Chapter 13

CHARLIE SPRINGS

Charlie Springs was confused.

Not confused in the way of she didn't understand what was going on, but rather she wasn't sure what to make of things.

She had gotten an email, and she wasn't sure what to think.

"Dipper," she started, zooming in on her phone and rereading the email, head on her knee that had been pulled to her chest. She twisted on the couch to face Ferris, who was laying with his back on the arm of the couch, feet almost in her lap. She poked his toes.

"Yeah?" he replied absently, typing on his laptop. Likely a message to Cynthia or one of her assistants in Waverwell government.

"Would Shaheena Driscoll happen to know any of our email addresses?"

"I'm assuming this is a hypothetical?" Ferris peered over the top of his laptop.

Charlie shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

"Well, then, hypothetically, Shaheena Driscoll is one of the top reporters at Waverwell News. And therefore, hypothetically, I suppose Shaheena Driscoll would have access to a lot of resources. Someone who works for Waverwell News and does things for her could probably hypothetically find out our email addresses. I mean, out of anything about a person, email addresses are one of the easiest to acquire."

"So Shaheena Driscoll could have, hypothetically, emailed me about havin' the SFPU-turned-NYTE-but-still-technically-the-SFPU-as-well-cuz-we're-doin'-double-duty come onto Waverwell News tomorrow morning at eight am for an interview about Ashley and his case?" Charlie chewed on her lip, ignoring how Ferris's eyes watched the movement for a brief moment before wrinkling his nose and frowning.

"Wait, hold up," he said, closing his laptop and setting it to the side. "Shaheena Driscoll wants us to come in for an interview at eight am tomorrow?"

Charlie nodded.

"And you're serious about this. Like, no kidding. One-hundred percent not joking. Cross your heart and hope to die kind of serious?"

Charlie drew an X across her chest. "Yupperdoodles. Need proof?"

Ferris wiggled his fingers toward himself. "Let me see the email, please."

Charlie handed her phone over. She leaned into the couch as she let Ferris read the email Shaheena Driscoll had sent her. The glow from her phone cast a sharp glare across Ferris's face.

"When was this sent?"

"A few days ago, but I forgot to check my email for a couple of days so I only saw it like ten minutes ago."

"And you were reading it for the last ten minutes?"

"Kinda. I was more tryin' to figure out if it was really her who had sent it."

"Why didn't you check your email? Shaheena wanted to hear back yesterday." Ferris stared at her from over the top of her phone.

"I forgot about it, Dipper!" Charlie threw her arms up in the air, sitting up on the couch, legs crossed beneath her. "I forgot about my email. And why'd she sent the stupid email to me anyway? You're the one who's the unofficial-official leader of the group! Shouldn't it have gone to you? You already deal with all of the reaching out to people and stuff! Why'd it come to me? The one person who's gonna be the one to forget my email even exists for days on end."

"Deep breath, Springs. Fine to be angry, no need for sharp words. We're all going through a lot right now, and everyone's angry and upset and missing Ashley."

But even though she knew Ferris's words were meant to help her calm down, it had the opposite effect, and irritation slithered through her like a coiling snake, fangs flashing in the dark.

"How the hell are you always managing to stay so calm? How are you always so unshakable?" Charlie couldn't help the venom that oozed into her voice, slithered its way through her words. She wanted to know how Ferris was doing that. She wanted to know how she could be like that. She wanted to know how to stop having to wrestle with her feelings, how to stop having to confront the anger and the guilt she felt.

"Because I've spent the last year figuring out a way to get through each day after I lost my parents."

And that made Charlie hesitate and stop. "I... I'm sorry."

"No need to be. You're not responsible."

"Do you ever just want to scream cuz the world's so unfair?"

Ferris nodded. "Yes." He gave a sad smile. "The world isn't fair. Seems like the bad guys win far more than the good guys do."

"I'll drink to that," Charlie muttered. "Water, of course. Can't be drinking on the job. No plans to catch a poacher while intoxicated."

