Daniel crossed the threshold of Colony House with Ethan still glued to his side, chattering nonstop about magic mechanics from children's books.
"So, kid?" Donna approached with her characteristic blunt manner. "How was the VIP experience at the five-star hotel on wheels?"
Daniel tilted his head slightly, adopting an exaggerated thoughtful expression. "Pretty calm, actually. Got a decent night's sleep. Just a few unpleasant neighbors who wanted to keep me company, but I politely declined."
Donna let out a short laugh, shaking her head. "You've got guts. Most people wouldn't have slept ten minutes."
"Guts or a loose screw, whichever you prefer." He shrugged. "What matters is that the talisman did its job."
"Good to know." There was something close to respect in the way she looked at him now. "That means we've got one more option if things get out of control."
Before Daniel could respond, Jim approached with a hesitant posture, lingering for a few seconds as if calculating the best way to bring it up.
"Sorry to interrupt, but could you keep an eye on Ethan for a few minutes? Tabitha and I need to talk to Julie."
The boy looked at his father, then at Daniel, his earlier excitement giving way to a confused, childlike expression as he tried to process why he suddenly needed a babysitter.
Donna raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
"No problem." Daniel agreed without hesitation. He turned to Ethan with a half-smile. "I don't think you've properly told me yet what the Cromenockle found in the dragon's cave."
Ethan's excitement returned instantly, completely forgetting his earlier confusion. "Oh, it's really cool! She found a map and—"
Jim thanked him with a quick nod before walking away. Tabitha was waiting near the door. On the porch, Julie stood with the posture of someone who clearly didn't want to take part in that conversation but knew she had no choice.
She followed her parents to the side of the house, where they could talk with a bit more privacy, if such a thing even existed in that place.
Jim turned to face his daughter. Tabitha stood beside him, forming a united front that paradoxically only widened the distance between them.
Julie crossed her arms, her foot tapping lightly against the ground in a nervous rhythm. She waited in silence, forcing them to start.
Tabitha cleared her throat. "Look, we... we messed up."
Julie's eyes narrowed slightly, attentive, wary.
"We should have asked for your opinion. About where to live." Tabitha clasped her fingers in front of her. "It wasn't fair to just decide for you."
"It's just that we're in a scary place where we don't know anything," Jim continued, his voice slipping into that paternal tone that tried to be comforting but sounded more like justification. "We were just trying to make the best decision to keep you safe."
Julie looked away for a moment before answering. "I know."
The words came out dry, reluctant, as if admitting it left a bitter taste.
Jim seized the opening. "So... why Colony House?"
She paused, searching for the right words. Her fingers tightened slightly around her own arm. "I thought I'd fit in better here than in town." She took a deep breath. "Since we're stuck in this place... it felt better to stay where I felt more welcome."
"Julie." Jim took half a step forward, his voice firming. "We're only here temporarily. I'm going to find a way to get us out of here."
Tabitha lightly touched her husband's arm but kept her attention on her daughter. "We don't know anything about this place yet. We need to stay together."
Julie stayed silent.
Tabitha interpreted the lack of response in the worst possible way. A nervous, hopeful smile appeared on her lips as she stepped closer and gently held her daughter's arms.
"I knew you'd understand. You were just scared." Her voice took on a forced lightness. "I can talk to Donna. Say there was a misunderstanding, that you made a mistake choosing to stay here and changed your mind."
Julie's expression shifted instantly. Uncertainty gave way to a cold, contained fury.
"Why do you always do this?"
Tabitha blinked, surprised. "Do what?"
"This." Julie pulled away, frustration spilling into every movement. "You talk like I'm some poor thing who never knows what she's doing. Like everything would be fine if I just admitted it was my fault."
"No, honey, I didn't say that." Tabitha tried to explain, stepping forward with her hands raised in a placating gesture that only made things worse.
"Forget it. I don't want to talk anymore."
"Calm down, Julie. That's not what your mother meant," Jim intervened, placing himself between them before the tension escalated further.
"I just want us to stay together," Tabitha said quickly now, her words stumbling over each other. "As a family. We need to help each other."
Julie looked at her mother, then her father. The word family seemed to be the final trigger. She let out a dry, humorless laugh, shaking her head in disbelief.
"You've got to be kidding me," she said. "You're really going to look me in the eye and lecture me about family?"
"Julie..." Jim warned, a stern note entering his voice for the first time.
