D A Y 9

[founds]

CHAPTER 2

NOV 08TH | 47℉☂

▸ --*CHSKSSS--*-Breaking News! In the light of yesterday's hunt on Black Rock Lake, a body has been found. It has not ye--*CHSKSSS--*-n identified, but has been confirmed to not be either of the missing children.

▸ Another fall storm is roaming through today,--*CHSKSSS--*ed to pick up after dark so stay safe or stay insi--*CHSKSSS--*-

▸ Blackwell's First Methodist Church is holding its annual Thanksgiving food drive from now until Thanksgiving. Donate now! Anything but turkey,--*CHSKSSS--*-pped over on the interstate the other day and donated hundred--*CHSKSSS--*-urkeys to feed people for the holidays. What luck!

▸ Back to our regular--*CHSKSSS--*-uled programming

HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT

Comments

[inheritable]

What I said.

[not that she doesn't love uncle ben, he just seems more like a teenager than a police officer most of the time.]

You don't have to work through the storm tonight, do you?

[after the tree went down in the last storm...]

[embroil]

[ which is a plus, considering papa's shady past. ]

Supposedly there is no danger right now, so I'm scheduled tonight, but not tomorrow. [ he sounds almost bored; it's not a tree that would scare him off work, he has worked in tougher, less safe jobs. ]

Hey, you know what you should do? You should pick up your boxing lessons again.

[ just in case. you had a good right hook. ]

[inheritable]

[yeah. of you've got to be related to a detective at least it's one with permanent blinders on.

starts frowning at 'supposedly' and doesn't let up even through dad's change of subject.]

Really? I heard this storm was supposed to be bigger than the last one.

[so stay the hell indoors.]

I'd like to pick boxing back up, I just dunno when, between the barn and school.

[embroil]

[ he cradles the back of her head, like he does to tell her to not to be worried. it's just a storm, and he is going to be inside a dam that's possibly more fortified than any place in this town. he's more likely to be one of the safer people. he's security, not an electrician. those are the guys that probably have it worse. ]

How about the weekends? I can make a schedule for you. [ after all, he helps out with the juniors practice, he has his Ways ]

[inheritable]

[hesitates for a second, since she doesn't have that much free time and committing to something regular on the weekends will pretty much mean the last of it, but... well, what else is she going to do? it's not like she's going to be spending time at the gages' anymore.

well, there's colby. she should probably text him sometime.]

Yeah, there's weekends. I'd like that. I feel like I've barely seen you since school started.

[embroil]

[ he wouldn't want to overload her nor force her to do something she didn't want, but there is some pride in him to see his daughter beat up the boys. a talent should always be worked on and, of course for him, hailey is riddled with talents, boxing being only one of many.

and no she shouldn't. ]

Good. [ he drops his hand away from her and pats her leg ] You still have your gear?

[inheritable]

[you've got to be the only dad disappointed that his daughter doesn't get into more fistfights.]

Yeah, of course. It's all at Mom's, but I guess if you're getting your own place in Blackwell I can keep it here.

[the boxing gloves will go really well with her up-close photographs of pinecones. she hasn't had a space to put those up yet.]

You still teaching at the gym, right?

[embroil]

It's a deal, then. [ he smiles, obviously both proud and happy that hailey took up his challenge. he'll probably line up new gear for her eventually anyway. a little cupboard for her to put her future trophies. shh. let him dream ]

Helping out, yeah. But you don't want your old man to train you. [ another nudge ] I'd be too tough.

[ no u know he wants to ]

[inheritable]

Deal.

[mom was never too fond of hailey's boxing, which is a major reason she hasn't really kept it up since fall and staying in elkins most of the time.

elbows dad back. but gently. with love.]

You're just scared you're gonna get beat up by a girl.

[embroil]

[ mom will have to suck it up because hailey is a great boxeur. she could be champion! win trophies! medals! just kidding. but he does think she's talented enough to maybe, after some training, go around and beat up other boys.

her words make him smirk and he puts on a pensive face, like he's giving thought to it ]

Hm, maybe. [ he chuckles, crossing his arms. ]

[inheritable]

I understand if you're intimidated by me, Dad. I can be pretty scary.

[well she's not the tiniest of girls, but next to her father most girls would look tiny. And of course he's never been close to making her afraid of him, but she can see he makes some of the other kids' parents nervous. So there's that joke.

Anyway she hasn't tried to beat up any boys for like. A year now. Maybe dad would like her to start.]

[embroil]

[ he looks at her in his "uh Huh" fashion, before patting her shoulder and getting up from the bench. it's starting to rain. light rain. ]

You go on inside. Get us a turkey. [ a beat ] Can you cook a turkey?

[inheritable]

[stands up when dad does and has already started back toward the church when he asks the question they really should have started with. looks back at him and shrugs.]

I never tried before, but we got YouTube. How hard can it be?

