Elsie
The train ride back to Briar Ridge had been one filled with anxiety, his good leg bouncing. He'd stuffed his entire life into two suitcases and hopped the first train back in the direction of his hometown. He'd learned a lot in his time away— he'd read a lot about the world in those encyclopedias, learned a lot from the people he met and made friends with. He'd had lovers and friends alike; but it was time to go home for good, now. He hadn't seen his family properly in decades, now— and he didn't want to spend another day away. 

The walk from the station back to town was a few miles hike, and his leg screamed at him as he walked along. His leg had never really settled proper since the accident; getting crushed under a mining cart was no joke. Maybe part of it was his age slowly catching up to him. He'd be damn well forty years old in a few years, and that scared him. Not married, no kids to call his own— though he wasn't sure about the kids to begin with. But a wife would surely be nice... 

The hills were the worst to get through. He took breaks often to take a breath, and Briar Ridge had never looked like such salvation as he saw it off in the distance, tucked in amongst the pines. Now, it was all about getting to the farm. 

That familiar place where he was born— it seemed both so warm and so foreign at the same time. He hadn't even sent a letter ahead... He hoped, prayed, begged God that someone was home. Sitting out on the porch in the dreary October weather wasn't something he'd like to do today. 

He took the slow steps up the porch, hesitating a moment before he reached for the doorknob and just opened it. It was his family's house, what sense was there in knocking? 

"Ma? Pa?" He said as he slowly opened the door. "Anybody home?"
Torie
"Mama, wait, I—"

"I don't wanna hear it, Alma!" 

Alma raked her fingers through her hair, trying her best to calm her anger. If only her Mama would just see to reason! Her Papa was hopeless, but Mama still had the chance to make it—

*"Ma? Pa? Anybody home?"*

Her mama's favorite casserole dish slipped from her oven mitts and shattered on the kitchen floor. Alma didn't know the voice that had gingerly called out from the front door, but her Mama clearly did. It didn't take but a heartbeat for Alma to put the dots together as her mother rushed out of the kitchen. Which of her brothers was crazy enough to come back home now? *Now*? Of all the damn times? 

"Charlie-!" 

Alma didn't have to come around the doorframe to know her Mama was crying. It was clear from the way the taller woman's voice broke. No doubt she was wrapping Charlie up in a bear hug right then. The perfect excuse for Alma to linger for just a moment longer in the kitchen. She pressed the cool backs of her hands to her cheeks in an attempt to soothe the angry red of her cheeks. A futile task. She sucked in a deep breath and tossed her loose hair - a rare sight - over her shoulder as she stepped out of the kitchen to greet her older brother. 

When Charlie had last seen her, she was only four years old. In fact, she wouldn't have remembered his face at all were it not for the one picture of the all of them her mother had cherished over the years. The picture that had been shattered during the most recent werewolf attack and now sat - cracked glass and all - on a nearby side table. Alma's eyes darted across his features: their shared slender noses, their inky black hair, and their deep-set round eyes. They were kin, alright. But he had Papa's high cheekbones . He was taller, too.

"Hey there, Charlie," Alma managed a friendly smile and crossed the living room to envelope him in a friendly hug. She didn't linger the way her Mama had, though. She pulled back and delicately smoothed her flour-covered apron. 

"Set that down-"
"Are you thirsty-"

Both women began fussing over him at the same time. Alma pressed her lips together to hold back her words and let her Mama take over for her while she ran to the kitchen to fetch them all some sweet tea. 

"Here, here! You kin just set that suitcase down right there. And take a seat, please! You must be plum tired after all'a that walkin'!" Mrs. Cooper fluffed him up a throw pillow and waved for him to sit. "Good lord, I just cain't believe my baby's come back home! Look at how grown you are!" His Mama clasped his face between her palms, turning his head this way and that as if committing his every feature to memory. 

"Mama," Alma's calm voice came from the kitchen doorway, momentarily prying the older woman's attention away from her son. "Let the poor man breathe. He only just got home." 

Alma's words fell on deaf ears. Her mama went right back to fussing over him, and Alma smiled weakly over her shoulder as if she was silently apologizing for her failure. The ice tinkled in the glass she set down on the coffee table for him and she perched herself on the edge of her Papa's armchair, waiting for the opportunity to get a word in edgewise.
Elsie
The first thing he heard was the shattering of glass and the quickened footsteps of who he could only guess was his mother. As she came around the corner, he felt some relief fill him; his arms came around her, squeezing her tight. It was good to be home— and he felt awful for avoiding it as long as he had. He hadn't been home in... Well, it had to be close to two decades, hadn't it? His mother's hair had changed; from the same dark black to silver, and she now had wrinkles where they didn't used to be. But she looked good, sturdy, healthy as she could be. It was a sweet relief. 

"I'm alright, mama," He promised her, resting a hand on her back and rubbing up and down in a soothing way. He picked his head up and spotted his younger sister, and he felt his heart clench up a little. 

She looked so *Different* From when she was little. She used to be so small he could easily pick her up— he remembered doing so the day he left home. Lifting her up, giving her a big squeeze, a kiss on the head before leaving. Now she was a full-grown woman... It was shocking, to say the least. He disentangled himself from his mother's hug to receive one from Alma, giving her a brief squeeze before letting her escape the embrace. 

