woke up at the same time the next morning. It was early in the day, so early that the city of New Orleans was still shrouded in darkness, but the twin girls were startled awake, their dreams having been turned to nightmares.

Mercy shot upwards in the bed, immediately turning her head to the side to see that Hope was awake as well, her eyes wide and frightened as they met Mercy's. The twins grabbed each other's hands on instinct, too afraid of what was coming.

"It's here," Hope whispered lowly, and Mercy nodded her head, frightened of how the Hollow was able to be here. She thought she fixed the problem, but obviously the Hollow had outside forces helping it along.

Mercy met Hope's blue eyes with her own hazel ones. "The Hollow is here."

The twins couldn't fall asleep after their nightmare, especially when the compound looked like a shadow house full of monsters at every corner. The room they were sleeping in was no better, seeming to have been trashed some years ago and becoming a beacon for nightmares.

Mercy turned to Hope as they laid back down, still holding her sister's hand tightly. "Hope..." she trailed off, her voice quiet in the silence of the house. "Do you think we'll make it out of this okay?"

Hope's eyes crinkled, obviously confused by Mercy's train of thought. "Dad thinks so," she responded.

"What do you think?"

Hope paused, brushing a few strands of her auburn hair out of her face. "I think...we'll be okay. We have to be," she concluded. Mercy shook her head.

"What if we're not?" She asked, her hazel eyes filled with worry. "I tried to do a spell to stop the Hollow, at least for a little while, but it got here anyway. It's strong...what if we're not stronger?"

Hope sat up, and Mercy followed, the comforter wrapped around them falling to their laps. The twins shifted into criss-crossed positions, facing each other as they spoke of things that they shouldn't know about at such a young age. The girls knew that they would grow up quickly; that was just the way their family worked.

They had accepted it by now.

"Are you saying we could lose?" Hope asked, a crack in her voice signaling that she was obviously upset.

Mercy shook her head quickly, trying to calm her sister down. "No, not at all," she reiterated her words. "But I think we need to understand what happens if we do. We just got Dad back...but I don't think he's going to stay."

Hope recoiled from Mercy's touch, shaking her head vehemently. "No," she refused, her eyes stone cold. "No, he can't leave. He needs to stay."

Mercy hesitated in her response, and that was when the two of them heard a soft knock at the threshold of their room. The girls turned at the sound and were greeted by the sight of their mother.

"Hey," Hayley said softly with a smile, instantly calming both of her daughters down as they shot each other a look that read: We'll talk about this later.

"Hi Mom," Mercy responded without missing a beat, giving her mother a sparkling grin. Hayley entered the room and came to sit on the bed with her daughters, happy that they were both safe, at least for now.

"What are you two talking about?" Hayley asked curiously, and Hope looked to Mercy as the younger twin responded easily.

"Hope was telling me about the beignets that Dad promised us when she gets better," she explained, remembering the conversation that the twins had last night. Mercy gestured to Hope as she shook her hands sarcastically. "She's better!"

Hayley laughed at her daughter's antics, shaking her head. "Okay well the beignets will have to wait," she said, causing Mercy to groan loudly. "We're actually going to go to the bayou today."

Mercy perked up at that, looking to her mother in excitement. "Does that mean I can see Noah?"

Hayley thought about it for a moment. "Maybe," she finally concluded with a knowing smile. "But get ready, we're going to leave soon."

The twins followed their mother's orders, the two chatting away about the bayou with Mercy telling Hope all about her stay there. She told her wide-eyed twin about her encounter with the wolves, as well as how she made a new friend.

As she talked, Mercy didn't notice her hand holding the small stone Noah had given her. She remembered placing it under her pillow when she got home last night, but she didn't remember absentmindedly sliding it into her palm as she talked to Hope about him. It shifted back and forth in her grasp, Mercy looking off to the distance as she described him.

