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In the Appalachian Mountains of Pennsylvania there is a small town by the name of Red Lake, barely noticeable on any maps it is a small very tight knit community of people everyone knows of one another and news spreads rather quickly through the small town. It had gotten its name due to the lake about three miles just outside of town, which has gotten its name due to the reddish colored dirt at the banks of the lake and the way the sun rises and sets over the lake giving it a reddish hue to the water. There isn't any form of hotel except for a small BnB just outside of the town ran by the Walker family, a small grocery store and a small town hall where every meeting is held within the town everyone seems to get along very well with one another in this lovely town.

However, lately in the last few months the small sleepy town there has been a recent string of wolf attacks in the outlying farms around the town, but no one has ever caught it yet hunters have tried to track it noticing the rather large paw prints that it has left behind but they seem to mysteriously disappear out of sight. And no one has seem to have a clue why these attacks started usually mauling a few sheep or cows here and there, the town has set up a rather hefty bounty for whoever catches the wolf.

Of course this doesn't stop the teens of the town to get together for their usual annual trip up to the lake, it is the day before the trip some have already packed while maybe a few others haven't yet. But either way the teens always get excited for their trip for a few days before going back to their regular lives, and getting ready for the new school year. But what if the wolf decides to get a taste of human flesh for the first time and the teens end up getting attacked, who knows what will happen to them?

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Riley yawned rather loudly as she opened up her eyes as she looked out the window seeing the sun shining through her window, it was August first the trip up to the lake was going to be tomorrow which was something that Riley always looked forward to every year with her friends and some of her classmates from school. She had taken the week off usually around this time of year for the trip up to the lake which her father had no issue with. Riley slowly headed over towards her mirror and started applying a bit of makeup as well as fixing up her hair. Once she was satisfied Riley quickly started to get changed putting on a tshirt and a pair of jean shorts, once Riley had finally changed she headed down the stairs she could already hear a few of the guests at the Bed and Breakfast below eating brunch.

Riley headed over to her father who was cleaning up some dishes and gave him a quick hug and smiled at him. "Mornin dad, how are things going?" Riley asked as she pulled up a seat near the counter looking over towards him. "It's going alright, Alyssa is at the reception desk shes about done with her shift so you two can do anything you'd like." Riley's father said, she nodded and gave him a hug and headed over towards the foyer where the reception desk was seeing Alyssa there they were really close friends and they always hung out quiet a bit in their spare time. "Hey Ally was wondering if you wanted to head over to Vanessa's restaurant and get a bite to eat my treat?" Riley offered with a smile. "I'll meet you over there once you clock out, my dad said your free to go for the day."

With that Riley quickly skipped out the front door, the walk over towards the restaurant wasn't that far it was about a five minute walk as Riley quickly made it over there. The place hadn't been open for that long but it was actually a really nice place to hang out aside from the café in the center of town. Riley saw Vanessa there and smiled at her best friend, Vanessa was a great family friend and Riley always looked up to her like a big sister she never had and gave her a tight hug. "Hey V!" Riley said happily she was happy when Vanessa decided to move into town again and she had been hanging out with her every chance she could get.

Sophie had already been awake and working at the café for a few hours now, because of schedule changes for those who were going on the annual trip tomorrow. It was this time of year that she wasn't too fond of, mainly because she was never going to go on the the trip because of her health, but also because she'd have to be working overtime for those who did go.

Sophie looked up at the clock hanging over the entryway to the café and sighed. "Only a little bit longer before I have to go to get my usual check up... Though it's not like it will make much of a difference... I haven't had a seizure in years..." She thought silently as she wiped down the counter tops with a slight frown. "Well... At least I will be able to talk and spend some time with Ms. Charlotte. " The thought made a small smile creep up on her lips as she finished wiping the counters.

She then proceeded to work on the machines, sweep the floors, and greet the occasional customer that came in. Today was going to be a slow day, thankfully, but this didn't change the fact that things were soon going to become quite busy with the twins and Charlie soon arriving to hopefully lend her a hand when things started to speed up. Of course, when she thought about it again, she realized that perhaps it was a good thing that they weren't here yet, as they seemed to cause more trouble than they're worth. This quickly turned Sophie's smile into a frown, once more. "Jeez... Why can't time go faster, just for once?"

