Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

      It was 1:30 AM on a blustery Tuesday. Most of the residents of Amnesty Lodge were tucked away in their rooms, aside from Barclay reading a book by the dim light of the fireplace, and Mama cleaning behind the bar. Evidence of the guests lay strewn about the living room; a few used coffee mugs, some old newspapers, a girly teen magazine that Dani swears isn’t hers, but Mama hasn’t seen anyone else reading it. Sure, it was a bit of mess, but that’s the price of creating a home. That being said, Mama relished these quiet nights where she could get her work done in peace.

     Her peace and quiet was disturbed, however, when the front door burst open, and two figures entered. Barclay looked up from his book suspiciously, but said nothing. Mama glanced over to find a middle aged man with a tired face and a scruffy goatee, followed closely by an equally exhausted teenage boy carrying what looked like at least two peoples’ worth of luggage and a skateboard. Mama sighed. It wasn’t that she hated outsiders, or earthlings, but they certainly weren’t the intended guests of Amnesty lodge. Even so, there wasn’t much she could do to get rid of them without raising suspicion.

      “Evenin’ weary travelers, how can I help y’all?” She greeted as warmly as possible, moving behind the counter.

      “Just a room, cheapest ya got.” the older man replied.

      “Alright… room 204 is open, just one bed, but there’s a pull away, is that alright?” she grabbed a key from under the counter and placed it on top. The man quickly scooped it up and headed towards the room.

      “Sure. Fine. I’m gonna hit the hay, haven’t slept in days,” He tossed his wallet to the boy standing next to the counter, “You got this Jake.” The wallet bounced off Jake’s head and landed on the floor. He sighed, put the luggage down and picked it up.

      “Actually, we prefer the cardholder to complete the transaction!” Mama called after him.

      “The kid’s got it covered,” the man snapped, “quit bitchin’ and let me sleep!” Barclay got up and began to approach the man, but Mama cut him off.

      “Don’t worry about it Barclay, we’ve got bigger things to concern ourselves with.”

      “If you insist, Mama,” he replied, but sat down a bit closer to keep an eye on the situation in case it escalated.

      “Sorry ‘bout that ma’am,” Jake said sheepishly, handing a credit card over. The boy had messy blonde hair that went just past his chin, tired blue eyes, and windbreaker splashed with neon pink and green. Mama thought it looked like it was designed by a early nineties energy drink company, but the boy was polite enough so she didn’t bring up this observation.

      “Your daddy seems like a nice fella,” She observed instead.

      “Vic ain’t my daddy,” Jake replied flatly. Mama arched an eyebrow at him, questioning, but Jake quickly corrected himself, “My uncle! He’s my uncle. We travel together.”

      “Okay,” Mama replied suspiciously, “Just let me know if you need anything, will ya?”

      “Will do,” Jake flashed a big crooked grin, “keep it real!” And with that, he picked up all of his and Vic’s bags, and retired to his room for the night. Mama looked after him until the door to room 204 was shut, then looked down at the signature on the form he had left that read: Jake Coolice.

      Mama and Barclay didn’t see sign of the two travelers until the next day. Vic, as Jake had called him, left before anyone but Mama was awake. A few hours later, around eleven, Jake came out of the room, looking far more energized and cheerful than he had the night before. Mama had warned the other Amnesty residents beforehand that there were outsiders staying a few nights, so they gave him space, watching curiously from a distance. Jake smiled at Dani and Moira, who sat on chairs in front of the fire, and quickly turned away. He shrugged and sat at the bar that Barclay was tending while surfing the web.

      “Mornin’ sir, I’ll have a gin and tonic, on the rocks, make it a double!” Jake ordered confidently. Barclay stared blankly.

      “What did you say your name was?”

      “Jake. Jake Coolice.”

      “And how old did you say you were?”

      Jake blushed but flashed a sheepish grin,

      “Sixteen?”

      “Uh-huh. How ‘bout a hot chocolate?” Barclay responded kindly.

      “That’d be rad,” he said. Barclay handed him a mug, and Jake thanked him.

      “So how’s your stay been so far, Jake?” Barclay asked.

