more like she finally realized just how out of her league she was.

Going beyond that, the various creatures that had to be fended off tugged more at Charlie's curiosity than anything else. Nestled within the handwriting sat sketches of bizarre creatures she hoped would only ever stay in her darkest nightmares, but she knew full well they were all too real.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket and, with great effort, Charlie tore her eyes from the notebooks. It was a message from Tal, asking if she wanted to join them at the saloon later that night. With how he so casually dropped the fact his son and both of Lori's kids would be there—along with 'everyone' else—she got the impression she couldn't just hole herself up like she wanted to.

She groaned, remembering her promise to go to town today. It wasn't that she was against meeting everyone. On the contrary, she was actually excited about seeing how the town's dynamics had changed. She just didn't know if she was emotionally ready to build any meaningful relationships yet. Or if she was even able to anymore.

One thing she always tried to do was smile on the outside, even if she was falling apart within. But being home again—the last place she truly felt like her smile was genuine—she didn't want to act anymore. She wanted it to be real. It was her chance at a fresh start in a place she knew was 'home'. She wanted—no, she needed—to form some kind of real human connection here.

She, Griff, and Ignis were always together; playing through the trees, making up adventures and acting them out. Charlie couldn't count the times the three of them got into trouble and stood with heads bowed as Marianne reprimanded them.

Charlie slowly tapped out her reply, asking what time.

But with real connection there came the unavoidable chance of experiencing real pain. Miner's Cove was so far from the pain of the concrete jungle, its songs nothing like the pretty lies that built only to destroy. All she had to do was break from the big city fear of boredom and rejection and get out there and just be herself. Maybe her old friends would help ease her back into the town she'd become a stranger to over the years.

Or maybe a quick walk to the beach would help.

It would be a strange night for sure, she told herself as she walked to the bathroom. She could gather her courage on the walk, and then nurse her nerves later with a drink or two to get back into the swing of things. A win/win, right?

‡ † ‡

Wind gently moved the rope barricade, and the waves rolled to their own steady rhythm. Seagulls flew in from all across the South Feather Sea, hovering on the breeze and pecking at little pebbles and shells that spotted the glittering sands. The familiar, almost whimsical tune of the waters helped steady Charlie's anxious mind and she let herself sway in time with it, eyes closed as she stood at the far end of the docks.

If she listened hard enough, she could make out the voices of the few townsfolk who joined her by the water—Jason, the muscle head grandson of the elderly Hanscombs. Hannah, the same prim and prissy glamour girl she'd been during childhood. She also heard a voice she didn't recognize—an older man who'd claimed the ramshackle cabin on the beach as his home.

And every voice cut like a knife, no matter how familiar Charlie was with them or not. She wondered if she was even welcomed in Miner's Cove anymore, if she even dared attempt to add her cadence to the wild and free song of the small coastal blip. Life had gone on without her…but somehow it was all still the same.

Opening her eyes, she watched the sun glitter on the water, attempting to ignore the gnawing sensation of eyes on her. She didn't know how she knew, but she just did. Turning to the beach at her far left, she caught the gaze of a dark-skinned young man who towered over the distracted boy playing in the sand at his feet. It took a second, but her heart leapt when she realized just who he was.

Gone was the pudgy, vertically challenged boy of nine years ago; Griff now easily towered like a tree and held an impressive—if somewhat imposing—physique. His once wild curls were now closely cropped against his head with the tribal markings of his late mother's heritage painstakingly etched into swirling designs that fanned out behind his ears. He smiled widely as he beckoned her to join him. Eels wriggled in her gut, but even as Charlie approached, she found the same bright, welcoming light in his honey eyes.

"Holy. Shit. You're really here! Dude! Charlie, my girl!" He grabbed her around her waist and spun her around, laughing.

"I won't be back for long if you smother me!" Back on solid ground, Charlie wavered a second before forcing a smile. "Lori spoiled the secret, didn't she?"

Griff shook his head. "Nope! I had a dream."

"A dream?" she laughed. "Okay, magic-boy."

"Oh, come on! But for real. My dreams are normally garbage, though. But it doesn't matter! You're really, really back! This is awesome!" He made a strange face and immediately threw up his hands. "Uh, I mean—! I'm not excited about your grandma… I-I mean—"

"Hey, now, it's fine. I knew what you meant." She smiled for emphasis, and thankfully that seemed to calm the big guy down.

