TIMING: September 1st PARTIES: @realmackross & @letsbenditlikebennett SUMMARY: After the full moon, Alex is avoiding Kaden and stays over Mack's for a few nights. CONTENT: Gun use (mentioned)
When Kaden told Mackenzie that Alex had been shot, it was like what little bit of air that filled her lungs had left in that moment. She had felt a mix of emotions run through her body all at once, including an immense anger that had started to bring out something in her that pure emotion never had before. So much so, that she felt her eyes glazing over and her brain starting to falter, which meant she needed to eat. But also made her realize that whatever this virus was keeping her corpse animated, had started to take a hold on her in ways she had never assumed possible.
That had been over a week ago, though, and it was something that she figured would be better left untalked about, just like the other 3495495632495 things she had been keeping underwraps. This was going to be a fun little escape for the two friends. With Alex coming over, Mack had filled the fridge full of regular food and made sure the house was tidy and cozy for the few days the girls were going to be hanging out. She had needed a brief escape and she knew her friend needed one too, despite the fact that the last time Alex had been here, Mackenzie had come crashing down to the ground from upstairs and came back with a fierce attempt to eat Alex and her friend’s brains.
—
Despite the fact it was still strange to Alex that she had friends, especially ones that she could crash with at the drop of a hat, she felt considerably more at ease as she made her way to the manor. The run-in with the hunter who had shot her already had her cousin watching her closely, even if the hunter was dead, and it had been impossible to hide she’d been hurt during the full moon. She wasn’t quite sure that was the correct way to describe it considering all her wounds had been self-inflicted to some extent, but either way, she needed space between her and Kaden. She couldn’t keep allowing hunters to care for when it put them in such a compromising moral position. At least with her friends, they were all mostly not human. When it came to the metaphorical line in the sand, they were all already forced onto one side of it.
She knocked on the door to the manor and already felt a bit more relaxed than she had at home. While Mack knew more about the whole situation with the hunter than Alex had initially wanted, she decided it wasn’t a bad thing. Had the two of them not talked about being more open with each other despite the fact trust wasn’t something that came easy to either of them? Even if she was still annoyed with Kaden for telling so many people, she was glad that Mack at least knew what was up. When the door opened, she played up an awkward smile, “Honey, I’m home?”
—
Alerted by her camera system that there had been movement outside, Mackenzie saw a mass of familiar red hair standing at her door. With a quick glance to make sure everything looked good, the young zombie made her way to the door. To say that there hadn’t been a tinge of fear running through her cold, dead veins would have been a lie. In fact, when any of the sleepover crew had come for a visit now, Mack often wondered if it was going to result in something horrific or worse. But out of everyone who had been there, she knew Alex would be the one who could handle herself. And as long as Mackenzie had food, they were good.
With an exaggerated breath, Mackenzie unlocked the door and pulled it back to find Alex looking up at her with an awkward smile, “How was work, dear?” She stepped back out of the way to let her wolfie friend inside, “Not too bad I hope. Dinner’s not ready and I’m not taking your shoes off and rubbing your feet, but you can go throw your shit down and prepare for two days of fun.” She hadn’t known the extent of Alex’s injuries, but she was pretty sure the girls would manage as long as no one went toppling over a balcony railing.
—
Even if both girls had more than their fair share of trust issues, Alex appreciated that it was fairly easy to be at ease around Mack. It was easy to forget that her friend was a famous actress when she was so down to earth. Well, at least when they weren’t out in public with people staring at them. Maybe the manor should have been some sort of indication that Mack was a celebrity, but despite the disastrous Barbie party, she felt comfortable at the manor and with Mack. Moreso since learning what the actress was.
“Another day, another dollar,” Alex laughed, “Or whatever it is the finance bros say. I don’t know, I usually tune them out.” She feigned disbelief that there wasn’t dinner and a foot massage in her future. “Wow,” she joked, “What’s the deal here? None of that 1950’s shit? How am I supposed to be in a lavender haze under these conditions?”
The bag on her shoulder was rubbing against one of the many scrapes that littered her body, so Alex immediately dropped her shit the moment the phrase was said. “You don’t have to tell me twice,” she grimaced despite herself because of course the strap definitely hit all the wrong spots on her arm on the way down. Hopefully, Mack didn’t notice as much, but she remembered the way her friend said she hadn’t wanted to find out about the gunshot wound three months later in passing. She chewed at her lower lip as she walked toward the couch. “Two days of fun and girlie nonsense,” she nodded, “And I guess a disclaimer that I’m covered in random cuts and stuff now… Kinda went a little werewolf on myself last full moon.”