Ferris rolled his eyes with the beginnings of a laugh. "Very true."

xxxx

The rest of the group reacted to the news of Shaheena's email similarly to how Ferris had— mild alarm, some confusion, and a bit of apprehension.

"So... basically Shaheena Driscoll from Waverwell News wants us to do an interview?" Ren asked after Charlie had explained what was going on, eyes narrowed.

Charlie nodded, shrugging. "Yeah, seems like it."

"Has Larson Hotch said anything about this? Or maybe Asa or Azrael?" Kristin asked. "I mean, should we really be chatting to the whole world about Ashley and speculating as to what might've happened to him in his final moments? Why someone felt the need to... to-to. To just kill him?"

"We're not gonna be saying everything we know. And we don't need to speculate on things we don't know."

"Yeah, I know that. We know that." Kristin swung his arm around the room, gesturing to the whole group in a harsh motion. "But they don't. Shaheena, Jaymes, everyone at Waverwell News, everyone who's watching. They all want a story that sounds nice. And every reporter there wants to get the next top story. Who knows how they will twist what we say? They're already focusing on the Trinity and how they're the most violent criminals Waverwell has ever seen. Ashley's been long left in the dust. Alaska's probably not far behind. I'd bet Shaheena's just invited us there to get some new things to twist and warp!"

"Well, Shaheena doesn't need to know for a little while. We've got time to figure out if we should even do this. At a minimum we can just tell people to reach out to the Moonfall Precinct if they think they have anything. Sure, like ninety-five percent will be tips that lead to a dead end. But maybe a few will add up to something good. "

"And what about when they start rapid-fire questions?"

"One question after the other after the other to try to trip you up and get you to say something you weren't originally going to?" Charlie asked.

Kristin nodded.

"Oh, not a problem. Just don't answer. Worked for me." She shrugged. "Or just say that you're not going to be answering questions if you can't understand what they're saying— just ask to have them broken up into individual questions."

"Option two will work far better," Ferris said.

"Have Asa and Azrael Smith okayed this?" Ren asked. "Or Larson Hotch? I'm all for an interview to plead our case, but I just want to check and ensure we will not be interfering with the investigation."

"We... let's ask th-them. Maybe they'll... like the idea of-of more... tips," Zip offered.

"I can call Larson and ask." Ferris pulled out his phone.

"Ok, great. Let's see what he has to say. If he says no, we don't go. If he says yes, we go. How about that?" Charlie asked.

"Sure," Ren said.

Zip nodded, followed by Kristin.

"Larson will know if this is a good idea," he murmured. "The last thing I want is to hurt Ashley's case."

"Which we won't do. Ashley will get justice."

Ferris dialed Larson's number, and his phone rang. Each ring seemed to stretch on for hours as time warped, and each second lasted for minutes. One ring went by, then another, then another.

And just when Charlie thought that maybe Larson wouldn't pick up, he did.

"Hello? This is Detective Larson Hotch from the Moonfall Precinct."

"Hello, Larson. This is Ferris Dipper. I'm here with the rest of the SFPU."

"Oh, hello, Ferris. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing well. Let me put you on speaker phone. We got an email a few days ago but only saw it maybe an hour or two ago."

"An email?" Larson asked after Ferris had placed his phone on the coffee table and switched it to speaker phone. "From Felix Fisk?"

"No, not Felix Fisk. And this is Charlie Springs. I got the email," she said, leaning forward to get closer to Ferris's Phone. "It was from Shaheena Driscoll. She wants to interview us. It'll be tomorrow morning at eight am."

Larson let out a breath. "Oh," he murmured. "Shaheena wants to do an interview with you? And I'm guessing you want to know if it'll be a good idea?"

"Yeah," Ferris replied.

Larson hummed. "Well, I mean," he started slowly, "it does hold the possibility of people taking things out of context. But that said, if you were to keep it more along the lines of if you have seen anything, please send it to the Moonfall Precinct, it'll help avoid that. And obviously don't say anything that hasn't already been released to the public, but I think you already know that."

"So you think it will be ok?"

"I think it could potentially bring in some good tips, and those could help piece together Ashley's case and help bring those responsible to justice."

