@caedisisms
A stone statue in an unmapped corner of the forest, an invocation older than Bill himself, and a girl who found herself alone in the world were all that remained of his earthly influence. As the townspeople brushed the events of the past few days under the rug, the matter of what they should do with her came to tentative conversation. They couldn’t get a word out of her about her ‘true’ family (unable to grasp that the only one who had ever fit the title was gone) and she was too young to be left to fend for herself. It had been Mabel who had extended a hand of friendship first, saying that she knew what it was like to be caught up in Bill’s schemes too, that no matter what she’d done, she could change for the better.
The logistics of it had been difficult to work out, with the younger Pines departing for home and the older embarking on a long-overdue voyage, but they’d found accommodations for her within a few days. They promised to call to check in on her and to visit when they could and then they parted ways, leaving her alone again.
That night was the first where her dreams were filled with light, like they used to be. Tears turned into a trail of stars before they could hit the ground, leading her on a winding path through her dreamscape that ended with a familiar shape.
Something about him seemed... off. It was the same sensation that came often when speaking in dreams to those you knew in waking life; an inkling that the person before you, though close enough to fool even yourself, said something just a little too perfect, too in line with how you wished, dreamed, they were.
But it was gone in an instant.
Arms were extended, open and reassuring and drawing her close in a hug, knowing exactly what she needed in that moment. His words were softer than usual. “MISS ME?”