—
It had been a strange sensation not hanging out with her old friends anymore. The people she had grown up with. The ones who knew everything about her life…well her old life. She had reunited with Winter, and that had given her a little taste of home, but Jacob and Bailee and the most important one of all, Brody, weren’t in Mackenzie’s life anymore. Yet, somehow this strange little town had started to give her new friends. Even people she could trust with knowing her secret. And one of them currently stood in her house wanting to spend two whole days with her despite all the bullshit that had happened previously, and she knew that was something worth holding onto.
“Stickin’ it to the man. Just the way I like it.” Mackenzie winked at Alex, “And yeah, you’d think I’d know more about what the fiance bros say, but I have one that keeps up with all that shit for me.” Shrugging her shoulders, she shut the door behind Alex and locked it back. “That’s not my problem. I was born in 1998. Talk to Taylor about that one.”
Mack had caught sight of the expression on Alex’s face, but had opted not to say anything. Maybe it was the gunshot wound, maybe it wasn’t. But she knew that if her friend wanted to tell her, she would. Instead, she scooped up Alex’s bag, ready to take it to one of the spare bedrooms upstairs, “Are you prepared for all of this fun? Because I’ve got snacks, blankets, Squishmallows, games, you name it…I stocked up.” And there it was, “And first aid supplies, but not solely just for sharing. I might’ve had a little run with some things of my own.” She had preferred not to remember the giant flies that had given her an acid bath, and while most of the wounds had healed, there were still a few stubborn areas that revealed a little more than she had liked to see of herself. Thankfully she had clothes to cover those up.
—
Whenever they were together, it was easy for Alex to remember why she got along so well with Mack. They led wildly different lives, there was no denying as much, but they were still similar enough that conversation seemed to come with a natural ebb and flow. Their sense of humor was something they shared, too, and it brought a certain ease with it. Banter came naturally and made it hard for any tension to settle in the air, which was quite a feat when they were apparently both injured.
“If I could personally take it up with Taylor,” she laughed, “You already know I would.” Mostly because Alex would talk about literally any and everything with her favorite songwriter given the chance. Not that it was likely that would ever happen, but a girl could dream. Hell, she was now going to the Eras tour courtesy of the friend who was now carting the green duffle bag away. She smiled thankfully, grateful she didn’t have to keep hitting the various small wounds across her body with the bag.
“I was born ready for fun,” she joked. The funniest part of the joke was Alex wasn’t sure she had ever really known fun until she was living on the road with her sister, but that was more sad funny than haha funny. The mention of Mack getting hurt made her frown slightly. Shouldn’t the zombie just heal? She wasn’t all that sure how undead stuff actually worked so she nodded. “Looks like we’re both on a roll,” she shrugged as she plopped down on the couch, “The first aid supplies sales in this town must be through the roof.”
That much seemed true. Alex cozied up with one of the many blankets on the couch and looked over Mack. “I know my more recent ouchies are me not needing to lock myself up in a bunker on full moons, but how’d you get hurt? I didn’t think… well, I know you can get hurt obviously, but like, I thought it healed when you like got some food in you? You don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to…”
—
Mackenzie had found comfort and familiarity in Alex. Though they had only known each other for a few months, it felt as if those few months had really been a lifetime. The pair had led two entirely different lives taking paths that neither could probably fathom. Mack still didn’t know a whole lot about Alex’s family, but she did know that her sister and cousin seemed like good people. People who genuinely cared for the girl’s wellbeing. It was something that Mackenzie had missed greatly. She missed getting hugs from her parents when she was sad or hurting. But Winter had given her an unexpected one after the sleepover, and for now, that feeling is what she held onto when she was sad. That and being able to laugh with new friends like Alex.
As Mack made her way upstairs with the duffle bag, she put it in the room down the hall from her own, before returning to the conversation, “So you’re saying, if you met her at the Eras tour, this would be what you’d talk about?” Her voice carried from the balcony upstairs as she made her way back down. “I mean, I’m not saying you’ll get to meet her, but…you know?” She shrugged her shoulders as she went to find a spot on the couch and pulled her favorite fuzzy blanket over her. Not that she could really enjoy the fuzziness of it anymore, but still the memories had been there.
