Gloria sat on William’s front porch staring up at the stars. She ran her fingers through her wet hair, detangling any knots that had formed. It felt so good to be clean. The water wasn’t hot, but Gloria didn’t care—all that mattered to her was being free of two-day-old dirt.

  The door behind her creaked open and Kayla stepped outside. “I thought you’d be out here,” the older woman said, closing the door behind her. “Mind if I join you?”

  Gloria shook her head. “Not at all.”

  Kayla smiled and sat down beside her. She folded her hands in her lap and quietly looked up at the waning moon. After a moment, she sighed and glanced at Gloria. “So… how are you and Seth?”

  Gloria tensed and looked down at the ground. “Alright, I suppose…”

  Kayla cocked her head at her. “Just alright?”

  Gloria nodded and continued to detangle her hair, unsure of what to say. What can I say? she thought. That he had a demon possessing him? That there’s a wall between us that I’m not sure how to overcome?

  “That’s all?”

  Something snapped in Gloria, and she whipped back to Kayla. “That’s all?” she snapped. “What do you want me to say? That I’m as happy as a lark? That we’ve confessed our undying for each other and we’re going to live happily ever after?”

  Kayla blinked in surprise. “Well, I—"

  “Things happened out there, Kayla!” Gloria cried, stabbing a finger at the distant mountains behind them. “Horrible things! I’m just thankful that I’ve forgotten some of it because the rest I don’t think I’ll ever be able to!”

  Kayla eyed her carefully. “What do you mean?”

  “What do I mean?” Gloria scoffed and wrapped her arms around her knees. “Where do I even start? How about the fact that I watched him die? Or that a demon tried to take his body for herself? That she would whisper hideous lies or outright mock me.” Gloria looked at Kayla, tears blurring her vision. “She used him to hurt me. I’ve been strangled, drowned, hit—” She shook her head, “—I’ve seen so much. More than I ever wanted to.”

  Kayla frowned, thinking. “Those scars… William told me about them. Said they glowed. Was that from this demon?”

  Gloria drew her knees to her chest and nodded. “Seth’s been trying to make it right, but sometimes when I look at him, all I see are her eyes and hear that dreaded laugh.” She rested her head on her knees and sobbed. “I wish I could trust him… but it’s just so hard.”

  She squeezed her eyes shut as a pang of bitterness rose. “At least he’s sorry about what happened—my father wasn’t. After he was done hitting me, he’d tell me to get up and make breakfast or clean up after his own outbursts like I was the one who made the mess!”

  Kayla gently put a hand on her shoulder. “But Seth’s not your father and the demon is gone now, right?”

  Gloria frowned. “Does it matter? It still happened!”

  “It does matter,” Kayla answered, stroking Gloria’s back. “Because it’s important to remember what’s true. Did Seth do those things or was someone using him?”

  Gloria shuddered as a few memories surfaced. “But how can I forget?”

  “I’m not asking you to forget,” Kayla murmured. “Crim forbid that anyone ask you to do that, what I am saying is that remembering the truth will you bring you peace.”

  Gloria laughed dryly. “Peace… even if I could lean in the truth, I still wouldn’t have peace.”

  “Why is that?”

  Gloria stared at her hands. “Because he’s chasing an illusion.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Gloria’s eyes snapped up to Kayla. “What do I mean?” Her voice rose. “I’m not what he thinks I am! I’m a liar who’s been taking advantage of his endless patience!” Tears swam in her eyes as she shook her head, furious with herself. “I don’t deserve him. He certainly deserves better than me!” She dropped her head in her hands. “I want to trust him. I want to tell him the truth. But I’m afraid… so afraid. I’m afraid that if he stays, he’ll hurt me like she did, like my father. But I’m also afraid that if I tell him the truth that he’ll leave me! And I don’t want that, he and Elias are all I have!”

  Gloria sobbed. “Another woman told me to give him a chance and I’m trying, but it’s… it’s just…” She buried her face in her hands and sighed. “I don’t know…”

  Kayla leaned back with a sigh and stared at the stars. “Do you remember what I told you the last time you were here?”

  Gloria nodded. “Yes… ‘His love’s not ripe yet.’”

