Quick reminder:
Asher- main character
Rina- super, fiery best friend
Tommy- kidnapped friend, star quarterback
Thane Hale- Estranged inhabitant of Hollow Grove
Tyler- Rina's crushy-crush, Asher's good friend, star player
Ashlynn- Asher's mom; sheriff
Sebastian- Asher's dad; stay at home dad
John- Asher's jerky half-brother
Oliver- Asher's off-to-college brother
Chrissy- Oliver's girlfriend
(There are just so many characters in such a tiny amount of time, I'm sorry.)

Asher Bravermen always liked Ms. Angelo.

She was his mother's friend's cousin's step-uncle's daughter, with short hair that had been dyed and bleached so many times that the color she covered it with- sometimes purple, sometimes blue, most of the time red- had looked like it had been scrubbed out within two weeks.

They didn't give her a chance. She was different from the rest of Hollow Grove- from the very tips of her toes- she liked to wear toe-rings, she'd let Asher try them on when he was upset because of John- and to the very top of her colorful head.

Ashlynn had been positive of her decision to take in Ms. Angelo after she had woke the entire house, shaking with a handful of soaking, bleeding puppy- hit by some idiot driver when she was on the porch smoking at one in the morning. The blood never washed out of her shirt, but regardless, the dog had survived.

People saw her for what she wasn't- they thought the exterior morphed the interior into a monster. That the thick eyeliner that rubbed down to her ebony cheeks and the mismatched clothes she would -it's cause I want to see if they're assholes, Asher- wear made her a bad person- suddenly morphed her into a bad influence. She was parents' worst nightmare: a teenager that actually knew how to think out of the box instead of the paper-thin walls people like Hollow Grove harbored for their finely filtered thoughts.

Around this town, the way Ms. Angelo looked, talked, acted, and dressed meant that she wasn't up to their standards of what was to be accepted.

Asher thought she had been pretty kick-ass. She'd walk into Reilly's every Wednesday night with the trio of Oliver, Ashlynn, and himself to join every weekly dinner with the Bravermen family. (John never came- he had been sweet on her; Asher didn't understand it then, but she had, after explaining a thousand times she was something called 'asexual', didn't like people like that. Which had translated to John- she didn't like him like that, the bitch.)

But Ashlynn let her stay anyways, she was hardly nineteen and came from New Orleans- ran away from home because her brother had a hit that bruised just as much as her father's. She worked part-time at McAdam's feed store. Asher remembers her taking any chance to pay for Wednesday night dinners. Ashlynn only let her because she knew twenty dollars would end up in her purse some way or another.

She came to them seven months before July Night, in the freezing of December. Ashlynn had practically forced her to stay in the room across from Asher's until she got back up on her two feet.

Asher remembers it as seven months of staring at Ms. Angelo in amazement. His father had thought he had a crush on the nineteen year old, but after a tearful confession a mile deep beneath his covers when she had came to read him a bed time story- smelling like black nail polish, because she was constantly painting and cleaning them- he had whispered beneath ruddy red cheeks and big, amber eyes that he kinda-sorta-really thought girls were gross- and not just because he was only eight years old.

Ms. Angelo wasn't perfect. She had a temper, bit her teeth into her cheap purple lipstick to keep it in.

But she was passionate, the eight year-old had learned more from her in the condensing, seven months of their dual companionship than in the span of his entire life.

She taught him to be tough- but 'tuff', spelled with two 'f's- cause it's cooler that way, Ash. The nineteen year-old let him curl up beneath her dark covers that smelled like basil and honey-oat soap; played him every single black-and-white movie that happened to be showing, and taught him how to whistle after they had watched 'To Have and Have Not'.

But, Ms. Angelo had taught him a lesson that had became permanently engraved into his skull- from beneath the blistering hot summer sky of July, where his hands had dug their way through weeds and mud and blood- maybe his, maybe hers- she had screamed, desperate and scared for life- not for hers, but for his.