"You're all grown up, Alma. How about that?" He laughed, looking her over. She seemed a bit apprehensive, nearly. It was understandable; to her, he was nearly a stranger. It made him feel a deep sadness he had yet to realize until now. Staying away this long out of *Shame*... It had cost him watching his baby sister grow up into a proper woman. 

But it seemed she took after mama in some ways, as they both were ushering him to sit. He put his bags down, taking a few steps and having a seat with a groan of appreciation. "S'alright, Alma," He said as their mother grasped his face. He chuckled and let her, not minding the attention. 

"Can't blame her. Been a while since I've been home, huh?" An understatement, of course. "Sorry I ain't wrote."

"I ain't know what to write, if I'm honest." He said, sheepishly glancing away and clearing his throat. "I thought... About time I came on home. I missed everybody something fierce." His eyes flickered between Alma and their mother a few times. 

"But enough about me!" He clapped his hands together. "I wanna know what's been goin' on with everybody else! Where's Pa?" He asked. There was always a flicker of fear that something horrible might've happened and he'd never know it. 

And maybe he didn't want to have to field any invasive questions about where he'd been... Why he hadn't written... It was still so shameful to him. Quitting hadn't ever been an option, and he had. He'd *Failed.*
Torie
Alma tried not to make a face when Charlie apologized for not writing. She still remembered the way her Mama would dedicatedly drag her to the post office once a week, every single week come Hell or high waters. It'd been like clock work. A cup of coffee, flour from the general store, a visit to the post office. Her arms would ache from the groceries and her toes would be numb and her Mama would still trudge her way through snow just to check for a letter from Charlie. 

The tradition continued on when Papa left for the war. 

It wasn't until he came back that Mrs. Cooper had finally given up on waiting for his letters. 1918. It took 12 years for her to accept that he wasn't gonna write. But Alma wasn't gonna say any of it. She just got a distant look in her eye and pretended to get distracted by the ruined casserole dish that still lay in shambles on the kitchen floor. 

"No, no, no," Her Mama cooed gently. She was a better woman than Alma in every regard. Mama pulled Charlie into another warm hug and eased down on the couch beside him as if her arms alone might heal the years of distance. Funny how a Mama's arms could feel like that. How a Mama could love endlessly like that. It made Alma feel guilty for bein' mad at him for breakin' her Mama's heart the way he did. 

But she was no better than he was. Not with what she was plannin'. 

*Pa.*

Alma stood up quick and began sweeping up the broken bits.

"Oh, your Papa's... Your Papa's off about town." Mrs. Cooper patted the back of Charlie's hand and used that loving tone of voice that signaled she wasn't gonna say somethin' bad against her husband. 

"He's Mayor now! Kin you believe it?" She smiled so big and wide with pride that her eyes nearly disappeared in her cheeks. "He came back from the War n' he said he was gonna help the town git back on its feet! Been that way for ten years now. We bought another 5 acres off the Shands and grew the farm out and - oh, you'll just have to see how it's all grown! How all of it's grown! Briar Ridge has so many new faces these days.

"Alma, you should show your brother around town once he's rested!" Her mother called, trying to pull Alma out of the safety of the kitchen. 

Alma poked her head through the doorway, fixing a smile on her face. "I'd be happy to."

Her mother's eyes nervously darted between Alma and Charlie. "Alma's the school teacher now!" She tried again to bridge the distance Alma had willingly created. Alma's smile only grew awkward and she ducked her head down in a small bow. 

"I am. N' I'm... Really grateful for you goin' off to work..." Alma couldn't hide the way her eyes darted down to her brother's leg. *Guilt*. "I finished my schoolin' cause of you," She murmured. "So... If you need anythin' at all, you just ask. I owe you more than I know how to repay proper."
Elsie
There was a stiffness in the air that, while he hated it, seemed deserved. He hadn't written in over a decade. He'd left them all wondering where he was, what he was up to— all because he was ashamed. He'd thought about writing, but as the years had stretched on... Well, he just felt guiltier and guiltier. He didn't deserve to be forgiven for it, and the flash of something like contempt had crossed Alma's face felt like a slap in the face of reality. He'd been an awful son; missed out on so much, too. How awful. 

His eyes dropped a bit and he cleared his throat. The best thing he could do from here on out was be a good son— his parents were getting old, they'd need help around the house. He could do that, at least, even with a bum leg. 

"You're kiddin!" He slapped his knee, surprise painted on his face. Mayor? No, there was no way! That was... Well, wasn't that just something? He really had missed a lot. All this land, all this power... Wow. A lot had changed since he'd left. That was to be expected, he supposed, being gone for nearly two decades. 

His eyes slid back to Alma and his smile was warm. "How about that? A schoolteacher... You oughta be real smart then, huh?" He shifted in his seat and cleared his throat. He watched her eyes flicker down to his bum leg and he tucked it behind the other one out of embarrassment. 

"It's uh... I just wanted to help," He told her. "So you don't gotta thank me. I just wanted to make everybody proud." His eyes flickered away from his family a moment and focused on the floor; looking at the wood grain in the floorboards and tracing it with his eyes. 