Hope watched with a sly smirk slowly crawling on her face. It wasn't a second later when she exaggeratedly gasped, snapping Mercy out of her faraway gaze. "You've got a crush!" Hope exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at her twin. Mercy's face lit up in embarrassment as she looked down, shaking her head. She slipped the stone into her pocket quickly.

"No, I don't," she refused, but Hope's smirk only grew.

"Oh you've got it bad," she replied, and Mercy glared at her auburn haired twin. But, a moment later, the two burst into a fit of giggles.

Just as Mercy was throwing her tangled hair into a loose ponytail, she sighed, turning from the mirror to look at her sister, who was already ready to go. "He's just a friend," Mercy finally said, a sad tone in her voice. "It's not like we would be staying here long enough for it to even be a crush, let alone anything more."

Hope was quiet at her words, and after a second of silence, the younger twin decided to turn around and meet their mother downstairs, knowing that Hope would follow soon after.

She let her mind wander as her mom was getting everything ready to leave. She unconsciously rubbed her fingertips over the stone in the pocket of her jeans, wondering if what she felt for the boy was reciprocated. She pulled her flannel closer to her, shaking the bizarre thought away as she let go of the stone in her pocket, crossing her arms over her chest.

When it was finally time to leave, Mercy and Hope said bye to their father, who had decided he would be staying in the city for now. Then came the car ride, where Hayley filled the silence of the car with stories of her time in the bayou, making Hope excited for the new adventure. Uncle Elijah had decided to tag along as well, and sat in the passenger seat while the twins sat in the back.

Mercy stared out the window most of the drive, watching as the pavement from the city slowly transformed into grass and moss, trees overtaking the skyline instead of the buildings. She was fascinated by the change, and she could feel a sense of relaxation come when they were near the bayou. Ever since the wolf ancestors had contacted her, she's felt this longing to be in the woods, and she knew it probably had to do with the fact that she was the lou gèrye, but it still felt strange nonetheless. Despite this new feeling, she tried to focus on her excitement to be back in the bayou and to maybe even see Noah.

When the car finally parked, she got out immediately, breathing in the scents all around her and feeling like she was home, even though she had apparently just left it.

Hope got out of the car right after her, having a green backpack slung around her shoulders that contained both Hope's and Mercy's clothes, since they were going to stay the night out in the bayou. Mercy didn't have any complaints about the impromptu sleepover; she was just happy to be back in her element.

A grin spread onto her face, but before she could act on her usual mischief, her mom came to stand in front of her, blocking the path to the trees. Mercy looked up in a little bit of confusion, uncertain why Hayley was looking at her in concern.

Her mom bent down so that they were at an even eye level, and the little girl tilted her head. "What's up?" She asked, popping the 'p' at the end, which made her mom smile. Mercy noticed that Elijah was talking to Hope at the front of the car, leading her twin away a little so that they did not overhear Hayley's words. Mercy only grew more confused at this.

Noticing the emotion on the girl's face, Hayley sighed, brushing a few messy strands of hair away from her daughter's eyes. "So," she began hesitantly. "I realize that we haven't talked about what you're feeling about everything that's happened."

Mercy realized that her mother was referencing all the sudden changes in such a short amount of time. More specifically, she was talking about Mercy's role in the werewolf community, a role that even the little girl wasn't confident in becoming.

"Yea," the girl responded, shrugging her shoulders. "I mean... I don't really know what I think about it yet. I feel like I love the bayou a lot more now, and my connection to nature has grown—I can feel that—but other than those things, I feel like everything is still pretty normal." She tried explaining what she felt, but it sounded like her words came up short of what she was trying to accomplish.

"Understandable," Hayley nodded, her lips twitching slightly before they settled back in the serious expression. "Mercy...I know you've always loved this side of yourself, but the reality is harsher than you think," she explained, her eyes boring into her daughter's. "And I need to tell you that so you don't rush into anything you don't want."

Mercy grew puzzled at the end of Hayley's short speech, and shook her head slightly. "Rush into what?" She questioned bluntly, but her mother only sighed.