“Good, because I’ve got plenty of fun at the ready. Plus, I’m not sure if you spotted the other rooms downstairs when you were on the brain hunt for me, but there is more fun to be had down there.” Sometimes, when Taylor, her assistant, would come to visit, she would surprise Mack with the latest movie screeners and the most recent in her possession had been Barbie. “And if you can look past everything that happened over a month ago, I might actually have the Barbie movie in my possession…But you didn’t hear that from me.” She grinned, her still pearly white veneers sparkling like something out of a movie. “Which, by the way, if it wasn’t for Mateo…I don’t know if you know him, I never would’ve had first aid supplies in my possession. Don’t ask. But just know I am well stocked, if we do need them.” The 4th of July had still been a memory that lived fresh in her mind.
It was nice knowing that a hunter hadn’t supplied Alex with more injuries. But it still wasn’t satisfying knowing she had done it to herself. She couldn’t imagine what it was like being a werewolf. She had seen Hollywood magic make the change happen, but if it was anything like what she had watched in the movies, Mackenzie knew it had to be a very painful process, “The werewolf stuff…does it hurt? And are you okay?” She looked down for a moment, reliving her night of shame, but she had recalled that she had made the promise to be honest with Alex, “Um, I sorta…decided to test my limits just a little bit the other night. Went for a late night visit to the Codfather and might have climbed into their dumpster…” It sounded ridiculous. So much so that if Mack could blush, she would have, “But apparently there were some other things there…Parker said they’re called Eurynomos and they feed on the flesh of the dead aka me. Really they just look like big fucking flies, but they shoot acid out and lets just say I’ve never seen my own bones before.” An uneasy and pitiful laugh escaped her lips, before she could stop it. “Lesson learned.” She couldn’t look at Alex, partly for being embarrassed and partly for the way she had slowly begun losing herself a day at a time after the sleepover.
—
“I was maybe just a little bit distracted while I was on the hunt for brains,” Alex laughed. It was nice that they were joking about it now. Usually it was her who was making jokes about something traumatizing far too soon, but it wasn’t her first this time, so she’d happily follow the lead the zombie was putting down on that front. Humor was her favorite load-bearing coping mechanism, after all. She wasn’t sure why it was helpful, but if Mack was into it too, there had to be something to it, right? “But if I was lucky enough to meet Taylor on tour… a) I’d probably black out,” she laughed, “And b) that is not what I’d be asking. I have no idea what I’d be asking. There’d probably be a whole lot of staring in awe.”
“Oh, I’m so down to watch the movie,” Alex answered, “I did see it in theaters with Cass… but admittedly I got distracted watching Cass… which is as gay as it sounds. So definitely down to watch and maybe pay a bit more attention this time.” She remembered how great that night had been at the time, how electric she had felt leaving the theater and stealing a bunch of pink dye to make Alan’s pool pink. The memory still held some of that feeling, but it was tinted with guilt too as she was reminded of Alan.
The name Mack mentioned didn’t sound familiar though she vaguely remembered Mack having mentioned the guy before. Alex wanted to ask questions about why she had a first aid kit because of him, but she figured she could listen to the part where Mack said not to ask considering she was crashing at the zombie’s manor. “Don’t know him, no.”
When the zombie mentioned testing her limits, Alex felt like her stomach was doing cartwheels. It didn’t sound like a great idea, especially if she didn’t have a more experienced zombie guiding her, but was it really Alex’s place to tell her what she should and shouldn’t do? It wasn’t like she really knew much about how stuff with the undead worked and she was sure this was part of Mack getting a handle on the whole zombie thing. Knowing one’s limits was important, right? “You know, I think you can afford to actually eat at the Codfather,” she nudged playfully, “But guess the dumpster might have more in the way of brains. And Eurynomos? I think a lot of those hang around the abnormality, too.
Then the name of the person clicked. “Wait, Parker,” she asked, “And a bug… that checks out.” She chewed on her lower lip as she remembered the panic attack she’d had in front of him before running out of his exhibit at the museum. Maybe that wasn’t the best thing to bring up. “Glad he was there to help you… he did help, right?”
