oh⸻ophelia.

For what had felt like forever had been maybe thirty minutes, tops. Not that time existed here. Time had stopped mattering. With a huge smile plastered on her face, Ophelia gracefully came down the stairs and her arms wide to swoop Molly into her arms. ''Have you been a good girl?'' Her eyes moving from Clover to the little girl, she booped her nose when Molly let out a gleeful noise. ''Do you wanna go see if Bastian has pancakes for us today, dollface? I think I heard that tummy of yours rumble,'' a nice excuse to get out of this god forsaken house as well, ''come - let's get you properly dressed, it's cold outside and we don't want you to catch a cold, do we?'' Her tone of voice kind, she let her back down to go let Molly get her coat and her sisters. ''I've got it from here,'' the redhead's voice deepened now that it was just her and Clover again, meaning to coach her outside. She made that clear when she held the door open to let her out, ''see you around,'' failing to find any suitable word for her, she decided on neutral grounds, ''neighbor.''

boredom hadn’t been a place where stella drifted often into. adolescence of being an only child had left her self sufficient. her imagination could fill a drab moment if called for. most of her life under the watch of her mother had been a solo feeling. it wasn’t until later when she gained knowledge of her sister, emery. would have childhood been different with another companion ? something she’d wondered many times, but always ended up being thankful emery hadn’t been a part of her early chapters. stella faced a lot personally that most kids were lucky to not experience. “i hope you know …i’m going to put makeup on you.” whether you like it or not. stella smirked to her reflection.

“it’ll be fun.” the mascara brush swiped against her lashes. it was growing a little dry from time. wearing a face of makeup hadn’t been much of a priority in arcadia. almost something to be thankful for. fresh faced. the amount of water she consumed without other options available had also been a blessing to her skin. something to be positive about in this hell town. “did your phone go off like everyone else's ? ….” blue eyes flickered to them in the mirror. “the universe has a funny sense of humor here.” there was nothing worse than the jarring static raging from the televisions. the phone call stella recieved was one only known of a false god. a call from her mother. she'd passed — the only signal from the failed call was one of alarming horror. maybe we're all dead already. maybe this is some hellish inbetween. - she thought.

''How long's it you've been here again?'' Part of her curious about this woman's past, part of her excited to share something with a fellow make up enthusiast, ''I've got some mascara lying around, if you want some. Untouched, still new,'' none of that sharing make up with others. The idea of sharing bacteria with others gave her the heebie-jeebies. Especially those shared on a mascara brush. ''Yeah.... about that,'' she'd gone through the seven stages of grief when she'd seen her ex's name flash on the screen. Shock mostly. Her phone had been empty for weeks, how the Hell had that been possible? And how did it die again before she was able, after staring at it way longer than she should've, to try and pick up the phone with trembling fingers. ''I thought I hallucinated that, but then I heard others about it too. I wouldn't call it sense of humor, more like a sick sense of false hope.''

The darkness that had settled upon the town was...unsettling, if one was to put it lightly. But time didn't stop. It just kept on moving, and Bastian had stopped trying to make sense of any of it long ago. They had to keep on keeping on - and one way they would do that is to make sure they all got at least a somewhat satisfying meal in their bellies.

Bastian had made it his own personal mission to try and keep the survivors of the town fed with healthy and tasty meals, even if what he was working with was limited. He was working on a stew on this particular evening when someone stepped into the diner and closed the door firmly behind them. Yeah, life still went on and people still needed to eat, even if there were creatures looking to kill you beyond those doors.

He shook away the thought and slapped a smile onto his face, grabbing a spoon and a bowl to fill with a serving, soon approaching the newcomer and extending the bowl in their direction. "Here - please. You've got to try this and let me know what you think."