The little boy who had once been happily making sandcastles by Griff's feet stopped and now stared in Charlie's direction. His rigid form and flat eyes spoke of unfamiliarity as he flicked his gaze back and forth between them. Griff caught notice and ruffled the boy's hair.

"This is Nate. My little bro." He beamed down at him. "You were too young to remember, but Charlie was mine and Iggy's best friend when we were kids."

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Charlie gave Nate her best smile. The name was familiar—where had she heard it before? She'd always had a soft spot for kids, their honesty and innocence. Before she could say anything, a stern voice made all three of them turn around.

"Griffith Bryn Alavai!" A young redhead, elfin in appearance, crossed the sands, her long braid bouncing over her shoulder. She hardly spared a glance at Charlie as she narrowed her eyes. "How many times have I told you not to make Nate late for his afternoon lessons? You know your dad will get upset if he misses any!"

Griff, eyes wide, nervously looked to Charlie. "S-sorry, Sophie. It's just that—well, Charlie came back and all and—I-I forgot—"

She sighed. "I'll let it slide for now, but this is the last time, okay? I'm telling your dad next time." A touch of pink rose to her cheeks as she regarded Charlie for the first time. "Oh, I'm sorry about that. You're Marianne's granddaughter, right?"

Charlie smiled, waving off the ass-chewing she was so ripping Griff for later. "That's me. I'm Charlie."

"Sophie," she replied, offering her hand to shake. "And this is Tia." She motioned to a little girl behind her that Charlie hadn't noticed until she peeked out from behind Sophie's legs.

"Aw, she's adorable. Is she yours?"

"Nah, she's not mine. She's Troy's little goddaughter. I just teach her and Nate a few days a week. The elementary school doesn't send a bus to the Cove, so they're homeschooled."

It was Charlie's turn to feel like a heel. "Sorry, I didn't mean to assume."

"Haha, it's fine. Well, I need to get these two to the library for their lessons. It was nice meeting you, Charlie," she said with a warm smile. "You, too." Charlie waved to the children as they followed after Sophie.

"Well, that was a helluva meeting."

"And I even got to see your face turn shades." Charlie smiled as she and Griff walked north towards the town square. They could count as four introductions, right? They had been mercifully easy, and she hoped the rest of them would go as smoothly.

"Oh, lay off. So, you're joining us at the saloon tonight, right?"

"Yeah, like your dad would let me get away with not going?"

"Awesome!" Griff pumped his fist into the air. "Ignis is gonna flip! Oh…yeah, that's right."

"What's wrong?"

"I forgot about Gabriela."

Noticing the disgruntled sigh, she almost didn't want to ask just who this 'Gabriela' was. But she couldn't stop herself. "Who's she?"

He snorted, then crossed his arms. "No one special. Just Ignis's crappy girlfriend."

"Wow, that's…pretty honest of you to say."

"You'll see what I mean when you meet her. Still early, though. Wanna walk more?"

"I'd love to."

She almost believed that she felt normal, but a guilty pang in her chest reminded Charlie that she and Griff weren't the same happy children they used to be. Not only that, maybe the tight bonds that once knit them so close together weren't so strong anymore. She only hoped they were, and that it was the lingering coldness from the city still clinging to her psyche.

"So, you never thought to…I don't know, text or anything?" Griff asked. "Not even a call?"

"Believe me, I wanted to! I just…wasn't allowed to."

"Huh!? Did you move into a prison or something? What gives?"

Charlie shrugged, avoided his gaze. "After we left, Mom made me promise not to reach out. She said we didn't belong here anymore. I was scared, and thought she was just trying to protect me."

"Uh, from what? Your friends? Family? Everyone that cared about you and missed you? That's seriously messed up, my girl. And what about this whole Guardian shit? How're you gonna do a job you have zero knowledge for?"

Charlie gave a half-hearted shrug. "I can learn."

"In six months?"

She shrugged more. Griff made a noise but didn't say anything else on it. Instead, he turned around and carved out their path, stuffing his hands into his pockets. For a moment they walked in silence and Charlie reflected on…a lot of things. The town, the people. Her memories.