—
Sometimes Mackenzie had to pinch herself really, really hard to make sense of the life she was living now. This time a year ago, she had been filming a movie and excitedly waiting to go back home to Los Angeles to be with her fiance and start planning their wedding. It had been her dream since the day they had first started dating. And her life with kids. She had started having that discussion. What would their name be? How many would they have? But here she was now, sitting in a huge, normally empty house next to a real life werewolf discussing life as such and how it was to be a zombie. It just didn’t track most days. And it usually left her wanting to crawl up under the covers in her bedroom and further decay. But then she remembered she wasn’t completely alone. She had someone who cared about her currently discussing Taylor Swift and Barbie with her. Someone who wanted to spend time with her and watch movies and laugh with her, and seemed to make all the nightmarish parts of her life just a little easier.
“Yeah, Barbie is definitely the right movie for you with all the pink and the beach offs…” Mackenzie had skipped past the rest of the Taylor Swift conversation for a reason, and would circle back around to it. Taylor Swift was the epitome of happiness in her book, and it would be a lot better than talking about flesh consuming flies and all the other hard subjects she was sure would be brought up during the night. “But we’re not gonna talk about Cass the whole time are we?” She knew how much Alex loved the girl. The entirety of Wicked’s Rest knew, but she just wanted to spend time with her friend and not hear about love and relationships for the hurt it brought to her heart. “I just…relationships aren’t really my thing at the moment. Not romantic ones anyways. I mean, I love that you guys are happy and you’re cute and all…” She felt like she was sticking her foot in her mouth, so she quickly changed the subject to something else.
“Yeah, I definitely can afford it. Probably should’ve just stuck with Old Faithful - lobster mac, but somebody suggested dumpster diving, and I don’t know. It was stupid and not going to happen again. But it was Parker. We’re actually becoming kind of close. I call him Dad. He helped me, and he does know about me…” Mack wasn’t sure if she should have divulged that information, but she trusted Parker. He had been a good friend to her so far and though he could be a bit blunt, she still appreciated him for it.
“It was supposed to be a surprise, but I think you’re better off knowing ahead of time.” Mackenzie had melded Taylor back into the conversation as more so a way to hopefully divert from all the heartache and for feeling like an ass towards the discussion of Alex and Cass’s relationship. “Meeting Taylor Swift is like a once in a lifetime thing, and I don’t think I can swing it twice, so no passing out or dying. Capiche?” She probably could, but Alex didn’t need to know that. She looked at her friend’s face waiting for her reaction.
—
Between the butterflies that came with a new relationship and all the friends she had made recently, it had been easy to forget that she wasn’t inherently likable. If anything, Alex knew she was anything but lovable. The broken record of her parents’ voices that played on loop in her mind had been quieter as of late, like someone had turned the volume down on it to almost a mute. It gave her the crazy idea that she could just speak what was on her mind without putting her words through a filter and it was foolish. Talking about Cass only highlighted everything that was soft about and, if her parents were to be believed, wrong with her. Of course Mack didn’t want to hear her go on and on about Cass. She wished she could sink into the couch cushion and disappear. Had she really been talking about Cass the whole time? She couldn’t remember mentioning the oread before that moment and that was only because the memories of dying Alan’s pool pink were kinda better than the one of Mack falling from her balcony.
“Definitely not,” Alex answered with a smile even though she felt unnerved about her own faux-pas, “Just dying a pool pink is noteworthy on the subject of Barbie. Turning Wicked’s Rest into Barbie World by turning every mojo dojo casa house into a dreamhouse and all.” Her laugh was a bit flat, but then it clicked when Mack spoke again. While she hadn’t known what Mack’s love life looked like prior to moving here, she could gather it was a touchy subject from the way the zombie spoke. Her features softened. “I got ya,” she murmured, “If you ever do wanna talk about that stuff… I’ve kind of made a point of not reading anything about you on the internet. I don’t want to know anything about you that you didn’t choose to tell me yourself.”
The quick subject change was somewhat welcome. Alex preferred to not sit in the uncomfortable feeling that had been starting to settle. Though the mention of Parker made her wonder if she was talking about the museum guy who snapped in front of her. Yet another moment on her never-ending list of embarrassing moments. She shrugged, “I mean, I’m not above dumpster diving, but I grew up poor. It can be fun… But not when weird flies attack you.”