Run, but don't look back, Asher.

*

"Asher, c'mon- sweetheart," a set of hands are crawling over Asher's body, one of them falling just above his shoulder, shaking him in the full-sized mattress as the second pushed on his forehead, testing the temperature of his clammy skin in a paternal touch.

Asher breathes, the air in his room feels heavy- and it isn't because Bowser is barking his head off on top of the teenager's chest, but the memory of Ms. Angelo is- it's surprising. Welcomed only when he was in the epitome of consciousness, where he could control his spinning threads of thoughts- cut the string before it became too unbearable. He hadn't dreamt of her in months, only once- after he had trespassed into her empty room to see if his father had placed the sheets with the six hundred thread-count beneath her stripped mattress. That night, Bowser had whined beneath his wet nose and Asher had tried to chase the dreams away by watching I Love Lucy at three in the morning.

Sebastian is staring at his son, his lips set in a thin line as he watches the boy hardly react to be awaken before twelve.

"Bowsy wouldn't shut up," Sebastian tells his son, and Asher acknowledges his words by untangling himself out of his covers to sit atop of the blankets with Captain America boxers and a threadbare cotton t-shirt hanging off the teenager's stick-thin body.

Asher gulps, his throat aches- it's from the screaming. He wouldn't shut up in the arms of his mother, when they had finally made it into her police-issued Chevy last night. His atrophying dam that kept his emotions on the happier side of hyperactive and strange-but-in-a-good-way had spilled out every emotion he had been trying keep locked in. His hands had trembled, his fingers somehow found themselves deep within Ashlynn's collar, as he had finally screamed- completely fucking lost it- beneath the stadium's red floodlights.

"Omelet downstairs," his father's voice snapped him out of it, whatever 'it' was. He didn't want this again. Asher had already gone through excessive family-interventions, too many check-that-the-door-is-locked-twice, too much blank space between Monday and Sunday. "Courtesy of me kid," Sebastian continued, his lips brushed the top of the teenager's forehead, but it didn't dissipate the haunting thought of Asher swearing his heart was thumping so loud, that it'd plummet out of his chest.

"When's Oliver and Chrissy getting here?" He asked, deciding to change the mood by bringing up something he was actually interested in. His fingers scrapped up his bedspread- a three year-old sea-foam green blanket that looked almost out of place in his grungy room. His dad had forced him to buy it- he had to light up his bedroom somehow.

"Tomorrow morning, rain's getting bad where they're at," Sebastian smiled, not completely- not his usual wrinkles-folding-at-the-corners-of-his-eyes. But it was stamped there, to show that he appreciated that Asher was trying to pretend it was alright.

"Did, did anyone find Tommy?" Asher stares up at his dad from where he's at, his limbs exposed to the cold air that always haunted the Bravermen's home- old building, old ventilation. Once, when the electricity had gone out years ago, they had used his room as an emergency refrigerator.

"No, kid," Sebastian frowned, his amber eyes shifted its gaze to his son's hands- they were trembling, his fingers tying into nervous knots at his words. "But they're looking, your mom ain't going to stop either- not until he's found, half the county has been out all night searching- they'll find him."

Half of Asher is relieved- over the fucking moon that the town is at least coming together for Tommy, to at least do the pragmatic thing for once, and find the boy. The other is scared, worried- his mother is out there. His mother- she's probably a mile deep within the forest- with two of her officers trailing behind her as if that'd be enough to fend off whatever Asher had seen last night.

"Can I-- I mean," the teenager stretches as he trips over his own words; his hands find themselves tangled into Bowser's fur, the dog preens underneath the attention- he was always a ham for any kind of affection. "Rina and Tyler- we sorta were planning on going to Reilly's for lunch- since Oliver isn't going to be here for another day, can I?" Asher looks up to his dad, who isn't surprised. Half the time, Asher's Saturday lunch is usually spent at the busy diner.