"You remember that time we went into the Secret Woods?" Griff asked, almost like he'd taken the thought from her head.

There were a few times they'd snuck off to play there in the ruins. Not a lot of notable times…except for one. Charlie's lips curled up. "Yeah. You tripped over the only clearly visible log and went head-first right into the pond."

"I tripped over a branch hidden in the weeds!"

"Oh, come on! You had to know it was there."

Charlie recalled the girly shriek he'd given right before the plunge, and then the aftermath of her and Ignis trying to fish the flailing boy out before he drowned only to give up and scream for Adagium to save him. She wondered if this is what reminiscing was supposed to feel like: painful. Not the kind of pain from recalling it alone, but more like the bittersweet tug at recalling a bygone time that ended far too soon.

"We were always getting into some kind of trouble, weren't we?" Griff replied, smirking. "Speaking of, I was wondering if we could get into some tonight. For old time's sake?"

Charlie's smile grew. His kind of trouble was rarely harmful. "What did you have in mind?"

"Something I need Ignis to join us in. If he agrees, I'll talk."

Charlie laughed to herself. As much as she wanted to fall back into old times, she wanted to get settled in before she went around causing trouble like some miscreant. Once she nodded her agreement, Griff smiled, but quickly made an 'o' with his mouth as he dug out his phone. He scanned the screen then sighed.

"I gotta run for a bit," he explained. "Dad needs help unpacking some late crate before closing shop. See you later?"

"You bet."

"You my girl, Charlie," he said with a quick grin before running off. Charlie watched him disappear across the small river bridge and out of sight, her anxiety returning in full force.

‡ † ‡

The town retained much of its charm. The medical clinic had gotten a small upgrade, but otherwise looked the same, and Tal's general store had been added onto at least two times, making it into a proper grocery store. Charlie grinned. She knew only one person who could add on to such an old building and make it look good.

Turning away, she headed east. A large blue house sat by the road, cut off by a tall, wrought iron fence. Compared to small village charm, this house stood out as garish to her. She knew for certain it hadn’t been there before and had no clue who lived there, but the way her nose instinctively wrinkled told her all she needed to know about them.

Pushing past, she reached a small stone bridge. In her childhood, had led to both a small, two-story home and a community pond, though the second she reached the river she made an audible sound of disgust. On the other side was a sight she knew all too well—an obnoxiously large, glowing JaeCo sign sticking out of the rustic landscape like a sore thumb.

"They're like cockroaches," she muttered to herself.

Using the west Dellcro city of Arbre Delvie as its base of operations, the Jaeger Corporation was number one when it came to worldwide influence. Education, retail, science, energy, arms development, urban planning, space and aeronautics, food and pharmaceutical production, and even entertainment, the company had seen unprecedented growth. But to see its influence way out here was just mindboggling, even if it was just a movie theater.

As she turned away, she heard the automatic door of the cinema open and looked to see a man step out. He was pulling off a blue JaeCo shirt, but even without the uniform Charlie could very well have guessed the guy was an employee just by the look of utter misery on his face. So, she didn't mind it a bit when he stalked past her without so much as a glance.

Funnily enough they seemed to be going in the same direction. Every turn this man made, Charlie made, until the weathered old building brightly lit with a sparkling 'Luna Saloon' sign came into view. The man suddenly spun around, frowning in annoyance and frustration.

"I don't know you. Never seen you before, so why the hell are you following me?"

Charlie blinked in surprise before her eyes narrowed in the defensive anger she'd been so quick to hide behind in South Lindow.

"I have no idea what your deal is, but I'm just trying to get to Luna. Same as you, it seems. I promised to meet Tal there tonight."

The man appraised her for a long moment, steely blue eyes locked onto her own. She half expected him to tell her to screw off and was well prepared to return the sentiment. Instead, the side of the guy's mouth quirked up into somewhat of a half-smile.

"New girl is a woman after my own heart," he said. "Name's Troy."

"Charlie. And I'm not 'new'," she stated. "I grew up here."

"Well, welcome back to the shithole that's Miner's Cove."

With a faint noise in response, Charlie followed Troy the rest of the way in silence.