Rhys rubbed his arms as he walked back into the cabin. He smiled; things seemed to be coming together and he felt like the old building would actually become a home once he managed to figure his life out some. He could picture the bookshelf set up against the wall near the front window, a nice little work station by the door to make teas, and a small kotatsu table to warm himself in the center of the cabin. Decorated with flowers and books and the tea set he got from his visit to Osaka a few years prior. He was excited to start planting vegetables and flowers in the garden, sprucing up the fence, and making himself feel useful.

Cane happily pointed to the built bed frame, “Figured this is where you wanted it cause your sleepin’ bag is over here.”

“Yes, that’s perfect, thank you so much,” Rhys replied with a firm nod.

“We got the curtains hung, I’ll try t’figure out this window seat situation once I get some sleep and can wrap my mind ’round how t’best handle it. What else d’you need done t'night?” Cane inquired.

“Would it be too much to get the nightstand done? It’s that little box over there on the counter.”

“Not at all.”

Vic looked at the blackout curtains, “What’s up with the heavy-duty curtains?”

“I have a sun allergy,” Rhys replied.

Vic gnawed on his lip in thought for a moment before he slid his hands into his pockets, “So… your meds?”

Rhys gasped, “Oh, yes, thank you!”

He picked up his suitcase and set it on top of the still plastic-wrapped mattress. He unzipped it and began rummaging through his belongings. Vic wandered over to Cane’s side and looked at his old friend before his eyes moved back toward the newcomer, he found himself struggling to concentrate or pull his gaze away. Cane chuckled lowly to himself as he grabbed his box cutter from his tool bag.

“New human neighbor man! I unloaded the rest of your cooler for you so your food won’t go bad!” Molly said loudly as she barreled out of the bathroom.

“Keep an eye on the generator for me, Rhys, it’s old and that fridge may be small but it is drawin’ a lot of power. Hopefully the storm won’t cause any issues with it but, if it does, give me a holler so we can make sure you don’t lose your foodstuff. This is a bit new t’me so I want t’make sure I did it right,” Cane stated as he opened the cardboard box, “I’m also gonna take your cardboard scraps with me when I’m done, they’ll be good fire starters.”

“Thank you… I have so much I need to do,” Rhys said, voice a bit sad and a bit sleepy.

“You have time to get everything settled and you’ll have plenty of help from us whenever you need. What you need to do is get some sleep, we’ll come back tomorrow to help you so don’t worry about getting it all done now,” Vic replied sternly.

“I know… I know, I need to find my kettle and make some tea so I can calm down…” Rhys said, voice low.

“Calm down? What’s wrong? You nervous bein’ here?” Cane asked, turning to look over his shoulder at him.

Rhys grabbed his baggie of pill bottles and looked at his new neighbors. His eyes moved to the covered window, to the heavy curtain that hid the world, and stared at it with intensity. He shifted a bit, obviously uncomfortable and nervous.

“Rhys?” Vic questioned.

“I… um… well, I suppose you of all people wouldn’t be the ones to laugh when I say this. I can see things, I can see spirits. At least, I think I can? Nobody ever believes me so I’m not sure, but it feels like something is in the trees tonight and it’s making me a bit uneasy. New place and all that, I haven’t properly said hello to the area and I don’t want them mad at me for invading their space. But, you said everyone here is friendly so I assume that means the spirits are, too? If… they exist?” Rhys said, rambling a bit as he confessed his uncertainty.

“They wouldn’t still be here if they weren’t nice, Rhys. I wouldn’t allow it,” Vic promised.

Cane turned his eyes up to Vic before he went back to trying to figure out the overly complicated, wordless instructions for the nightstand, mumbling angrily about how he could make a nicer one in his sleep. He wanted to throw all of it in the trash and hand craft an entire bedroom set, but he felt as if Rhys wouldn’t appreciate it. Not yet. He could do it once the newcomer felt more comfortable.

“Do you like tea?” Molly asked, trying to alleviate the tension in the cabin.

Rhys smiled, “I do! That was my job, before I got sick. I owned a little tea house and I made a lot of teas and apothecary items, I even trained under several tea masters in Japan for a while so I'm pretty passionate about it.”

