Standing outside on the deck of the Fox Hole Tavern, Reya looked up at the sky through the surrounding trees. A mug of hot coffee in her hands, she leaned up against the wooden railing of the deck and admired the fluffy clouds as they floated across the sky ever so slowly.

_{"And what do you see in that one?"}

The memory of her fathers voice flashed through her mind along with an image of him when he was younger, pointing up at the sky with joy as he awaited for his twin girls to tell him what they imagined the clouds looked like.

Almost like a pain reflex, Reya blinked her eyes a few times and ripped her gaze away from the sky as if to try and erase the thought. Closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath, she listened to the morning chirps of the birds and the slight breeze as it blew through the trees. The morning felt peaceful on the outside despite the turmoil she felt in her heart. Releasing her breath, she opened her eyes and took a sip of her coffee. "It's not going to ruin my day..." She thought, reminding herself.

Today marked exactly one year since her father had taken his own life and Reya had already been receiving condolences from the people in town who knew her father well, which was most of the town due to its small size. It was nice, and Reya did appreciate being checked up on, but at times she wished she could just forget. There were so many things she wished she could forget. Damn her memory.

"Miss?"

Reya snapped out of her thoughts and stood up straight, turning toward the entrance of the tavern to find one of the guests peaking his head of the door. "Oh! I'm so sorry. How can I help you?" She moved towards him and entered into the tavern where the bar and kitchen were. The older bearded man moved aside and smiled at her before he took a seat at one of the tables.

"Just a cup of coffee, the strongest ya got!"

Reya smiled in return and hurried towards the kitchen, setting her own coffee cup down on the bar. "Of course! Coming right up." Just around the corner and behind the bar, Reya pushed open the kitchen door and headed for the coffee pot which had already been brewed. Her cook hadn't come in for his shift yet, but she didn't mind him being a bit late. Fortunately for him they weren't exactly the busiest at the moment. Summer was normally her busiest time at the tavern with campground travelers, though it seemed this year had slowed down significantly for families taking time off for wilderness adventures. Luckily, however, she could always rely on semi-truck drivers who needed a place to rest their head for a night, just like the man she was currently pouring coffee for.

Exiting the kitchen, she headed over to the mans table and gently set down the mug in front of him. "Here you are, sir. Would you like any cream or sugar?"

"You're plenty sugar enough, doll, thank you."

She forced a convincing laugh, "You just holler if you need anything then."

Quickly she turned and grabbed her coffee from the bar and headed into the kitchen, glad to escape further conversation with the truck driver for the time being. Unfortunately, truckers were always hit or miss in for her in terms of personality. Either they wanted to talk to you for hours on end, and slip in inappropriate comments along the way, or they didn't want to speak to you at all. She usually preferred the latter, although she remained grateful for all of their business. Awkward conversation was a small price to pay for the stability of her income.

"REY!!!!"

Reya rushed back out of the kitchen, her heart pounding at the urgency of the yelling coming from the bar. "What?! What is it, what happ-" She stopped mid sentence, the worry in her face instantly halting once she laid eyes on who loud guest in her tavern was.

"Ollie. Haven't I told you to stop yelling in here? What is so important?" She put her hands on her hips to take a stern stance, though a small smile grew on her lips. Before her stood a small child about the age of ten with a freckled face and bright red messy hair. He grinned back at her, finding great joy in their tradition of playful back and forth.

"Here! Mayor told me to hand these out to everyone!" He giggled and shoved a piece of paper into her hands before darting back out of the tavern, "SEE YOU THERE!!"

Reya smiled and shook her head before looking at the poster which was designed in colorful eye grabbing artwork and font styles.

---

---

The festival was probably the last place that Reya wanted to be today, but she reminded herself again that she wasn't going to let the past ruin her present. Reya had always really enjoyed the summer festival in town, it was typically one of the biggest events of the year. If only for the delicious food, Reya would force herself to attend at some point. Setting the poster down on the bar, Reya headed back into the kitchen and wondered if she would ever be able to finish her own cup of coffee.

"Mom! Don't!" Kat yelled, but her mother merely turned and looked up at the balcony where she was standing, smiling sweetly as she gave a little wave. Her father closed the door for her, then turned and smiled up at Kat. He walked around the back of the Roll and opened his door, pausing to blow a kiss....

"Noooooooo!"

Everything slowed to a crawl as the car began to swell with horrible yellow light, the car windows blowing out in a shower of glass and flames, and the screaming....!

"AAAAAGGGH!" Kat screams, jerking upright in her bed. She buries her face in her hands, sides heaving as she sobs, then began the breathing exercises Dr. Greene taught her so long ago. Breathe deeply, hold it for three beats, then let it out, wait for three beats. Her first few tries were ragged, but eventually she had herself under control.