"Thank you," Charlie said. Ferris echoed her words, along with the rest of the SFPU.

"Of course," Larson replied. "Have a nice rest of your day, and I will be sure to update you as soon as we discover anything new."

xxxx

Charlie didn't mind being in front of others.

She had made a habit of acting out in class, drawing attention to herself, and, looking back at it, being a general nuisance to her teachers, and they were probably very glad she was an only child. Although the main reason why she often didn't listen was because she knew it would annoy her parents. It was the only way she could try to get back at them because she knew they wouldn't otherwise listen.

But now, peeking out onto the stage that had been set up for the interview, Charlie's legs trembled. The stage seemed to dauntingly big, sprawling across the ground until it looked miles long. The crowd was buzzing, droning with a hundred different conversations and made up of a sea of people so big Charlie couldn't hope to count how many there were.

"Are you ok?" Ren asked.

"Yeah."

Morpheus bumped his nose into her leg, and she scratched his head. He wore his SFPU collar that identified him as a working dog and said DO NOT TOUCH on one side, with his name on the other. Ren had also dressed him in a mini version of the dogs' vests. They had done it so the crowd could see one of their dogs, but also to prevent people from approaching him, and the vest was small enough that Ren could still easily check on his wound from Pyr Iskie, which was healing smoothly.

Ren hadn't originally intended to bring Morpheus, but they didn't want to leave him back at the camp and so they brought him along.

Charlie rubbed her fingers across Morpheus's ear, an outlet for her restless energy.

Kristin paced behind her, while Zip bounced on his toes, eyes trailing across everything in sight. He wore the earbuds Ren had given him to help drown out some of the noise.

An assistant approached the group. "Are you all ready?"

"Yes, I believe we are."

"Wonderful" they replied. "Here are your microphones you will be using. They are already on and have been tested. Shaheena will be inviting you out in just a few minutes."

"Thank you," Charlie said as she took her microphone. "Let's do this."

xxxx

Charlie's nerves spiked when she heard Shaheena begin speaking.

"Now I know you have all heard the name Ashley Baok. One of the six members of the little-known Silverlight Forest Protection Unit. Some of you may not have even heard of the group until hearing of Ashley Baok. He was murdered just a short while ago, and I have invited the Silverlight Forest Protection Unit here today to speak about him and share who he was and how his death has affected them. If you would please give a big round of applause for the Silverlight Forest Protection Unit."

Charlie took a deep breath. This was it. No one really knew what they looked like, except for Ashley— his face had already been shown to the world. After this, they wouldn't be able to go out in public with the anonymity they used to have. They would be putting their faces out there. No more would they be able to be invisible like they had been in the past. The poachers they hunted when they returned to doing so would likely be able to recognize them.

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But it was worth it. Ashley might get answers. And it would put more of a face on who was killed by the Trinity. The effects would be seen— Kristin no longer had a brother, and the rest of the group no longer had a friend. All they had of Ashley was memories and pictures, stories they could return to, not the living, breathing person they could once hug. They couldn't get him back, but they could at least get answers.

Charlie exhaled for one, two, three, four, and then stepped out on stage, following a couple paces behind Kristin.

She stared out at the crowd, feeling like a deer in headlights, before she was able to snap out of it. She could hear the clapping and the cheering, and she waved out at everyone. People were spread out, distanced in neat rows, with little clusters of families. The camera crews needed the noise, the reactions of the crowds, but safety required distance.

"Hello," she said into her microphone, flinching slightly at how loud it was.

Charlie hadn't realized she was frozen in place, until Ferris brushed up behind her, tugging gently on the back of her shirt. She shot him a grateful smile, and got a small one in return.

The six chairs set out were close together, close enough to touch elbows if one stretched out just a bit. But they were separated further from Shaheena's chair— they would keep their distance from Shaheena, just like how interactions had been kept brief. Instead of discussing the logistics of the interview in person once they were there, much of it had been sent in an email the night before, along with instructions of how to get to Waverwell News, where to park, and what entrance to use.