      “It’s been stellar!” Jake replied with glee, “Got a nice room, good atmosphere, hot chocolate, I’m having the time of my life!” Barclay looked at him a bit confused. The kid was being so enthusiastic he almost seemed sarcastic, but his joy seemed genuine.

      “You don’t get out much, do ya Jake?” Barclay asked. Jake looked down at the counter for a second.

      “Yeah, well you know how it is… Hey, I never asked you your name?” He changed the subject, which Barclay observed but respected.

      “It’s Barclay.”

      “How do you like bartending at the hotel Barclay?”

      “Oh I like it fine. You know, it’s not my only job here, I do whatever Mama tells me to do.”

      "I know how that is. You like working with your mom?”

      “My— oh no, she’s not my real mama, she just takes on that role for everyone in the Lodge. We all call her Mama.”

      “She seems like a good lady,” Jake said as he finished doff his drink, “runs a fine establishment.” As he said this, the front door to the lodge slammed open. All of the Amnesty patrons stopped what they were doing to look over at Vic, who scanned the lobby of the lodge, and scowled seeing Jake sitting at the bar.

      "Uh-oh." Jake whispered, and scrambled off his tool, making a break for his hotel room. Before he got past the bar, the older man stalked over to him and grabbed him firmly by the arm. He whispered a harsh but quiet something in Jake's ear. “I know, I know, I’m sorry!” Jake replied frantically.

      “Sir, it was just hot chocolate,” Barclay cut in, not wanting to be the reason Jake got in trouble.

      “Do I look like I’m talkin’ to you?” the man replied. He didn't relent his hold on Jake's arm. Another gruff whisper.

      “Okay. Yeah, Okay,” Jake replied as he followed Vic to their room, “Hey, thanks for the drink Barclay, see you around.”

      “Take care Jake,” Barclay called after him. Mama walked over to the bar to join Barclay.

      “What was that all about?” she asked him.

      “I don’t know. I don’t trust that Vic at all.”

      And they watched them leave until the door to room 204 was slammed shut.

      About a half an hour later, the two strangers left the room again. They walked quickly to avoid conversation; Vic’s eyes straight ahead, Jake’s on the floor.

      They returned just after dark, exact same posture, but Mama couldn’t help but notice Jake was shaking as he sped back to his room for the night.

      The next few days went similarly to the previous one: Vic left early in the morning, and a bit later Jake emerged to socialize with the Amnesty residents. He spent them talking to Barclay, or Mama. But he always went back to his room when he saw Vic’s truck return to the parking lot. Every day after Vic returned, he and Jake would leave the lodge together, and return together the same night.

      One morning, Dani was sitting next to a window watching the snow fall. Jake silently sat next to her on the window seat, hot chocolate in hand. She looked over at him, but he didn't say anything.

     "Hey," She greeted after what she found to be too long a silence.

     "Hey!" he replied, "You're Dani, right?"

      "How do you know that?"

      "Barclay told me."

      "Did he tell you I'm gay?" 

     "Uh, he didn't bring it up, no."

     "I'd just rather you didn't hit on me."

     "Oh!" Jake's ears turned pink "No I wasn't tryin' to--"

      "You weren't?--"

      "No I was just--"

     "Shit I thought, since you were sitting over here--"

     "No I was just-- I'm sorry,"

      "No, I'm sorry."

      They sat in an awkward silence for a moment.

      "I'm Jake," He decided to break the tension.

      "Dani. You already know that." She nodded at him.

      "The view of the snow is beautiful here," he said, looking back out the window.

      "I love it. Reminds me of home," Dani replied.

      "Me too." Jake sighed. Dani looked over at him curiously.

      "Where'r you from, Jake?" She asked.

      "Pretty far from here. I've been traveling a lot lately. The powder's great around here though!" He grinned, keeping his eyes on the snow. When the headlights to an old truck shone through the snow, Jake stood and stretched casually "Later, skater!" he said as a goodbye, and strolled back to his room.

      On another morning, the sun came out despite the freezing temperatures. After Vic left, Mama was talking to Moira in the lobby when she heard the undeniable sound of a grinding skateboard. She looked up to see Jake riding down the banister, and do a sick kick flip.

      “Jake Coolice! No Skateboarding in the lobby!” She scolded. Moira rolled her eyes.