"She's pretty shaken up, Rina, I mean," Asher tries to fill in the blanks as he blinks at his dad- wondering why he's stayed quiet, not bothering to stir out of his silent spell. "I don't want her to be alone right now," I don't want to be alone right now.

Sebastian folds his hands together, his elbows slid to his knees as if he's mocking the Thinker. "Of course, Asher," his father whispers- but his eyes aren't trained on his son, and it isn't until Asher bothers to follow his lost gaze that he sees the leather jacket Sebastian is staring at.

"Whose is that?" He asks, turning to his son as he reaches across the mattress to where it laid, haphazardly over the edge of Asher's desk chair.

"I- uh, friend's. Yesterday, I sorta got soaked," Asher swallowed as he swiped the heavy jacket away from Sebastian's hands. He clutched it to his chest, unsure why his fingers were fisted so tightly, so possessively, in the slick fabric.

"That's nice of him," his father replied after a minute of silence. "Be sure to return it, it's a nice jacket."

Asher nodded in feign agreement- if he ever happened to see Thane Hale again, he's sure the last thing he'd want to do would be to give him back the jacket he forced onto him- instead Asher'd want to beat a few answers out of him before running for the hills.

*

It's pouring in Hollow Grove.

The clouds are sewn together into an angry gray, covering the blue December sky. With each roll of thunder, a strike of blue lightning illuminates the freezing morning spent in Rina's Ford.

Asher Bravermen is zipped up to his chin in Oliver's forgotten, old hoodie- it weighed down on him, his arms outran the sleeves of the graying red fabric, but it was made for a man who was tall and with meat on his bones- which meant Asher's lithe figure of lean limbs and skinny enough torso to see where his last rib tucked home in, didn't quite fit the ratios.

The leather jacket that the man- Thane Hale- had ordered him to wear is still thrown on the end of his mattress back home- it had probably became Bowser's new chew toy.

Rina has the radio on low, because the only station they can catch signal with won't shut up about Tommy, or last night's turn of invents, or broadcasters- who are protected behind big buildings and have microphones as their swords- speak about July Night- or what the media likes to call 'Four Innocents Dead, Five Children Bitten By Rabid Animals'.

She's wrapped up in expensive leather riding boots, dark leggings that she had drove an hour and thirty minutes for, and a double-breasted jacket that went from her thighs to her chin- as usual, she looks impeccable and blatantly Rina.

"Tyler's already at Reilly's," Rina says, she makes up words just so the silence can be filled with something that isn't mindless radio or a void of quiet.

"Figured that much," Asher said, happy at thought that Rina had attempted to at least speak. "You have work tomorrow?" He wonders aloud, sniffing and sneezing into the sleeve of his jacket.

"No, Mrs. Bisett doesn't want me back to work until this entire... 'til this thing blows over, she'll pay me- says it's an early graduation present, though," she shrugs her shoulder as she turns her windshield wipers to the highest option. Rina had been an employee- or, like a personal assistant, to Mrs. Bisett since she turned sixteen. She happened to be the only one busy enough in this damn town to actually need an assistant.

"Lucky," Asher replied, his fingers curled around one of the loose threads that were at the hem of his sleeve. "I'm probably going to be on call all week- the station will probably look like a pigsty by Monday."

*

Tyler was half-asleep on the booth's table, one of his hands were tilting up his phone, his thumb scrolling up as he ignored the other body on the left side of him.

"Didn't know Tyler was bringing asshat with him," Asher whispered beneath his breath after they entered Reilly's; Rina unbuttoned her soaked coat to reveal an equally heavy sweater beneath it as she agreed.

They didn't hate Elijah just because he was an asshole- it was just, it was extremely hard to ignore the fact that he was a freaking asshole. Tyler's older brother was three years their senior and thought that meant he had the right to treat them like nothing but blathering toddlers.

"Hey," Asher began as he slid into the booth before Rina could. She shot him a thankful glance for his sacrifice to sit voluntarily in front of Elijah without complaint.