There'd been one of them that had seen her make a run for it and screeched to get the attention of another two or three as well. They had said things to her to get her to stop, They'd mocked her, They'd played the guilt card and They most especially used her own loved ones against her. The threat of getting them killed one way or another. But Ophelia had tried to ignore all that talk, let it slide past her as her heart raced inside her chest and her legs hurt from all the running she did to get to the diner. Once inside, she'd closed the door in a hurry and loudly. Panting for air, she softly thanked the lords she had made it in one piece. The diner had become a safe place, along with the house they'd claimed as theirs in town, and it showed when the tears - when the relief - ran down her cheeks.

''Fuck,'' her voice cracked when she laid eyes on the chef - illuminated by the many candles in the diner - a man who radiated so much warmth and love, who saw right through her, who knew the way to her heart so much so that her walls broke right in front of him. ''I-'' she tried to bring out, ''I need a moment,'' Ophelia's hands found the lock on the door and watched out the window as she gained her breath back. They stood there, smiling, as ominously and creepily as ever. In the pitch black.

Turning around, having gathered her thoughts together, got her breath back for the most part and feeling her heart rate calm down, she made time for the chef's heartwarming offer. Taking ahold of the bowl and spoon, she melted at the very first bite that collided with her taste buds. ''If I close my eyes tight enough, I could picture myself eating this in a five star Michelin restaurant, this is the best I've had in a while. Shit, Bastian, I think you're onto something here.....a shame I can't enjoy this in daylight. I'd enjoy this much more with a good glass of wine. Sun on my face. Bask in the sunlight. Fuck.....will it ever be day again? I'm so fucking scared.''

Everything was a mess, despite Mia thinking that nothing could get worse; it managed to do exactly that. Not only was her sister trapped here, but another creature lurked in the town with abilities that would defy safety in the sunlight. The latter she wasn't exactly aware of yet, hence why she decided to take a morning daylight stroll and get some books. Reading kept her sane in this hellhole, allowing her mind to find solace in fictional stories where the protagonist fought their own battles and won.

Thumbing through the old books, she gathered enough to keep her mind at ease for a few days and was about to make her way out, but an odd creak rang out, causing her to bolt behind a table and stand guard. Mia wasn't sure if she had always been this jumpy; it was hard to think of the person she used to be after months filled with terror, but she swore it wasn't always like this. Squinting her eyes to get a better view, she was able to realize that the noise had come from a person, not some scary demon who wanted to rip her to shreds. With her hands up in a way that showed she meant peace, Mia slipped out from behind the desk and cleared her throat.

In much needed distraction, she'd made her way over to the petite building they called a library in town. To get her hands on something. For the kids. For herself, maybe. Not realizing anyone else could occupy the space, it was at the sight of another figure that she clutched her chest with a yelp and needed a second to feel less anxious. ''Shit,'' she whispered apologetically, ''I got lost in thought, which is getting at me lately. Need something else to think about, and since music isn't an option, maybe you got some recommendations? Truth be told, I haven't set foot in here before, no clue if there's anything interesting.''

''What's it they've been dreaming of?'' She shot a quick glance towards the girls, especially Freya who was entering an era of teenage years where she tried to uphold herself tougher than she actually was. Her attention was brought back to the moment when Rylee's fingers met the back of her freckled hand and she couldn't deny the comfort that was offered. The redhead scooted a bit closer so they touched arms and she ran her thumb over Rylee's to soothe her in return. The care Rylee had for her, Ophelia always wanted to give it back tenfold and wrapped an arm around her to let her friend rest against her. ''What do you suggest? Cuss God, or should we take it up with the devil? Ugh...I could go for a glass of wine right now. I wish we were at the cabin right now, sitting at the pier and staring at the sunset with some wine in hand.'' Like the good old times.

'A spider, there's a spider on your hair!' The second oldest screeched at the youngest darling which made Molly jump around, scream and ruffle her hair to get the spider off of her. She threw the hammer to the ground and spun around in a hurry, screaming for her family for help. Ophelia nudged Rylee to remain seated, she got this and got off the ground without dusting off her pants like she usually would.