  Kayla nodded. “He was tense, anxious, and awkward. But there’s something different about him now. I watched him all through dinner—he still has a lot on his mind, but he’s more at ease around you. He listens when you speak; he values your opinions.” She chuckled softly. “It was a small thing, but whenever someone laughed, his eyes would flick over to you.

  Gloria held herself and frowned. “What’s your point?”

  Kayla sighed. “My point is this: what happened was horrible—I will not deny that—but if you can’t be honest with him, then are you really giving him a chance or are you holding him at arm’s length?”

  The words caught her off-guard. Gloria looked up at Kayla and stammered as she scrambled for an answer, but no words came. She stared into Kayla’s eyes and swallowed—she knew the answer.

  “If you love him,” Kayla said with a soft smile, “Then you need to be willing to be vulnerable with him. The only thing that holding him back will do is set both of you up for failure and heartache.”

  A cold rush raced through Gloria’s veins, and she gripped her skirt tight. Be vulnerable? “I-I don’t think I can…”

  Kayla squeezed Gloria’s shoulder. “I know; easier said than done. But if you truly love him, then you need to be brave. If he doesn’t like what he hears, then it was going to fall apart regardless.”

  Gloria shrank and tried to nudge Kayla’s hand from her shoulder. If this was encouragement, she didn’t feel very inspired. “Wouldn’t it be better if I held on until it falls apart? Then at least I had it for a little while.”

  Kayla raised an eyebrow at her. “Would you rather you burn your hand on a pot or clench a burning coal?”

  Gloria bit her lip and looked away.

  Kayla sighed. “I can’t force you to do anything, but I will leave you with this: His love is ripe now—are you going to leave it to rot on the tree?”

  Gloria stared at the barn’s silhouette. The porch creaked as the older woman climbed to her feet. “Don’t stay out too late; it still gets cold at night at this time of year.”

  Gloria nodded but wouldn’t look back. She listened as Kayla stepped to the door. The hinges squeaked as the door opened, and a shaft of light pierced outside, then disappeared when Kayla stepped inside, leaving Gloria alone with her thoughts and tangled hair.

  The setting sun shone in Gloria’s eyes as they walked along the western road. She squinted against the sun, then pulled a strand of hair from her mouth before looking over her shoulder at the eastern horizon. William’s farm had long disappeared, leaving a bittersweet feeling in Gloria’s gut.

  “Have everything you need?” Kayla had asked when they prepared to leave that morning.

  Gloria glanced at Seth and Elias, then nodded. “I think so. Food, water, and firewood.” She looked back at Kayla. “Thank you, you and your family has always been so kind to us.”

  Kayla smiled. “Well, Crim says: ‘When you feed the stranger and clothe the naked you honor my name.’”

  From the corner of Gloria’s eye, Elias shuffled uncomfortably.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  “Will we see you again?”

  Gloria looked back at the children who watched her with bated breath. Her heart caught as she stared into their hopeful eyes—they reminded her of her siblings. Gloria blinked back a few tears and shook her head. “I’m afraid not,” she answered sadly. “But we will always remember you and your kindness.”

  The children’s faces fell, and they started to protest, but Kayla shook her head at them before turning a bittersweet smile on Gloria and Seth. “Sometimes that’s life, children.”

  William nodded beside her. “Indeed, sometimes you’re in their life for years and sometimes it’s only for a moment.”

  Seth held out a hand to William. “I will repay your kindness one day.”

  The farmer smiled and took Seth’s hand. “There’s no need.”

  “I will.”

  Kayla sighed and pulled Gloria into an embrace. “I’m going to miss you, my dear,” she whispered.

  “I’ll miss you too,” Gloria answered.

  “Remember what I said last night.” Gloria’s ears burned and her eyes flicked toward Seth. “He’s a good man.” The old woman pulled away and met Gloria’s eyes. “The past doesn’t have to define the present.”

  Gloria nodded slowly. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  Kayla squeezed her shoulders. “Take care, dear.” Then she stepped back next to her husband and waved as they headed down the drive and onto the western road.

  “Master!” Elias called, bringing Gloria back to the present. “I see a town up ahead! Is that where we’re going to stay the night?”