Elijah, who wasn't going to be twenty-one for another three weeks, nursed a Budlight in his right hand. Reilly's had a code- if they don't ask for a license, you're twenty-one. If they ask for a license, you're still twenty-one. Business was business. But mommas dragging their teenagers by their bright red-ears to Reilly's was a big enough threat for any teenager to stay sober.

"Morning, hotties," Tyler said, smiling at his two friends before shooting a glance at his older brother. He was awkwardly trying to keep the mood happy, but Asher still glared at Elijah, who occupied the seat that was always meant for Tommy. "Sorry that this idiot tagged along- mom's freaked out- convinced some kind of monster is out to get everyone."

"Understandable," Asher replied, as he watched Elijah from the top of his menu. He was sitting back, staring at him as Asher pretended like he wasn't monitoring the older man for his next move. Asher, who acknowledged the fact that he knew Elijah was staring with a raise of his eyebrows, didn't manage to scare off the elder of the brothers. He kept his icy gray stare on the young Bravermen.

"Kids at the game last night?" Elijah asked, calling them kids as if they were hardly twelve and not high school seniors.

"I'm sure you heard the story, Eli, we don't want to recap it for you," Rina told him through gritted teeth. She was gripping the edge of her menu in a ceasing-circulation grasp, but her eyes were on Elijah.

"Your mom isn't releasing any names," he pressed. "Why not? Sounds kind of suspicious, 'least to me."

Asher actually rolled his eyes, his feet angrily tapping beneath the table as his thighs hummed with the echo of it. Because he was the Sheriff's kid, everyone always assumed he knew anything and everything about the town. And- because most of the time he didn't- he had to shake his head and say between gritted teeth it was confidential- which meant his mother wouldn't waste her breath sharing private files and cases with her teenage son.

"Probably because you can't release minors' names to the public," Asher told him with his jaw clenching at the accusations of his mom being anything but good to this town and its citizens.

The waitress, Connie, swings by their table, taking down their drink orders in the tension-filled atmosphere. The teenagers are all holding their breaths, Elijah only tips up the corner of his bottle and asks for a bottle of water to wash down the early morning alcohol.

"They released Tommy's name," Elijah says, after Connie leaves. He stares down at Asher with his fingers resting on the rim of his bottle, it's like he's trying to taunt Asher with his cool smile. "Why not the other kids'?"

"Because," Rina took the floor, she didn't bother to look at Elijah- didn't want to waste both her breath and attention to the mindless annoyance, "he's a missing person, and you can't find someone if you don't know who you're looking for."

"So no one was snapped up by these mysterious beasts?" He asked in a loud voice- Asher watched as Tyler sunk deeper into his seat, hiding his face with the tattered menu because God- his brother was an ass. "Or is your momma still trying to sell the ticket that the thing that tied two metal gates together as man?"

Asher gritted his teeth. He wasn't in the mood to get harassed by Elijah. "My mother is only going to release to the public what she deems appropriate. This isn't a need-to-know, man. Whatever was corralling us-"

"So you admit it wasn't a human?"

"Whoever was there- they're going to get caught," Asher continued on, not skipping a beat. He's bending over the table, glaring at Elijah. "And people like you- they aren't helping shit by stirring up rumors about my mom, I don't know anything. I'm in the dark as much as you. Don't ask me if they're human, or not. Don't ask me what I saw, or what I heard, or how it smelled, or what it looked like."

"Asher," Rina's voice comes out of the blue, "let his arm go."

He blinked- his eyes lined up to where Rina had instructed- his knuckles were chalky white from the grasp on Elijah's forearm. Five crescent moons burn crevices into the man's freckled skin as Asher pulls away, breathing hard as he mutters a sorry beneath his breath.

"Man," Elijah whispered, his fingers went to cup his peeled skin. "Calm down."