''Hey, hey Molls, I think you got it,'' she got a hold of the girl's shoulders to calm her down and squatted down to get on her eye level. ''You're alright, dear, the spider's long gone,'' she cupped the girl's cheek and made sure the girl picked up on her auntie's calm energy before she took a look at the girl's hair and ran her fingers through the wild strands, ''look at you, your hair's all ruined, all your mom's hard work gone!'' She feigned a gasp, but before Molly had a chance to react, she tickled the girl all over and made her laugh until she couldn't anymore. With ease Ophelia had picked Molly up into her arms and brought her with her back towards Rylee where she sat with the girl in her arms. ''Giving this little one a break from the playground, you're not hurt, are you, Molls? No spider bites, no glass anywhere, no ouchies?'' She made sure with a silly tone to her voice, checking the little doll from head to toe before feigning a bite against her cheek with a growl that made Molly screech from laughter. ''See, Molly's totally fine, we won't have to expect a spiderwoman in our midst anytime soon. I think.''

Not to mention her question hadn't been how long ago did you move here. And Ophelia hadn't even batted a pretty little eyelash in her response. Because no one made the decision to live in Arcadia. Just like Tessa had, they all got stuck here and found themselves making the most of it.

Her head shook slowly, teeth threatening to chew a hole into her cheek as the true weight of it all collapsed upon her small shoulders. She wasn't made to carry such a burden - and yet, she had been forced to carry worse in her days. "A couple people, I guess..." The faces all kind of blurred together, ones she hadn't thought would be of any significance. Their words seemed more important now than she'd cared to hear then. After all, she was just supposed to be in and out. Not swallowed into some alternate universe that wouldn't spit her back out again.

Snapping her eyes back up to Ophelia when the woman spoke, she simply nodded to the explanation that people had been here for over a year. Numb. It was all she could really feel at this point. A numbness, a buzzing in her head that wouldn't dissipate through her ears. It didn't make any sense, and it wasn't easy to grasp - but Tessa had already seen more than her fair share of weird in this town. She was smart enough, she could put two and two together to make four. Arcadia wasn't normal.

"So...so what are we supposed to do about it?" She finally asks, splaying her hands on the table between them before folding them together, eyes focusing on Ophelia across from her. "We're all just, what...waiting to die here? I mean - there has to be a reason. A way out. Something? Just because it doesn't make sense doesn't mean there isn't an answer."

''I don't...'' her voice cut off, forced to swallow at the cause of a dry throat, ''...I don't know.'' Hoarsely scratching the words out. An answer Tessa couldn't do shit with, but it was entirely true to her experience in town so far. When she'd just arrived, all she had cared about was Rylee and the girls their wellbeing before finding out they hadn't been kidnapped at all. Or worse. But they were held against their will in a place there was no way of escaping. And now so was she. And everybody else who'd entered before and after them. Hell. It was Hell.

''It's all I've been trying to break my brain over lately, I've heard so many theories and I do wonder if we're in some sort of alternative timeline or universe, or in some sort of time loop we cannot escape. But time does seem to go on, people are not stuck in age, the seasons change. People actually...'' die.

She'd seen it firsthand with Rylee's ex-husband Alec. When he'd gone out the door to prove his masculinity after sunset and gotten himself killed by Them. By those creatures that roamed the streets and stalked the houses that were occupied by the living. Whatever living meant in this place. If she got any sleep, it wouldn't be much - afraid of losing Rylee, afraid of losing the girls by the danger of the night.

''People actually lose hope. Have lost hope. It's all this town takes. And takes and takes. So I.....I don't know if there is any solution to all this. I don't even know where to start, so if you have any ideas,'' she eyed Tessa with a sparkle of hope in her eyes, ''if there's anything that comes up in that younger brain of yours, anything that even sounds as silly - know that nothing's weird or silly or doesn't make sense, okay. I'm an auntie to four girls and I always take them seriously.''

When the sorry hung in the air, Ophelia paused in her tracks, realizing what a shit she'd been to someone who had no ill intentions whatsoever. All the girl needed was some damn pot, to get through it all. Through this shitty situation they had no way of escaping. ''I...'' Ophelia's own apology lingered on her tongue, feeling uneasy to say the words, she rested a hand on the darling girl and gave her a nod. ''Thank you,'' she muttered apologetically, her tone having taken a turn on the harshness. ''Give me a few minutes and I'll be down to take over.'' Ophelia gave her one last glance before running upstairs to rinse the sweat off her body and make herself look decent again.

