Ricky responded to Gertrude, "I hope mine went good. The director seemed to think I did get, but I still feel I could do better." To her next question he simply said, "Yeah." As a writer he was a great wordsmith, but when he was just idly chatting with someone you never knew what'd you get. He started thinking about the days that led up to his arrival on set. One of the first things he did was check the Edenridge fan site. It was like a mad house of excitement in all of the posts and activity. He also had looked back at the old reviews and criticisms of the original show more in particular of things that pertained to his character. He wanted this revival to turn out as best it could.

Since shooting started today it wouldn't be long before the requests to be interviewed came. It'd be interesting to hear what his fellow castmates were going to say if they participated in the media coverage. However, back to the conversation at hand Ricky asked, "So, what made you deci-" yet before he could finish his question a person poked their head out the door saying, "The big scene in the gym is up."

Ricky looked towards Gertrude, "Duty calls."



As Kerry Payne gave his speech the camera did the typical trope of a pan shot of the listening crowd. Derek can be seen sitting towards the front paying deep attention. The man was certainly an eloquent speaker. Once the speech was over the camera watched as Derek stood and began searching for someone he had caught a glimpse of earlier.

He walked around the gym but with this many people it was somewhat difficult to pick a person out of the crowd. Eventually he must have found the person because the camera shows a side profile of him saying, "Hey, so how's it been." then cuts away to someone else.

---

""Good luck out there." Gert gave Ricky a friendly nod as he went away, leaving her alone with her thoughts. In a way Gert and Trish share a parallel perspective as to why, for the first time in a long while, they had set foot in Edenridge. It wasn't planned, it never even crossed their minds but now they find themselves standing in a familiar place. Friends felt almost like strangers at first meeting. Both their drive to venture beyond Edenridge helped them make a name for themselves out there, but as if by comic irony, their careers, the thing they work hard on to keep themselves away from that place, lead them right back to it anyway. If things back in Paris werent as dramatic as the ones on the Edenridge script is then she wouldn't even bother. But somehow she couldn't resist that phone call.

One of the staff called out for her from the back room. "Ms. Maillard?" It was time for another scene. She went back in, not bothering to stop by at her trailer for a retouch. But then again she wore her face naturally for this role. It's how she would prefer and what Trish would. She does have a lot in common with her character more than the director or Gert herself claim to realize.

---

---

---

Trish skillfully captures every point and angle of the city's fine sceneries; from coffee shops, outdoor markets and abandoned graffiti clad buildings, it was amazing how little of a town can hold so much appeal. The client would definitely love it. She finished a roll of film, pulling the rewind clunk of her camera. Trish would switch from digital to analogue whenever, although prefers more of the latter's simplicity and technical challenge. In digital photography, you could take a multitude of shots and assess which ones are the best, while in analogue, you'll have to make every shot count. Plus without any previews, you'll have to trust your own artistic instincts when it comes to finding the right angles, as to not waste an expensive roll.

For a while now since she started her photowalk, which she could honestly go on for miles just snapping at random spots, Trish paused on her destination, analyzing the bold signage just on top of the entrance right after she took a quick snap. Welcome home. she mumbled to herself, as she took it upon herself to walk around Edenridge High's grounds.

She was strolling together with the ghosts of her highschool life, reminiscing at every memento she passes by. The few steps towards the entrance where she'd sit around watching people pass by, that large tree at the corner of the grounds where she'd hang out with her squad, the back lot where she'd hide to smoke a joint or two, like she was catapulted back to 2006 right then. Back in the days were life used to be simple, back when she didnt give a damn and do all the craziest shit she can manage. Then that thing happened. Those benign memories will never be the same again.

Trish took the few steps to the entrance, the hairs on her skin raised at the whirlwind of emotions that came over her. She looked back fondly at those days, remembering those people who became an essential part of who she is now. In the background she heard the event happening in the Gym, she absently walked over Ty Carter's plaque. "Hey there, Mr.Lucky" Trish can almost provide a nick name for every student body she ever knew in just mere seconds like a sobriquet wizard. Trish knew Ty since she always managed to slip in casually at any party, invited or otherwise. She remembered him being Foxy's older brother, a good guy despite what some might think about him. Trish continued her pace, she was like a lost kid looking around at an unfamiliar place. Funny how it looks smaller now than the last time she remembered.

Aisik would be lying if he said that he wasn't happy that Ashley let him go so easily. As much as he told himself he wanted to be more open and honest about his private life, he found himself struggling for words when it came to actually sharing. Regardless, he waved to Ashley as he left the snack table and headed off to the hall scene where he'd last left off, smiling at the woman that was already there.

”Bella Wellington as I live and breathe," He said in way of greeting as he sauntered up to her. "Never in my…Wildest Dreams, did I think we'd be in a scene together again." His smile widened at his own joke, referencing the movie that gave her her break-out role.

Izabella, who had been busy munching on the turkey and swiss cheese sandwich Norah had brought her while going over the next scene’s lines, turned her blue eyes in the direction of the familiar voice. The smile on her lips was instantaneous, and there was a twinkle in her eyes now. None other than Aisik Shomer was talking to her, and Bella couldn't be more delighted. This was the man of her dreams, after all! Back when the original Edenridge was filmed, Izabella had harbored the biggest crush on her co-star. She never said anything about it, of course, in fear of being rejected or the repercussions it could bring to their professional careers. Just as she was considering coming clean, Aisik asked production to send off his character and suddenly left with no explanation. In conclusion: let's just say that Lanie’s feelings on-screen were never exactly the product of Bella’s acting, and more like the way of secretly speaking her heart.

Aisik’s reference to her break-out movie earned him a chuckle. “Aisik Shomer,” Bella replied, elegantly taking a stand from her chair and embracing him in a hug, her hand still clutching her sandwich. “It's been too long, dear.”

“Indeed, Neshamah, it has,” He replied, hugging her tightly. He’d missed Bella more-so than anyone else he’d left behind upon leaving the Edenridge set all those years ago. Pulling back from her, he let out a deep breath before straightening his jacket.

“Are you ready for this?” He asked with a smile.

Izabella, ever the flirt, gave Aisik a fleeting kiss on the cheek. “I'm always ready when it comes to you.”

With those words still hanging in the air, Bella winked at the Israeli man and sauntered up to her spot on set, finishing her sandwich on the way and making sure she looked her 100% before filming.

“Aaaaaaaandddddd… ACTION!”

---

The drive from the in-law’s house and to school was a short one for Lanie. Normally, the radio would have been playing some upbeat tune that she sang along with as she drove down the Edenridge streets. But today, the racing thoughts and memories were too many, and they were louder than any other sound. And so, Lanie arrived at school and went through the motions: down the halls, into her office, checking her schedule for the day. On a whim, she decided to take a peek out of her office window, and was surprised to see her husband’s pick-up truck taking up one of the spaces in the parking lot. ‘What’s Roddy doing here?’ Lanie asked herself, furrowing her brow as she thought back to remember if he had mentioned anything about coming to the school. She stared at the vehicle for a few more seconds, and after failing to remember anything decided to look for him. Hey, maybe he wanted to spice things up with a risky change of setting? God only knew how much Lanie wanted to bless Ingrid with a baby brother or sister soon.