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Both twins wake up and sit up. Being that they have the same room they can both interact without waking up or interacting with the 'people' that lived in the house. They seem quiet as they nod to each other and go into motion. One twin going to the bathroom while the other dresses, then switches like a well oiled machine. Once both are fully ready they nod to each other and rush out the door before those 'people' could say anything. That of course, is to no avail. They hear a familiar voice and freeze in place. "Oh boys where are you going without saying anything?"

The twins look at each other, looks passing between them before they both speak at the same time. "Just work miss" They refuse to call her mother. "Okay, remember to give us half boys. It's your payment for getting everything you do." Gage's jaw clenches, causing for a head shake from Aron. "Of course miss" "Now go on. Wouldn't want my boys being late" Another jaw clench from gage, before they both go out the door.

Since neither twin has any mode of transportation other then their legs they run. Their long legs allowing for them to make good time, with Gage slightly ahead of Aron. Once there Gage grins at Aron."Beat you again" Aron rolls his eyes and goes inside. Once inside both boys nod to sophie, with Aron smiling at her. Aron heads her way. "Hey soph, how are you doing?" Gage however, gets to work his jaw still clenched.

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One year before...

The wolf slammed into her like a train, sinking it’s teeth into her ribs with the force of the strongest bear trap. Spots flew across her vision as the pain seared through her body. “I’m going to die…” she thought to herself, helpless against the animal that stood over her, it’s jaw clamped onto her, it’s teeth dug into her flesh. She could feel the warm liquid flowing down her side and sinking into her jacket. Her body convulsed and wriggled under the creature’s weight but nothing could shake it’s grip. With a sickening crack, the creature’s jaw broke through her ribs and came dangerously close to puncturing her lung.

And then it let go.

Charlotte cried in agony as she crawled down the pitch black forest path, with only a speckle of town lights to guide her. Her vision was foggy and her heart pounded in her ears, but she kept the pressure on the wound as she dragged herself on her side, using her other arm and her legs to push herself.

She stumbled into the ER and collapsed on the floor, her clothing soaked in blood. Whitney, the only nurse on shift at this god awful hour of the night came running over and dragged Charlotte up onto a bed, before beginning to tend to the wound. It wasn’t long before she was bordering consciousness, having lost so much blood.

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Charlotte woke with a start, her heart pounding and sweat running down her forehead. She looked around, seeing her own office surrounding her and hearing the sound of a few cardiac monitors outside of the door. “Calm down...it was just a dream…” she told herself, pulling up her scrubs to run her hand over the scar that had remained from the attack.

She quickly looked outside of her door to see if anyone had noticed before retreating back inside and closing it behind her. She slumped down to the floor and hid her face in her knees, tears streaming down her face. Why had this happened to her? The memories were still fresh in her mind despite it having been over a year, and they still plagued her dreams every night. It was rare she ever got any sleep anymore.

Eventually, she decided to make something of herself and began looking over her scheduled patients for the month, and a small smile spread across her face as Sophie’s name appeared. One of her more frequent patients given her condition, but Charlotte always enjoyed the time they had together. It distracted her from the lonely life she led in this town. It was a good one, she helped people stay healthy and was generally liked amongst the population. And yet, something was missing. A sense of purpose perhaps, a reason to keep doing what she did.

A reason to keep living.

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Charlie was awoken by a pair of hands pushing his naked body out of bed. Believe it or not this was actually rather common. He groaned, surprised by the rude awakening but was quickly quieted by a girl placing her hand over his mouth. "Shut up! You need to get out of here before my dad comes in and finds you. You can climb out the window." the girl hissed. He rubbed his eyes, and grabbed his boxers quickly dressing himself. Once he was fully clothed, he opened the bedroom window and began climbing out, onto the roof. "Last night was fun Liz. We should do it again." The girl, glared hard at him. "Charlie Elwood, do you even remember what happened last night?" He slowly shook his head, slightly worried about what was to come. "You called me Harriett. We were lying down and you fucking call me Harriett! Who the fuck is Harriett?! Why don't you get out of here, and don't come back until you can properly remember a name! Liz screamed, causing Charlie to quickly make his way down to the street.