“That would be fantastic,” she sighed, more wistful than she expected herself to be in the moment. She couldn’t fathom the last time she got her nails done, purposefully looked nice to go anywhere. It’s not like there was any reason to get dolled up or date. But with the stress weighing on her shoulders the last few days, she would welcome some pampering with open arms. Selfishly, she thought of how wonderful it would be if a masseuse rolled in here tomorrow. 

Valentina eyed the woman at her next question. It's not like there was a reason to lie about her tenure (except to herself) or its hardships. Sometimes it was difficult to be reminded of that fact, though, especially from someone she just met. “Some people have been here even longer,” she responded, dully, before her voice softened a bit. She knew this stress and denial all too well. “It gets easier the quicker you accept and make your new normal. Trust me.”

''Even longer?!'' Her voice visibly softer, dying out as she brought out those words with a choked breath. ''Ten years -'' she wanted to ask so many questions, as her thoughts ran through her mind with a speed even she couldn't keep up on. Her lips parted, her eyes wide as she stared at the other, but the words wouldn't come out. She was taken aback by the harsh reality. Like a punch to the throat, she choked on her own words.

It took everything, every bit of willpower, for Ophelia to tear her gaze off the other. In order to ground herself. In order to gather her thoughts and not freak out over the situation. She felt a headache coming on. Fuck, she desperately needed a glass of wine. It physically hurt her throat when she managed to speak again, after a moment of closing her eyes and rubbing her temples. ''W- what have you been up to all these years? It's no life living here, it's......it's Hell,'' she drew her own conclusion after everything she'd heard about this place.

interest tugged clover through the haze of the tension forming between them. navigating whatever was being felt was confusing. hard to pin point. clover's eyes widened scrambling to pull specifics from a memory that felt half-formed. blame it on the frequent smoking. "—uhm, i mean..." the redhead shifted unconsciously mirroring the other woman's stance. hands resting against the back of a kitchen chair. the wood was familiar beneath her palms. a reminder of the countless times she’d stood in this very spot watching rylee’s daughters sprint through the house—too fast. too wild for her to process what was happening. children made her especially dissociative. one seemed manageable. four ? insanity. organic birth control. not that she needed it.

"i don't know... she mentioned you two back in school together a few times." the problem with smoking too much weed was that details slipped through the cracks. fingernails— chipped from time and nervous chewing habit—drummed idly against the chair. "she just talks about you like you're some goddess. which, respectfully..." oh no. here came the finger guns. a click of her tongue. "i can see it." clovers gaze drifted to the table— lingering there. how many nights had rylee and ophelia sat at this very spot since coming to arcadia ? had rylee spoken to ophelia in that softer warmth—the same warmth that flickered in her eyes when she spoke of her friend in the basement ? regardless of whether it was platonic or not, clover envied whatever it was. "she just lights up—but I guess that’s just how she is..."

''What -'' Ophelia's words were interrupted by a cough that bubbled up to her throat, the girl's comment about milfs was unexpected as if her previous words hadn't been bad enough yet. Jesus, this girl had balls to say such things out loud, she had to give her that. ''Is that what you're looking for? Love? A fuck? In this place?'' However quickly she had questioned it, her - rather, her facial features shifted from surprise to understanding rather quick. Nodding with a tilted head, she couldn't disagree within the second that had passed, ''I mean ... I guess that's fair. What else is there to do, other than just waiting for death? Might as well just fuck around, if your preference is women there's at least no way of getting pregnant.''

"I'm fine," she repeats, a little bit more confident now as she sits back, freeing her hands from Ophelia's grip. "It's just a ... stupid plate." But she knows what Ophelia is talking about and it has very little to do with the plate that had shattered upon the floor. Its this place that after only a week has already embedded itself within her, chewing her up from the inside out.