"No," Asher scolded back, his eyes blinking fast as he took in a deep breath. Asshole. God, he was such a nosey asshole- just like the rest of this town. "No," he repeated again, standing up from the booth with watery eyes. "Fuck no."

*

The entire boundary line of the forest is asunder with yellow tape, marking spots where an officer or volunteer are standing in rain-ponchos or umbrellas to try and avoid the rain. There hasn't been a search for anyone for years, Asher hardly remembers what it looks like to see the entire community coming together for days that aren't Friday or Sunday.

Rina pulls up to the football stadium, where at least a hundred cars have been lined up since last night in trying to help their lost star. Asher watches as news crews are being denied by Officer Dawna, she may have a sweet smile, but no amount of bribing to let in Channel 8 or Channel 2 did any good. When they had drove to the entry gate, she had smiled, asked Rina how her momma was doing and gave Asher a sad smile and a wink to think about.

The two teenagers were almost antsy to scramble out of the Ford, Asher grabbed for the black umbrella in the back seat, and Rina closed her front door just in time to sliver out of a knick from Tyler, who pulled up with Elijah's bitter ass in secondhand truck.

"Your mother going to let us actually look?" Tyler asked, he zipped up his brown jacket to his chin and shook out his damp hair as Asher left room underneath the umbrella for just one more.

"No," Asher told his friend, biting his bottom lip as he thought up a plan. His mother specifically told him to go anywhere save for the search, but did she really expect him to? He was just as stubborn as Ashlynn, if not more, whatever he had faced in the woods last night wasn't going to cease him from his search of Tommy. The first forty-eight hours were almost priceless, but condensed. He had already wasted twelve sleeping. "But Officer Andre'll let us."

The entire stadium was full of white canopies, plastic sheets draped over the side to keep the rain out as officers- too many to be the small police force of Hollow Grove- were laying out maps, highlighting areas of the woods with different markers.

Asher tucked his hood closer to his face as he passed the only black tent in the entire field- if the feds weren't here, it was likely that his mother was setting up her temporary office in the canopy for the next day. The trio of teenagers huddled together beneath the umbrella as Elijah muttered behind them in his blue poncho- something about them leaving no room for him underneath the umbrella on purpose. (He was right).

People that haven't left their homes in years have seemed to crawl out of their dens to come and witness the commotion of the town; out-of-towners were spotting the entire field in mild confusion of where to go, until an officer grabbed them to be divided into a search party.

Asher pushed through the herds of people, Rina and Tyler following close behind, as they finally found Officer Andre. He was stationed at the mouth of the woods, the same open vein of forest that Asher had trampled through last night- if the rain hadn't washed it away, footprints that matched up to his sneakers would be embossed in the mud.

"Andre," Asher ran to the youngest man on the police force in Hollow Grove. He happened to be hardly over six feet, crossing his arms underneath his rain poncho as he stared at the ensemble that herded themselves to him. "How you doing, man?"

Officer Andre gave one look at the feigning-innocent faces of the quartet; he huffed. "I'm thirty-two years old, I'm getting too old for your tactics," he told Asher with a shaking, bald head.

"Andre, c'mon, I know half of the high school is out there, right now- as we speak, searching for Tommy- and they ain't even got a damn clue where to look, but us?" Asher took a step to the man that's closer to him than his actual brother John. Andre was a close family friend, he had Asher's back- but unfortunately, he had Ashlynn's before her teenage son's. "We know every single weed in that forest- what do you think we did in middle school? Before we could go to Chandler Road, huh?"

"Sheriff told me not to allow you anywhere near the search- specifically you and Ms. Prescott," Andre looked from the two of them with a stiff lip, as if he was trying to decide if he should give them the right of passage.

"C'mon, Andre, swear I'll keep 'em out of trouble," Tyler said, hooking his arms around his two friends as Elijah grumbled a 'me too'.

"And we'll stay close," Rina added, her big brown eyes blinking up at Andre- which was a merciless move, Rina had the gift of turning anyone malleable underneath her puppy gaze. "We just want to help, s'all."