  Fear raced through Gloria’s veins. She looked back and saw Northhorn materialize on the horizon. We can’t go back! She shot a look at Seth. He’d be lynched!

  Seth’s face went pale, and he shook his head. “No. We can’t stay there. That’s Northhorn.”

  Elias looked back at the town. “Oh… that’s where…?”

  Seth nodded. “We’ll need to go around; going through would just be asking for trouble.”

  Gloria stared at the looming shape of Northhorn. She faintly heard Seth say something, but terrifying thoughts of Father and the townsfolk rose in her mind. She imagined Father holding her tight as the townsfolk dragged Seth and Elias through the streets. She shuddered as she pictured being tossed into the kitchen and Father slamming the door shut. “Now that you’re back,” he said, stalking towards her, “it’s time for a lesson you won’t soon forget!”

  “Gloria?”

  A hand touched Gloria’s arm and she flinched. She gasped and looked up at Elias who eyed her worriedly. “Are you alright? You looked like you were miles away.”

  Gloria shook herself and nodded slowly. “I’m… I’m fine.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.” She looked up at Seth who stepped towards her. “You said something. What was it?”

  Seth furrowed his brows at her for a moment, then shook his head before pointing to the grass. “I said, ‘Let’s stay here until it gets dark, then pass around Northhorn.’ Lower our chances of getting caught. Are you willing to make a clearing for us?”

  Gloria glanced at Northhorn then back to Seth before nodding. “I can do that.”

  She moved past Seth and reached out to the grass. Please move, grass; we need a place to rest. The grass rustled and quietly parted before her. She stepped into the clearing that began to form and slowly sank down before drawing her knees to her chest, the ghosts of her vivid vision clinging to the edges of her mind.

  Seth and Elias followed after her. The grass closed seamlessly behind them until they reached the snug little clearing. Elias dumped his bag on the ground, then rested his head on his bag with a sigh. Seth stood a moment longer, staring out towards Northhorn, before eventually sitting across from Gloria and resting his head on his hands.

  “I’m going to take a nap,” Elias murmured his eyes closed. “Will someone wake me?”

  Gloria nodded. “We’ll wake you.”

  Elias gave another sigh, then drifted off to sleep.

  The clearing went quiet except for Elias’s soft snores. Gloria gripped herself tight and anxiously glanced around her. The grass rustled in a soft breeze and the sky slowly turned from pale yellow to golden orange. The dirt beneath her sagged a little and cold earth began to seep into her body.

  She glanced at Seth. He happened to look up and meet her eyes. Gloria’s heart skipped a beat as Kayla’s words echoed in her mind.

  “His love is ripe now—are you going to leave it to rot on the tree?”

  Seth gave her a small tight smile before his eyes flicked back to the ground.

  Gloria shifted and looked towards Northhorn, memories washing over her. It felt like it’d been an eternity since she’d been here. How much has changed? she thought, watching the tips of the waving grass.

  She laughed a little under her breath as she remembered her little schemes to get close to Seth. The excuses she would make to Shareen to be near him, if only for a moment. Daydreaming, hoping, that one day he’d see her.

  How ironic, she thought, pushing back a few curls. I’ve spent so long trying to get his attention, but now that I have it, I’m terrified.

  Seth glanced over his shoulder and shuddered. Then he curled up and gripped his knees tight as his face began to pale.

  Gloria furrowed her brow at him. “Are you alright?”

  Seth’s head shot up and he looked wide-eyed at her. “What? Oh… yeah… I’ll be fine.” But he glanced over his shoulder towards Northhorn again before hunching over burying his face in his knees.

  Gloria crawled over and sat beside him. “You’re thinking about Northhorn too, aren’t you?” she murmured.

  Seth curled further into himself and nodded. “I can’t help but remember that night… the Maydance. The night I…” he trailed off. “I didn’t think it would be so hard to pass by here.”

  Memories of that dreaded night crept into Gloria’s mind. She could still remember the sheer terror she felt when she heard the sickening squelch each time the assassin stabbed Seth. Or when she saw Seth’s body convulse in agony, how his eyes went wide with pain and strangled gasps left him as he tried to fend off the attacks.