His car was parked a few houses down, awaiting his arival. He climbed in, and started the car, mentally crossing off Liz Benson from the list of girls he could call on a Friday night. He ran a hand through his hair and began the short drive to his own house. Once he'd arrived at his home on Westlake Drive, he began his quiet walk in. If the gods were good, his mother was still sleeping, and he wouldn't face an early morning interrogation. "Charlie Elwood, Red Lake's Most Promiscuous Bachelor returns home to see his mother. You know I've been worried sick all morning." The gods were not good. Charlie sighed and walked into the kitchen where his mother awaited, sitting at the kitchen counter. She shot him a smile, and took a sip out of her 'World's Best Principal' mug.

Charlie smirked and grabbed a bagel from the breadbox, taking a bite out of it without even spreading cream cheese onto it. "You know Mom, I think it's very damaging to call me a manwhore. I might need therapy." "Oh, you do need therapy. And I think I'm allowed to call you a manwhore, when I have to walk around school and hear every girl whispering your name. You know no body takes me seriously at school because of you?" "Mom, nobody takes you seriously because of the time you tried to, in your own words, 'get hip with the kids'." Charlie said with a grin. His mom shook her head and he made his way up to his room. He still had some packing to do before he went to work.

By 12:30, he'd finished with his packing and was walking into the cafe, behind the twins. They stopped to talk to Sophie, and he stopped for a moment as well, greeting them all with a grin. "Hey, Gage, Aron. Sophie," he said, punctuating Sophie's name with a wink. He clocked in and got to work, mind preoccupied with thoughts of the lake trip.

Vannesa Von Strong

Location: First her appartment above the diner, then the diner ' Jake's Café '

Time: 12:30 pm

Interacting with: Riley Walker and Alyssa. Maybe some others that come into her place

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Vanessa was awake for since 8 am and after her routine of putting on the music, showering and getting dressed, she bound her dark curly hair she bound together in a high ponytail. She ate her breakfast, a single apple while walking downstairs. There she made some light to shine on her diner and started with boiling some water for her first cup of tea. While waiting, she checked her phone once for a message of her parents and then started with getting the chairs of the tables. A rather easy job for someone with wolf strength..

Around twelve o'clock, she called her parents and chatted some with them. She had opened up her diner a week ago and named it after her Father who had always hoped for a place of his own but never came to it after he had gotten a fierce heart attack in his middle thirty's. Vanessa's had opened this place with him in mind and had used the name he had always wanted for his own. He was proud and that made Vanessa happy.

When Riley walked into the diner, the first face to see this day Vanessa told her parents that she had a visitor and would call them later again. ''Hey V!'' she heard the girl say and smiled. ''My god Ri! You are the first face I see today'' Vanessa said with a smile and looked at the girl from behind the counter. ''Take a seat, the chairs don't bite you know'' Vanessa said and took a sip of her third cup of tea. Coffee wasn't a thing for her anymore ever since she turned, it made her hyperactive and that turned way to easily into aggressive.. Tea worked perfect and Vanessa had learned to like it.

Sophie looked up and noticed Aron and Gage enter the café. "Hey Aron, lost again, huh? Well at least you are working up a sweet summer bod, right?" Sophie replied to Aron with a grin. She then noticed Gage walk past her, his jaw firmly clenched. "You're gonna break that pretty jawbone of yours if you keep clenching it like that, Gage!" She then called over to Gage, then turned back to Aron. "So tomorrow's the big day, huh? The annual trip? Don't get too wasted, OK? I'm going to need you two at work when you get back." Sophie smiled then laughed.

Then he entered with his usual grotesque greeting to her that made her internally gag. Sophie didn't want to say anything to him but today was special. He'd be gone for a few days and during that time would be blissful, nonflirtatious, and quiet. "So who'd you drill last night this time, Charlie? I can smell the cheap perfume from here." Sophie said as she cleaned a mug, then placed it in the cupboard with the other mugs, all the while refusing to look at him.