"I guess... I dunno, guess you don't need as much money no more since you're all so fancy now," He teased. "But I promised every paycheck to y'all and... I've been savin' it for the past years to bring home," He looked up from his lap to his mother. "Hope it'll make things a little easier these days. I'm real sorry I ain't write," He said again. He couldn't begin to apologize enough.
Torie
*"A schoolteacher... You oughta be real smart then, huh?""* 

Alma felt her face burn bright red. It went right up to the tips of her ears and made her grip the broomstick tighter. She'd always been wretched at taking compliments. They made her skin crawl. Smart was never a word she'd use to describe herself, but here her eldest brother was smiling at her so earnestly that she wished the floor would swallow her whole. The brother whose paychecks kept her from joining her siblings in the field. The part of her that didn't feel as small and useless as the shards of ceramic in her dust pan wanted to show him it was worth it through the guilt and the resentment. 

"Nah, the kids prove they're smarter than me... Most days," She murmured in an attempt to keep the topic of conversation squarely off of her. She took a mental note of the way he'd moved his leg away. She decided she'd avoid it from then on to ease his discomfort. 

Alma kept listening as she peeled herself away from the doorframe to finish the last bit of sweeping up and disposing of the ruined dish. Just in time to catch the last bit of what he was saying. Her mama's eyes were big and watery and proud. Her smile hadn't faded once. Mrs. Cooper shook her head 'no' again and ran a comforting, calloused hand up and down his back.

"You ain't gotta apologize for nothin', Charlie. You're home. We're so, so happy you're home. We thought we weren't ever gonna see you again." Their Mama's voice cracked a little at that. She sniffled, but that smile didn't fade. "You don't gotta give us nothin', Charlie. Not a single cent. You take that money up and git you some land out here. Oh, please tell me you come back home proper? You ain't just visitin', but you're here to stay?" 

From where she continued to linger in the kitchen doorway, Alma took stock of his suitcases again. "I hear tell of a nice house for sale the town over." She ignored the way her Mama whipped around to face her. "Ain't supposed to be too much work to fix up. If'in you ain't got roots put down elsewhere." Alma hadn't seen a wedding ring, but she let the unspoken question linger in the air all the same. 

She opened her mouth to continue on when the sound of dog barking from somewhere outside picked up. It wasn't a simple, warning bark. It was an awful, vicious sound. He was right riled up. Then, the thuds of heavy work boots came from the stairs on the front porch. Any curiosity that may have been in Alma's gaze died as William Cooper came through the door. 

William was still skinny, but he was back to a healthy weight after his month being lost in the woods. His shoes were covered in dirt. The bottoms of his pants legs were still wet as if he'd just been wading through the creek. He pulled his hat from the top of his head, blinking to allow his eyes to adjust to the room as he realized everyone was gathered including-

"Is that Charlie?" A grin broke out across the Mayor's face as he strode across the living room to pull his son into a bear hug. "Well, I'll be damned," He laughed, clapping him enthusiastically on the back. "Took ya long enough! When'd you git back?"
Elsie
"Aw, c'mon now. You know that can't be true." Charlie said, his eyes tracking his youngest sister for a moment until she was out of sight with the broom. His eyes flickered back to his mother; he was just eager to take it all in. He didn't want to miss a single moment right now. Not now, that he was back - this was all too important to him. He was intent on absorbing every little bit of time he had left with his family... Granted, if they would have him. His mother seemed excited, at the least. He couldn't help but think Alma wasn't completely sold on it, for some reason. They were practically strangers... Which struck him in his chest like something cold. 

He pulled the envelope from his coat pocket, clutching it in his hands and holding it out to her, insistently trying to press it into her hands. "I ain't feel right about it. Take half, at least. For all them years I stayed away. All the years I ain't wrote..." He pivoted to Alma and looked to her. "If they ain't gonna take it, you could at least take some too, couldn't ya? For the school? Or... Whatever." He cleared his throat, standing up and moving towards her now. "I figure... I mean, I really am here to stay in Briar Ridge. I don't wanna be away from my family no more than I gotta. If I'm wanted here, at least." He cleared his throat once more, like he was fighting for the words. "No roots nowhere else." He'd always been to preoccupied with his business than anything else, his friendships. Besides, it was always easier to sell to lonely housewives when you didn't wear a wedding ring. 

His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of his father. He turned to the door and felt relief, wrapping his arms around him and giving him a huge hug. "Pa," He said, laughing in that breathless sort of way. "I just got in... You ain't missed me long," He promised him. "I'm here to stayh this time. Promise."
Torie
Charlie Cooper wanted to donate half of the money to the school? 

Alma felt her throat close up tight at the thought. They needed that money. The desks were getting wobbly. A chair leg had broke just the other day. She was nearing the end of her chalk and would need to put in another order to come from the city. And the books? Lord, the books! What she wouldn't give for the children to have something new for once. 

If they lived long enough to learn how to read them. 

With her father back, though, Alma just clamped her jaw shut as she leaned against the doorframe and waited, all coiled up and tense like a rattlesnake. Her Mama was left nervously holding onto the envelope Charlie had pressed into her hands, her big doe eyes darting between all three of them. She so desperately wanted this to be a happy occasion instead of another warzone. And she especially didn't want Charlie to be caught in the crossfire. 