"No! Stop pretending!" She pointed at them, her hand trembling with anger. "I know what you were planning. I know about the divorce. I know this stupid trip was supposed to be our last happy family memory before you dropped the news and started dividing things up." Her voice rose, loaded with months of unspoken resentment. "So stop treating me like I don't understand anything, like I'm stupid!"
Jim and Tabitha froze.
The shock on both their faces confirmed everything. They really thought they'd been discreet.
The silence that followed was heavy.
After a few seconds, Tabitha took a deep breath. Her eyes were already wet.
"Okay, Julie. You're right." She swallowed hard. "Your father and I love each other very much, and we love you and Ethan very much—"
"Thomas is dead," Julie interrupted.
Her own tears began to spill now, hot and furious. She didn't try to stop them.
"I know it's hard." Her voice wavered, but she kept going. "It was a terrible loss. But you still have two children." She took a sharp breath, her chest rising and falling too fast. "Aren't we enough for you?"
"That's not exactly it, Julie," Jim tried to interject, his own voice breaking halfway through.
"Are you going to tell me that's not the reason for the divorce?" She looked straight at her father, waiting.
Jim didn't answer.
The silence was answer enough.
"It's not that simple." Tabitha was openly crying now, her words coming out in broken fragments.
Julie wiped her face with her sleeve, the motions rough, almost aggressive. "I don't want to make everything harder." She drew in a deep breath. "You can go to town."
She turned and started walking back toward the house.
"Julie, wait—" Jim took half a step forward, reaching out.
But she didn't stop.
Jim and Tabitha stood there on the lawn, watching their daughter disappear through the side door of Colony House.
Neither of them moved for a long moment.
—
Inside the house, Daniel saw Julie enter.
The difference was stark.
She stomped heavily, each step slamming against the wooden floor with unnecessary force, as if the boards themselves were personally responsible for all the problems in the universe.
Her face was red, blotched with tears she wiped away in irritated motions. Her shoulders were hunched forward in a defensive posture that screamed don't touch me.
Ethan stopped mid-sentence about magical crystals, staring at his sister in confusion.
Daniel had the wisdom not to say anything. Not to ask. He simply watched as she crossed the room without looking at anyone.
Looks like that conversation didn't end well.
[Family of the year. I bet Hallmark commercials would love this material.]
Julie went straight to Fatima, who was talking with Ellis near the kitchen.
"Is there somewhere I can be alone for a while?"
Fatima read the situation instantly. She didn't ask questions or offer unsolicited advice. She simply nodded and gestured for Julie to follow her.
They went down the narrow stairs leading to the basement. The space served as an improvised storage area, boxes stacked against the walls, tools hanging from rusted hooks. In the corner, an old chair. On the ceiling, a lone lightbulb.
"It's quiet here." Fatima lightly touched her shoulder before heading back up. "Yell if you need anything."
Julie just nodded, already sitting down on the chair and pulling her knees up to her chest.
—
Outside, Jim and Tabitha finally moved.
They entered through the side door with heavy steps. Their faces still carried the impact of the conversation, that uncomfortable feeling of having been seen beyond what they intended to reveal.
They approached Daniel, who was still with Ethan.
"Thanks for keeping an eye on him." Jim forced a smile.
"No problem." Daniel replied, adding nothing, his tone neutral.
Ethan looked at his mother, frowning as he noticed her swollen face, her eyes far too red for someone who was supposedly fine.
"Mom, are you okay?"
Tabitha blinked rapidly, taking a deep breath before answering.
"I'm fine, sweetheart. Just... something in my eye."
The lie was so transparent that even Ethan seemed suspicious for a second. He opened his mouth to insist, but eventually gave up.
"I want to have breakfast at the diner," the boy whispered, making a face. "The food here is weird."
Daniel held back a corner smile. Clearly, Colony House had failed the child food test.
Tabitha opened her mouth to refuse on reflex. The idea of leaving, of leaving Julie alone in that state, tightened her chest.
But Jim placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head slightly. There was something in his gaze. Not indifference. Exhaustion. The quiet understanding that pushing now would only drive their daughter further away.
After a brief moment, Tabitha nodded.
"Okay." Her voice came out low. "Let's go."
Before they left, Jim turned to Daniel, hesitating for a moment before speaking.
"Can you... keep an eye on Julie?" He ran a hand over his face. "Just to make sure she's okay."
