Ryan taps nervously on the steering wheel of his truck. He never enjoys visiting his step-sister, and would avoid the couple all together if it weren't for the little girl they adopted six years ago.

Ryan dotes on his niece, although she seems nervous around him. She's always reluctant to talk about anything except art. Her pictures remain a secret, but she loves the subject and is always willing to discuss art history at length.

Every time her adoptive parents have sold something from what she had when they got her, he bought it and put it into a room in his trailer at the school. He's never told her that, but he plans to give it all back to her someday.

The last time he saw Mary-Anne… she was seven. He hasn't been back there for over three years, so she's probably almost eleven now.

Ryan feels bad for leaving the girl with the people he is forced to call family. They don't seem to be the loving type, and he's not sure exactly how they passed the inspections at all.

He pulls into a hotel for the night, being as it's a two day trip from the school, and rushes to get a room so that he can video chat with the students before curfew.

🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙

Mary-Anne hears the truck drive up the long gravel driveway and sighs. She's chained to the floor of an old outhouse far from the cabin, waiting for whichever Keller locked her in here to come get her for the next punishment, whatever it may be. All of her stuff, little as there is being as the Kellers have sold everything she ever had, is packed into a small backpack in her lean-to in case Ryan is going to take her with him.

She keeps a neutral face, hearing the conversation outside, although it's faint.

Ryan stares at his sobbing sister in surprise. “What do you mean she's gone?”

Mal throws his hands in the air. “She ran away again!”

“Again?” Ryan puts a hand up to stop him. “Wait, how often does this happen?”

Tanith stammers through her sobs, “More often than she is here.”

Mal bites his lip, “She ran off yesterday, and I found her in the woods after she drank one of Tanith’s experiments.”

Ryan gasps. “What? Is she okay?”

“I gave her an antidote with a needle, and we took her to our family doctor yesterday.” Tanith rubs her eyes, still sniffling. “But she's gone again, and one of our hunting knives is missing!”

Her brother winces. “I will help you look. Then… maybe we should talk about me taking her back to the school for a year.”

Mal nods sadly, “Maybe… obviously what we're doing isn't working.”

Tanith starts sobbing again. “I don't want her to go!”

Ryan sighs, “Tan, maybe it will be good for her to be in a different environment for a while. Without dangerous chemicals or a blacksmith shop for her to get at.”

Mal stiffens. “Are you saying this is our fault?”

“No. I am saying you should consider the possibility of this environment being unsafe for a child.” Ryan runs a hand through his greying red hair. “I will talk to her and see what she thinks. If she wants to stay here, I will not force her to come.”

The Kellers look at each other, seemingly having a silent conversation. “Well, we'll see what condition she's in when we find her.” Mal nods, looking around.

“We should split up.” Ryan glances in the direction of the dilapidated outhouse. “Have you checked over there yet?”

Mal shakes his head. “I'll check that way. Ryan, can you take the right bank of woods there, and Tanith, run down the driveway, see if she went towards town.”

Ryan and Tanith nod, running in their designated directions, calling for the girl worriedly. Mal casually saunters towards the outhouse. “Mary! Where are you sweetheart?”

The girl starts struggling, clutching the knife she has for defending herself. Mal opens the door and chuckles. “It's showtime.”