"Good! You been gone far too long! Let me see you!" William pulled back to examine his son's face, wearing that same crooked grin all the while. "My! Will you look at that Miriam? He's a chip off the ol' block, ain't he?" He joked, fully aware of the way his son over had half a foot of height on him. 

"Charlie was just tellin' me and Alma how he was lookin' to stay here. And I was just about to tell him that his old room is still his. It always has been, and it always will be," Mama Cooper finally interjected as she stood up from the couch and tried to hand the envelope back to Charlie. "We kin talk more about what you wanna do over dinner. You must be hungry after that long walk. Good news is that I've already got chili cookin' on the stove. I'll make us up another batch of corn bread while you two go and get yourselves cleaned up. 

"Alma? You wanna help your brother with his bags?" 

Alma sucked her teeth as she unfolded herself and picked up the two bags for him while her mother slipped away to find her surviving baking pan.

Alma: _
_ "Good to have you back, Charlie," William said with one last squeeze to his shoulder before he sat down and started peeling off his waterlogged boots. 

"This way," Alma called from the hallway. She led him around the corner and opened the door to reveal his old room, practically untouched. A few boxes of items for seasonal storage had been stacked in his closet and a sheet had been draped over his bed to keep it from gathering dust. It needed a good dusting in general, but the Coopers hadn't exactly had housekeeping at the forefront of their minds in recent months. Alma set his bags down for him and made sure the door had clicked shut before she finally let the mask of civility drop. 

"Listen to me and listen to me well, Charlie. You need to leave. You kin stay for dinner. You kin even stay for the night. But you *Need to go*, Charlie. Briar Ridge ain't safe no more n' Mama won't leave. So either you leave, or you leave n' you take Mama with you. But you **Cain't** Stay."
Elsie
As he pulled back from his father, he realized then how tense the room had gotten upon their father's entrance. It had him shifting from foot to foot, glancing around and to his mother as she began to speak. He didn't understand; maybe they'd gotten into some kind of spat earlier. That had to be it. 

"Well, yknow Ma, I don't wanna live her forever but I surely will take ya up on the offer until I can find a place to stay." There was some relief there. And besides, his parents were getting older anyhow. He was sure Ma could use some help around the house and Pa could use a hand doing... Well, whatever he was doing these days that had him wading around in the water like that. 

With the envelope safely back in hand, he glanced to Alma and followed her back to his bedroom. The house hadn't changed too much, somehow. It seemed funny, seeing what had moved around and what hadn't. Even the door with the creaky hinge hadn't been fixed; and maybe he liked that. 

"Glad to be back," He told his parents and bowed his head as Alma took him out of the room. "Yknow, I been all around the city and—" 

As the door shut, the words dies in his mouth. His sister looked angry. At first, he didn't quite process what she was saying. "I know I been a bad brother and son but I promise I'm good, I ain't meant to do the family bad like that." 

He sucked in a shaky breath. Ain't safe? What did she mean by that? "I ain't— Alma, I ain't got anywhere else to go. What is goin' on with you?" He asked her suddenly. "You ain't makin' a lick of sense, Alma, would you just give it to me straight already?"
Torie
*"I know I been a bad brother and son but I promise I'm good, I ain't meant to do the family bad like that." *

Oh, no. That wasn't the message she'd intended to send. The anger dropped for just a moment, her big brown eyes gone wide with surprise. While she was still far from happy about how he'd just up and left the family without a trace, his offering to donate money for the school had struck a chord with her. He'd climbed up a notch in her mind, though she was certain there was a whole slew of emotions she'd have to work through before she might embrace him the way her Mama just had. 

But, at the end of the day, he was kin. That made him keeping him safe her responsibility. Older brother or not. 

His questions brought her resolve back. She swallowed hard and tried again. 

"You got plenty'a money to lay down roots anywhere. You'll be fine so long as you git on that train with Mama n' you never look back. Papa's treatin' this like he's the captain of a ship; he won't abandon the town. But he's makin' it *Worse*. You cain't believe a word he-" 

An old, wooden floorboard creaked down the hallway. Alma froze. The noise was imprinted into her very bones after 26 years of living in this house. Alma quickly pushed past him to gather up the sheet on his bed. 

"You gotta come out and see how big the town's gotten," Alma attempted to sound happy in a desperate play to cover her earlier words with honeyed lies. But Alma was always a terrible liar. She just sounded downright nervous.

It was a beat before the footsteps passed and was followed by the sound of a door shutting softly. 

Alma looked up at her brother, trying her best to put on a brave face. But she'd lost her earlier conviction. She looked far more like a kid caught with her fingers in the cookie jar.
Elsie
He couldn't help but feel some frustration, some stubbornness in him that had only gotten stronger since he'd left. He'd always been someone who felt like he had to protect his family; that's why he'd gone to work in the mines. He might've had a bum leg but he'd still walked on it, everyday, for miles and miles, toiling to try and sell those heavy encyclopedias so that maybe one day, he could return to face his parents with some semblance of pride. 

This wasn't exactly how he expected his family to be. It was like they were walking in egg shells around some kind of secret that he wasn't being let in on. 