"I just don't want you to rush into growing up," Hayley reformed her words, and Mercy felt like she understood better, nodding her head. Hayley grabbed her daughter's small hand in her own, rubbing circles there to calm herself more than to calm Mercy. "I want you to love being a kid, and I don't want all this responsibility to stop you from having fun."

Mercy smirked at that, a look that reminded Hayley so much of Klaus that it almost startled her. "Oh, I'll never stop having fun," she promised, and Hayley laughed at the impish look dancing in Mercy's eyes.

"Good, let's keep it that way, okay?" Hayley finished, and after Mercy nodded, Hayley stood up fully. Their hands were still connected, and they walked somewhat quickly to catch up with Elijah and Hope.

Once Mercy saw Hope a little ways in front of her—picking the flowers that were sprouting up in the tufts of grass—the smirk from earlier returned. She slipped her hand out of her mother's, walking stealthily past Elijah, who looked at her with a mixture of fondness and bemusement.

Hope, not expecting anything, was startled with a loud scream as Mercy jumped in front of her, hands raised in an animal sort of fashion as she roared. Laughing at Hope's bewildered eyes, the younger twin slapped her hand onto Hope's arm before running away, calling over her shoulder, "You're it!"

Wanting revenge, Hope chased after Mercy, and the twins could hear Hayley and Elijah laughing softly to themselves at the children's actions.

Mercy weaved in and out of the trees, hearing Hope shout in annoyance behind her, knowing that Mercy was much faster than her. "Hey! No fair!" Hope whined, and Mercy giggled at the exclamation.

She turned her head slightly to say something back, but she found herself tripping over a branch. With Hope catching up and being as close as she was, Mercy instinctively grabbed onto her arm for balance, but only succeeded in bringing the both of them down to the ground.

They immediately burst into loud, somewhat obnoxious laughter, the sisters feeling much better than this morning after their nightmare. They felt a lot more carefree, and Mercy enjoyed the time spent with her twin. She felt that they were already so different, but it was times like these that made her realize just how close she and Hope truly were.

Seeing Mary's cabin only a few feet away, Mercy elbowed Hope in the gut, feeling her twin slap Mercy's arm away. The younger sister rolled her eyes and climbed to her feet, grabbing Hope's hand and helping her up as well. Hayley and Elijah were right behind them, sharing a moment that Mercy immediately looked away at. Even though Hope found it fine, Mercy was always a little confused as to why her mom and her uncle were infatuated with each other more than her mom and her dad.

She chalked it up to a lot of family drama.

Hope knocked politely on the door, and not even a second later, it opened, revealing Mary behind the wood. The twins both smiled at their grandma with identical grins.

"Grandma Mary!" They greeted in unison, and Mary opened her arms out for the girls to run into. Mercy smiled as she smelled the lavender perfume in her grandma's clothes.

"Well, hello sweethearts!" Her raspy voice breathed out as the girls hugged her. Mercy looked up at the soft face of her grandma, but her features slowly hardened as she caught sight of her mom and Elijah. Mercy's eyebrows furrowed together at the sudden change of persona, but Hope didn't seem to notice.

"I picked you some flowers!" She told Mary excitedly as the twins pulled away, and Mercy watched her sister brandish the bouquet in her hand.

"Darlings, why don't you run on inside? I need to talk to your mama." Mary told them both, a strained smile on her face that Hope still didn't seem to notice. Despite knowing that something was wrong, Mercy shrugged it off, remembering the conversation her mother just had with her. She didn't need to worry about adult stuff right now.

Mercy watched as her sister shrugged the backpack off her shoulders, hearing their mom and Mary speaking in hushed tones. Mercy tried her best to ignore it, deciding to instead think about Noah.

She wondered if she would see him again, and whether or not he knew she was back in the bayou. There was no way for him to know, she realized, and she felt herself deflate at the thought.

However, before she could dwell too much on it, she heard her mother's voice calling her from the doorway.

"Mercy," she yelled, a hint of amusement in her voice. "Someone's here to see you."