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Alright, so, maybe working on a way to get pies out of an oven without human interaction the day he got little to no sleep didn't seem like the best idea. However - now, he'd like everyone, but particularly his mother, to hear him out on this - actual pies were at stake here. Not just pies, but Mrs. Hanson's Apple Pies - capital A, P. No on in their right minds would turn down that offer, especially when the little old lady decided, 'Why not two?' One look at Jameson Hughes and little old biddies couldn't not comment on his too small waist on those too large, bony shoulders. (Double negative emphasizing required - batteries sold separately.)

Boom.

Perfect opening for any kind of sweets and snacks from resident baking pros. Everyone in their right mind around here knew about the fabled Biddy Baking Brood, née Club until someone thought alliteration made every title sound better. Hint: it did. So, what better way to get into the good graces of every Biddy Baker in this God forsaken town? Make their Biddy Baking Better. Not only did Jamie go around enhancing little old lady's ovens and appliances, he made it all the easier to use without sacrificing the authenticity. Or at least, the aesthetics. The authenticity went out the window when he got his hands on it - oil stove vs. electric? What kinda wacko--regardless, it still looked like it used propane without the actual hazard of propane.

This particular contraption, of which Jamie lay face first on, boasted both sliding to be backed pies into the oven no hands ("Look, Ma! No hands!") needed, and then once it'd baked thoroughly ("Ding!") it'd slide right back under the pies and lift 'em right on top of the stove to cool down. No gloves. No hands. No burns. No problem.

Except for the problem.

Which came in the form of this goddamned metal arm going ten miles too fast (ten miles? hello amputee! goodbye hands) and flinging everything from the pie to the metal shit clear across the room. Thank god he had good reflexes. Too bad he didn't have the stamina, however, and Jamie soon found himself hours later with his face stuck to his array of blueprints and papers. His mother stood above him, her hip stuck out and her arm bracing her on the table.

"You and your uncle have issues," she chimed in, once Jamie's eyes locked onto her arm.

"They have a medical term for that."

"What, idiocy?"

"Insomnia," he rolled his eyes as his hand worked to pry the papers from his face and salvage any he drooled on.

Samantha followed that eye roll with one of her own. "So, insomnia's convincing Ryan to jump on the roof with you and watch stars until the break of dawn? And then get up at eight in the morning to work all day on your gadgets?"

"You caught me red handed, ma, I'm a troubled teen trying to rebel," Jamie gathered what he could in front of him, arranging them neatly in piles, "gotta stick it to the man. I don't give a damn 'bout my bad reputation, I just love rock 'n roll."

A hand slammed down on the papers before Jamie's pencil tip found the surface. Samantha's eyebrows rose and Jamie had an idea of what she meant with the way she leaned her neck back and tilted her head down. "Are you really quoting Joan Jett to me?"

"Oh my God, mom. It's not a phase! What am I gay?!" Jamie said, fighting down the grin as he rolled his eyes and stood to let his mother escort him inside.

"Yeah, I figured that out when your uncle Eric started playing Take On Me for the ninth time in an attempt to hit the high note," Samantha snorted.

"Did he?"

"Never. Now, get your ass up to your room; you've got two days before that big trip of yours."

"Right," Jamie ducked his head and turned toward the stairs, his face growing hard and distant. His mother knew that face, which was why he'd avoided letting her see it as he stomped up steps.

Two days. One starting in a few minutes.

Ffffffuuuuuuuuuck.

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"Kid, I swear to god-"

"I didn't do it!"

"-if you put another contraption in our bedroom—what do you mean you didn't do it?" Ryan Harrison-Hughes took up the entire space of Jameson's doorway, holding up what looked to be a some kind of device with two thin, movable pillars held together by a small rod on the bottom and grasping something circular and rubber. A long, thin cord was plugged into the wall beside the door and the two arms kept repeating a downward, diagonal motion with the circular object. Despite the grogginess of being awoken at ten in the morning, Jamie couldn't hide the toothy grin even if he felt wide awake.

"You fuckin' didn't do it, I swear to god, kiddo," Ryan's Brooklyn accent came out especially thick when he felt any kind of stress - probably a tick or some kind of psychological comfort thing. Familiar noises and that nonsense, Eric had told him.

"Well, Mr. Harrison," Jamie sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes before brushing the hand through his mussed up hair - he only said Mister anything when he was being especially cheeky, "when a man and a man get together to do the hanky panky-"

"Don't, stop. Stop this. I'm twenty years older than you. Stop. Stop."