"It ain't my money," He said to Alma, shaking his head. "That money belongs to Ma and Pa and you." He insisted. "I ain't touchin' it. And I ain't goin' nowhere, cuz I just got here—" 

He couldn't help but think his sister looked an awful lot like a small, frightened animal in the moment she froze. He couldn't understand her erratic movements— then again, he'd yet to fully understand Alma herself. The last time he'd seen her, she'd barely stopped sucking her thumb and now she was teaching kids not to suck their thumbs. 

"Easy," He said, reaching out to touch her arm but hesitating before their skin could make contact. He dropped his hand down at his side and looked her over. 

"...Let's take a walk, you can show me that schoolhouse of yours," He said, shoving a hand in his jacket pocket. "And I wanna see how big the town's gotten, yeah." And maybe they could talk more freely, away from the prying ears of their parents. 

"So," He said, trying to make easy conversation as he walked to the door. "You ain't married yet? Me neither, obviously." He laughed, putting on that charm he always used when trying to sell those big, bulky encyclopedias. 

"Reckon you ain't bursting at the seams to have kids when you already got so many little ones to take care of, huh?"
Torie
A walk? A walk?!

Charlie Cooper had just walked all the way to town from God knew where on that leg and he was trying to go on a walk? She picked up on his meaning quick enough and, while she was grateful for it, Mama was gonna be awfully upset about them just up and leaving. But Charlie was already half way out the door and Alma found herself trailing after him against her better judgement. She only paused briefly to drop the sheet in the dirty laundry bin and to tell her Mother they'd be right back before she followed his laughter out the front door. 

And into freedom. 

It'd been a good call. Alma was already feeling her frantic energy slipping away as her ears filled with the familiar crunch of their walking path to the main road. Charlie's seemingly easy going nature was both equal parts grating as it was welcome. But the relief didn't mean she'd given up. She'd dance this dance if it meant he'd listen to her later on. Even if it was giving her whiplash. 

"Married?" How could he be possibly be asking her about something so... So... Mundane? People were dying and she was trying to save his life and Mama's life and he was asking her about marriage? 

Was this really what her life had turned into? 

"I-I, uh, n-no! I ain't..." Charlie wouldn't know. She nervously crossed her arms over her chest and glanced back at the house is if making sure they weren't being followed. "I ain't married. Mama won't let me hear the end of it, of course. She's always goin' on about how I should find me someone and be givin' her grandbabies already." That was the last damn thing on Alma's mind. 

Charlie's last question did earn himself a nervous chuckle of a laugh, though. "Right. I ain't in no rush. Don't get me wrong, I love them kids like they're my own, but... There are some days where it's awful nice to wish them goodbye."

_
_ Now that they were some distance away from the house, a dog came tearing out of the tree line and sprinting through the fields. A great, big bloodhound with sagging jowls and floppy ears raced straight for them. Oh, no. "Dog! Don't you dare jump on him," Alma warned the great beast and he skidded to a halt just shy of knocking into the siblings. "Charlie, this is Dog. Dog, this Charlie. You be nice." 

Thankfully, Dog didn't know the definition of the word stranger. If Charlie let him get close enough, he would shove his black nose right up against Charlie's pant leg and inhale as though his life depended it. His tail wagged so hard that his back legs could barely keep him upright. "Papa got Dog as a huntin' dog a few years back, but he ended up turnin' into my dog instead. He started refusin' to come on huntin' trips with Papa cause he didn't wanna leave me alone. He's trouble... But he's a good boy."
Elsie
He couldn't help but chuckle at the clear confusion and disbelief on his sister's face. He was playing it quite cool— not wanting to draw too much attention to the fact that they were leaving the house for reasons of privacy. 

His leg was aching, but he chose to ignore it. He'd been ignoring it for years, he wasn't about to stop now. He would grin and bear it so nobody had to worry about him— least of all his frazzled sister or his mother. 

"Don't let all that talk about kids and marriage get to ya too much," He told her. "Best you ain't rush into anything you don't want to. I reckon... If you wanna meet somebody, you will." He shrugged a shoulder. 

"Myself? I like to focus on my work, leave the extra stuff for after. But then I'm just too damn tired to go have a smoke with a pretty girl, you know? Well, making conversation is easy, I s'pose, but then it's all dates and courting and..." He waved his hand and laughed. "Frankly, I figure love will come if it wants."

They were a safe distance from the house, he opened his mouth to ask a question when the dog came shooting out from the tree line. "Well hello there, fella," He said, slowly sinking down and groaning at the crack his knees made. 

"Nice to meet ya, Dog." He said, holding out a hand to let him sniff and then pet him. "He's awful cute." He looked up at Alma now, eyes crinkling as he grinned. "Now... What was all that in the house 'bout?" He asked her curiously. "You sound right scared of something, Alma Cooper, and I know you ain't a 'fraidy cat." He just knew.
Torie
It seemed as though that easy going attitude wasn't going anywhere. He must've gotten that from their Mama. Alma watched him increduously as he shrugged and laughed so... *Freely*. The knot in her stomach was growing. Was this what... The rest of the world felt like? Unburdened? His every single word was a kindness but it only made her feel like she was somehow a puzzle piece that didn't fit into his world anymore. She might have once snapped right into place. Back before she got into that truck. Now she was waterlogged and her edges warped to odd angles. 