"Of course."
[Wow, your in-laws already trust you to look after their rebellious daughter. How touching. Just wait until you screw something up again and that trust turns to dust. It's kind of your specialty, after all.]
Daniel sighed mentally. "Seriously?"
"Have more faith in me."
[Trust is built on consistency. You specialize in improvised chaos. Statistically, the odds are not in your favor.]
Ethan waved enthusiastically as he was already pulling his parents toward the door.
"Bye, Daniel! Later you tell me more stories about when you went skydiving!"
"Deal, champ."
When the family finally left, Daniel let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He instinctively glanced toward the stairs leading to the basement, his gaze lingering a second longer than necessary.
But he didn't go after her.
Some things needed space.
He turned and went over to Ellis.
The work on the windows wasn't going to do itself.
They climbed up to the attic.
The space was cramped, hot, smelling of old wood, accumulated dust, and rust. The opening leading to the roof barely allowed one person through at a time, making everything slower and more careful than Daniel would have liked.
He tied the rope to an exposed beam, checking the knot twice.
He went through the opening, feeling the cool air hit his face as soon as he emerged onto the slanted roof. He tested his weight with one foot, gauging stability, before moving carefully.
The work continued at a steady rhythm. Down. Position the board. Hammer. Up. Repeat.
Down below, the sheriff arrived at Colony House and approached Donna, who was watching Daniel work with her arms crossed.
Boyd looked up, narrowing his eyes against the sun as he spotted Daniel's silhouette hanging from the roof.
"Looks like he's still alive." He paused. "And working."
"Yeah," Donna replied without taking her eyes off him. "The kid's got energy. I'll give him that."
"And his night?" The sheriff turned his attention back to her. "How was it?"
Donna recounted the details. The creatures approaching, the attempt at conversation, the talisman working exactly as expected. He listened in silence, absorbing every piece of information.
"And Frank?" Donna asked, her tone dropping.
"Yes. He's gone." Boyd didn't go into unnecessary details.
Donna sighed, adding nothing more.
The sheriff cast one last assessing look at the roof where Daniel was working and headed off toward town.
—
Daniel noticed that this time, the work was progressing more slowly.
Without the assistance of the residents who had helped on the lower floors the day before, the work dragged on. The attic's narrow exit made it impossible to speed things up by adding more people.
He was coming down from the fourth window when he heard someone calling from below.
"Daniel!"
He paused, looking down.
Nathan was standing on the lawn, waving.
Daniel finished hammering the last nail into that board before climbing back up. He untied the rope with quick, efficient movements, his body a little tired but still functional.
He went down the internal stairs with steady steps.
When he reached the lawn, Nathan was waiting for him, standing stiffly, the posture of someone burdened with news he wished he didn't have to give.
"Is there a problem?"
"Let's talk in private," Nathan replied quietly, his eyes scanning the surroundings.
Daniel followed him to the side of the house, away from prying ears. They stopped between two trees that offered partial visual cover.
"The voices gave Sara some information," Nathan said, his hands shoved into his pockets. "She asked me to come warn you."
[Perfect. Potentially apocalyptic news right when you were having fun playing carpenter. Life has impeccable timing.]
Daniel's muscles tensed slightly.
"What did they say?"
Nathan scanned the area again, suspicion evident in the way he watched every movement in his peripheral vision.
"It's better if you go to our house. Let her tell you herself."
"Is it something I need to know urgently?"
Nathan hesitated for a second before answering.
"It's important." He chose his words carefully. "But it wouldn't make much difference whether you hear it now or later."
Daniel assessed quickly. Relevant information, but not critical.
"Alright. I'll stop by this afternoon."
Going now would be too suspicious. Dropping the work without explanation would raise questions. And he was already drawing enough attention.
Nathan nodded curtly and headed down the path toward town.
Daniel stood there for a few seconds, watching the figure disappear.
What had Sara discovered?
Curiosity itched like a poorly healed wound, insistent, uncomfortable. Still, he pushed the thought to the back of his mind.
He returned to Colony House, climbing back up to the attic.
Ellis was still up there, preparing the next board.
"All good?"
"All good." Daniel grabbed the rope, testing the knot. "Let's finish this."
But even as he descended along the side of the roof, his mind kept spinning.
What information had the voices given?
About the place?
About the creatures?
Or a way out?
There was only one way to find out.
And this time, he'd have to wait until the afternoon.
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