Confused and yet excited, Mercy walked to the door, trying to fix her hair slightly since it was currently a mess. Halfway to the door though, she gave up, and let her hands flop to her sides before looking out between her mom and her grandma.

Her eyes widened and a smile materialized on her face when she saw Noah standing there, looking equally happy to see her. He wore plain jeans and a white t-shirt, his hair falling over his forehead. His hands were stuffed into the pockets of his jeans, and she saw that he wore brown boots on his feet.

"Noah!" She exclaimed, shaking her head as she stepped past her mom, closer to the boy. "What are you doing here?"

He shrugged his shoulders, an action that would've looked awkward for her but looked completely natural on him. "I was going to ask Mary when she thought you would be back," he told her honestly before his face suddenly reddened and he scratched the back of his neck nervously. "I didn't think you were gonna be here."

Her grin broadened if that was even possible. She didn't know it, but both Hayley and Mary were smiling at the sight of the kids, knowing something that the younger ones obviously did not.

"Well I'm here," she told him. "At least for the night. Do you...wanna come in? If that's okay with you, Grandma Mary?" Mercy aimed the end of her words toward the older woman, who was already nodding.

"I've no problem with it," she responded, and Mercy turned back to Noah, who looked disheartened.

"I can't," he sighed, and Mercy's smile fell at the words, suddenly feeling sad that he couldn't. She didn't understand why, especially when she had barely met him, but when she saw him standing outside of the house, she felt some part of her want him to stay. She watched as he jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "I have to get back to my uncle," he told her before his face lit up with an idea. "You can come with if you want? My uncle is actually the one that is better at making that necklace I was talking about before."

Excitement filled in Mercy's chest, where her heart hid behind her lungs, and she turned to look up at Hayley, her eyes pleading.

"Can I?" She asked innocently, but Hayley bit her lower lip, evidently uncertain. "Uncle Elijah can come with me?" Mercy offered, and her mother was silent for a second, probably the longest second in the little girl's life, before she slowly nodded.

"I don't see a problem with that," she answered, and the two kids looked to each other with a thumbs-up. Hayley laughed at the sight. "As long as Elijah goes with you, okay?"

"Okay! Thank you!" Mercy said joyously, hopping up and down before hugging her mom tightly. Hayley smiled, wrapping her arms back around Mercy and kissing the top of her head.

When Mercy pulled away, Hayley kept her hands on the girl's shoulders. "Be back before dark," she said with a firm voice, her eyes wide to make sure Mercy understood.

The girl agreed without hesitation. "You got it," she told her, turning to Noah with enthusiasm. "Let me go say bye to my sister really quick."

The boy nodded as Mercy whirled around and ran back to where Hope was sitting on the couch, a sketchbook already laid out in front of her. Mercy wouldn't have suspected anything less from her twin sister.

Hope looked up in surprise as Mercy threw her arms around her in a hug. "I'll be back later, Twin," she said, pulling back as Hope tilted her head in obvious confusion. "I'm going to go hang out with Noah."

Hope's expression shifted instantaneously, and a smirk that showed just how much the girls were related was climbing over her lips. She raised a single eyebrow. "So...like a date?" Her voice sounded like it was on the verge of saying: I told ya you liked him.

Mercy huffed. "Let me get back to you afterwards," she told her, her eyes sparkling with mischief and another, unfamiliar emotion.

Hope hummed and watched as Mercy turned on her heel and headed back out of the cabin, rushing past her mom and grandma. She stopped in front of Noah, but rotated quickly to wave back at her mother. She waited to see Hayley reciprocate the action before dropping her arm.

She turned back around to find that Uncle Elijah already stood behind Noah; apparently, he was ready to go, even when wearing his suit.

There was an uncomfortable look on Noah's face, and Mercy cringed when she pondered what her uncle could have been talking to him about.

But, nobody said anything, and Noah grinned in her direction. He started walking toward the right of where they stood and Mercy smiled to herself, trying to appear cool as she stuffed her hands into her jean pockets.