Insight

Eve's meeting the next day was hours away. Seven hours there and back, to be precise. She hated lying and she wasn't very good at it, as Flint always reminded her. Still, she had to get away without suspicion. Eve claimed she had to place a pup for Stardust Hope and she wouldn't be back until the night. Flint accepted this, though he didn't like it.

Lynn drove as Eve listened to the radio. Her favorite song was playing as they arrived at their destination. It felt ironic and somehow perfect at the same time. The lyrics of the song "Hold Me Down" by Halsey washed over her, as the cabin came into sight. The land had been cleared of all the tents and trucks. Still, Eve recognized it immediately.

The Luna flipped off the radio as the song faded away. She took a deep breath, before turning to Lynn with an unreadable expression.

"Stay here. No matter what, understand?" Eve spoke in a firm tone.

"Yes, Luna. But... Why are we here?" She asked quietly.

"I told you this is a top level security mission. You don't like hiding things from Flint..." She reasoned. "So the less you know, the better. When we get back to Green Tree, you'll have to forget this trip anyway."

Eve climbed out of the car and walked around to yard, to the back deck. The grass was up to her thighs, as if no one had been maintaining the land. No repairs had been made to anything, only the doors had been replaced. There were several large tarps on the roof, though it was still misshaped.

The Luna looked around and noted that no one had come to meet her. She turned back to the deck, stepping decisively onto it. Her eyes were drawn to the place where Bastian had died. Her neck felt sore. She touched it, hoping it stop the static from coursing through her. Thankfully, none came.

She stepped forward as if in a trance and ran her hand over the stained, broken wood. She felt so close to this moment, while being a lifetime away from it. Eve took a steadying breath before going to the door. She turned the knob, but it was locked. She didn't hesitate to break the knob in her hand and push the threshold open.

The debris had been cleaned, but none of the inside had been restored. The empty space was stained with soot and blood. Sheets of plywood had been used to board up the holes made from Selena's bombs. The furniture had been removed, though Eve remembered everything so clearly. She stepped over the place where Darren's body had been.

Eve looked up the ominous, broken staircase. She forced herself to take the steps needed to climb it. Something about being in this place again, made Eve feel like she had when she'd stayed there. Alone. Lost. Out of control. She stepped up to her bedroom door and pushed it open.

The bed was mussed and the furniture was covered in dust. The bed Bastian had made for her. The crib he'd gotten so he could keep her and the pup there forever. She sighed a shaky breath as she noted the way the floor boards were bowed and split. This must have happened just after she'd escaped.

Eve turned around to go back downstairs, but she hesitated. She walked to the room beside hers and turned the knob. It was locked. She rolled her eyes, before kicking it open. The sight in front of her made her freeze in place. She had never seen this place before, but she instantly knew where she found herself. Bastian's room.

Articles, research, papers, notes... The walls were covered. Pictures of Eve, Flint, and the StarLight pack were spread throughout the space. There was a flat, small mattress roll in the corner. It was the only furniture to be seen. She hesitantly stepped inside, ducking under a line of yarn that ran from one wall to the other.

The scent that washed over her was stale, but still oh-so familiar. The smell of bitter autumn leaves and tree bark. She had tried for so long to rid the scent from her mind, but just like its owner; it haunted her. Eve's arms became instantly covered in goosebumps. She saw a small stack of papers in the center of the room. Apparently, the StarLight searches had deemed them unworthy to take.

Eve knelt to go through them. The handwriting was small but legible. She saw a few old notes on Flint's training program and Elijah's strategic plans for that time. Eve found something else there that made her gasp. It was a photo.

Eve was smiling beside Onyx in front of the large bonfire. Bastian had an arm around each of their shoulders as the rest of the Shadow pack squeezed in around them. Bastian had a genuine smile on his face and the sight of it caused a pang in Eve's chest. She tucked the image into her pocket. before laying back on the floor.

She stared up at the ceiling which was also covered with documents and images. The yarn that streaked frequently across the space grabbed her attention. It almost looked like a pattern. She scooted up a bit, then a bit more. When her head rested on the bedroll, an visage came into view.

Eve. Through the strings, with the help of paperclips and notes on the yarn, Bastian had somehow made her face. The Luna felt her eyes burning as she saw the darker lines outlining her eyes and lips. It could have been an amazingly clever piece of art, but instead it felt more like a shrine. Not to her, but to the life Bastian had imagined for himself.

Eve sat up and wiped her cheeks. She had seen enough. More than enough. The Luna stood and walked to the threshold just as she heard a car door close outside. Eve headed downstairs and onto the back deck. She saw a brown haired woman standing in the field by the trees. She seemed to be staring at the ground, but Eve knew better.

She walked up to her as something came into sight. A gravestone Eve had never seen before, but one she'd commissioned. It was flat and small with the engraving of a wolf's profile.

It looked nearly like the StarLight crest, accept this image was snarling. Beneath the picture read the name Bastian Anthony Anderson. Eve didn't speak to the woman, she simply came to stand beside her.

"You came." She stated without ever looking at Eve.

"You asked me to." The Luna replied easily.