Charlie settled into her chair, a tall one on long legs with a short back. After sitting on it for just a few seconds, Charlie knew she would be shifting on it for most of the interview and would be beyond restless by the end —a chair like this didn't allow for slouching or finding a comfortable position— but she would somehow manage it.

She had to.

Shaheena was wearing a long, green dress that hung off one shoulder in neat folds, cinched at the waist. She wore black heels and sat with one leg crossed over her other. A microphone had been clipped onto her dress at her collarbone, and she held a thin stack of papers in her hands.

"Hello, and thank you for meeting with me today. I appreciate you making the journey out to Raconteur."

Charlie nodded. She looked out over the crowd.

Off in the distance, she could see Wishing River and Teller's Bridge, where she and the group had driven over earlier in the morning. Trees surrounded Raconteur, and Charlie could almost see the entirety of the town, which consisted almost entirely of press buildings, almost all of which belonged to Waverwell News or their gossip offshoot, Did You Hear?!

"Could you please introduce yourselves and tell me a little bit about you?" Shaheena asked.

Kristin raised his microphone to his mouth. "My name is Kristin Baok, and I am the brother of Ashley Baok."

Ferris went next. "My name is Ferris Dipper, and I am the one who created the Silverlight Forest Protection Unit."

Then Charlie. "Hi, everyone. My name is Charlie Springs. I know all about the wildlife in Silverlight Forest. Or Pocket Forest, if you prefer."

Then Ren. "My name is Ren, and I train the dogs for the Silverlight Forest Protection Unit. I brought Morpheus here with me today."

Then Zip. "Hi. I'm-. uh... I'm Z-Zip Furr. I, uh, make the-the. I do the c-coding and stuff for the S-Silverlight Forest Protection Unit."

Shaheena allowed for a pause, taking a sip of water from the glass on the little stand beside her, which also had a small vase with a bouquet of flowers in it.

"So, Kristin," she said, "I notice that there is a sixth chair beside you. Why did you ask for it to be placed here?"

Kristin gave the chair a long look. It looked so innocent —just a simple piece of furniture— but it held so much more than that. It held every sleepless night, every guilty what if I had done this instead?, every longing glance at the front door wondering if Ashley had known it was the last time he would leave the SFPU house, every frustrated reread of Ashley's journal wondering what he was trying to say that he felt he had to keep to himself.

"It's for my brother, Ashley." Kristin rested his free hand on the back of Ashley's chair as he spoke into his microphone. "He is the first known victim of the Trinity, but more than that, he is my brother. I'm not ever going to forget him, and I want the world to know who he was and the kind of person he was. Even though he might not be here in person, alive, he's still here in spirit. I wanted a physical manifestation of that. There was so much more to him than just being a victim."

"What type of person was Ashley?"

"Ashley was the kind of person who would give the shirt off his back if it meant helping someone. He had a heart of gold and was always trying to learn new things in hopes that maybe the skill would some in handy if there was a situation in which someone needed help." Kristin smiled sadly at the ground, eyes becoming distant as he fell back into memories of his brother. His hand tightened on Ashley's chair. "Ashley was a jack-of-all-trades who knew a little about almost everything. And he had a great sense of humor. I think Charlie can attest to that."

"Oh, yeah," she said with a short laugh. "Ashley and I had this friendly banter. We would pull pranks on each other. I once gave him a caramel onion and chocolate covered Brussel sprouts instead of caramel apples and chocolate truffles. He got me back when he covered my bedroom in sticky notes. Don't worry, we didn't waste them— we slowly used them over the next few months. He got me back after I hid tiny pictures of him making funny faces around the camp by putting googly eyes on the food in the fridge. I think I still have that picture on my phone— I couldn't stop laughing. Hard to eat food when it looks like it's looking at you, but it was funny."

A bolt of pain lanced through her heart when she remembered yet again that she wouldn't ever get to pull another prank on him or have him pull one on her, wouldn't ever get to have that back-and-forth with Ashley of temporarily stealing books, wouldn't ever get to have a new pattern to figure out when she went to return a book. Ashley's books would now collect dust in the same order they had been in when he had created the pattern that lead her to his journal, the real Pockets of Gold and Silver.