She rubs her palms against her thighs, head shaking the slightest bit. "It just...It makes no fucking sense," she says. "I mean, it can't be real. This isn't - it makes no sense." The things that come alive in the night. The way she can't seem to get the hell out of this town. Nope. The easiest explanation is that this is all some bad fucking dream that she still hasn't woken up from and she just had to wait it out.

But a part of her knew that wasn't true either. She could pinch herself until her skin was raw and she'd feel every second of it. "How long have you been here?"

''Only a month and a half.'' Which was long considering nearly everything she'd ever busied herself with in her life before was now gone. Smartphones, laptops, any kind of device running on batteries had no life or place here. They eventually ran out and that was it. There was no way of charging. Of calling someone. The landline that hung on the wall of their house was of no use. Dead. Just another piece of decor that made no fucking sense. Crossing her arms, a way of sheltering herself too in this fragile moment, she dreaded to look up into Tessa's eyes but did it anyway. ''How many people have you talked to so far?'' Ophelia hated to be the one to bring bad news. To take someone's hope and crush it between her hands. That's what happened to her in this diner. Hear about other people's fate and have a meltdown in the back where no one could see her collapse.

A doctor that had spent fifteen years in town without ever getting out. A girl that'd been freaking born here without ever having seen a glimpse of what was out there. Of what everybody else in town was used to having. Hell, even the settlement leader - a place and people she stayed far away from - had been setting her roots into this town for the past twenty years. Even now she couldn't comprehend it. ''Frankly, a month and a half turns out not to be so bad,'' she started out. ''Some people have been here for over a year,'' Ophelia wanted to gauge her reaction, see if others maybe already had ripped the band aid clean off.

''Nothing makes sense here,'' just make the best of it and try to stay alive, she wanted to say. But the lump in her throat stopped her from being the yapper she usually was.

Baby had determined today was one best endured in bed. Thus, she remained there, horizontal; counting ceiling cracks and water spots for the umpteenth time, not blinking an eye at the opening of the front door. Content to let whoever wanted to snoop the space and move on with their day, she tugged the covers closer to her chin. Anything objectively valuable was available at Baby’s fingertips, stockpiled in the back room for easy access and protection. Even at her weakest and most scatterbrained, she would not be so foolish as to let strangers run amuck with precious materials. The body had been moved — or hidden, for lack of a better term — out of plain sight, which nipped most unnecessary questions and causes to loiter in the bud. Cause of death? Still unknown.

It was the voice which convinced her to spring back to life, bearing the promise of food. Excitement getting the better of her, Baby’s footsteps clambered around the corner towards the front foyer with a wave of relief, “Oh, thank you!” She gushed, her friendly smile lasting a few seconds before it wavered as the distant flurry of ice beyond caught her attention, a sore reminded of why this exchange was occurring in the first place. Unwilling to admit to the elephant in the room, Baby cleared her throat and warily averted her gaze, “Yeah, you can, uh—“ Suddenly hesitant, her gaze darted from the door to the food. “Here’s fine. Perfect, actually. Just not outside… please.”

At the first sound of movement, her head moved towards where the sound came from, sounds she registered as light footsteps. Too light for a thug of a man. It's the sight of a younger woman that has Ophelia nearly break into an unbelievable chuckle. This was what the others at the diner had been breaking a sweat over? That couldn't be true. As much the sight of the other relieved her, she couldn't return the smile that graced her face. A smile that left just as fast when Ophelia caught her glancing at the open door behind her. This made her swallow. ''Should I close it?'' She had been too anxious to even think of anyone but herself. Of course she was letting the cold in like this - and with the temperature drop the cold was no joke. Moving quickly to close the door, she told herself this girl couldn't be the reason why the others refused to drop the food off.