  She shuddered and curled up next to Seth. “Me too…” she muttered.

  There was a long silence as both Gloria and Seth wandered through their own thoughts, reliving both horrid and gentle memories. A few birds flew by, looking for a place to sleep for the night and the sky grew darker.

  “Gloria?”

  “Yes?”

  “Do you ever regret coming with me?”

  Gloria looked at Seth. He flicked his eyes towards her, his brow knit in worry. “I put you through so much…” His body seemed to sag. “I know you said you wanted to come home with me, but now that we’re back here…” Seth glanced at her again, regret forming in his eyes. “If you could go back, would you still come with me?”

  More memories flooded Gloria’s mind, and her heart began to race. She shrank back a little and her eyes started to glaze over as the screaming and hideous cackling echoed in her mind, but then Kayla’s words rose above the clamor and whispered in her ear.

  “If you love him, then you need to be willing to be vulnerable with him.”

  The ugly voice snorted. Do you remember what she said about Kayla? ‘The old crone who only knew Seth for a day.’ Why are you taking wisdom from a woman who hardly even knows you?

  Gloria glanced at Seth who looked away shame-faced at her silence. “I see,” he whispered. His eyes began to glaze over as he withdrew into himself, slowly becoming lost in distant thoughts.

  There was a twang in her heart when she saw his eyes. She felt as though she’d seen that look before. A fuzzy memory struggled to surface; it was dark, and a frantic desperation surged through her—a moment she’d almost lost him. Her heart ached in her chest, and she struggled to remember. It felt important, but the rest of the memory was just out of reach.

  The ugly voice broke into her thoughts with a chuckle. Well, there he goes. I guess you broke him this time.

  Anger burned in her chest. No, Gloria thought and bit the inside of her cheek, hard. I’m not doing that to him. The pain pulled her from her spiraling thoughts. She put a hand to her cheek and winced. “Ow.”

  The sound seemed to pull Seth back a little as well. He blinked and glanced back at her. “You okay?”

  Gloria held her cheek and looked up at him. She smiled softly and nodded. “Yes.”

  Be vulnerable. Be open.

  She scooched closer until their shoulders were touching. “I’m sorry I didn’t your question, my mind drifted someplace else.”

  Seth bowed his head and laughed dryly. “I suppose mine did as well.”

  Gloria took a deep breath and gathered her courage. She clasped her hands together, then exhaled. “Yes.” She looked at Seth. “Yes, I would still come with you.”

  “Even with everything The Lady did?”

  Gloria’s throat tightened as darker memories threatened to resurface, but she gritted her teeth and tried to push them back. “Yes.” She repeated.

  There was a long silence, but Gloria’s heart pounded in her ears. She wanted to prove to that stupid ugly voice, to Kayla, to herself, that she was trying. She bit her lip, then slowly rested her head on his shoulder. Seth tensed slightly under her head.

  Gloria swallowed, then murmured. “Don’t blame yourself for how my father or how she treated me. It’s…” She squeezed her eyes shut and forced out the truth. “It’s not your fault.”

  Seth’s arm shook and he took a shuddering breath; it sounded like he was trying not to cry. He shifted and wrapped his arm around her, then laid his head on hers. Gloria’s face flushed as the warmth from his body soaked into her.

  Vulnerable, she told herself, as she trembled beside him. I’m trying to be vulnerable.

  “Thank you,” he murmured. “I needed to hear that, especially from you.” Seth sighed, his breath tickling the top of her head.

  Gloria flushed again, but she closed her eyes and listened to him breathe. “You’re welcome,” she whispered back, before settling herself in his arms.

  The world quieted and neither Gloria nor Seth spoke. The sky was now a deep red and pink and the clouds floated lazily by. Both of their hearts pounded fiercely in their chests, both hoping that the moment would last forever.

  I’m so glad that you’re able to snuggle with him again, the ugly voice jeered. But that doesn’t change what’s waiting. You’re just clinging to a burning coal!

  Gloria narrowed her eyes, and a stroke of courage came to her. Be quiet! I will tell him and I… she paused, for a moment unsure of committing to the step. I will take whatever comes. But for now… baby steps though… She sighed and nuzzled a little closer. Baby steps.