[famous last words.]

[ex_vacuous481]

[ cypress is inside the church, one hand on her hip as the other is tucking dark hair behind her ear. she's giving direction to a group of young men who just accepted a rather large donation, holding large paper bags full of who knows what that now needs sorting. perhaps the recent rise in deaths and disappearances has forced the inhabitants of blackwell to feel a little more grateful for what they do have-- the drive hadn't done this well in years.

she straightens out her little white dress before moving forward to assist with the sorting. she can't always lead if she wants everyone to see how great of a helper she is. ]

[inheritable]

[apologetically slips past the guys carrying the new donations and back into her place in the sorting line. thanks for covering for her, grandma mona. she owes you one.

glances up when cypress takes a spot a few people down from her. sort of waves hi with a can of green beans.]

Hey Cypress. How's it goin?

[they haven't spoken a lot before, but hailey knows who she is, duh.]

[ex_vacuous481]

[ friends with colby, ogles her aunt-- yeah, i'd say hailey knows her. she looks up from tossing a can of spoiled yams over to another volunteer to drop in the trash, her eyes following the voice speaking to her. cypress smiles at her, moving from her place in line to squeeze in next to hailey. ]

Just busy. Got a lot more than expected this time around, I'm glad we have as many hands on deck as we do.

[inheritable]

[scoots aside a little to make a place for cypress. hey there.

looks down at the expiration date on the can she's holding and makes a face. nope that's older than hailey is. tosses it into the trash.]

It's been a bad time. I guess everybody's just trying to help out any way they can.

[ex_vacuous481]

Now is as good as time as any, I suppose. [ there's a shrug of her shoulders as she watches the line go smoothly. it's nice when people listen to her. look at the success of this. now if only more people would actually listen to what she has to say-- anyway. no time for those thoughts. ] Is your family doing well? These storms have been just awful. Those on the first floor of my apartment complex have been flooded out.

[inheritable]

We're all right. Dad wasn't at the plant when the tree went down, thank God. Uncle Ben looks like he's moving back for good, which is fine by me if not him. Aunt Alex is... Aunt Alex.

[you know aunt alex. she is how she is.]

Y'all doing okay? I assume you must not live on the first floor.

[stacks two cans of pumpkin pie filling on top of each other and passes them off to the desserts table. frowns at another can of green beans, but this one's legit. you may live.]

[ex_vacuous481]

I'm fine. I think Atarah is on another mission out of state, so I haven't spoken to her much these past few days. [ repenting for her sins, yatta yatta. away from cypress, that's all that matters. ] My apartment is lovely. Just had a get together with a few friends that turned out well.

[ for her, anyway. ] It looks like my luck is far better than some others, which is why I'm doing everything I can to make this drive as good as it can be. I'm glad you chose to volunteer. I tried to get Alexis out here but she took a lot of the shifts I chose to pass up to be here.

[inheritable]

Mm-hmm.

[nods and makes appropriate listening noises at the appropriate times. she i listening, too, she just isn't usually this active. cypress is just so together, you know? she acts way more like an adult than uncle ben, even though hailey is pretty sure she's younger. not that hailey doesn't love uncle ben! he's just kind of a kid and that means she can kind of be a kid around him.]

Well. Aunt Alex. She kinda does what she wants, when she wants. Me, I got a lot of free time on my hands all of a sudden.

[not quite true, she just knows less what she wants to do with herself when she does have free time.]

[ex_vacuous481]

You can volunteer! I'm always running something or other and the shelters and food banks always love the helping hands. [ yes, hailey. use all the free time to help the needy and get to know cypress a little better. ] It's a great way to use all that free time of yours when you're in Blackwell. And just wonderful to put on those college applications.

[inheritable]

Yeah... Yeah, I guess I should.

[is it what bela would have wanted? it was the kind of thing she talked about doing, but hailey was never actually sure if she was actually doing it. hailey never got too involved in community stuff at any rate.

makes a face at the mention of college like most 16-year-olds do.]

I can't think about college stuff yet.

[that's not what dad thinks. or mom. both of them have been leaving fliers lying around since she turned 15.]

[ex_vacuous481]

Oh trust me, now is prime time for college stuff. Or you'll end up like me and get behind and end up not going at all. Wouldn't want to do it to Trent, would you? [ she's teasing. cypress smiles at her and nudges her side. ] Do what you want. You're young. That doesn't last forever.

[inheritable]

Ugh...

[gives cypress the best teenage exasperated sigh and eye roll on record. it's really very good.]

You sound like my mom. I just keep thinking of college like it's something that's not gonna happen to me for ages, but it's not. I'm supposed to start getting ready like now. And then I'm just supposed to leave.

[granted, that's not going to be as hard as it would have been a few weeks ago. it's horrible, but it's true. she doesn't even want to be in elkins anymore.]