Taking a second longer to hold onto the doorknob, she turned around like nothing was the matter and she unwrapped the scarf from her neck. ''Right, okay - you're not alone here, are you?'' Because holy shit did this girl look like a bag of bones. ''How long has it been since you've eaten?'' Ignoring the other's, and her own, personal space, the first thing she did was wrap her warm scarf around the girl's neck and take a better look at her. ''May I ask what your name is? I'm Ophelia - I've been working at the diner, I don't think I've seen you before.'' Like she hadn't seen many before. ''You mind if I stay here for a bit?'' Her previous worries out the door now - she could only care for the girl's health now. ''We can eat something together, there's plenty of food in there. And if you need more, I will bring you more, promise.''

The clinic wasn’t far - but closer was the diner. Rosa didn’t love the idea of being somewhere she didn’t know for the night, without the comfort of someone she knew, but she’d grossly misjudged how much time she had left in the day. By this point, she was convinced that the hours passed by differently than back home - they slipped through her fingers far too easily, and she was a conscientious person. She would have noticed if hours had gone by in the blink of an eye, but here she was. Stumbling into the diner and removing her hat to wring it nervously through her hands, wondering if people were really staring at her, or if it was her own paranoia. Her own worry that whatever creeped outside had slithered its way inside.

Rosa’s gaze skittered across the diner, looking for a comfortable and secluded booth - potentially for her to just pass out on. She’d been in a nonstop state of exhaustion for the last month. But when she noted the redheaded waitress staring outside the window, seemingly in a trance, Rosa could feel her blood seemingly freeze inside her veins, turning cold with the knowledge that there was only one reason why someone would look like that here. “Hey,” Rosa mumbled, soft but firm, unsure of how to approach the other. Just when she finally took it upon herself to reach out for her shoulder, hand slightly shaky with erratic nerves, the other seemingly snapped out of it with an expletive. It was enough to make Rosa gasp, stumbling back slightly, as she clutched at her chest.

“Jesus Christ,” She sputtered, “you scared the shit out of me.” There was an automatic snip to her tone - Rosa couldn’t help herself the best of times, let alone when she was startled, frustrated. It showed in her features, always one to wear her emotions on her sleeve, incapable of hiding how she really felt in her expression. But something about the redhead’s face made her eyes narrow in observation, only slightly - attempting to read what was off about her movements. She seemed scared. Genuinely scared. For a moment, Rosa wanted to glance outside, see what she saw, but knew exactly what she would face. It was easier to keep staring at the waitress instead, a sight Rosa could actually appreciate.

There was another small flinch Rosa picked up on - the same inescapable cringe that she always did herself whenever she was in pain. “They have?” Rosa hadn’t expected a compliment - or a passed down compliment. She knew she wasn’t the easiest person to get along with, didn’t even try to hide the fact. But she’d always grown attached to the maternal type, particularly clinging and kind to one of the more elderly and jovial waitresses at the diner. “Hm. Tell them I said thank you,” She mumbled, tone barely audible, suddenly as bashful as if she were presenting herself naked to someone for the first time. “Give me your hand.” It sounded like a sudden, barking, and unrelated demand, which Rosa stumbled over herself to explain. “I’m into, like… pressure points, and stuff. There’s one in your hand that helps with headaches. Can I?”

''Mhm yeah, they can be quite the hassle, little devils in disguises truly, but they're everything to me. And if you're able to be their favorite teacher, you're surely doing something right.'' Ophelia nodded along with her words, not a single word was spoken with falsity. ''But -'' the shock had faded from her face now, the hue on her cheeks returning when she smiled with a mischievous glint in her eyes, ''- I don't think I'll thank them for you, their egos would only grow and they'd become the biggest shits.'' A breathless chuckle was present in her voice, the smirk only growing at imagining those girls creating havoc. Surrendering her hand within Rosa's when she asked for it, not entirely processing what had been said. It was then when she glanced past the woman and noticed how darkness had almost fallen over town.

''Shit, I completely lost track of time. I should've gone -'' home...whatever that meant. This was no home, she refused to ever call it home, ''- back to the girls. Guess that's too late now. Fuck.'' Quickly she left Rosa's hands to busy her own finding a very important item. ''Shit, keys... where did they leave them again?'' In moments of hurry, Ophelia often had the habit of blacking out when she needed to remember things the most. Blindly she tried looking for them anywhere behind the counter, throwing the towel, lifting cups, shoving plates and other things aside in an attempt to find the two keys hooked on a silver ring.