"-there's this thing called a condom and it goes directly on the-"

"Please, Jamie. Jamie. I'm unplugging it. Look. Look. See? See?"

"-penis and I figured, since Eric's usually the one topping, he'd need the XXLs, right?"

"Jesus Christ, KID."

"Right? So, I figured why not give them a little help, you know? Hands free anti-baby makers!"

Samantha chose that time to pass by with her basket full of laundry and a pleasant expression that immediately turned sour. She stopped and poked her head in behind Ryan, "What!? My son?! Talking about sex? Talking. About. S-E-X?! My baby, boy?! What hussy showed you her lace stocking in school? What little Scarlet Letter revealed her ankles in a lewd display of devil worship?! I'll have the witch hanged!"

"Oh, good lord." Ryan blew out a breath and set the Anti-Conception Contraption on Jamie's desk.

"Yeah, mom, I'm gonna... I'm gonna just," Jamie slowly slid out of the bed, throwing the shirt and jeans from yesterday on before sliding between his two loving family members. His mom was already in hysterics, dropping her laundry basket and waving her arms in wild, exaggerated gestures.

"I oughta have a talk with the PTA. The school board! I can't believe what they're teaching our kids these days," she quickly trailed off behind him as he ran himself through a quick morning routine. By the time he finished, Samantha hadn't yet finished her mock spiel that quickly turned into her goading Ryan into children of his own.

"I have enough kids making me motorized dildos. I don't need another trying to weedle themselves into my sex life with my husband," Ryan's soft voice still came from upstairs. Of which provoked a response from where Jamie currently resided in the kitchen.

"Sex with my husband?" Eric came in just in time, a grin on his face and a hand already outstretched with a twenty. Jamie took it as an apology for being woken up by his 5'10" alarm clock and that was that. He took off on one the bikes from the garage and made his way down to the shiny new restaurant to see if they had any kind of breakfast menu set up already. Better than nothing, he supposed. And, well, that held the truth regardless of what Jamie thought.

He entered the restaurant not long after chaining the bike up to a post, taking his seat in one of the booths and quietly trying not to stare at Riley not far from him. He wouldn't know what to say. He never really did, to anyone, but especially not about their 'annual get together'. It's not like he didn't ever go, it was just that he never staid that long, much less interact that much. Who knows. This year might be different?

Here's to trying.

Cassandra was ever an early riser, and today was no exception. In fact, she was up even earlier then normal, preparing meals for her Aunt, while she was on the annual trip. They both knew if Cassie didn't cook, her Aunt would end up eating whatever was in the fridge that was handy, in other words cheese and bread. Or she would simply forget to eat.

Packaging the food with the day's one them and what meal they were, Cassie set them aside to cool before putting them in the freezer, leaning down to pet the enormous gray cat, Galahad who was winding himself around her legs in the hopes of a third breakfast, having snuck a second breakfast in by stealing the piece of chicken Cassie had set aside to season.

"no, you aren't working food out of me now, mister! Maybe we should get you a letting treadmill, and force you to walk!" that sent the cat running, and letting out an easy laugh, Cassie grabbed her guitar, slinging it over her back, and her house keys. Living in an easy walking distance from everything she needed, she soon reached the cafe where she provided music, in exchanging for pay. Not that she particularly cared about money-she simply loved singing and music.

Seeing that Sophie and the twins were there, Cassie smiled, but frowned slightly at Gage, agreeing with Sophie. With an ease that surprised even herself, Cassie moved through the cafe towards him, and gave him a swift hug. "one more day, and then you can be free for a bit!" she smiled, and hurried over to the small stage, where she quickly set up mic and stand.

Despite her shyness, music took all that away, and when she was performing, it just seemed like there wasn't a thing called shyness. Rather than begin playing, Cassie set up a small table, with a jug of water and a glass, and finding herself all set up, she made sure her guitar was still tuned. Preferring a classic, autistic guitar to the more modern ones, Cassie guitar was well used but still played a tube wonderfully.
@BlackPanther

Vannesa Von Strong

Location: First her appartment above the diner, then the diner ' Jake's Café '

Interacting with: Jameso Hughes @HalfOfLancelot

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Vanessa had not much time to do any chatting with Riley when she saw her first costumer walk in and she smiled. ''Good afternoon'' she greeted. She watched the boy almost stare Riley down and tried not to get annoyed by it. Did he know her? And if so... What did he want from her? She took a breath and gave Riley a smile before saying: ''Be right back''.