“No way! I’ve wanted to add tea to my menu for so long!”

“Really?” Rhys’ face lit up, causing an audible sigh of relief to slip out of Vic’s mouth.

Molly darted forward and took Rhys’ hands, they began chatting happily about beverages and their favorite flavors before racing off to the long box with his tools and apothecary items. Vic leaned back on the counter and let his head fall back a bit, he rolled his heavy skull from side to side to try and loosen the tension in his neck.

Cane looked up at him with a raised eyebrow but decided to keep his thoughts to himself. He went back to working on the nightstand, only shifting his eyes momentarily from the wobbly wooden leg to watch Molly race to the emergency light so she could get a better look at a tall glass container that Rhys offered up with a beautifully colored tea blend inside.

“I’d kill for a good cup of tea right now,” Vic mumbled to himself.

“I’m sure he’d be happy t’make you some, if you asked nicely and find his kettle for him,” Cane teased as he screwed the wobbly leg into the simple night stand.

Vic smirked, “How’s Cas holding up?”

“I don’t know, I can’t get a read on their mood. This situation is hard, their birthday is comin’ up and they’re missin’ Cash like hell, I don’t know what t’do t’help them. I got them a cozy game that let’s you rearrange and organize stuff t’take their mind off of it. Hopin’ it helps, they like those mindless indie titles. Plannin’ on headin’ home after this and holdin’ them for a while.”

Vic nodded and rubbed the back of his head, “So, Rhys—”

“Shhh!”

Cane and Vic looked at Molly who placed both of her pointer fingers against her lips. She pointed back to the corner of the cabin. Rhys was sound asleep on the bed, leaned up against the wall with his bag of medicine in his lap. He was snoring softly, dead to the world and obviously exhausted.

“The plastic is still on the mattress,” Vic mumbled.

Cane stood—picking up the nightstand as he went—and approached the bed. He set the small furniture piece in its place beside the headboard and scooped up Rhys in his arms. He was light, and completely unaware of the fact that he had been lifted. His exhaustion was apparent, and Cane was surprised that he managed to stay awake as long as he did in all honesty.

“Can y’all make the bed real fast?” he requested.

Vic and Molly quietly stripped the plastic from the new mattress and found the duvet to drape over it. The bed was small, hardly big enough for Rhys’ frame, and it didn’t take much effort to put it together. It looked lonely pressed up against the back corner of the room. It definitely seemed as though Rhys left his old life in a hurry, picking items that were easy to move and easy to put together on his own. As if he didn’t expect anyone to help him.

Cane listened as the incoming storm made its presence known and he could sense the spiritual energy in the Wood heighten. It caused a slight shiver to spiral up his spine.

When the bed was made, Cane gently set the slumbering farmer-to-be atop the duvet. He removed his boots and laid the once bundled up quilt over his body. The trio of supernatural creatures moved to the far end of the cabin to speak in private and not disturb Rhys’ slumber. Cane started the process of moving the generator to help keep the small refrigerator alive but kept his ears locked on the conversation.

“He didn’t take his medication,” Molly noted as she shifted the curtain a bit to look out into the forest.

“Rhys is right, Vic. They’re in the trees, I can see the bark bendin’ to make way for ’em,” Cane said sternly as he looked out into the night through the open door.

“There is a new soul in the area, I’m sure they’re curious,” Vic replied as he turned his gaze back to Rhys. “Cane, take my car and get Molly home so she doesn’t have to try and fly in the rain. I don’t want either of you out there tonight, we don’t need them getting more agitated. The storm and Rhys’ presence will do enough to get them riled up. Mols, I need you to let Lee and Lynn know that the Wylders are restless so the townsfolk can know why they’re moving about, and to be mindful of a twister if this wind picks up any more.”

“What're you gonna do?” Cane asked as he took Vic’s car keys.

“I’m going to stay. I don’t think they’ll do anything, but I don’t want Rhys alone tonight, especially since he's so uneasy and he didn’t take his meds. We have no idea what he needs so I want to be careful… I don’t want any more death in this cabin,” Vic replied, tone deathly serious as his eyes remained locked on the world outside.