"Ashley loved reading, too," Charlie added. "I think his whole room would've been covered in floor-to-ceiling stacks of books if he didn't need a place for his bed."

"He sounds like he was a wonderful person," Shaheena said.

"Ashley was an amazing person," Kristin replied. "He was the best brother I could've ever asked for."

"And he... was the best friend I could've ever... ever wanted. So kind." Zip smiled.

Shaheena asked about the the day they found out that Ashley had been killed and what those following days had been like.

"My world got swept out from beneath me," Kristin gritted out. "I knew something was terribly wrong in my heart, but I never would've guessed that it was anything like this. But we've been working with the Moonfall Precinct to find answers. And if any of you watching think you might know something in relation to Ashley Baok's case, please reach out to Larson Hotch or the Moonfall Precinct. Nothing is too small, and they will look into every single tip they receive. You can find them on Muse at MoonfallPrecinctOfficial or MoonfallPrecinct.com."

Ren lifted their microphone to their mouth. "I-." They flinched back when feedback screamed out through the speakers. "Sorry. I, uh, I... my whole world got flipped as well. I didn't know Ashley like Kristin did, but one year is enough time for me to know how great of a person he was.

"Have you heard of the connection to Alaska Wendell March?" Shaheena asked.

Kristin nodded. "Yes, we have heard of it. I don't know any details. That's a question for Larson Hotch and the Moonfall Precinct. Ryzor Oberhofer and the Corville Precinct, too. They would be able to tell you more than I could."

"We don't know too much more than you guys do," Charlie said.

It wasn't really a lie.

They knew more than most because they had known Ashley and were close with him. But it was an open secret that the Moonfall Precinct hadn't told them everything, and Charlie didn't have a problem with it— she didn't want to know the details of how Ashley had been killed. The only thing she wanted to know was why someone had felt that it was ok for Ashley to die and who they were. And she knew Larson would tell her as soon as he knew.

Shaheena nodded. Charlie could tell it wasn't the answer she wanted. Waverwell News wanted that next big story, but Shaheena wasn't going to push.

Shaheena turned her attention to Kristin. "If you could say anything you wanted to Ashley right now, what would you say?"

A sad smile crossed Kristin's face, and tears pooled in his eyes. "I would tell him that I love him so much," he said, voice cracking. "I would tell him that I miss him every day. I tell him say that he's the best brother I could've ever asked for and that I'm so grateful I got the chance to know him, even for as short of a time as it was. I'd say that I'll never forget the memories I have of him and how amazing his hugs were and how he'd always say that it'll be ok, it'll all be ok. And that I'm so sorry I couldn't be there with him in the end to tell him that it's ok and that he's loved so much. But mostly I'd tell Ashley how much I love him and that I'll never forget him and how big his heart was and that I'll spend the rest of my life trying to honor his memory."

"I second that," Charlie said. She hadn't originally intended to speak— she was going to let Kristin be the one who did most of the talking. But in this case, the words just kind of came.

"I second that," she repeated. "I wasn't Ashley's sibling, and I wasn't his blood family. But we had a family of our own in the SFPU. Ashley had a way of comforting you when you were feeling sad, and I swear his hugs had magical powers— they could make anything better. He just kind of knew when someone was down, and he had some sixth sense on how to make you smile and feel a little better. He had such a big heart and couldn't just let someone go through their day without even one smile."

"If you could say anything to whoever is responsible for Ashley's murder, what would you say?"

"Turn your-yourself in," Zip blurted, finding the nearest camera and staring straight down it so he could speak directly to every tv tuned into Waverwell News. "I... we know what-what you... you did. Turn yourself in. Say-. Say what happened. They-they'll listen. Larson, Asa, Az-Azrael, Moonfall Precinct. They'll listen. Turn yourself in."