It was nice Mack had found a father figure though. The knot in her stomach turned as she thought of her own soured relationship with someone who could have been that to her. Alex wasn’t sure why, but there had been almost a fatherly feeling to Alan. Maybe more so than her own father, but even the faintest whisper of that thought was enough to make another wave of guilt crash through her. Her father couldn’t be replaced and even if he could, it wasn’t like Alan would want anything to do with her after all the trouble she caused. It was that faint feeling of being sad for herself, but happy for Mack. Her friend was newer to all this supernatural stuff. She needed guidance and someone to count on. And Mack was good and bright— she deserved someone who could help her with all the crap that came with being turned into a monster.
“I’m glad he found you,” she said softly, “And that he’s been there for you since. I think you deserve that. A sorta found family in the midst of all the supernatural crap you got thrown into.” Thoughts of Alan still swirled around in her head and she wished she knew some way to make what happened to them ok. The hunter was dead, but Alex wasn’t even sure that was ok. It didn’t change that she had lied to him or had assumed the worst of him despite him giving her every reason to trust him. She tugged at her bottom lip with her teeth and admitted, “I think… I may have ruined things with someone who could have been a dad figure. But kinda used to dads hating me anyway. Kinda my brand.”
The joke fell flat, but it was funny damn it. Even if it was more a sad kind of funny, Alex found the humor made it easier to talk about. The fact it was peppered between otherwise normal tangents also helped. “I’ll manage,” she grinned, “I promise. I have so many questions about her songwriting process, can’t waste the opportunity and all.”
—
Mackenzie could tell that Alex’s mood had dropped. She knew how much the werewolf was falling for Cass. It was apparent by all the conversations she had seen online. The way they had reacted around each other at the few parties she had been to with them, even at the sleepover. It was great that Alex had that in her life. She couldn’t fault her for it, but there was also that tinge of jealousy when she saw couples in love. But more so, it was the heartbreak of it all. She had taken away one of the best things in her life via her own hands. Her everything. And in turn it had led to a world of loneliness. Mackenzie had always known actions had consequences. It was a part of life, but the way she saw herself when she looked in the mirror now was that of pure hate. She hated every part of herself, but she had just been so good at putting on a show for everyone that it was easy to appear okay on the outside.
“Oh yeah, you would definitely make Barbie proud. Every house around here deserves to be a mojo dojo casa house. We’re not gonna turn pink though if we go swimming right?” She paused and looked at Alex with narrowed eyes. Would it be funny? Yes. But Mackenzie wasn’t sure she wanted to be pink. It was the confession that Alex made, though, that made the zombie look away, “I appreciate it.” It felt like their fun times were falling flat, and she had hated that. They had both been through enough within the past month. They needed happiness in their lives, and Mackenzie was already feeling like she had ruined it, “Any weird things like that for werewolves?” That was not happy. That was more curiosity, but she was faltering. “Parker, yeah. Thanks. I didn’t really expect it, but it’s nice having someone like that out here.” Parker was unexpected. But she was grateful for him. Plus, she figured her dad would get along with him if they ever actually met, which was probably never going to happen.
All-in-all this was not going the way she had hoped, and while she knew Alex was trying to lighten the mood with her joke about fathers, it just wasn’t working. But it was the grin, and not the extreme excitement about meeting Taylor Swift, that confirmed everything for Mackenzie, “Okay, I don’t think this is going the way either of us want it to. I feel like I’ve made you upset with the whole Cass thing…” She sighed and, in turn, took a deep breath letting it out slowly, before turning her body to face Alex, “With you not knowing anything about me, in regards to what’s on the internet, I think is what’s making this hard.”
She hated talking about Brody like this. In fact, he had been a sore subject even when she tried to reminisce about the good times with him, except for the day she had spent laying in the fields with her llama friends. That had been a great day. “There was this guy, and his name was Brody. We pretty much knew each other from childhood, because we had worked on a movie together when we were both kids. We ended up going our separate ways for several years, until a mutual friend set us up together on a date. Long story short, we were supposed to get married, but before we could, he…he died.” The word hitched in her throat. Mackenzie closed her eyes for a moment gathering herself, before opening them, and resuming what she was saying, “So it’s not that I don’t want you to be happy or to relive the moments you have with Cass over and over again, because that’s a beautiful thing. It’s just all of the stuff with my fiance is still really fresh, and it’s hard to hear about other relationships. I’m so sorry if that upset you or offended you in any way. But hold onto her, Alex. Hold onto her tightly, and don’t let her go, because losing them and not having that chance to ever be with them again is one of the hardest things that can ever happen.”