She then got her tablet and walked up to the guy. The diner may look old fashioned but it was filled with the newest gadget's. ''Hello there, is there anything I could help you with?'' She asked and smiled. The menu's where standing on the tables and Vanessa changed them around dinner time so the people could take a seat they liked and then choose what they wanted.

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Charlie smirked at Sophie's question as he placed a stack of newly cleaned plates into the cupboard next to her. Without looking over at her, he responded. "Don't tell me your jealous all of a sudden there Hot Stuff. I promise we can still hook up if you want," he said, winking and running out to the front so that he could seat a guest.

Charlie's feelings for Sophie were mixed to put it kindly. He had a thing for her, that much was clear. He'd spent way too many nights texting Billy or Kimberly asking for advice that he never really followed through with. He liked to mess with her, piss her off. But below all that, maybe too low for Charlie to even realize it existed, was a part that wanted a bit more than a quick fling.

When he returned he picked up where he had left off. "And if you really must know it was Liz Benson. And to be quite honest, she was very, meh. But also I don't think I will be revisiting her, because it seems that I called her Harriett last night while I was drunk which is strange because I don't know a Harr- OH FUCK! Just kidding. I do know a Harriett. She was number 13. But if you'd like Meryl Streep, you can be number...well I've lost track but you get the gist." With a grin Charlie raced off to take orders.

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Aron smiles at sophie. He still isn't fully there to take compliments with confidence, but he appreciated them. "Thanks Soph...and we were...held up a bit. Oh and don't worry, no drinking on my end" He heads off to get working, but focuses a bit on charlie. "Oh hey charlie" Knowing full well Charlie's attention would be on Sophie. He can't help but shake his head, charlie is totally crushing on her...or at least attempting a chase. In aron's mind charlie is failing, and failing miserably at any attempt to win sophie over.

Gage seems extremely focused on a dirt spot. Cleaning to almost excess, to the point where he isn;t focused on anything else. That being said, he is completely caught off guard by the hug. He straightens and visibly loosens up a bit. Sometimes all he needs is a hug. "Thanks" He then tilts his head and focuses on charlie, knowing that cassandra is setting up. "See that memory is why you suck in history" His arms cross as he looks at him. A faint smile is visible on his face, a rare sight when he starts the day in a bad mood. Gage then tilts his head as if now settling to watch sophie tear into charlie before he goes back to work.

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It was just a dream right? Or just a bad nightmare, any moment he would wake up and it would all be over, right? Billy pinched himself, no, he was not waking up from this one. This was his reality now, just another punch that he couldn't walk away from. Just another reminder that world was cruel.

His parents had awoken the hidden figure beneath his warm sheets at 5:23, a time now etched in his mind. They told him to get dressed quickly and come downstairs. Billy protested but when his eyes finally adjusted and he saw the look on his mother's face, he knew something was definitely wrong. His mother was a person who always had a smile on her face but now, there were tears in her eyes. Tired as he was, Billy got dressed with haste and met his parents downstairs.

Both of them looked awful, his mother's face was red with tears and his dad looked incredibly worn down and pale. He sat down across from them in the living room, he was incredibly nervous. His mind was abuzz with thoughts and why they seemed so... sad.

"Billy," his father began, "Your sister..." his voice broke and tears even came to his eyes. "Emily was found dead last night."

The room became deathly silent as the young man realized what his father had just told him. It took him about a minute to put it together, Emily was dead. Death means that something isn't alive anymore. Emily is his sister but she was dead, so that meant Emily was his sister? Oh god, Emily was dead.

He broke down, and he cried for what seemed like an age, then he cried again. His parents hugged him closely that morning and he did the same to them, as Daisy May and Tasha waited patiently for some affection too.

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It was around eleven when his mother knocked on his door, "Billy, you should come and eat something dear."

Billy was laying under his covers, desperately trying to sleep but it did not come to him.