There was only one way to find out if her naughty suspicions were true. Making sure to check herself up in the mirror on the office wall, Lanie left her office and set off on the quest of finding Roddy. She was walking down the hallway, a playful smile on her face as she searched for her husband… Only to collide with a tall man as she rounded the corner.

“Oh my God, I'm so sorry!” Lanie apologized, straightening her clothes and looking up at the man’s face. Her jaw dropped in shock, sapphire eyes widening as she recognized the handsome, foreign features of the man she had been in love with so many years ago. Even after ten years, there was no way she would have mistaken his identity. Lanie knew exactly who the man standing before her was.

His trail out of the auto shop and down the hall- and, if he was honest, memory lane- was cut short as a smaller figure collided with him, bouncing off his chest as he looked down and steadied her.

“It’s no problem, don’t w-…” Mordechai trailed off as he caught sight of striking blue eyes. “Don’t...worry about it.” He finished, face screwing up into something resembling remorse.

“...Hi, Lanie.”

After a few seconds of stunned silence, Lanie managed to somewhat compose herself. Though her exterior was now nothing but cool and collected, the feelings going on inside her were all over the place, and there was no mistaking what seemed like tears forming on her eyes. “Hello, Mordechai.” she greeted in a flat voice, purposely avoiding to use the nickname she had so endearingly used when referring to him back in the day. His use of her nickname- even if almost everyone called her Lanie- had opened up one of the many wounds left in her heart by his departure. Ten years ago, she would have given anything to hear his masculine, velvety voice calling her name. This present day, her name on his lips caused her pain.

He couldn’t help but flinch at the use of his full name. He couldn’t remember the last time she’d called him by anything other than his nickname. But, of course, ten years changes things. They didn’t change the way she held back tears, but he had to admit that it hurt; her feeling the need to hide her emotions from him. They used to be each other's’ confidants, and now she’s regarding him with the cold exterior that she’d use to those she would never open up to. She’d built her walls up pretty high over the years, it seems.

“Listen, Lani- eh...Elaine…” The name sounded as awkward on his lips as their first kiss had been; two kids, high out of their mind and barely aware of the anchoring existence of bodies in the first place. “I know that you...you probably don’t want to see me right now. Or, well, ever...and I don’t blame you…”

He had no idea what he was doing, he just seemed to be speaking his first thoughts with no filter between his mind and mouth and-‘Hey, that’s one of the things she used to love about you.’ his mind betrayed him as thoughts began flooding in of their time together as teenagers. He looked away from her eyes and stomped the thoughts down, formulating a lie that he hoped would make her feel better.

“I don’t blame you, and I’m only here to look after Phil’s- my- garage. So we won’t have to run into each other at all and we can both go on with our happy lives.” ‘Way to sound like a dick, Mordechai…’

Lanie didn't miss the way Decky had flinched at the use of his full name. It was clear it hurt him as it had done her. He tried to fix it by using her full name as well, but things soon went downhill the second he talked about her not wanting to see him. Her sad eyes flashed with anger for a second. What did he know? Yes, it was true she had never wanted to see him again. And damn right he couldn't blame her for it. It had been his own fault, after all. But Lanie was done with Decky controlling the situations. From today, she would make sure to be the one taking the reigns.

His sarcastic comment only managed to earn a snort from her part. “I heard about the shop. I’m sad to have seen Phil pass away, but I’m happy for you getting the garage. Oh, and my life’s plenty happy as is,” Lanie quickly replied, forcing out a fake smile. Two could play that game. “I have a wonderful husband, and a beautiful daughter. It's my family that keeps me believing that there's still something good in the world, and that the pain I went through was worth it.”

“I know,” He stopped himself, tilting his head and staring at her. ‘Is she trying to gloat?’ “I know about your husband and kid; Mr. Garnere told me. I was happy for you.” He swallowed around the sudden lump in his throat.

He really was happy for her. She got all the things that he was hoping they’d have when they were teens. She had a life, a love, and a child. He didn’t really have that. But he also knew, deep down- both as a teen and the adult he is now- that it never would have happened. He would have messed it up one way or another. He knew that for sure.

There was a bit of jealousy stinging at him, clawing at his chest and telling him to say something awful; telling him to be how he was in high school, before Lanie and before any happiness that wasn’t Danny found its way into his life.

“You deserve it...I’m just sorry I caused the pain that you had to see as worth it in the long run.”

Lanie had been quiet while Decky spoke, blue eyes shifting around to look anywhere but him. Inside her, a battle was raging. A part of her wanted to make Decky suffer the same way she had: shout awful things at him, punch his chest, call him what she thought he was right to his face: a coward who ran away from his problems instead of facing them. But another part of her reminded Lanie that he had lost his brother, the only person that had truly mattered to Decky, and that this would be something she would thankfully never experience. He’d suffered enough as it was. Yes, he’d broken her heart by disappearing without a word all those years ago. But they were older and wiser now- she was older and wiser now. Forgive, forget and move on.

“If you must know…” Lanie began, looking down at the floor as she prepared herself for the bombshell she was about to drop on Decky. Eventually, she looked up straight into the brown eyes that had captivated her so long ago… And that still stirred old feelings inside her. “My daughter was named after someone very special to you- to the both of us. Her name is Ingrid Danielle Callahan. I thought it was the best way to honor the young man who was like the younger brother I never had…” She trailed off, and the tears that had been threatening to come out now rolled down her cheeks. “She's just as smart, sweet and full of life as he was. I like to think he watches over her: my baby’s personal guardian angel.”

It was like he had been punched in the gut. ‘No...shot…just like...’ Her words washed over him and his face crumpled into something that could only be read as pure agony. “Danielle..?” He whispered, gripping tight to the leather of his jacket. “You...you named her after…”

Lanie nodded, silently crying. He took another deep breath as the tears fell from Lanie’s eyes. He had to steady himself, had to gain his bearing back after the bombshell she just dropped. But his mind was swirling and the world was drowning out around him, everything melting together in a muddled blur of white noise. He couldn’t feel any air entering his lungs and his vision began swimming.

He leaned against the lockers and dropped his head in his hands, letting out harsh breaths and focusing on that sound to get him through the sudden anxiety attack. He had to focus. ‘Focus, focus…’

It wasn’t working, he wanted to scream. Lanie, his ex-girlfriend, had done more for his baby brother than Mordechai himself has. God, didn’t that make him feel fucking useless. As useless as the day of the shooting, and as the day he left. And, fuck it, the past ten years.

“I shouldn’t be here…” He whispered over the sound of his own harsh breaths. “I shouldn't-”

What the hell was he thinking, coming back here? He should have given Phil’s garage to Mr. G. The man knew how to take care of it. He could have left this all behind him and never come back.

He scrubbed at his face; the assembly was starting soon. He had to get to the bathroom and wash his face. To just get away from the pain he’s been avoiding since he left. He thought he was doing her a favor by offering to stay away now that he’s back, but he should have know- ‘I’m a selfish bastard after all.’- that he was really trying to do himself a favor.

He pushed off the lockers and made to pass Lanie as well, but the blonde woman blocked his path.

“Decky, wait!” she exclaimed shakily, wiping her face with her hand. She turned her blue eyes to his again, staring at them for a long few seconds before wiping away his tears with her own hand. Then, after a moment of deliberation, Lanie planted a soft kiss on the taller man’s forehead. Giving him one last look, the woman turned around to head back to her office, the sound of her heels echoing throughout the empty hallways.