Looking up, she wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands, then fumbled for the lamp. She was in the walk-in closet, barely big enough for the twin sized bed and a small nightstand, while a box fan strung up on the wire shelving blew air down on her. Tiny Christmas lights were strung along the shelf, to give her a little light when the lamp was off. Uncle Oscar's men had set this up for her, sealing the old doorway, making a new one, adding electrical sockets and filling the walls with insulating foam, making sure her screaming couldn't be heard outside the bedroom.

"We wouldn't want you to draw attention to yourself," Uncle Oscar had said, patting her hands in a grandfatherly way.

Kat glanced at the monitor showing her the view from the front door security cam before rising, opening the door and steps into the bedroom. Picking out a pair of jean shorts and a polo shirt from the garment rack, she laid them out on the queen sized bed in the middle of the room. A dress form mannequin was sleeping on the far side. She hadn't bothered to ask why it was there.

---

She felt better after her shower, but her eyes were still red. Kat sighs, then washes up her cereal bowl and spoon, putting them in the rack to dry. Uncle Oscar had promised to get her a car, but she needed to do some shopping. There was no hope for it but to ride her bicycle downtown and pick up what she needed, and hope there was enough room in the pannier baskets to hold everything.

Grabbing her purse, sunglasses and a head scarf, she paused to study herself in the small mirror by the door.

"You are Theodora Clark, from Hickory, Virginia. Your date of birth is June 17, 1999. You're a Gemini," she repeated. "You're a struggling artist. You are Theodora Clark...."

Taking a sip of her long awaited coffee, Reya closed her eyes and savored the moment as she leaned up against the kitchen counter. She took in a deep breath to smell the coffee and let the warmth of the mug warm her hands, taking the moment to center herself and calm her nerves. "Okay... festival. You love the festival! Martha's funnel cake..." She thought, reminding herself of her favorite part about the festival - Martha's famous funnel cake! She got it every year and every year it was the best funnel cake she had ever had. It was basically traditional at this point to get the cake, even if her dad wasn't around to enjoy it with her. It had to be done!

Hearing the kitchen door open, Reya opened her eyes to see her lead chef walk in through the door hastily. She smiled, "Good Morning Ben." She took another sip of her coffee as she watched the older man set his things down and grabbed his white apron off the wall. Ben had been working at the Fox Hole for almost as long as she could remember. The portly man was in his mid 40s and had been originally hired by Reya's father and so Reya grew up thinking of Ben as family. She knew he must have been going through conflicting emotions today just as she was, but Ben wasn't exactly the type to talk about his feelings.

"Good Morning, sunshine." Ben smiled back at her, heading over to the kitchen sink to wash up before he began his prep work. "Listen, I know today is the festival. You go on and enjoy it, I'll watch over the tavern today." He washed his hands and then nodded over towards the kitchen door, "Oh, and, the pilot kid is out front. I saw him walk in just before me."

Reya nodded, taking another sip of her coffee. She had already figured that Ben would offer to work while she went out - he almost always did as he wasn't big on "social time". The man liked his kitchen, cooking, his family, and that was about it. He was a simple guy, which Reya loved him for. "Thank you, Ben." She replied and set down her coffee mug. "I'll bring you back some funnel cake!"

Leaving the kitchen, Reya immediately noted the somewhat familiar face sitting at the bar. "Well, good morning there, Chris." She slid behind the bar, gently smiling at the man. Although she had not had extended time to get to know Chris, he was well-known around town as one of the few pilots of Sanctuary. "What can I get started for ya?"

---

Mentions:@Pilatus

Were people... scowling at her?

Kat frowns slightly as she rides, noticing how people seeing her lost their smiles. What was wrong with them? Plenty of kids were riding their bikes, why did she feel like she offended them somehow? Was it the bicycle helmet? Did they hate purple or something?

"Real friendly place you found for me, Uncle Oscar," Kat mutters, then nods sagely as she tried to catch his way of speaking. "Unfriendly neighbors mean no one bothers you."

She chuckled for a moment, then sighs ruefully. "Thanks alot, Uncle Oscar."

---

"You'd think a town with all these people living here would have a grocery store someplace?" Kat scowls, then sees a barricade up ahead. "Road closed?"

Oh, what fresh hell was this? She wondered, pulling over to the sidewalk and climbing off her bike. She better walk in with it,

"Time?!"

"U-Uhm... 8:15, chef!"

Levi nodded to himself as he meticulously decorated the top of a boston cream donut with oreo cookie crumbles. Taking a step back, Levi put his hands on his hips and smiled proudly to himself. "Perfect. That's the last one! And we've still got plenty time to spare, see? Better safe than sorry!" He grinned and turned towards his fellow coworker, a young man named Nathan who was about the age of nineteen and had been assisting Levi since about six in the morning. The young man nodded back in response, a sheepish smile on his face. No doubt he was exhausted from all the work, but Levi's energy so early in the morning was difficult to keep up with in and of itself, plus Levi's energy levels never seemed to waver.