Officer Andre studied them before shaking his head. "No, Sheriff Bravermen said to keep you two out. And, quite frankly, what we're dealing with- whatever it is, I don't want you kids getting hurt. Tyler, Elijah, y'all are welcome to search- but," Andre turned to Asher and Rina, eyes becoming level with theirs as he knitted his eyebrows into a concerned expression. "Whatever this is, it might have something to do with July Night, and I definitely don't want to see you kids hurt. Again."

Asher sighed, of course his mother had specifically targeted them to keep out of it. "But Andre-"

"No, both of you get out of here unless you want mama Bravermen seeing you. If you think you're getting an earful now, wait until Sheriff finds out- if I tell her," the officer rose one of his brows at the end of his words- as in end-of-discussion.

"Don't tell mom, c'mon, Andre- I wouldn't even stoop that low," Asher begged.

"I won't- s'long as you two get out of here, right now," Andre threatened lightly, and for some reason- he didn't look ridiculous in his rain poncho, but almost daunting as Rina and Asher nodded their head in agreement. They turned on their heels, mud digging into the soles of their shoes as Tyler stayed behind, stuck to Elijah who grinned and waved at the two fleeting teenagers.

"This sucks," Rina whispered; her hand slipped between Asher's arm, as she leaned her head on her close friend's shoulder. "All we wanted to do was help, and now we're just useless and soaked."

The young Bravermen tucked the umbrella tighter to the two of them. He could see their breath, each time they huffed in the cold air, two puffs of carbon dioxide diffused in front of them, tickling their noses before running thin into the air. "We can always just go to my house, dad probably has warm hot chocolate ready- if I'm being honest."

Rina considered it, biting her bottom lip in though. Her berry lipstick hardly smeared as she traced her mouth with her worrying teeth. "We can regroup there- Chrissy and Oliver are coming soon aren't they?" They walked through the crowds of people on the field, Rina sticking to Asher like glue as they both shivered from the freezing rain.

"Tomorrow night," Asher filled in. "Come to dinner, my mom won't mind, and they'll be happy to see you- plus, don't make me suffer a Sunday night dinner alone with John."

"Oh," Rina grins, a huff of fog surfacing from her lips. "You sure know how to sell a deal, darling."

"Rina," except when it escapes from Asher's lips it comes out as a loud whine. He yanks on her arm as he draws her into him, grinning. "Don't force me to fend for myself! There are only so many hours I can survive without your lust for my making a fool out of myself!" They were only a few cars from Rina's Ford Focus- at least, they think. Asher can't actually tell- the rain is pouring down, disfiguring everything in his line of vision.

"When you put it that way," the girl curls a finger through her afro of curls, her pearly whites showing through her dark lipstick as she pretends to think. The gravel of the parking lot crunched beneath their shoes while they swayed beneath the pounding sheet of rain. "I will see what I can d-"

They both fell silent.

Thane Hale stood in gravel, an umbrella over his head as he leaned his back on the driver's door of Rina's Ford. He was dressed in an unholy ensemble of a shirt and jeans, so freakin' tight they seemed to be painted on. He wasn't wearing a coat, perhaps the only source of warmth for the handsome man happened to be the leather jacket he had forced on Asher last night.

He leveled his blue eyes with Asher, and the teenager felt his breath leave him. Thane's gaze tracked up from the tips of Asher's muddy shoes to the top of the last hair on his head- obviously searching for something on the boy.

"The jacket?" Thane asked, his arms crossing as he stared at the youngest Bravermen.

The feeling that bubbled deep within Asher resembled something close to stealing cookies from the jar and being caught. He felt like he had just let down his mom- or, he could hardly bare to think of it, but it was the only thing he could compare it to- his dad.

And he had no idea why.

AN
This was boring and long and I'm sorry.
If you look closely, everything sorta makes sense and connects.