He stayed there, a tableau in the middle of a stagnant hallway. It took a few minutes for him to shake himself out if his shock. Her mere contact brought him back from the edge. ’Like we’re damn teens again.’ He thought as he pushed down the hall, shouldering open the door of the nearest bathroom.

Kaitlin paced another lap around her classroom. She had devoted the better part of her day to organizing the room, and wanted to do a final check before she left for the day. The time had ticked by, and the memorial was slowly creeping closer. She sat down in her chair, and pulled out her her lesson book, making a few notes for her first week of classes. She was stalling, but would never admit it.

Mike had swiftly made his way towards the school. Why? It started with his sister convincing him to go to the memorial. However, it was still hours away. The main reason why he pulled himself up and tore himself away from his chair was because of a text he had gotten from his good friend Kaitlin who seemed to have expected that he was not going to the party. Though it seems she was in trouble or something. So now, here he was, in Edenridge High.

As if old wounds want to make themselves known, the wound that had closed years ago started to ache. His mind relived the memory of being in front of the barrel and the cold feeling creeping up to him. He really thought he had died. He snapped back to focus and found himself in front of his old locker. Huh, his body still knew where it usually goes. But he had a goal right now, to find Kaitlin. She was an English teacher so she was probably in that classroom.

His feet instinctively took him to a classroom that he has been in multiple times in his teenage days. He, indeed, found her inside - head down and hand moving, scribbling something on a book - the lesson plan. Instead of a greeting, he gave her a question.

"What made you assume I wasn't going?"

Kaitlin jumped at the sound of a male voice in her doorway. It was one she had heard many times over the years, but had never expected to hear in this particular building again. She looked up, already knowing who she would see in her doorway, but not quite being able to believe it yet.

“Mike,” she breathed out, still recovering from her scare. “I figured you wouldn't want to come back here after everything that happened, and don't you have another book coming out soon? What are you doing here?”

Kaitlin rose from her seat, a wide smile forming now at seeing her friend as she made her way across the few feet that separated them. She took in his appearance, noting the tired, haunted look in his eyes. Even though she knew he may hate it, she reached out to hug him, grateful to have him there on this day, and knowing what it was costing him to be here.

"That's... behind me now."The words were obviously hollow. He didn't mean it. Just from stepping inside the school itself made him relive his worst memory. He felt that useless and weak Mike come back. Fear had taken over so quickly when he thought he got over it.

What more if he saw the other people of the school? What else would he relive? But now, he knew he can't run away anymore. Never again. "The book can wait. Won't be until next Saturday till me deadline so it's fine." He continued with a shrug. It's not like a few hours would be a big enough loss for him to panic. Hey, maybe the experience would give him a kick to the right direction.

He merely let out a grunt of disapproval when her arms wrapped around him but he didn't pry her arms away. Actually, it was quite comforting. It was what he needed right now too. "What were you doing before I came by?"

Kaitlin giggled a little at his grunt. She had expected the response, as Mike wasn't big on physical contact. He seemed to accept it from her, but sometimes she pushed her limits. That little part of her that remained from her high school days still craved physical contact. The embrace of a hug, the touch of a hand on an arm, it was all comforting to her.

“When you walked in, I was putting some finishing touches on a lesson plan for the first week. Before that I was pacing. Before that I was setting up my classroom, and before that I was having a small meltdown. Keisha is here, apparently she also works at the school. Roddy is roaming the halls around here somewhere, he interrupted our little...reunion.”

Kaitlin ran her hands through her auburn locks, tugging at her scalp. She began to launch into the story of her morning from nearly walking into Keisha, Keisha's admittance of wanting to hug her, her own dismissal of the girl, and finally Roddy's interruption.

Mike quietly listened to her story of how her morning went. Keisha? Right, shooter's ex who went on a rampage which caused the death of Ty and many others and the injury of him, Kaitlin and so much more. Roddy was included too if he wasn't mistaken. When she finished the story, he responded with a slow nod. He was unsure if what to say. He was probably the worst person to ask about stuff like this.

"You know fully well that I do not know what to say... considering the facts." Mike pointed out. He had already expressed this so many times in the duration of their friendship. "However, I honestly think that you would have to talk to her sooner or later. Especially since you are in the same school."

Kaitlin let out of slow whoosh of breath when Mike finished speaking. It wasn't often that he gave her advice, but he always listened in that steadfast, nonjudgmental way that never failed to put Kaitlin at ease. Her mind (and her mouth) always seemed to be going a mile a minute, and she had a hard time convincing it to slow down.Talking to him made her slow down and revisit the facts, and was often enough on it's own to get her to come to a proper conclusion.

Kaitlin glanced at the clock mounted on the wall. More time had passed while she had been talking to Mike than she anticipated.

"I guess we should get ready to head over there." She said with a sigh. Realistically, she knew the memorial was optional. No one was making her go. Yet somehow, it didn't feel like she could miss it.

There were many moments in her life that felt like turning points. The shooting was one. This memorial and reunion with many other students felt like another. One small moment in time that would take her from her her current course, and move her onto another. Problem was, she liked her current course.

"I just need to grab my bag and lock the door." She said, steeling her spine for what would come next.

When Kaitlin said that they should head over to the location of the memorial, he couldn't help but also look at the time. Huh, would you look at that. It was already time for the dreaded interactions. Actually, he found himself looking forward to what was going to happen. Ten years of little to no contact with most of the students made him uneasy though.

"Alright. I'll wait for you outside then." He told her with a nod and then headed outside and then waiting for her to come. Okay, time to see what was going to happen in this event.

"I figured you would say something along those lines," she said, moving away to prop herself up on the edge of her desk. "I'll talk her. Soon, I promise." She wrinkled her delicate nose, failing to hide her displeasure at the impending conversation. "I just need a little bit of time to readjust. Figure out how I really feel. Speaking of reunions," she transitioned, not even bothering to make it smooth. She had done all the talking about her own drama that she could handle for the time being. "Where is that sister of yours? If you are here, I assume she is to thank for snatching you from the depths of your mind this time around."

Mike gave her a nod of approval for her decision. However, she made it obvious that she wasn't liking the idea of talking to her again. Again, can't really blame her. If it weren't for her ex shooting up the place, both of them wouldn't have been in the hospital. Mike remembered those days when she had to give birth to Nathan and then the first few succeeding years. Those weren't the best years of her life, that was for sure.

He looked at her blankly when she transitioned to talk to another subject, this time being his sister. "She's still probably at her clinic this time around." He replied, looking at his watch for the time. He nodded and then looked back at her. "She did tell me about the memorial. She's probably going to go once she's over with her shift."

"Ah, yes," Tiny said with a soft chuckle, "we were the absolute worst." All of a sudden, many great memories came flooding back into Tiny's head, and she couldn't help but smile. Sometimes she wished that she could just hop into a time machine to the past. "Those were the days." As Tiny and Jude spoke, a young intern approached and handed them both a script. Tiny quickly flipped through the packet, only noticing a few changes here and there.

“This is the memorial assembly scene. There’s been a few changes, so take a note." Tiny nodded her head and tucked the script under her arm before reaching for a bottle of water from the snack table. "By the way," the intern continued, "I'm a huge fan of you both. When you kissed in season one, oh my God!” Tiny almost choked on her water, unable to hold back a strangled laugh. Jude gave the intern a cold look, causing him to tiptoe away. This made Tiny laugh even more.

