When Beth awoke the next morning, there was no denying that she had rested well.

The night before had not been explainable. What she realized though was that she didn't really want an explanation. The sensation of home had set in deeply the night before, and in her heart she was content with that feeling. In her head, however, she knew that there were things she needed to know about this place she had come to.

Her parents weren't an option, that much was clear. They had never been ones to believe in anything beyond the logical, physical world they lived in and could prove. The boys were clearly to young. Maya she could count on, no matter how crazy things got.

The only person Beth couldn't predict at that moment was Bernard. Having just met him she knew she shouldn't jump to conclusions, but like the rest of her new environment she was comfortable with him without knowing exactly why.

The thought brought back a pang of fear.

She was startled from her thoughts by a sudden tapping on her door.

"Who is it?"

Maya

"It's me, your vaguely concerned sister."

Beth smiled, already moving to open the door.

It took seeing Maya just outside to make her realize there was no way she should've known who was there.

Remembering the night before she also knew that was the least of her concerns.

"What's up?" She stood aside to let Maya in.

"Mom and Dad want us to go to town for groceries and I get to drive." Maya grinned. "Think you can give directions to town?"

Beth laughed as Maya plopped herself on the bed.

"I don't think so. I only got that feeling once we got here. Besides, didn't you say you were memorizing the route on the way here?"

Maya huffed. "That's true but that doesn't mean you're getting out of going. I want company and I told them you said you'd come."

"What if I'd wanted to stay?" miffed, Beth tried to suppress her mild irritation.

Maya gave her a pointed look. "Even I felt the pull of the forest last night. It's not as strong now, but I don't trust you here without me, the only one who knows what's going on."

To herself, Beth admitted that Maya had a point.

"Fine then, let me grab my shoes." She flashed her impatient sister a smile as she turned to the closet.

Maya fidgeted, and Beth took a mischievously long time to find and don her shoes.

As soon as she'd tied her laces Maya sprang to her feet and walked to the door.

"Hang on, I need to grab something to eat." Beth laughed.

With an exaggerated sigh Maya turned her steps towards the kitchen.

"You are aware you could get food in town?"

Beth rolled her eyes. "Town is an hour and a half away. Food can't wait that long."

"Then let's go so we can get out to civilization!" Maya flashed a fake-irritated smile and sped up.

With Beth leading the way they got to the kitchen even faster than the night before. Every step brought her a little more confidence as she made her way around.

Bernard was in the kitchen, with a full length apron on over his immaculate suit.

"What can I get for the Misses?" He asked without even looking up.

"I was just going to grab something to eat on the way to town." Beth explained quickly, not wanting to bother him. "I'll just make a sandwich quick."

"No need miss, there are several options in the refrigerator already. Choose which you like please." Bernard made a small gesture towards the very large fridge, and Beth thanked him.

Stepping around the island where he was working she opened the door to reveal, as he'd mentioned, a variety of pre-made meals. They were obviously home-made, and on one of the lower shelves she spotted individually wrapped sandwiches. Like everything else they had easily legible labels.

BLT, grilled ham and cheese, roast beef... Beth didn't even finish reading the labels before grabbing one. They all sounded so good, she knew if she kept looking she wouldn't be able to make up her mind quickly and Maya was already tapping her foot impatiently.

"Drive safely misses. I left your copy of the grocery list by the front door as your parents required for you."

"Thanks Bernard!" Maya waved cheerfully.

"Thank you..." Beth smiled, and he finally glanced up briefly to catch her eye.

"It was no trouble. Enjoy your trip to town please."

While his expression never changed, Beth was sure that as he looked away she caught a twinkle in his eyes.

The boys barged into the kitchen as they left, instantly battering Bernard with hundreds of questions. Beth hesitated, but heard Bernard calmly answering and deflecting their questions and realized she had no reason to worry.

Hurrying along the hallway she led her still antsy sister to the front door, and soon they were on their way.

Sure enough, the familiarity of the place faded as their distance from the castle grew.

As the distance grew, so did the silence.

"I thought you brought me because you wanted company." Beth finally said.

"Hang on, I'm trying to figure out how to say this..." Maya huffed, blowing a few strands of hair out of her face.

Beth glanced at her, confused. Maya was usually not one to be lost for words.

Finally she huffed again and flicked her hair back over her shoulder.

"I can't figure out how to ease into it so I'll just ask. Did you have a nightmare last night? Because I caught you sleepwalking like you used to."

Beth's breath caught for a moment.

Sleepwalking? She hadn't done that for years.

"Are you sure?"

Maya rolled her eyes. "If you want to, ask Bernard I had to get his help because I couldn't figure out how to get to where you were. Yes, I am very sure that I found my sister walking around the castle with her eyes closed like a zombie. Now answer my question."

Despite the situation Beth chuckled.

"No. " her mood became somber again. "I didn't have a nightmare."

"That was the only time you ever sleepwalked before, so I had to ask. I wish we could've had an easy answer for once, we already have the other thing to figure out."

"Maybe the sleepwalking will be a clue?" Beth ventured hopefully.

"Some clue." Maya rolled her eyes. "We need to set up a system so I can find you if you do it again, or Bernard. He was pretty chill with helping."

"We could pick up those video baby monitors like Mom and Dad used to use in town, set them up to notify your phone."

"That would work." Maya admitted. "Except those things were expensive, and Mom only gave me money for groceries. We can't use the old ones either, I saw them in one of the yard sales before we left."

Beth shook her head and looked out the window, watching the trees whip past. She could feel her sister watching from the corner of her eye.

"Are you going to be ok Beth?"

Away from the comfort of her room in the castle, Beth wasn't sure anymore. Would she be ok? The nightmares that had caused her sleepwalking before still haunted her, nursing whispering fear in her heart.

Would she be ok?

The silence that fell was heavier than before.

Unlike last time, neither of them ventured to break it.

Beth found herself alone at the store, hunting down the items on the grocery list while Maya hunted down a tech store. She'd decided to find out if motion detectors were any cheaper than tricked-up baby monitors.

When she got down to the last few items she was dizzy with confusion. She'd been on both sides of the store multiple times, to the refrigerator section twice, and was heading back to the produce section for the fifth time.

Carefully re-reading the last items on her list, she walked slowly down the aisle and tried to ignore the voice in her mind weeping for lost time. She could feel sorry for herself in the car on the way back.

Finally, she found the last item in the canned goods. Was Maya already done? How long had it been since she checked her phone?

Fumbling to get her phone out of her pocket, her other hand reached for the can she'd finally spotted. How many did she need again?

A loud clatter interrupted Beth's thoughts, but it was the yell that caught her attention.

"My foot! Watch what you're doing lass!"

"I'm sorry!" the apology came instantly. "I'm so sorry, I'm normally really good at multitasking. Are you ok?"

The man sighed as she bent to grab the weaponized tin and scooped it off the floor before she could reach it.

"Well I used to have a foot. Just be more careful in the future." He turned sharply on his heel, a few long-legged strides taking him quickly from sight.

Beth shook her head. One thing at a time then.

Maya's message confirmed she was already done, and the list said she needed a half-dozen cans if the store had them. Loading her last items into the cart, Beth rushed through the check-out and went to get her sister.