Charlie was just so... *Good*.

Who was she to look him in the eye? 

*"Frankly, I figure love will come if it wants."*

Alma swallowed hard as her mind immediately raced towards *His face*, but she pushed it back into the box she'd made for him. He kept growing and changing, too. She wasn't sure how much longer the glue and layers of tape would hold. Dog was a welcome distraction. She didn't have to pray for the world to swallow her whole as Charlie was bending down to greet Dog. 

The big bloodhound leaned right into Charlie's touch and would try to lick all over his if he was permitted. Alma halfheartedly tried to stop him, but she needed the quiet laugh that bubbled up out of her. Til Charlie was asking the question she'd been waiting for. She swallowed hard and her arms found their way defensively crossed over her chest again as if it might somehow keep her as whole and unafraid as he seemed to think she was.

"It's cause I *Am* Scared, Charlie. I'm scared for you n' I'm scared for Mama. Them things got into the house just a couple months ago. Broke right through my bedroom window," She paused as a shudder ran down her spine. "Feel free to peek your head in there when we git back. The wall's still boarded up n', if you move the back left corner of the carpet, you'll see where the blood refused to lift from the floorboards. Lord knows I've scrubbed n' I've scrubbed n' I've-" Alma cut herself off fast. She felt like crying. She wasn't gonna, though. She wouldn't let herself. She sniffled once, swallowed hard, and pressed on.

"It's a miracle, really. I thought my friend was gonna die that night, but we scared it off with our guns. But they just keep comin' back, Charlie. That's why you gotta go. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy you came home. Really, I am! But that don't mean you kin stay. They'll come for you too if you do."
Elsie
He took pause, letting the hound lick at his hand as he took in all the information Alma was throwing at him. She seemed hesitant to give him details for reasons beyond his comprehension. *Things*? He supposed he'd known a few things about the... *Things* That lurked in Briar Ridge since he was a kid. Snallygasters and haints and all that were mere folklore - children's stories, made up to scare kids. Though, of course, some people believed in them well into their adulthood. Charlie had never been one of those people. 

"Mama can go if she wants to, but I ain't makin' her go nowhere she don't wanna be. Briar Ridge is her home. My home too. I been away too damn long. And if stayin' means I can die in the place I love, so be it, Alma. I wanna be here to protect these people. Why do you get to lay down your life and stay here, and I cain't?" He asked her curiously. "I wanna be useful. I wanna make up for all them times I ain't been here." He crossed his arms as he took a stand, leaning on his good leg. 

"Are you gonna give me the details? Or are you gonna make me stick around and find out for myself what's been crawlin' through town? What is it?" He asked her again. "Clearly ain't a mountain lion or bears, otherwise you'd said all that by now." He chewed his lip. "I don't need two good legs to hold a gun, y'know." He said, stubborn as all hell as usual for him.
Torie
"Charlie, you don't know what you're sayin'! You don't know what you're agreein' to! They're just awful! They'll- They'll - They'll—" Alma's emotions were overtaking her ability to speak properly. She carded her fingers through her hair in frustration and took a few quick steps away from him. She needed to make space before she started to get mad. She screamed at her Papa enough. Charlie hadn't earned that kind of anger from her. Dog let out a small whine of concern over how quickly she was moving. 

*Bottle it, bottle it, bottle it.*

The next time she spoke, she faced the treeline instead of Charlie. Her shoulders were shaking with the effort it required for her to maintain her composure. "I done told you, Charlie. Guns don't mean nothin' to 'em. I shot one in the leg! N' then Rhett shot it with a god damn shotgun! N' it was still able to run off into the woods before we could finish it off..." 

Alma sucked in a shuddering breath. "I don't want to give you the details. I want you to git Mama to safety and go on livin' your life. Get you somebody who makes you laugh. Grow old somewhere that you ain't gotta question if you'll live to see next month. It ain't too late for you."
Elsie
He was worried about Alma, and for so many reasons. She seemed... Exhausted. Like every nerve in her was strung taut, and she was a ready to snap at any moment. He took a few hesitant steps towards her and laid a hand on her shoulder, squeezing. 

"I ain't goin' nowhere," He said softly. "I'm gettin' older, Alma. All I got... Is you folks," He grimaced slightly. "I don't wanna leave you behind cuz you wanna play hero, Alma. I ain't lettin' you. Im Yer big brother— I'm s'posed to protect you *And* Mama." 

He squeezed her shoulder again before he dropped his hand. "And papa too. You gotta tell me what's goin' on 'round here. I don't care what, I wanna help. Cuz... I spent way too long feelin' sorry for myself. Ain't happening now. I'm here to stay. And you ain't movin' me." 

He knew she would be pissed, but he didn't care. W
Torie
The touch made her jump. Alma whipped around on Charlie like she was half ready to punch him for scaring her like that, but her fist never came up. It wasn't meant for him. Her big, brown eyes were so distraught that she looked like a madwoman half ready to fight even God himself for the chance to stay alive. And she would if that was what it would take. She would if He were real. He was the one who deserved every ounce of her rage. But she'd lost all faith in Him when Beaux LeBlanc was mauled three times in a row and when they'd held funeral rites for Eli Abrams before he'd even heaved his last breath and when Anna Mae Thomas's body was dragged down from the ridge and — Over and over again, she'd been reminded that a benevolent God could not exist. 