"See you later," Tiny said as Jude walked away.

---

---

The gymnasium was the almost the exact same as it had been ten years ago, only a few minor upgrades made here and there. Keisha had only stepped foot into the gymnasium about three times since she'd started working at Edenridge. Although gym was never her best class, being there now, surrounded by so many familiar faces, gave her a strong nostalgic feeling. The brief meeting between her and Kait still had her a bit shaken up, so on the way to the gymnasium she made sure to avoid passing by her class. The young woman had made it pretty clear that she didn't want anything to do with Keisha, which she completely understood. After the awkward conversation, Keisha made a mental note to just give Kaitlin some space.

Seeing her old classmates in the gym made Keisha's stomach flip. She could feel a few people watching her as she quickly made her way to an empty spot on the bleachers, so she kept her eyes focused on her shoes. Suddenly, she felt extreme discomfort, and wished that she'd chosen to stay locked away in her office throughout the duration of the assembly. “Please welcome my predecessor and by far one of the best men I’ve ever known, Mr Kerry Payne.” Keisha slowly lifted her gaze and watched Mr Beau allow Mr. Payne to take the podium. “Ten years ago, something happened here," the graying man began, and all of a sudden she was propelled back to that very day.

---

Screaming.

There was so much screaming.

Keisha had been walking to the girl's bathroom when the first shot rang through the air, echoing in the silent halls. As if rehearsed, Keisha instantly sprung into action: sprinting into the bathroom, going into an empty stall, locking the door, standing on the toilet. Keisha held her breath as she crouched, her heart pounding and palms sweating. She could hear chaos erupt outside in the halls, teenagers screaming at the top of their lungs and sneakers pounding the floor as they ran for the front doors.

Then the second shot rang, and the girl in the stall next to her lost control of her bladder. Moments passed, and a few more shots rang out. By the time the police had caught the shooter, Keisha had chewed her nails down to the skin. The principal had come over the speaker to speak, as she followed a few girls out of the bathroom. Things had calmed down a bit, but the atmosphere was still tense. It was in that moment that she heard one of the crying teenagers in the hallway utter his name. "It was Charlie," the girl said between sobs, "Charlie Decker. He shot-"

In a just a split second, Keisha had taken off running. It only took her a minute to run down the stairs and towards her brother's Algebra class, but by the time she got there, it was too late. Paramedics, police officers, and students were circled around a spot in the hallway, so she had to push and shove her way to the front of them.

Her brother lay on the floor in a pool of blood, a gunshot wound in his chest. His left arm lay still at his side, and clenched in his fist was the bracelet she'd made for him when she was ten years old. Her big brother was dead, and now she was alone.

---

By the time she snapped out of it, the speech was over, and her ex-classmates were making their way around, conversing and catching up with one another. Keisha's lip trembled and her eyes watered, but she held herself together. She did not want to cry, not anymore. Instead, she stood from the bleachers, and headed towards the gymnasium doors. Maybe I should've stayed in my office, she thought as she wiped away a falling tear.

Mordechai Boaz

Mordechai had just finished scrubbing his face when he heard the speakers turn on in the gym. Sighing, he left the bathroom and made his way down the hall and into the large area, just as Mr. Payne began his speech.

The doorjamb dug into his shoulder as he leaned against it, his whole body screaming against actually entering the gym; he'd spent plenty of time here with Danny…

The mere thought sent his mind wandering, spiraling into a memory in sharp relief.

---

"Decky, c'mon!" Danny whined, reaching for the basketball that his big brother had held over his head. The two boys had just moved in with Mr. Beau, and despite the man's welcoming presence and promise that it was their home as well for right now, the brothers still enjoyed spending time other places. The middle school had just let out, and Decky had met up with his brother and brought him to the highschool, skipping his last class so that they could hang out together in the gym.

He hoped Mr. Beau didn’t catch him skipping. The man was one of few that could actually make the teen feel bad about his amoral behaviour. Not because the man is cruel to him about it, but because he seems to genuinely understand and care.

His own thoughts betrayed him by pulling his focus, allowing Danny to jump on him in order to reach the ball. They both went tumbling to the floor in a heap of laughter as the ball itself rolled aimlessly out of reach. So caught up in their bonding, the two boys didn’t notice the shadow that fell over them. That is, of course, until Mr. Beau himself let out a short cough, arms crossed and eyebrow raised at the scene before him.

Decky let out a nervous cough in answer as Danny rolled off him and into a sitting position. “H-heeey, Mr. Beau…”

With his usual great smile on his face, Edenridge High’s English teacher span the basketball in his hands. “Well ain’t this a sight to behold? The Boaz brothers playing ball in the gym. Maybe I should speak to Coach O’Hara and get you put on the team Decky? You’ve got a mean hook shot and maybe it’ll teach you a little thing about humility and respect” Beau’s smile faded to a face of disappointed as he bounced the ball off of the floor and back to Decky. “What on God’s Earth are you doing boy?!”

Mr Beau had come across many people during his time. Growing up in New Orleans, his environment was one that was far from tranquil. Every other weekend, somewhere on his block there was a shooting or a stabbing. Corner boys fell where they stood, dropping dime bags and bullets as they crumbled. It was hard life but Beau knew it wasn’t for him, the call of the badge and blue was too great. Natural police. Stints in Narcotics and Homicide showed him just how dark the path can be for boys and girl in similar positions that he himself used to be in, could be. That in itself was what lead him to teaching, well that and a love for the written word. And now here he stood with two boys going down that same path and he was in a position to try and stop them.

Decky couldn’t help the full body flinch at the man’s raise of voice. He instinctively brought his arms out in front of himself, crossed to defend his body from the oncoming hit. All that touched him was the basketball, which bounced harmlessly off his knee. His cheeks stained red in embarrassment as he scrambled to his feet, helping Danny up but not turning his back to Mr. Beau.

It was hard reminding himself that this was a Good Man. That Mr. Beau wouldn’t hurt him; hell, he’d helped get him and Danny outof that situation in the first place by offering to take the brothers in.

Arms crossed over his chest and body shielding his little brother, Decky glared at the ground. “Sorry, Mr. Beau. I wanted to walk Danny here from the middle school... then I didn’t want to go to class and I knew the gym was open and-” He began scratching at his arm. The track marks from some of his last hits were slowly, painfully fading, and he couldn’t help the way his stomach rolled at the thought of another hit. He knew a guy. Hell, he knew several. Two of them were in his last class of the day…

Danny grabbed his wrist, pulling his big brother’s hand from his arm and holding it in his own as they waited for the lashing from their temporary guardian, eyes glued to the floor instinctively.

Beau folded his arms and let out a great sigh from his nose as he looked at the brothers. He had seen this type of reaction before. These boys knew both physical and emotional pain, a raised voice meant a flinch which meant a strike that should never have been thrown. A strike that carried enough weight to change a boy’s life. Enough of those blows had been struck at Decky and Danny already, no more, not if Beau could help it.