"Turn yourself in," Kristin echoed. "I don't know why you did what you did, and I cannot pretend to understand because I don't. But turn yourself in and explain it all to Larson, Asa, Azrael, and those working at the Moonfall Precinct. I promise you they will listen to everything you have to say."

Charlie nodded along, letting Zip and Kristin do the talking. She felt the same way. Of course Larson would listen— he would be gathering every bit of evidence he could to slam those responsible across with the biggest list of charges Waverwell had ever seen. He'd play along, let them think he was on their side without saying what he knew. I just need to ask you a few questions to clear you, ok? People can be like that, can't they? I understand, everyone gets angry like that sometimes. I get it, I believe you, I'm on your side.

Her mind wandered as Kristin answered more questions. Ferris pitched in, and Ren gave their input, and Zip offered his perspective.

Piece by piece, bits fell into place in Charlie's head, and she let her mind work on autopilot, answering questions on occasion and waving at the crowd.

She could feel Ferris's gaze on her, feel the weight of his stare, but she was too far into her own head to react to it.

She heard the low drone of his voice when he responded to something she couldn't quite process, and she heard Shaheena say something in return, followed by the halting gait of Zip's tone.

"Arkreyitis," she breathed. Her microphone had been being held at her chest, and so it picked up what she said.

"I'm sorry?" Shaheena said, raising an eyebrow and patiently waiting for Charlie to continue.

"Arkreyitis," she repeated, still too far in her head for her mind to work as fast as her tongue. "That's what the disease should be called. Right?"

"I'm afraid I do not follow."

Everyone thought differently, she reminded herself. Not everyone had a brain that worked like hers did.

"Those claims the whistleblower made, right? That Leviathan Inc. is, allegedly, responsible for this disease rampagin' across Waverwell, and it's caused by Arkreon. If that's the case, shouldn't we name the disease after Arkreon?"

Everyone went quiet. The world was silent enough that Charlie could hear exhales, hear the soft rippling of Wishing River off in the distance.

Ferris stared at her, a thousand emotions flickering across his eyes. Kristin glared at her. Ren gazed up over the crowd, expression unreadable. Zip looked at her, something sad in his expression.

What? she silently asked Ferris.

He leaned over to whisper in her ear, microphone down by his thigh to keep his words between him and Charlie. "You kinda just confirmed Arkreon is the cause of the disease. But there is no proof, not that many will care. You just made the story we were trying to avoid."

Charlie tucked her own microphone behind her back. "I didn't say anything for certain. I was talkin' about the whistleblower's claims. They're claims, not proven facts."

"I know that," Ferris replied. "We know that. But many don't know that or don't care. It's not that hard to take words out of context to spin the story you want to tell. Doesn't matter that nothing has been confirmed, that at this moment, it's little more than a theory. People just want a good story to entertain them. You know, good tv. Don't care what it's about, just something entertaining?"

Charlie chewed on her lip for a moment. "I guess."

"So you're saying that the disease has been caused by Arkreon?" Shaheena asked.

Charlie shrugged, bringing her microphone back to her mouth. "Not saying that— I don't know. 'Till things are confirmed, can't say anythin' for sure. It's a maybe until somethin' says yes or no."

Someone tiptoed out on stage, an assistant dressed in black with a headset over both ears. They ducked behind Shaheena's side, whispering something in her ear.

She murmured a soft reply, hand over the microphone clipped to her dress.

The assistant shook their head, a clear no, before scurrying back off the stage, staying low to the ground.

"I'm very sorry," Shaheeha said, "but I'm afraid that is all the time we have for the Silverlight Forest Protection Unit today."

She kept a warm, pleasant smile on her face.

"Let's go to break," she said, and an assistant said something into their headset.

Charlie returned to her head, shoved back into full reality. Panic snapped shut around her chest, and claws squeezed her heart. Nausea churned in her gut, and her muscles trembled with the urge to run.

Charlie kept her expression warm, falling back onto the practice she had as a kid, masking her emotions until they were buried so far deep she could no longer feel them and she could smile no matter what. Nothing would show on the outside except for warmth.

But she knew she had done something she shouldn't have— she hadn't spoken in just facts.