Cane tapped his shoulder to get his attention, “Don’t be a hero, Victor. If anythin’ happens, you come get me. You wake him up and you get yourselves over t’the house, is that understood?”

“Yeah, go on before the storm gets too heavy for you to see the roads. He said he has books somewhere in here so I’ll find something to keep myself occupied, don’t worry about me.”

Cane nodded and urged Molly out into the chilly late night air. They raced down the steps to the car, waving back to Vic before he closed and locked the door. He pulled his coat off and tossed it on a nearby box before he took in the cabin in silence. It had been almost a year since he’d set foot in the old building, it was nice to see it furnished, to see plants and life inside of it again.

He decided to pop open some of the boxes and sneak a peek at the types of literature his new neighbor enjoyed to pass the time until he felt the pull of sleep hit him.

After dropping Molly off at her little cafe in town, Cane sped back down the road toward his house. It was nearing midnight and he was exhausted, and the fact he could still see lights on in the living room as he approached the funeral home meant he wouldn’t be going to sleep anytime soon. He could feel his body reacting to the coming full moon, and he was exhausted. Cas was still awake, probably still angry, and in need of some company, so sleep would elude him for a while longer.

The rain came down hard and the wind turned aggressive, Vic's car was a mess with streaks of mud draped across its surface. He raced up the steps and shook his body free of the rainwater like a dog, slinging it off of his long locks of hair as he pushed the front door open. He felt his heart stop and he lifted his hands defensively as his body reacted to the sudden, shocking sight.

“Holy… hi, pumpkin,” Cane said with a heavy sigh, unable to believe that after so many years of marriage his spouse could still startle him so easily. 

Cas was standing beside the door with a new mug in their hands—the fourth one they opted to use this day alone—and a sorrowful look on their pale, slender face. The smell of wine wafted out of the ceramic.

“The family is restless tonight,” they said lowly, eyes unblinking and body still.

Cane set his hands on his hips, “Cas, I love you but you are… so creepy.”

Cas scoffed and rolled their eyes. They brought the mug to their lips and sniffled.

“Oh, pumpkin, I'm so sorry. I know this has been so hard on you,” Cane whispered as he wrapped them up in his arms.

They leaned into him and melted in his embrace. They were nearly a foot shorter than he was, and they liked how warm and secure it felt being in his arms. He was like a big blanket, comfortable and cozy. They felt the tension in their shoulders drop.

The couple watched the storm roll in, watched the sky illuminate with flashes of harsh lightning over the tops of the bouncing trees. It would be a heavy one; the ground would be saturated and the earth would be heavy with a dewy residue for many hours to come once the skies cleared. The tombstones in the cemetery seemed to dance in the wind, and Casper Wylder-Michaels could not move their eyes from the wandering figures that lingered in the forest.

“Are they mad?” Cane inquired.

“I can’t tell… but they are restless. How… does the cabin look?” Cas asked, almost afraid to know.

“Alive. He’s a good kid. Don’t be too hard on him, Cas, he needs a home and some people t’care, and we can provide that for him. This town needs him as much as he needs it, and isn’t that the point of this place? T’be a home for those who can’t walk in the sun, a safe place for those who need it?” Cane asked, desperate to alleviate the ill feelings his partner had toward this change.

“I suppose,” that was all they could say in response.

How could they tell him that the shy stranger who wandered into their home with apologies on his lips and purple rings around his eyes had already been greeted by Death? How could they tell him that they foresaw his fate the moment his soul passed through the threshold of their home, and it did not end well? How could they prepare their husband for another tragedy on the horizon?

They didn’t know, so they opted not to say anything and simply watched the warped spirits of their long gone family members wander with curious gazes off toward the old cabin in the woods to greet the new soul who now called it home. And, like always, their brother was not among them, which only added to the mournful feeling in their soul.

“Want t’play some Mortal Kombat?” Cane offered.

“I call dibs on player one.”

“You always call dibs on player one,” Cane kissed their cheek and gently pulled them away from the window. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. Go make some popcorn.”

“Yes, pumpkin.”