“I’m gonna tell you story boys. If you’ll indulge me?” Motioning his hand towards the bleachers nearby, Beau took a seat and waited for the brothers to join. “You know when I came up, ain’t no man, woman or child who wasn’t in the game. On my block alone, you had kingpins, corner boys and ladies of the night. Still, as rough as that neighbourhood was, it was a community. You helped the old lady cross the street and nobody was no victim that didn’t matter. We had bad boys for real, not so much gunslingers but mothers who knew what to do with their hands. I was desperate to be like them. One day, I cut class and go off with his little girl from around the way. Ain’t no thing right? We’re foolin’, we go down to the train tracks, little spot kids would go. We hear the train so we decide to move….then she gets stuck. Her hair was caught on the tracks, I couldn’t do anything but watch as that damn three thirty train to the French Quarter smushed her brain into nothing. I ran home, as fast as my chubby little legs would take me. Word got out, that night those same boys I idolised came into my home, pulled me from my bed and went hard on me in the middle of the street, the entire neighbourhood...just stood there and watched. They screamed at me. You’re better than this life here, schoolboy. Didn’t realise til much later what they were doing for me. You understand boys? Where you come from? It don’t matter. The life you lead before? It don’t matter. What matters is what you do with the time that’s given to you and how you impact other lives. If I don’t teach you anything else, remember this; all lives matter, even yours.”

---

Mordechai remembers crying for the first time in years that day. He remembers gripping his brother's hand tight as they sat on bleachers in silence, his track marks irritating him but his brother staying his hand. That was the day when he really truly started going to classes, despite his previous promise to Lanie.

Absently, he scratches his arm where the track marks once were.

He never did tell Mr. Beau that he was leaving, and the thought sends a strike of pain to his chest as he sees the older man sitting to the side on the bleachers; the same bleachers where he'd given Decky and his brother such meaningful words.

Listening to Mr. Payne speak, Mordechai found himself disagreeing with the man's words. Decker’s ‘darkness’ didn't try to enter their lives, it succeeded in doing so. It even destroyed some completely. That day, way back when, the only person Decky picked up was his brother, limp and bloody from the cafeteria floor.

His heart twisted again. If he didn't know any better, he'd think he had a condition.

When Mr. Payne ended his speech, people began to mill around; Mordechai kept his eyes on Mr. Beau. He had to apologize. Had to tell the man how much he meant to Danny and himself.

He couldn't bring himself to enter the gym; his feet were glued to the floor and muscles pulled taught. Effort straining his simple movement, he raised his hand to catch Mr. Beau’s attention, hoping the older man would get the message and make his way over.

“That was a good speech, Kerry” Beau shook his predecessor's hand and nodded. “That was a talent of yours I haven’t yet picked up as Principal” The two elder men stood in idle chat as the memorial goers began to mingle for themselves. The whole idea of the memorial was to not only remember life but to celebrate it.

Beau’s dark eyes were called to the corner of his vision as he saw a long departed face in the doorway, waving his hand. Mordechai. Excusing himself from the conversation with Kerry, Beau made his way over to the doorway to look upon the now grown stature of one of his former charges. He did not hold any ill will towards Decky, quite the opposite really. Beau had seen enough in his life to know that sometimes the only way for a person to move forward is to move off to the side which is exactly what young Mr. Boaz had done. He had ran off into the distance and not looked back since.

“Get yourself in here boy” Beau grabbed Decky by the back of his neck and pulled him into a hug. He allowed himself to squeeze the young man tight in the embrace. He had missed him dearly and worried about him constantly. The day Decky left was a hard one. That morning, it was a Wednesday, so it was gumbo night in the Beauregard household. Beau was outside the school, making sure there was no one cutting class or leaving the grounds. When the first shot rang out, he instinctively looked for his own gun which he no longer had. In that moment he was a cop again and not an overweight English teacher. He watched kids run from the building and he watched one run back in. He knew better than to run in himself but a day hasn’t gone by since where he didn’t wish that he had gone back. It wasn’t until the evening, when Charlie Decker was dead and the bodies had been counted that Beau found out Danny had been a victim. No one had heard from Decky and it wasn’t until a month later when Beau was told he was alive but that’s all he was told.

“You’re a little late for that gumbo. Guess I’m gonna have to ground you for a couple days.”

Tears fell from Decky’s eyes at the man’s words, and his grip on him tightened in desperation. Burying his face in the crook of Beau’s neck, Decky felt like a child again.

Despite having been moved out of Beau’s home for almost half a year at the time of the shooting, the older man all but demanded that the two still have dinner with him at least once a week. They always tended to come over on Wednesday’s, since the man’s cooking was to die for but his gumbo specifically was out of this world.

After being pulled away from Danny’s body that day, Decky ran off; not to his apartment or Phil’s Garage, not to Beau’s, and not to Lanie. He spent the time at a funeral home and cemetery, speaking to the Funeral Director, Rabbi, and Groundskeeper about a place for his brother. Twenty hours after the shooting, Danny was buried at the Z”L cemetery in a quick but tasteful ceremony. Four hours later, Decky was passing a sign saying “You Are Now Leaving The Bay State.”

“I’m so sorry,” He whispered. “I’m so, so so-sorry…” He pulled back slightly, desperate for the comfort but needing to look the man in the face. “I should have said goodbye...I...I should have told you where I was going,” He wiped the fresh tears from his face and gave Beau a sad smile. “I guess your lessons on manners didn’t rub off as well on me as they did on...on Danny.” He tried not to choke on his little brother’s name. “You meant so much to him. To us…”

“You got nothing to be sorry for, not a damn thing” Beau showed off a pearly white grin as he looked upon the boy turned man. He had grown so much in the ten years, he looked healthy, strong and all the things that he knew the boy had the potential to be. “I was sorry to hear about Phil, he was good people. Ain’t many a folk around like that no more.” Beau left a comforting hand on his charge’s shoulder as he let the other one fall to his pocket.

“I managed to keep a few tabs on you through some old contacts of mine, this old dog still got a few tricks you know? I don’t blame you for running, life’s roads take us all over but in the end they always take us to where we need to go. Yours brought you back here, back to us, to the people and the town that love you. Now, go on, go socialise with some of those other little reprobates who superglued my desk draw shut and you and I will have a proper catch up tomorrow. Be ready at the garage, you know I wake up early.” Beau patted him on the shoulder and smiled proudly.

“Yes sir,” Decky replied with a smile, not even bothering to deny having glued his desk shut once or twice way back when. Letting his hand rest another second on the man’s shoulder, he made his way, slowly, into the gym itself, looking around for the people he used to know.

Kaitlin O'Connor

It only took Kaitlin a few moments to stuff her papers into her gray bag, but by the time she made it into the hall, Mike was no where to be seen. She glanced once up and down the hall as she locked her classroom door, hearing a man and woman talking in alternating hushed and raised tones. Making the assumption that Louis had finally shown up, Kaitlin headed in that direction. It wouldn't surprise her in the least if the siblings were already arguing.

Before rounding the corner, Kaitlin realized the voices did not belong her two friends. Not wanting to interrupt, she peered around the corner, discovering(also not shockingly) that the voices belonged to Elaine Lancaster and Mordechai Boaz.

“Good to see some things never change...” Kaitlin muttered, pressing herself against the wall as she heard the tell tale sounds of Elaine's heels clicking on the floor as she fled from Mordechai. Minutes later, Mordechai followed suit, and Kaitlin heard the sound of a nearby door opening and closing. Silently, Kaitlin said thanks for the fact that both were too engrossed in the drama to notice she was near, and that both had headed in directions away from her. It had been ten years since she had seen either one of them, and all Kaitlin needed was for her first interaction after all this time to happen after she was caught eavesdropping. Elaine would have had a field day with that one.