There was only man and the forest. And the forest was winning. 

This time, when Charlie said he wasn't going to leave, Alma's shoulders slumped. Only their shared blood was a bigger sign of their Cooper lineage than their shared stubbornness. But only just barely. That exact stubbornness was exactly what the cage builders needed. Alma didn't want to bring Charlie into this, but he was forcing his way in. If he was gonna throw himself to the literal wolves, she would have him working with her. 

"Just... Don't look at me like I'm crazy, Charlie. Please. I... I know it's bad. I know it don't make no sense until you lived through it." The image of Rhett's face crept into her mind. The way his lips had curled into a odd smirk of incredulity before he was able to smooth his expression back. She'd never forget it. Back then, she hadn't cared. Alma hadn't needed Rhett to believe her like she needed Charlie to believe her now. She didn't need Charlie to dismiss her entirely and got himself killed on a full moon.

_ 
_ 

"I don't want you sayin' you'll be protectin' anyone until you've seen it with your own eyes. I'll explain as best I kin, but you gotta live through it before I'll let you help me. You may feel like runnin' afterwards, n' that's okay. But, if you stay, we could really use your help somethin' awful." Alma paused for just a breath. She didn't bother to glance around to see if anyone was eavesdropping. Everyone who'd lived through the attacks knew the truth of what she was about to say. Most folks just weren't ready to say the words out loud. 

"We just finished buryin' two boys in their Papa's backyard. They went out on a full moon and were found face down in the pines the next morning, half eaten. Their Papa had taken 'em out hunting since they were grown enough to keep up with him. They didn't listen to the warnin's. Thought they could do what the huntin' party led by the sheriff hisself failed to: kill a werewolf. The sheriff almost died with how his ||guts were hangin' out||. Francis Estep had to be dragged home... Just like I did, back in July."

Finally, Alma glanced around. There wasn't a soul in sight. What she was about to do wasn't *Improper* By most folks' standards, but it was by hers. She lifted her skirts anyway. Only up to her knees. Only high up enough to reveal her shin. A set of horrid tooth marks had permanently marred the russet brown skin. A creature with a set of jaws like that had to be *Massive*. Its snout had to be at least as long as Charlie's forearm, if not longer. With an injury like that, Alma and Charlie should have also shared a limp. It was truly a miracle that Alma was well enough to move. But there was no God. Just man and the forest. 

||
Elsie
He could see her body go into defense mode, like a cat with all the hair on it's back standing straight up. He didn't want to scare her, nor did he want to upset her. He could see the fear, the anxiety, the *Exhaustion* In his sister's eyes, and it broke his heart. His chest ached; what had he let his family suffer through? What had he been absent from, living blissfully unaware of their turmoil? 

He listened to her speak, eyebrow knit together. He knew he had to keep a straight face, if her begging for his understanding said anything. But *Werewolves*, said like it was nothing, like this word was commonplace on her tongue, really threw him for a loop. He paused, tried not to look perplexed, and let her finish. 

"I ain't goin' nowhere," Charlie said with a firmness, a lack of moving evident in his voice. That stubborn Cooper way that they both possessed, though they'd hardly grown up together. His eyes traced her scars, focusing in on exactly how *Large* The beast must be. How she'd managed to pull herself from the creature's maw was beyond him, though he wasn't surprised. He could tell by the way she held herself that she was a fighter. He wasn't sure he was as much of one as she was, but he also wasn't going down without at least trying. Maybe that was another common thread that maintained a feeble connection between the siblings. 

"Whatever you need from me, Alma, I'm here. I can do whatever you want. I can... I can post up with a gun, take care of traps, whatever it is, you got me there. I know I ain't fast, but I know how to hunt good enough to fight my way out," He promised her. "We'll get mama somewhere safe, but you know she ain't goin' far. Not with her babies fightin' a war against... These damned things." 

He squeezed her shoulder and, unprompted, pulled her in to hug her round the shoulders. He let his little sister go after a moment, and looked down at her. Even though she was far older now, all he could think about was the toddler he'd—

— known, all the way back then. He had to protect her, not because she wasn't capable of helping herself, but because she was his *Family.* And he knew he had to do this, or he'd never forgive himself for running away. Again. 

"There a reason we ain't tellin' Ma or Pa about this?" He asked her curiously. Alma had been shifty in the house, which he couldn't quite place. He knelt a little, wincing at the ache in his leg as he began to pet Dog again with a steady hand. His eyes flickered up to Alma again. 

"They ain't approvin' of Yer methods?" He asked.
Torie
As Alma lowered her skirts back down, her eyes raced up to Charlie's face. She was prepared to find and counter his disbelief. She would stand there and provide him every ounce of proof she had if it meant he might take her warnings seriously and *Leave* With Mama in tow. Rather than reproach, all she found was steadfast determination. All she saw was herself in his eyes and in his words. 