"I'm not hungry mom." Was the only thing he managed to say. His mom did not say anything back.

His head felt like it was drowning in sadness and he could only imagine what his parents were going through. He did not have to be the one to call relatives and convey the message even further.

Still, he was heartbroken. Emily was his older sister, who had been attending college at Penn State for some type of medical degree. Why hadn't he asked her more about? There was a lot of things he should have done now that he started to think about it. Chief among them was saying goodbye one last time, but it would never happen now.

Daisy May jumped on the bed and gave a small meow. His black little kitten walked over to him and nudged his head with hers. She always wanted attention but... did she know? He slowly sat up and looked at Daisy, and she looked back at him with giant eyes. He began to cry softly again and picked her up, holding the kitten to his chest.

Her purring was the only thing that sent him back to sleep.

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“Off with the scrubs and the lab coat, on with the normal people clothes. Finally.”
It was finally the end of yet another shift at the clinic, and thank god for that. Charlotte walked out of her office and dropped her scrubs in the To Be Cleaned bin before waltzing out the front doors, letting her hair down from it’s loose bun. She popped her earbuds in and flicked on Gimme Shelter - The Rolling Stones before walking off towards her house. She needed to drop off a few things before heading over to get some lunch and coffee from the café.

She walked inside and dropped her work bag on the counter before making something less….messy of her hair in the mirror, then proceeded to change out her running shoes for her usual leather riding boots. After straightening her hair yet again, she finally walked out the front door and began her walk to the Red Lake Café. A warm breeze blew as she switched songs to Born To Be Wild, and she smiled to herself, bobbing her head gently as she lost herself in the music. It wasn’t such a bad day after all.

After a few minutes worth of walking, she came upon the Café. Charlotte popped out her earbuds and opened the door, walking inside with a drawn out yawn. She looked over to the few people here and nodded in greeting before taking a seat at her usual spot by the window. Anyone who worked here would know that in the afternoon, she’d get her coffee and a biscuit and would normally sit quietly by herself, her face looking as if she was having some sort of flashback.

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Kimberly allowed herself a momentary soak in the sun as she walked into town. It was August and that meant burning away the days and enjoying her dwindling free days. However, instead of chilling with her friends, getting her workout in, and whatever else she opted to spend her time doing, this week was a nice kink in the ritual. A trip with her friends.

Finding herself in front of Vanessa's cafe, Kimberly checked herself in the window. Rocking a pair of skinny jeans and a white blouse, Kimberly gave her hair a slight tussle as she readjusted her curls. Satisfied with how she looked, she pushed open the door as wonderful promises of delectable food assailed her senses. She had deliberately skipped out on her dad's venison, which was a shame. Papa Thatcher knew how to work a grill and the spit. Kimberly made him promise to keep her some for later tonight. She had a monster appetite.

Resting her sun glasses on the top of her head, Kimberly felt a smile creep across her face. Kimberly waved at Vanessa. "Hey," she said. Kimberly didn't want to interrupt the customer action going on there. Making a beeline towards Riley, Kimberly took a seat at the counter. "Ri-ri! I guess deciding to come here for lunch was the right decision after all. Did you just get here?" Kimberly reached for her phone. "I should give Lyssa a call. Get the trifecta together. Papa Thatcher was making venison when I dipped. The look on his face was to die for! I'll snapchat a pic if there's a next time."

"OK just... Be careful, OK? There has been rumors about a wolf lurking around Red Lake. I know you and Gage will be careful just... Keep an eyes out. I trust you two." Sophie replied to Aron, her voice hinting legitimate concern and her expression clearly expressed it.

However, it was when Charlie spoke, that Sophie tensed up. "God you really are a horrible, horrible man, aren't you? No. You aren't even a man, you're nothing more than a child. Therefore, I could never be jealous of whatever desperate girl you bring to bed. Tell me. How many STD's do you have? 3? 4?" She said. Sophie then leaned in close to Charlie. "I will never become a number and I will never be your sex toy. Men like you make me sick and I promise you that I will never fall for a guy like you. If anything remember that." She whispered in Charlie's ear, her tone cold as ice and as sharp as a blade, then slaped him in the back of the head lightly. "Watch your profanity during work hours, got it?" She said then walked past him and grabbed her hoodie from the coat wrack and put it on.