Kaitlin slowly peeled herself away from the wall, and backtracked, checking one more time for Mike. She wouldn't be surprised to learn he heard the confrontation and headed away from it, so she decided to head to the gym. Her detours had cost her, and she arrived just as people were getting out of their seats to mill around.

The previous encounter with Mordechai had left Lanie shaken, so much that she had been unable to focus on the pending tasks of her work. The faculty had been lucky that the students had the day off, as the atmosphere was thick with a decade-old pain… Not precisely the best one for teaching. On this day, the gymnasium had been reserved only for the Class of 06’, who had been the most affected by the ten year-old tragedy. It wasn’t the best reason for a reunion, but the faculty and old Edenridge High students had considered that it was pertinent to honor those lost or injured on the decade of the shooting .

After shifting in her seat and pacing around her office for the better part of the day, Lanie glanced at her office clock: it was time to finally get going. She took her handbag (the designer one Roddy had spoiled her with on her last birthday) and keys from the drawer she kept them in, locked the office door behind her and was on her way to the gym. Once there, the sight of her husband was enough to bring some peace to Lanie’s restless mind, even if it was for a second. Smiling up at him, the blonde woman gracefully walked up the bleachers and took a seat next to her husband, entwining her arm around his. She had arrived just 5 minutes before ex-principal Payne took the stage.

Listening to ex principal Payne talk in that gymnasium, almost instantaneously transported Rod back to his difficult youth. After all, it was in this very room where he took a bullet in the spine. As Payne spoke of that day and the minds of the audiences drifted away to where they were on that fateful Wednesday morn, Roddy’s pale blue eyes drifted first to his hands, which were interlocked with those of his wife and then they moved up to the contours of her beautiful face. Life was a strange thing, he thought. In days gone by, the woman he currently held was a friend sure but barely. As teenagers, Lanie was wrapped up in her Sid and Nancy drama with Decky Boaz whilst Rod spent much of his time punching walls and trying to stop his friends being idiots. Their personal stories never really intertwined...at least not until the day Charlie Decker went crazy.

The young fireman looked back on the day with a mixture of thought and feeling. If he hadn’t have gone back in that school, he wouldn’t have spent months in rehabilitation learning to walk again… But on the flip side, he wouldn’t have saved the lives of the people he did. If he hadn’t gone back in, his parents wouldn’t have had to sell their business to pay his medical bills. But again, if he had not gone in, he wouldn’t have found Lanie alone in that rehab center, they wouldn’t have fallen in love, and that little angel of theirs wouldn’t even exist.

Life was a funny thing. Especially in the town of Edenridge, MA

Elaine seemed to be listening intently to the words of principal Payne, but in reality she was just deep in thought. The sights of old, familiar faces brought her back to the high school days, which had been far from her glory days. In fact, the high school days were the ones she desperately wanted to forget, even if they had shaped her in becoming what she was now. But there was something strong enough to bring her back to the present and away from her daydreams... Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a male figure standing by the open gym doors, as if hesitant to go in. Lanie knew exactly who this person was, so she tried her hardest to keep her eyes from drifting in that direction.

Rod scanned the crowd and saw nothing but old faces, some he knew, mostly those who had stayed in Edenridge. There were a few dotted around the room that he recognised from high school but they had gone on to pastures new. One face he noted was that of Derek O’Leary, his once and former bully. They had shared a drink or two with in their adulthood but they were far from friends.

Those days were difficult ones for any teenager yet those final few months at Edenridge High, that class had it so bad. The rage of Charlie Decker stealing futures and lives like a thief in the night. The memories of days gone by generally fade after time and that may be the case for most but for Roddy, he remembered every day in that rehab facility. He remembered every morning, being awoken by the agony coursing through his back. He remembered being forced day in and day out to go through hours and hours of physical therapy just to be able to learn to walk again. His gaze fell upon his wife again, Lanie was the real reason he was alive today, not the doctors.

Lanie turned away in the opposite direction, unable to fake interest any longer. Just then, she noticed her husband looking at her in only that sweet, tender way Roddy could, and her heart melted into a puddle. It was a welcome distraction from avoiding so much as crossing stares with the ghost of relationships past again. She flashed the man a sweet smile, and placed a hand on his cheek.“What are you thinking, baby?” she whispered softly to him, locking her blue eyes with his and softly caressing his cheek with her thumb.

“I was just thinking about us and the great complications of life” He chuckled as he felt the warm touch of his wife on his bearded cheek. “We’re sitting here, remembering a day that brought such pain to not only our lives but to others… Yet if that day hadn’t have happened, exactly how it happened, well I wouldn’t be with you and neither of us would have had Ingrid. Our joy… It came from such a dark and terrible place. Happiness… Born of rage…” At least Rod knew that Mr Beau’s English lessons stuck with him. For a man who communicated mostly with his eyes, when he talked he knew how to do it with flare.

Lanie’s smile faltered a little at her husband’s words. Even if they were meant to be beautiful, they were laced with something else… A hint of guilt. She gave the man a fleeting kiss. “Honey, you can’t feel guilty for having found good in the bad. As the great Albus Dumbledore said one day: ‘Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.’ Even if the circumstances in which we met each other weren’t the best, we did, and we have built this beautiful life together. Forgive me if I sound selfish, but I wouldn’t change a single thing. You and Ingrid are my world, no matter what it was built or born on.”

Rod’s lip couldn’t help but curl into a smile as Lanie quoted Dumbledore. Harry Potter was one of their things. He remembered not long after they decided to start dating, someone came up with the idea to watch all eight movies in one sitting. That was an incredibly long but lovely day, in fact it was one of the many that the two had shared together. Remembrance of these days were enough to eclipse the guilt Roddy was feeling in that moment. “Lanie Callahan, you flatter me”

Lanie’s smile grew bigger and wider at his words. Even after four years, being called Lanie Callahan sounded like it was but a dream. “God, it sounds so good when you say it.” she whispered excitedly, giving her husband’s hand a squeeze and resting her blonde head on his shoulder.

She was thankful for the way her hair hid her face at that moment, because even though she was happy with Roddy and their life together, for an unwelcome second she considered how life would have been like had she been Lanie Boaz instead.

Aisik Shomer

Mordechai's first part in the memorial scene had ended with him leaving Mr. Beau by the door, so as the camera panned away from him, Aisik made his way to the side before leaving the gym's set completely. Smiling at the few pats on the back he got from crew members, he silently made his way to a corner with the actors' seats so that there would still be quite on the set for the other actors. He dug his phone from from his jacket pocket- and really, they weren't supposed to have their phones on them when filming- and scrolled through the contacts until he found "אהובי". He smiled at Alter's contact photo-a black and white aerial shot he'd taken on a lazy morning after the neighbor's cat had snuck in their open window- before tapping 'call' and putting the phone to his ear. On the third ring a tired voice picked up.

"Nhg, m'yello?"

Aisik winced as he checked the time, remembering that it would be just after 10pm in Israel. Fiddling with a nail, he easily fell back into Hebrew as he apologized. Alter had probably already been halfway to sleep.

"Apologies my Love, I forgot about the time differences."

