Then in 1942 this intense windstorm came and knocked the tree over. And people were bummed. But someone had saved an acorn from the original tree, so they planted that and now Son of the Tree That Owns Itself is over 50 feet tall.

And since this new tree is technically the offspring of the original tree it’s considered to have legally inherited the plot of land it’s inhabiting.

matt and dan unknowingly agreed to take turns, they knew they were safe but there still was that voice in the back of their minds whispering that anyone could barge into the room at any moment and hurt them

nicky and aaron spent the night staring at the inside of their eyelids replaying the last two days in loop. how did they go from playing a normal exy game to neil being kidnapped and tortured and everything that it unveiled

renee had her eyes closed, her arms wrapped around allison but her brain wouldn’t let her ignore a single sound or movement happening. her hands never stopped stroking allison’s shoulders that kept jerking awake at each movement or sound

kevin couldn’t stop staring at the ceiling, the deep need of having to drown himself into some sort of alcohol to try to forget everything that happened that night, everything that happened since neil arrived to palmetto, and everything that ever happened really

all of them were kept awake against their will by the awful memories that were starting to settle in their minds

most of the fics i've read that references mary's reaction whenever neil feels content or happy with the state of things in his life or the choices he made is how she would've hated it. or beaten him black and blue. or killed him rather than allow him to have what he currently has. but what betsy put into perspective with neil in that ec is what i want to see more of.

i think that were she alive, sure she would've hated neil's choices and the risks that came with it, especially since he'd gotten hurt (even almost dying) and ended up owing money to the very same people she'd taken him away from. but it also did eventually lead him to a place where he can finally be left to live the way he wanted to, instead of merely trying to survive. for all her (considerable) faults, i don't for a second believe she would've begrudged him those things. she did abscond with him because she wanted him to live, after all.

Nicky: Sometimes we throw shit at at Kevin.

Neil: Who's Kevin?