"Aron, Gage! I'm going out for a couple hours for a doctor appointment. Can you guys cover for me while I'm gone? I'll give you the money for the hours you work for me." She called to the twins. She stopped at the door. "Also, make sure Charlie doesn't flirt with the customers, OK?" With that said Sophie exited the café, neglecting to notice that her doctor was in fact in the café with her, and headed to the Hospital.

---

"Did you pack your bedding?" Emily asked as Alyssa went over her the stuff she needed for the trip tomorrow.

"Quit worrying about my trip and do your homework." Alyssa ruffled her little sister's hair. "I'm taking care of you not vice versa short shit."

Emily puffed up her cheeks in defiance. "I can take care of myself, and I'm almost as tall as you are now."

Alyssa's phone rang, looking down she saw Kimmy's smiling face on the screen. "Yeah? Sure, beats hanging out with short shit. Gimme ten or so I'll be there."

"Keep dreaming kiddo." Satisfied everything was ready Alyssa headed for the door. "Food's in the oven for dinner, set it to four fifty ok? I'm gonna head out, meeting Riley and Kimmy at Vanessa's."

"Yeah yeah, love you." Emily saw her sister off.

With August came the dog days of summer, not that she minded, her usual yoga pants and sports top breathed well enough to ignore the worst of the heat. Unfortunately that also meant carrying a purse, and she hated purses, but they didn't make sports wear that either had pockets or didn't make her look stupid. She looked at herself in a passing window, she didn't workout all the time not to display the fruits of her labor once in awhile.

The small bell Vanessa had above the door to the cafe rang as Alyssa pushed it open. Immediately her eyes fell on two of her favorite people, Kimmy and Riley. With a small wave to Vanessa she headed over to join them.

"Heya. Just finished packing for tomorrow. What's new?"

---

---

Riley smiled brightly at Vanessa and nodded as she sat down on the stool closest to the counter. "Glad to be the first person to be in here today." Riley said with a smile as she turned around as she heard the door open and saw Jameson Hughes walking into the restaurant and sat down at one of the booth seats. She looked over towards Vanessa as she went to go tend to her newer customer, Riley would occasionally look over her shoulder seeing Jameson staring at her for some odd reason which she didn't really know why of course she invited pretty much everyone to go onto the trip up to the lake.

Riley reached over for one of the menus and started looking it over, surprisingly there was already a lot of items on the menu and a lot of them sounded so good and she wasn't sure what she actually wanted. Then she heard the door open seeing her best friend Kimberly walking in and quickly went over to meet her. "Hey Kimmie!" Riley said happily as she went to sit back down at the counter looking over at her best friend, she was still really cute but she hadn't gotten a chance to ask her out at least try to but she was scared that it would ruin their friendship.

And as if right on queue Riley heard the door open and saw Alyssa walking in as well. "Hey Ally how are you doing?" Riley asked and hugged her friend as well and sat back down and shrugged slightly. "I just rented out the RV yesterday so i'll be going over to get it later today, what about the two of you?" Riley asked she always got to ask her father's friend a few days before to use the RV and he would always say yes which was a good thing.

---

Aron can't help but smile at the concern. It was nice to have someone even express concern for his well being. "Course Soph" His tone clearly expressing the gratitude for her having that concern. He straightens out and starts working on his section, but is still in hearing range. His movements are thorough and almost soothing as he goes from place to place.

Gage gives a small eye roll at sophia's concern, but like his brother appreciates someone caring. He will not ever admit that though. He goes back to working as well, knowing full well charlie is going to get himself in trouble. Gage stays closer, wanting to hear what happens between the two.

Then it happens. Charlie gets a burn so bad he probably won't recover. Both twins wince and slowly straighten to watch. Though gage adds in a smirk while aron just shakes his head. Class A burn.

Course before it could really get good, sophie leaves. Damn. Both twins nod at sophie as she exits. "Okay" With that Aron gets back to work while gage crosses his arms. "Tough break man." Fully expecting Charlie to say or do something...either that or stand there for a bit. Either way Gage is curious to see what happens in that mind of charlie's.