"'ats ok, it's hard to fall asleep alone anyways." There was a swish over the line as fabric shifted, telling Aisik that he'd rolled over. He smiled.

"I haven't had the misfortune to have to find that out yet; we started filming as soon as I touched down," He let out a yawn as if to prove his point. "At least the first day has been eventful."

"Has it?" Alter sounded more awake now, curious about Aisik's first day back.

"Yeah!" Aisik gave a short laugh, crossing one leg over the other in his chair. "I've already had my reunion scenes with Bella and Sidney." There was a short pause over the line as Aisik didn't elaborate, and he shifted, knowing Alter was reading him even over the phone.

"Something happen?" It was soft, more of an 'I'm here for you' than an actual question. Aisik let out a sigh; Alter knew him too well.

"My first scene, with Mordechai's return?" He paused, waiting for Alter's hum of affirmation before continuing. "I kinda botched it. I went to say 'Danny' and act all broken up, but instead I actually did get all broken up and started saying 'Gavriel' instead," he sighed, rubbing a hand over his face as his partner listened silently. "I freaked out and closed myself in my trailer for like and hour while the others filmed."

"You were able to pull yourself out of it though; you never even called me," It was an observation, not an accusation, but Aisik stared blankly ahead all the same, playing with the wedding ring he'd just put back on his finger. "That's a good thing, Ais."

"I know..." He sighed. "I know...it's just," His blank stare grazed over all his cast members that were still wrapped up in their scenes. "I feel like I shouldn't have freaked out at all."

"You know that's not how trauma works. If you were talking to one of our kids you would have said that it was completely healthy to express emotions and that it's one of the best outcomes when being put back into an environment like the one that you suffered in." Alter was as sure of it in telling him than he was in telling the kids, and Aisik let his shoulders fall a bit. "If I was there, I'd be giving you one of my famous hugs right now."

Aisik let out a snort. "Famous? Listen Babe, I'm the famous one here!"

It was an old routine; Alter would say he was famous for something like a hug or his cooking, and Aisik would come in pretending to be pompous about his adolescent stardom. It was one of the quickest ways to bring him out of one of his funks because it was almost a learned reaction to drop into the egotistical act.

Alter's laughter on the other end grounded him and he let out a content smile.

Kaitlin turned at the sound of her name, her green eyes landing on the owner of that voice, Roddy.

“No, don't apologize for anything!” she said, ignoring his outstretched hand in favor of a somewhat awkward hug. “My mini freak out was the whole reason we didn't really get to talk earlier.”

She inspected Roddy slowly from head to toe, reconciling the image of the awkward teenager with the man currently standing in front of her. He filled out his frame more now, and stood with far more confidence than he had in the past.

Kaitlin hadn't stayed in touch with Roddy, Hell, she hadn't really stayed in touch with anyone. She was surprised by the ease in which he approached her, like they didn't have ten years separating them, but then again, Kaitlin had always found Roddy easy to be friends with. In high school, he seemed content to let her come and go as she pleased, never asking for more from their friendship than she was willing to give. Kaitlin had often felt suffocated by others expectations of her in the past, but never felt that with Roddy. She could go days without talking to him, and he would still save her ass when she needed it. Now, with ten years of life experience, she was able to see how much she took that for granted.

“Are you working at the school now? I want to know everything.” she said truthfully, briefly reaching out to squeeze his arm.

Once again, Lanie didn’t have enough time to dwell on the ‘what would have been’, because her husband suddenly got up and announced he’d be doing something horrible. At his wife's confused look, Roddy explained he would be off to socialize. She laughed earnestly at his jest of only socializing because it would make her happy, and gave his face a gentle caress before she watched him walk off. God, how she loved this man! She was truly lucky to be sharing her life with Roddy.

Of course, all happy, bubbly feelings were gone the moment Lanie saw he was talking to none other than Kaitin O’Connor.

“Something horrible, indeed...” Lanie muttered angrily, letting out an annoyed sigh.

The relationship between her and Kaitin had been a rivalry for the books, one that went all the way back to high school and to this day. When Lanie had moved to Edenridge, she’d instantly became the school’s ‘It Girl’: blonde, beautiful, with curves in the right places and a knack for having fun and being the life of the party wherever she went. Life was great… Until the red-headed Kaitlin changed from mousy and lousy to what would be Lanie’s biggest competition. The red-headed girl had soon earned a reputation for being a boyfriend-stealer, one that didn’t sit well with Lanie, as some of her friends had been victims of this disgusting crime against the ‘Girl Code’. Kaitlin had even tried- though thankfully unsuccessfully- to get into Decky’s pants, which of course only earned her even more dislike on Lanie’s part. It didn’t help that Roddy considered this woman one of his friends, so Lanie was forced to always keep a high guard around this situation. More than once, the blonde and the redhead were close to settling things with their hands, but there was always someone to prevent this. But to this day, she still harbored all kinds of negative feelings towards Kaitlin, and the moment she’d found out she was back in Edenridge they had flourished to dangerous levels once again.

Lucky for Kaitlin, Lanie was older and wiser now. Though she wanted nothing more than to drag Roddy away from this woman, she decided to keep calm until she noticed anything else happen. After all, it was a simple catch-up of two old friends, right? Lanie shuddered at the thought of them being ‘two old friends’, a momentary look of disgust on her face. But all intentions of not making a scene flew out the window when she saw Kaitlin wrap her arms around her husband and daughter’s father, and her conviction only strengthened with the way the redhead shamelessly inspected Roddy from head to toe.

Taking in a deep, calming breath, Lanie got up from her seat. She made her way down the steps as gracefully as she had before, trying not to walk to quickly in an effort to not seem as angry-hysterical as she felt. She arrived just in time to overhear this woman asking Roddy if he worked at the school and to tell her everything. Lanie could easily tell her all she needed to know.

“I’m his wife, and I’m the one who works in this school. That’s all you need to know.” Lanie declared, barging into the conversation with no cares in the world. She took hold of her husband’s arm a little less gently than she would have in normal circumstances, making sure her wedding bands were visible, but these weren’t normal circumstances. She fixed her sharp, cold blue eyes on Kaitlin, all sweetness from the previous conversation with her husband gone.

Kaitlin bristled upon hearing the unmistakable voice of Elaine Lancaster, barely suppressing a flinch. Many of the guys back in high school may have described her voice as being almost musical, but to Kaitlin it would always be shrill and headache inducing. How she hadn't heard the blonde banshee approaching was a mystery, and a testament to how caught up she was in seeing Roddy again.

As she cleared her throat, her eyes made their way to Elaine's hand, which was resting quite possessively on Roddy. If she wasn't so thrown by the whole encounter, Kaitlin may have had to laugh at the absurdity of the blatant display of ownership. It did not escape her notice that the wedding bands were now fully on display.

Kaitlin had never been one to notice details, and her initial gaze had swept right over Roddy's hand, not even marking the ring earlier. She flushed, whether from embarrassment or annoyance was anyone's guess.

Quickly though, Kaitlin schooled her features into a look of indifference. Whatever emotions she felt at the situation, she could sort through later.

“Congratulations,” she said slowly. No need to let on to how quickly she wanted to get this interaction over with. “You know Elaine, I actually was going to say hello to you earlier, but when I found you, you were already in a pretty serious conversation with Decky Boaz. I thought it would be rude to interrupt. Has he been in town this whole time as well?”