The hug caught her off guard, but she didn't resist it. No, instead it was all too easy to sink into her brother's arms. She knew he was naive still to the creatures that haunted her dreams and the way her own screams would sometimes echo in her ears. She knew he hadn't caught glimpses of the Clark boys' half-eaten corpses as they were lowered into the earth. His support was coming from a place fueled by hope and, Lord, did she need it. Despite how coiled up she'd been, she managed to hug him back quick and hard as if to say 'fine, you can stay.' 

She tried to ignore the way he looked at her like she was still a child who needed protecting. She'd sometimes seen that same look in her Papa's eyes. Something told her, though, that her brother wouldn't try to lock her up in a safe house. They'd be on the front lines together if he wasn't frightened off by his first moon. So, she didn't try to correct him. She just smoothed her skirts and tucked a few wild wisps of hair back into place until she looked every bit like the proper schoolhouse teacher she desperately tried to project still. 

The subject of their parents had her brows knit together, though. The same hands that had just smoothed her skirts balled the fabric up in her fists.

_ _ 
"Mama and Papa both know," She started carefully. "Ma saw the one that came in through the bedroom window, and Pa's known from the very first attack. He's-..." Her voice caught on the secret. She couldn't say it out loud yet. She couldn't ruin him. Not until Charlie was *Sure* He'd stay. Once the words were out, they could never be taken back. She had to wait. 

"Neither of 'em approve. In fact, they disapprove so much that I'm... Movin' out." She tried to summon up a smile, but it was pained. "I cain't stay in that house no more. It's... Like a poison for me. I was just comin' by to get what's left of mine. I'm takin' up with the Sterlin's." That was a name that she wasn't entirely sure Charlie would have encountered. "Rhett Sterlin's aunties've been a real boon. I poured most'a my money into buildin' up this Cage to trap the werewolves in n' so I'm gonna hole up with them till I can afford a place of my own. Not too terribly long, I hope. But Mama's just... Tore up about it. Wanted us to have one last dinner before I moved out. And I wanted to try one last time to git her to safety." 

Alma's head hung low in shame for what had gone unaccomplished and for how she wagered she'd just pulled the rug out from Charlie's feet.
Elsie
The warmth of that hug, familiar in a way he wasn't sure he'd felt until now, was quickly vanished by the news Alma left at his feet. Alma was leaving; albeit not very far, since Briar Ridge itself wasn't very large at all. Everything felt real small after living in the city; sure, the people basically lived on top of one another in those little apartments and townhouses, but still. 

Alma was leaving, just when he was getting home. How ironic, he found it - if he'd just gotten up the courage to come home a week ago, or maybe a month, a year, *A decade ago*... Maybe he wouldn't be feeling all this damn guilt. Maybe he and Alma would be closer. But no sense in regretting the past that couldn't be fixed. 

"Guess I came in time for dinner then," Charlie said, trying to keep all the sadness holed up inside. He was a sensitive man in his own right, but this wasn't the time for that. Alma was strong, and he had to be too. 

"Well, you know I'll be at the front of the damn thing, fightin' alongside ya. Damn what they say, and damn this leg." He gestured vaguely down at that leg; he hadn't let it slow him down before, and he wasn't about to let it start neither. Not with his little sister fighting the good fight. 

"You let me know what all I can do to help. Ya hear me?" He said, shoving a hand in his pocket as he squinted up at the house. "And maybe I'll try and talk some sense into Ma and Pa. I'm sure they's just worried about ya, Alma. Lord knows I am, too. I also know there ain't no stoppin' you." He didn't need to know much about her to know she was probably just as stubborn as he was and just as strong-willed too.
Torie
*"Guess I came in time for dinner then."*

Charlie's gentle joke caught her by surprised. As did the soft laughter that boiled up out of her. She supposed he was like Papa in that way. Stable. Dependable. Good. When she looked at her brother, despite the fact that their difference in age made them practical strangers, she believed she was already starting to see someone she could trust. A quiet voice whispered that it was trust that got them into this hell. A louder one insisted it was trust that would get them out, too. 

She needed to tell him. But not now. Not when the sound of her Mama's voice was rolling across the harvested cornfields to call them both inside as if they'd been out playing too long. Alma turned and saw Miriam was even going so far as to wave a white kitchen towel over her head as she hollered. Of course, Mama would do that. It brought on a nostalgia that the two of them had barely experienced together, but nostalgia all the same. 

"Alright, alright. I promise I'll let you help out. After we survive this dinner with our folks. Mama said she was savin' up her last jar'a pickled jalapeños just for tonight's cornbread and, I don't know about you, but it's my favorite. Even better than Mrs. Estep's! Don't tell nobody, though!" She grinned - actually grinned - and playfully knocked her shoulder against Charlie's as she turned to head back up to the old farm house.

Try as she might, she couldn't douse the flickering flame of hope that sprang up in her heart at the thought of Charlie lobbying for her. If it meant that it would get Mama to safety, then that was all that mattered. It meant one less thing to weigh heavy on her shoulders, and good lord did she need all the help she could get. She tried to ignore the tears that came to her Mama's eyes at the sight of Alma smilin'. Acknowledgin' them would make Alma cry, too. So, she just straightened her back and kept walkin'.