Satisfied, Levi carefully placed his newest pastry onto some wax paper and carried it to the walk-in cooler for storage. As he placed the donut down, Levi took a moment to admire the entirety of his masterpiece. Sprawled across nearly every shelf were several dozen different varieties of unique donuts that Levi himself had spent the previous night and this entire morning working on. These were no ordinary donuts, either! Oreo Boston Cream, Maple Bacon Bar, Cheesecake stuffed, S'mores glazed, Peanut Butter & Jelly, plus some regular donuts for those who weren't so adventurous. Levi had spent many hours crafting unique creations that would catch peoples eye and surprise their taste buds. He had woken up at nearly 4am to come to the cafe and get the ovens firing, as he knew it would take much time to bake this many donuts and have everything be ready by the time the festival started. Sure, he overshot the time and he could've let himself sleep for at least another two hours. Not to mention he would most definitely start crashing by 3pm, but who cared?! Not Levi - that's what coffee was for! He was determined to put together something fun for the festival that the cafe had never done before. Plus, if there was one thing Levi was passionate about - it was pastries!

"Alright!" Levi left the walk-in cooler to see Nathan on his phone, clearly trying to take a break from all the hustle that Levi had him doing from the very start of his shift. "Let's start bringing these out by fives to present to people at the register, in the cooler." Nathan quickly straightened up and put his phone into his back pocket. "Yes, chef. On it!"

"Be careful with my babies now..... or you're fired!" Levi paused, watching Nathan with a straight face who looked back at him with confusion, wondering if he was serious. Levi chuckled to himself and began to wash his hands off in the sink. "I'll be careful, don't worry!"

Drying his hands off on his light blue colored apron, which was currently speckled with flour patches, Levi left the kitchen to go check on business at the front of the cafe. He was happy to see that people were already steadily flowing into the establishment for coffee and a quick breakfast. The Cozy Bear was fortunate in that it was located right on Main street which is where the festival happened every year, so even without the donuts the cafe was bound to be bustling with business during the event. This time of year was typically the most profitable for the cafe. Still, Levi wanted to do something special. What was a festival without outrageous food?!

"You doing okay up here, Alice? Do you need any help?" He circled around the back of the register where the woman was taking an order from a man who was ordering an everything bagel and tea. Hearing the mans accent, Levi eyed him over curiously. "I'm okay, Levi. Thank you!"

"Ohhh, you're that guy, huh?" Levi leaned against the register counter, a playful smirk on his lips as he addressed the man. He did not know his name, but Levi knew of him. The man with the heavy accent who put up a night club in a country town. He was the talk of many people in town. "The business guy, right? Uh, What's it called again? Uh... Eu.. Eulogy? No, that can't be it... Eugenics?" Levi looked up as if he was trying hard to recall the name of the club. "Ah, you know what I'm talking about. How are you liking Sanctuary?" He grabbed a large cup and began to pour out the tea that the man ordered while the woman at the register went to the back to grab a bagel. Levi in truth knew what the club was called, but what was the fun in that? Putting three sugars into the tea, Levi put a top on the tea and slid it across the counter to the man. As Alice returned with the mans bagel, he gently took it from her and slid that over to the man as well. "This one's on the house. Welcome to town."

---

"You got it." Reya rounded the corner and peaked her head into the kitchen through the door, "Ben - omelet, toast and bacon, please." From inside the kitchen the cook could be heard acknowledging her, "On it, boss!"

Returning to the bar, Reya grabbed a carafe and a coffee mug from behind the bar. She poured Chris a cup and set it gently down in front of him. "You need any sugar? Cream?" She asked, pulling out a neatly stacked container of different brands of sugar packets to offer to him. "How've you been by the way? Busy? I haven't seen you by in awhile."

Hearing the tavern door open, Reya raised her gaze to find another acquaintance walk through the door. Reya's mouth opened in surprise as she watched the redheaded woman walk in and quietly take a seat at the bar, as if nothing abnormal was going on. "Phoenix!" She exclaimed, looking the girls outfit up and down. "Look at you! Wow! You got a hot date coming or something?" She laughed, knowing that Phoenix usually tended to lean more on the tom-boy side as far as fashion went and this outfit was highly unusual for her. Although Reya did not know Phoenix extensively, she did know of her and they had met in passing more than a few times. In high school, Reya had known Phoenix as the "redheaded bomb shell" who was a few years older than her. Redheads seemed to always stick out no matter what, and Phoenix was no different, but she at least had many people fawning over her - at least from Reya's perspective. Nonetheless, Reya had never seen Phoenix in a dress before, and it did not disappoint! The woman was gorgeous on her own and the dress seemed to further enhance her naturally attractive features. "Wait..." Reya looked over towards Chris, raising a brow. She looked back to Phoenix, then back to Chris. "Is Chris the hot date?!"

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