''Got them, Jesus Christ,'' she sighed in relief when she found them. At the usual spot on the wall where she'd seen them hanging around plenty of times before - for anyone to grab when they needed a shelter for the night. Quickly she made sure to lock the front and back doors, before throwing the keys on the counter and tending to the blinds of the windows, one by one. Gesturing to Rosa to help her out from the opposite side of the diner, so they'd meet in the middle and even close the blinds of the front door so there was no way to make eye contact with any of Them outside once they roamed around town.

''Shit, okay... where were we?'' Right, the hand thing. She slid into a booth, leaving the dishes she'd been doing for now. ''How does this work again? What do I do?'' Ophelia felt her shoulders and neck tense up - not liking being locked into a different place than from where her girls resided for the night. It made her clench her jaw when she thought of all the possibilities that could happen with her not being there ... of all the what ifs. But most importantly, how would Rylee fare with her not being there? If only she could shoot her a quick text message saying she was alright, lost track of time and would stay the night at the diner tonight. Fuck.

Clearing her throat, she ran a hand delicately through red strands. Blinking once, blinking twice, her gaze fell back upon the blonde that had her heart in a tight grasp. A warm grasp, that made her heart skip a beat every time their eyes locked, every time she thought of her, every time her voice filled the air, it wasn't hard for Rylee to make her feel. To make her breathe and fill her lungs with air she so much needed in order to live. Rylee made her want to live, even in this shithole.

Rylee's war cry definitely made Ophelia's eyes widen in surprise, even for a split second. When the girls laughed, there was a grimace on her face too paired with a chuckle. ''Girls, I don't think this is your mom - she'd never harm a car cursing a town,'' she teased, ''where's Rylee Carnegie and what've you done to her!?'' Ophelia had come up to the girls, taken the last safety goggle from the bag and shoved it up her nose. Guiding Molly to smash some more dents in the hood of the car, the safest and biggest surface to hit without the possibility of glass or splinters flying back towards the girl's face, she gave her an answer to her question Ophelia only wished to ever fulfill. ''Of course sweetie, I'd take you and your sisters to her tour. We'd rent a camper and follow her on the road throughout all of Canada, the U.S., even Europe if that's what you want, Molls.'' Adding to that, she stopped hitting her and hugged her from behind, if only to hide the tears from welling into the beanie she was wearing, ''and I'd treat you on all the chicken nuggets you can eat, mcdonald's every single day, my darling girl.''

Leaving the girls to have fun with each other, Ophelia had taken Rylee apart to sit by another car not too far away to still keep an eye on them. In a hushed voice, she wondered out loud now. ''So you lot have the same nightmare some-fucking-how, and I....'' unsure on how to bring her own trauma forward, her voice died when she stared at a patch of snow in front of them, ''....I get woken up screaming too. How...how does that....work?'' The occasional giggle came from the four after a loud crack, smash or thwack. Which was good. Which meant they were playing around, having fun rather than having their minds occupied with the trauma that swirled through Ophelia's. ''That can't be a coincidence, can it?''

The days had begun to blend together, one after another. She remembers curling up on a mattress in the cinema, of closing her eyes and attempting to shut out the world that surrounds her. Yet she wakes to the same nightmare with no clearer picture than the day prior. How much time had it been, now? She wasn't sure. But the gas gauge on her car continues to tick lower and lower and she seems to make no further headway out the town than she had the last attempt.

One minute she's driving on the road out and the next she's finding herself back in the middle of town. It makes no damn sense, and yet it has happened.

Again. And again. And again. And again.

With nothing much better to do she found herself at the diner with only the smallest of wads of cash remaining in her pocket - but it seemed no one was willing to take it. After a couple days of being given food and water and any supplies she needed to keep on living in this shit hole of a town, she felt like she needed to pay it back somehow. But she didn't feel particularly skilled at anything... But she could carry a plate to another hungry person in town and back to the kitchen, probably.