Kaitlin's voice was steel coated in sugar as she addressed her former rival. Although she knew anyone passing by wouldn't sense the undertone of her words, Elaine was sure to be riled up by them.



“Are you kidding me?” Kaitlin scolded as she tugged Roddy away. “What the hell has gotten into you?”

As she passed Elaine Lancaster in the hall, she resisted the urge to stick out her tongue. She also resisted the urge to rub the back of her head, which still occasionally stung from a rather nasty hair pull.

Finally reaching a corridor she could turn down, Kaitlin tugged Roddy around the corner. Immediately she began running her hands over his face, head and back. Standing at only 5'4", it had to look absurd to anyone noticing the diminutive red head patting down Roddy.

“In case you are wondering what I'm doing,” she said from behind his back, a slow grin over taking her face. “I'm checking for any sign you may have been overtaken by an alien, body snatcher, demon...maybe a hitch hiking ghost?”

The joke was silly, but Kaitlin knew her friend well enough to know that he got enough shit from other people. He didn't need it from her too.

Aisik Shomer

Aisik looked up from his phone call when one of the assistants came to stand in front of him. Smiling, he nodded when the assistant thumbed over his shoulder to the gym setup where Bella, Jude, and Emilia were deep in-scene.

"I've got to go, Love; looks like Mordechai is about to get thrown into the middle of a catfight. Him and Roddy may not survive," He said, smiling at Alter's laughing 'Good luck.' He hung up the phone and slipped his ring back in his pocket, handing the phone itself over, a little guiltily, to the assistant who'd just seen him try and slip it into his jacket again. He jogged back to set and took his place against the far wall of the gym, just out of shot of the trio currently being filmed.

---

Mordechai Boaz

He'd done his rounds fairly quickly, seeing as how many of the people he used to hang out with hadn't shown up; they were probably in half-way homes, prison, or dead by now if he was being honest with himself. He gave a nod here and there to people he recognized in passing, but mostly found himself staying out of the way after his emotional reunion with Mr. Beau.

That's why, as he was leaning against the gym's far wall to stay out of the way, he was surprised to hear his name mentioned. He looked up in confusion and quickly found the source in the tension-filled trio a few feet away, and upon deciphering why his name fell from Kaitlin O'Connor's lips, quickly locked wide eyes with Roddy Callahan and shook his head to indicate that nothing had happened between him and Lanie during their initial reunion.

---

In what was the most annoying thing ever, Roddy failed to make any sort of intervention in his wife’s favor, and simply limited himself to silently stand in place. In all honesty, it was to be expected. Roddy Callahan’s determination of always wanting to help people and not cause harm had been one of the qualities that had made Lanie fall in love with him so deeply. At the moment, said quality was irritating Elaine.

Though annoyed with her husband’s lack of action, Lanie savored the moment Kaitin blushed when finding out she and Roddy were married. However, the moment of triumph was cut short when the red-haired woman made mention of having stumbled upon her and Decky’s earlier conversation without her knowledge. Instead of feeling guilty of having been exposed in front of her husband to have been caught talking to her ex-lover, this admission only made Lanie angrier. It seemed like no matter how hard she tried, Kaitlin still found a way to weasel back into her private life. This thought infuriated the blonde.

“Indeed, I was, actually! And no, he hasn’t. It just seems like dark times are the ones that bring the eavesdropping snakes out of their hiding places. Wouldn’t you say so, Kaitlin?” Lanie replied nastily with a sarcastic smile, venom dripping from her words. It was hard to believe that this same woman had been showering her toddler with kisses and cuddles just hours before.

Speaking of her toddler daughter… When Roddy finally decided to intervene, he did so in the form of taking out his wallet to show Kaitlin the photo he kept of Ingrid. In it, little Ingy was beaming so widely her blue eyes were nearly squinted closed, wearing an adorable dress with a flower print. From under a brown hat with lace decorations fell her long blond hair in ringlets, and she held a basket full of bright-colored plastic eggs. The photo had clearly been taken for Easter. Instead of softening her demeanor, this action only hardened Elaine. The last thing she wanted was for Kaitlin to have any more information about her private life, much less her daughter. Ingrid was the most sacred thing Lanie had in life.

“Yep, that’s our little girl!” Lanie added proudly, making extra emphasis on the word ‘our’. The next words she spoke were laced with an unmistakable threat. “Looks like you’ve met my whole family now. And let me tell you something: I would go to any lengths to protect my family from any snakes that might try anything to threaten them. You know what I’m saying, Kait?” Without waiting for an answer, Lanie tightened her grip on her husband's arm and turned her unforgiving stare to him. "I think it's time for us to head out, Rod. Ingrid must be missing us lots."

"You are an idiot." Vincent muttered as he looked at Ashley who was now sitting down because of her sprained ankle.

"How was I supposed to know that my landing wouldn't be perfect?"

"You shouldn't have tried it in the first place!"

The siblings were in a predicament. You see, while Ashley was on break and Vincent had been shooting his scene with Emilia, she had the bright idea to just explore the city she was once so very familiar with. Now, there was this certain place where it was a wall that they would usually sit on when they were kids. It was easily around 5 foot from the ground. Ashley decided that it would be a bright idea to jump from there to the ground just like old times. However, it soon proved to be a bad idea as she made the wrong landing and sprained her right ankle, much to everyone's dismay.

"Thanks to your little bright idea, there would be a setback. I heard they were just changing the scenes a little bit so Louis wouldn't have to appear." Vincent said with a small sigh and then massaged his temples. Honestly? His twin was a lot to handle. Even when they were older than before, she was still the same reckless child she was before, albeit now better at actually doing something productive.

"Aw, couldn't they have written it like I got into an accident or something?" Ashley asked as she crossed her arms. She was pretty disappointed that she wouldn't get to act with her fellow actors from before. She was not just disappointed, she was seriously disappointed. She was easily one of the people who was most excited for the continuation of Edenridge.

"You know fully well Louis is a prideful character. She would never dare look pitiful in front of anyone. Arriving with a limp? Ha, she would rather not meet anyone than risk being called 'accident prone'." Vincent pointed out.

"Ugh, fine." Ashley grumbled. She then reached for one of the cookies and began to munch it like an angry little gerbil.

Weird, he knows.

Vincent rubbed the back of his head. "Now Mike won't go in too. Ah, but I don't think there's much that he will do considering..." He gestured towards the shoot where an intense scene was being played out between the characters. "He'll probably want to get shot again before he wants to get involved in something like that."

"Hey! Poor Mike was traumatized by that event!" Ashley said, scolding her brother for making a joke at his character's expense.

Vincent chuckled, seeming to have forgotten that his sister had gotten into trouble and was now injured. "Pretty sure Mike wouldn't mind a jab or two." He is, after all, the actor of Mike and he has studied his character before and has studied him now. He has a good grasp on the guy's character... or at least, he assumes he does. Based on how successful he is in acting so far, he was probably right.

"Even so, you shouldn't tease him like that."

The two continued to bicker about random things, much to the amusement of the staff. There were some staff there that had been at the set of the original Edenridge and it would throw them back to the past when the two would often do this, but in a more childish and loud way. They had gotten better over the years though it didn't seem that 'bickering' was something that would be going away any time soon.