Two days have passed since the “incident”. Ellie walks down the sidewalk towards the old dinner; it's where everyone in town eats because it’s the only restaurant in town. At one time, Lost Pines used to be a vacation town that drew in tourists with its tall pine trees and pristine lake. But now, it's just a town on the verge of becoming a ghost town. Downtown is littered with abandoned storefronts and starving business.

A smile slowly crosses Ellie’s lips as she sees Farren waiting at the front of the dinner. She quickened her pace to meet up with him. She throws herself on him and wraps her arms around his neck. Farren wraps his arms around and her squeeze, Ellie winces from the pain in her shoulder.

“Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot.

Farren lets go of Ellie quickly and keeps her at arm's length, as though he was scared that he could break her. The absence of his arms around Ellie left her long for his warm embrace again. The cool autumn air ripped through Ellie's red hoodie reminding her that they were standing outside and needed to get inside. Ellie looked up at him and curled one side of her mouth.

“It's ok, it's getting better,” She said, trying to reassure him that she is not a fragile thing to codel. She starts to make her way to the door and Frarren flows behind her. He rushes past her and opens the doors for her. She smiles at him as she enters the dinner. They make their way to their regular booth. The old vinyl seat cracks as they slide into them.

Ellie notices a strange metallic smell over the smells of fried food; she looks around the restaurant. She never smelled anything like this before. She took in a deep inhale and pulled out the old menu that was kept at the table behind the condiments. Ellie reads over the menu even when she knew she was going to get the same thing she gets every time, a cheeseburger and fries. A sound caught her attention from the menu, Ellie could barely make out the noise at first, but the more she focused on the noise the louder it got. She started to pick up on the pattern of the noise, dup-dup. She focuses more on the rhythm of the sound, the more it reminds her of a heartbeat. She looks over at Farren who was people watching through the booth window.

“Do you hear that?” Ellie asks, drawing his attention back to her.

Ellie looks around again at the diner, trying to find the source of the sound. Farren places his hand over Ellie’s hand which causes her mind to slow down and return her attention back to him.

“No. Are you ok? Averett said you had a nasty fall”.

“He told you”? Ellie flitches her hand away from his. It wasn't strange that Averett told Farren about her attack, they were all friends. He is the reason that Ellie and Farren became a couple in the first place. Ellie turned her head to look out the window of the booth.

“Yeah! And, good thing he was out for a run when he found you.”

So that’s what he said? But I was meeting him anyways to Surprise Farren. Why would he be out for a jog? In the middle of the night? Ellie tapped her fingers on the table as she thought about the night. She knew what Averett was saying was a lie, but why was he lying. What else did Averett say to Farren? Farren hasn't asked about her whereabouts that night.

“Ellie, Ellie.”

Farren called as he snapped his fingers in her face. She jumped at the sudden snap back to reality and saw the waitest was waiting to take her order. Ellie notices the rhythmic sound again only this time it seems louder and there are two different sources.

“What will it be dear”? The waiter asked impatiently.

“Umm-Cheeseburger and a chocolate milkshake.- OH! And can you cook the patty rare?”

The waitress scribbles on her pad and walks away from the booth. Ellie looks at Farren, she sees his lips move, but does not hear his voice. She studies him, taking in his tan skin and messy, chestnut brown, hair. The noise that has been torching Ellie seems to be coming from Farren. What was this noise she was hearing? Dup-dup

“Rare? I know you like a little pink, but don’t you think that isn’t that a little too much for you?... Ellie?”

“Oh, What, I'm sorry. I was…” She answered as his question brought her back to her own reality. Farren looks on to her with a little concern in his eyes.

“Are you sure you're ok? Maybe meeting today wasn't such a good idea. I should take you home”. Farren looks around for the waiter, as he pulls out his wallet from the pocket of his jeans. Ellie quickly reaches over the table and grabs his hand.

“NO!” She squeezes his hand. “I'm fine, really.” She smiles at him trying to reassure him. Faren hesitates then smiles back at her and laces his fingers with hers.

***

Averett throws his dirty clothes across the room as he frantically searches his laundry basket. He pushes the basket aside and moves across the room to look under his bed. Ava walks by his room and notices the commotion going on. She pops her head in the room to see him sitting on the floor, running his hands down his face.

‘What are you looking for honey”? She asked as she fully enters the room.

“My cell phone. I think I lost it” Averett looks over at his Aunt Ava.

Suddenly, they both turn their heads to the doorway as they heard the heels click down the hallway.

”What did I hear about a lost cell phone?” Aunt Gretchen walks into the room with her arms folded across her chest. Every time she would ask a question it sounds like you were always being interrogated. Which was probably out of habit given that she was ex-military. Maybe old habits die hard.

“Don’t worry Auntie G I’ll find it,” Averett said nervously, using the nickname he gave her as a child to hopefully melt away the rough exterior of his Aunt. This would be the second cell phone he lost in the past six months if he couldn’t find it. Gretchen looks down at her nephew and sighs. Unfolding her arms and letting the tension in her body release. She walked over the bed and knead down beside her nephew to help him look under the bed. When she was certain that the phone wasn't under the bed, she rocked back on her heels as the momentum help her stand up.

“You're just like your mother. She always lost things.”

They both looked at each other and gave a weak smile. Averett's parents died when he was very young; so he didn’t get to know them, in the way his aunts did, Every time his Aunt Gretchen talked about his mom he could see that she missed her. He knew that they were very close at one time, but before his mother's death, they were at odds with each other due to different opinions about things. Farren knew that one had to do with the role his mother played and her marriage with his father and the other had to do with his Aunt Gretchen’s past.

“I have brunch ready,” Ava said, changing the mood of the room. She looped her arm through Aunt Gretchen's and pulled her to the kitchen, given the room back to Averett. He gives the room one more look around then makes his way to the kitchen. He sat down at the small table while his Aunt Ava set out plates piled with an assortment of breakfast foods. Averett makes himself a plate but doesn't take a bite of the food. He stares down at it as His thoughts run the details of the night he found Ellie in the woods and her attack back through his head.

Why was she out there?

Averett pushes the food around with his fork. Ava looks over at Gretchen with a worried look, Gretchen nods at her, and they turn their attention back to him.

”Averett, we need to talk about that.” Gretchen said as she placed her fork down by her plate.

Averett looks up from his plate at his two Aunts. Gretchen took a deep inhale as she finds the words she needed to continue with the conversation.

“Does she know what we are”? Gretchen asked as she took a sip from her coffee, waiting for her nephew to answer.

Averett shifted in his chair and looked down at his plate of untouched food. He also takes in a deep inhale the same as his Aunt.

“No, I never told her or anybody. Auntie G, you told me to never tell anyone”.

The two Aunts share a glance, Ava presses her lips together as she could feel where the conversation was going. Gretchen places her elbows on the table and presses her fingertips together, never taking her eyes off of him.

“Averett, you need to tell her about us. Days have passed now and she is changing”.

As they stare down with his Aunt continued, he knows the weight their secret carries. He just didn’t know if Ellie could carry that weight as well.