Mackenzie let out a quivering breath. It was the most she had talked about the love of her life in such a long time, and she needed some air, “I’m just gonna step outside for a moment. Get some air. Do you need anything while I’m up?” She looked down at Alex with a small smile.
—
Perhaps that was a downside to spending a lot of time with someone. It was apparent that despite her best efforts to keep the mood light by donning a smile, Alex had failed to cover up that the request Mack had made struck a chord. It wasn’t the zombie’s fault. It was a fairly innocuous request. Some part of Alex knew that not everything could be her fault, but it was hard to feel like she wasn’t letting her friend down in some way, because wasn’t that what she did? She let people down. Her parents had made as much clear from the day she was able to grip a knife in her tiny little hands. Even then, she was too clumsy— too prone to knicking herself with the blade. Every person that thought she could be a friend or lover along their travels. Hell, even now she was letting Andy down. Instead of accepting the love and protection her sister so readily offered, she was pushing it away. How could she not think it was any different with Mack? How could she not assume it was something she had done?
Even the joke about mojo dojo casa houses felt flat, which was frankly an insult to the Barbie franchise, but Alex guessed that her and Mack were more like Margot Robbie’s Barbie in the midst of an existential crisis. They could be depressed and still sparkle, which hey, was a pretty useful life skill, but it still sucked. The chortle that escaped her lips was forced and she shook her head. “Did leave a slight tint, but washed right off,” she shrugged, “And of course.”
Mack did deserve that sort of guidance and she meant it even if part of her was a little bit jealous. The question caught Alex off guard and she couldn’t readily pull forth from her breadth of monster knowledge to think of something that targeted werewolves specifically. “I don’t think so,” she answered honestly, “There’s like a peak in the woods that has an effect on shifters though… makes us really aggressive. Hard to keep control and all that jazz.”
No amount of trying to change the subject made a difference. They seemed to be stuck in loop where that awkward feeling never truly went away. Alex wrapped one of the many ridiculously soft blankets tighter around her and still wished she could disappear into the couch cushions. With the array of squishmellows and pillows, she might actually be able to do that, but then Mack was offering an explanation and she felt the color leave her own face as the zombie spoke.
Her fiancé had died and here Alex was casually mentioning her girlfriend. She was essentially throwing salt and spitting on an open wound. When they had first become friends, not googling Mack had seemed like the respectful thing to do. The fact her whole life was online while Alex’s wasn’t made it feel invasive to look more into her friend’s life. In this instance, it would have been better to know and while she of course couldn’t have realized that, she felt terrible.
“Mack,” she spoke as she reached a hand out hesitantly to grab her friend’s, “I’m so sorry. I had no idea.” She squeezed her friend's hand and wished there was anything she could do to take the pain away. Hell, she’d even be okay with a jump back in time to ten minutes ago so that she could avoid bringing up her own girlfriend in front of someone who was grieving. Her heart was racing in her chest despite the comforts she was surrounded by. No part of her could even imagine losing Cass that way and she’d only known the oread for a few months. “You don’t have to explain or tell me anything else unless you ever want to. But I will, ok? And like, consider my lips sealed in the simping department.”
When Mack stood up, all she could do was simply nod as she answered, “I’m fine. I’ll just be here deciding which squishmellow is my favorite.” And thinking about what an ass she made of herself, but Mack didn’t need to know that. She hugged onto one of the stuffed animals that looked like a wolf in a strawberry as the zombie left the room and sat with the weight of what she’d just learned. Some part of her wondered if she should Google what happened to avoid potentially bringing up any other touchy subjects, but some other part of her couldn’t help that Mack had lived out one of her worst fears— losing control and hurting someone she loved. If that was the case, she doubted the tabloids had anything close to the real story and she wasn’t sure she wanted to find confirmation of that. It felt too personal. While she wasn’t sure of the best way to proceed, the werewolf promised herself she’d be a better friend to Mack and do her best to make things easier instead of harder like she had done today. It was unspoken, but she could only hope time proved to Mack that she had someone she could trust in her.