Or maybe not. She grabbed a couple plates from the booth that had just been vacated, her mind focused on so much other than the task at hand, causing one of them slipped between her fingers and crashed to the floor with a horrifying crunch. Tessa cringes, so on edge with everything that had unfolded over the last few days that she struggles to keep it together. "Fuck - shit, I'm..." she huffs before falling to her knees to try and clean up the broken ceramic.

She'd hissed at the sight of the broken plates and witnessing the girl's fingertips so close to edges that could make them bleed if she wasn't careful and threw her towel onto the counter before leaving her post. ''Be careful, Jesus -'' she swatted Tessa's hands away, ''- just let me do it, a few plates breaking is enough already, I don't need your broken mess on my hands too, porcelain doll.'' What she meant as irony, a play on words, still left her lips in a serious tone as she helped her up from the ground. Helped her into a free booth so she could take a proper look at her fingers.

''Are you hurt at all?'' Her eyes wandered over every piece of bare skin that had been close to the plates, still holding the other's wrists in her hands, not seeing a drip of red hue staining the porcelain doll right away. Exhaling a breath of relief, she briefly glanced over every other person in the diner if they were in need of any help. When that wasn't the case, she lowered to her knees to see eye to eye with the girl and held her wrists with a gentler touch. Her thumbs caressed the inside of her wrists, a soothing touch in an offer of comfort. ''Whatever you're thinking right now - it's not your fault, okay?'' The look in her eyes happened to be all too familiar to Ophelia and it made her care for her already, even when they didn't know a single thing about each other but their names. ''I know, the first thing you do is blame yourself, but don't you even dare. Don't you fucking dare, Tessa. It's this place - it feeds on the negative emotions. Don't you dare give in.''

truth was — ... rylee didn't quite have an answer. the answer she wanted to speak had been untrue to the fate of the girls' father. keep them safe. unharmed. the reality was grim. rylee felt like arcadia was just a thin sheet of ice ready to crack, and pull all of them under at any given moment. "frey," rylee spoke calmly breaking up her oldest daughters pressing questions. "ophelia is right. she's just having a deep dream. go to sleep, love." fingers traced the same pattern across molly's face as she tried to convince herself of her own spoken word. after a moment, rylee gave into freya's words. "close yer eyes, darling. —i'll be there in a moment. just going to be right here with molls. alright ?" assuring, rylee drifted her small grin across the room.

''Listen to your mom, okay?'' Ophelia added to the soothing only their mom could provide best. Surely she had been there for almost all their entire lives, at least as long as Freya could remember, but Rylee was their real life support. Their mom they'd turn to when they were in pain, when they needed to be cuddled or comforted by whatever kind of devilish acts life threw at them. The kind when one had fallen off their bike, or hurt their finger by a splinter from the treehouse, or when another kid at school had been stupid, or when a boy had tried them out just a little too much. Fucking boys. Fucking men. She rolled her eyes at the train of thought she got lost in - even for a hot second. Unseen by the dark of night, anyways.

Ophelia's hand remained featherlight on Freya's arm when the girl had lied her head back down onto the pillow, tracing her skin gently. Soothingly. To let her know she was here, keeping her from harm. Whilst Rylee kept Molly from harm as best she could. They were trying their best, whatever that meant in this fucked up town. ''Get some rest, too, babes. I'll keep watch for a bit.'' She whispered over towards the sofa. Her head resting onto her other hand, a bent elbow gave her enough vision to watch over the other girls. Claire and Lucille seemed so peacefully asleep, their breathing reminded Ophelia how lucky they were to still be alive. Together.

Her mind kept her occupied for a long while before sleep also got a hold of her and pulled her into a light slumber. Images of the blonde flashed by in her mind, her heart aching for what possibly could've been if she hadn't let others take her away. If she hadn't prevented herself from keeping herself at bay - if she hadn't held back in high school. When it had been just the two of them. Them against the world.