Ferris was right. People could twist the story to say whatever they wanted. Pluck out statements without context as proof of their own beliefs, because many would not go find the original article or video.

No one would say anything now. The crowd and anyone watching needed to see that everything was fine, even if it was a lie. They didn't need to know what was really happening, although Charlie was sure some would be able to guess.

A wave of murmurs swept across the crowd, and people turned to each other, looks of confusion drifting across their faces. Questions of the interview they had been promised, meeting the group they had wanted to and had paid to see.

Shaheena turned to face partway backward on the stage and speak with an assistant.

"Hey!" Charlie said into her microphone, putting on a big smile. "We'll be creating a group Muse account. It'll be called NYTE. N-Y-T-E, all caps. Send us all your questions that didn't get answered today, and we'll be responding later today, alright? You'll get to meet us, ok? We'll tell you all about us, I promise."

She lifted her phone and waved it in the air, then opened up Muse and signed in using her spare email, the one she was shocked was still working.

Almost immediately after she had typed in all of the information and created the NYTE Muse account, follow notifications started pouring in and the inbox started piling up with questions ranging from how the SFPU got created to favorite book to what fruit they would each be to dating life. Some Charlie knew would be easy answers, others would be funny, and others would be no-gos on sharing.

"Think that just saved everyone from a massive headache," Ferris murmured in her ear, microphone in his lap. "Nice quick thinking on creating a Muse account. We can keep an eye on the whole Arkreon thing over the next few days. I know you didn't mean anything by it, but it could quickly get out of hand."

"No one's more frustrated than me, you know," she grumbled back, smiling when someone waved their hand and held up their phone. "Can't hate it more than me when my tongue works faster than my mouth. I know there's no proof. Tongue didn't care though."

"I know."

"You can lash out at me, Dipper."

"I know," he repeated through a smile of his own for the crowd.

"You can." Charlie looked away when Ren shot her a worried look and made a shoo motion with her hand.

They ran Morpheus through a series of basic commands for the crowd. Sit, stand, left, right, down, come. Easy entertainment.

"I know, and I know no one will beat you up more than you will. I know you didn't mean to, and we will figure it out. I wish you hadn't said all of that without definite proof, but we can't change the past. No use stressing over things you cannot change, so we will focus on what we can change."

Charlie hummed.

She straightened in her chair when Shaheena turned back, shifting on it until she was a bit more comfortable and wishing yet again that there was a higher back to it.

"Can we give it up for the Silverlight Forest Protection Unit once more?" Shaheena clapped her hands together, starting off the round of applause.

Kristin stood up. "Thank you all for coming today. I greatly appreciate it. If you have any information about Ashley Baok, please send it to the Moonfall Precinct, either in-person at the station, on Muse at MoonfallPrecinctOfficial, or on their website at MoonfallPrecinct.com. And remember: nothing is too small! Thank you again, and like Charlie said, we will be answering some of your questions later today."

"Thank you," Ferris said, following Kristin, and Ren and Zip echoed the sentiment.

Charlie took a deep breath as she trailed a few steps behind Zip.

She was stalling, she knew. Prolonging the time it took to get off the stage. But she wanted to drink it all in. Soak it all up so she never forgot. Embed it all into her brain, the deepest, darkest parts of her mind where the touch of time and age could never reach.

The energy of the crowd. The roar of their cheers. The spotlights blinding her. How high she felt, riding on the glee of being in front of hundreds of people and having them be there to see her. They took time out of their day to come see her and her friends. They cared what she had to say. They wanted to listen to her. They wanted to see her.

Even if it had ended in a slip-up, words she hadn't meant to say, words that slipped out before she had been able to think them through.

A part of Charlie wished her parents were there. She wished they could see her on the stage, see the crowd cheering as she waved, see the flash of cameras as photos were snapped and saved.

She wanted them to see that she was successful. See that proof that Charlie Springs could become something.

But the other part of her didn't want her parents to be there. She didn't want them anywhere near her. She didn't want their veiled disgust to rub off on her and turn her into something she hated.

xxxx