      “Shoot, sorry Mama!” Jake said, kicking his board so it flipped up into his hands, “I was just stoked to get some boarding in today, with the weather as nice as it is.”          

   “Well, you can get some boarding in outside.”

      “Yes ma’am!” he replied, and ran outside with unabashed excitement.

      He burst out the door to see Barclay and Dani, also taking advantage of the sunlight to tend to their winter garden. He walked over and squatted next to Dani. “

      What’s that?” he asked, pointing to the vegetables she was harvesting.

      “It’s a turnip. Good to see you out and about, Jake.” She replied with a smile.

      “Thanks! It’s been ages since I’ve been able to get my skate on!” He grinned, and skated a few laps around the parking lot. He jumped off on the side walk and did a kick flip off the curb. It was a bit difficult in the snow but Mama kept the lot relatively dry, with daily shoveling and salting. Barclay and Dani watched in amusement, politely clapping after particularly cool tricks, and rudely clapping after spectacular wipe outs. After a little bit, he skated over to them, pink faced and smiling, and sat down next to them.

      “Do one of you want to give it a try?” he offered.

      “Don’t look at me,” Barclay laughed, “I’d break that thing. Or myself. Or, you know, both.”

      “I’ll try!” Dani volunteered, and Jake beamed at the opportunity to teach his favorite skill to a new friend.

      “Okay, here’s what you wanna do,” he put his board on the ground and demonstrated, “First, put your left foot on front, turned ever so lightly so it’s straight with the board. Then—“ he pushed off with his right foot, built up speed, and jumped in the air, his feet propelling the board after him, and stuck the landing— “do an ollie! That’s an easy start!”

      “I don’t know if I’m ready for that, I’ve never set foot on a board before,” Dani replied nervously.

      “Well first you’ll need this,” and he took off his helmet. He placed it on Dani’s head and rolled the board over to her. She looked over at Barclay who gave her a shit eating grin and a thumbs up before pulling out a camera. She rolled her eyes and looked over at Jake, who smiled encouragingly. She put her left foot firmly on the board, and pushed off slowly with her right, then tentatively put it on the back of the board as it slowly, very slowly, moved forward.

      “Am I doing it?” She asked, her entire body tense as she lost momentum.

      “I mean… yeah! that’s a great start!” he replied, “Try pushing off again, but a little faster this time.”

      “Okay. Okay.” She took a deep breath, and pushed off hard, pushing the board out from under her. The board shot forward and she landed hard on her butt. Jake ran over to her and crouched down.

      “Ooof, you really biffed that one hard, huh?” he said, more concerned than his choice of words implied.

      “You okay?!” Barclay yelled from his spot sitting in the garden, camera still rolling. She flipped him off.

      “I’m fine. Look, maybe we should leave the skating to you, and I’ll stick to gardening.”

      “Works for me,” Jake replied, helping Dani up. She dusted off her pants, walked back to Barclay, and punched him in the arm.

      “Sorry,” Barclay replied with a chuckle, “couldn’t resist.”

      So Dani and Barclay went back to gardening, and Jake went back to skating. They were all so engrossed in their activities that they didn’t notice until it was too late that Vic’s old rusty Chevy was pulling back into the lot. Barclay, who had observed Jake’s pattern of slinking back to his room before his apparent guardian came back, was the first to notice, and tried to get his attention.

      “Hey Jake, heads up!” he called. Jake looked over at Barclay, then over to the truck that was pulling into it’s spot, and froze like a deer in headlights. “Stay here.” Barclay ordered Dani, and he walked over to Jake. Before he got to him, Vic exited the truck and saw the teen standing in front of him. He grabbed his arm again, this time wrenching hard, and got and inch away from his face.

      “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?! I told you to stay in the room when I’m not here!” Vic growled.

      “I know, I’m sorry, really, I—“

      “Hey, is there a problem here?” Barclay stalked over and got intimidatingly close to Vic. Vic let Jake’s arm go and turned to face Barclay, glaring back with intent.      

      “No problem unless you’re trying to get in my business you hairy piece of shit” He replied, matching Barclay’s intensity.

      “I’m not trying to get in your business, but you can’t leave all day and expect this kid to stay in his room, and you definitely can’t lay a hand on him, not in front of me.”

      “Look, I don’t need no Kepler jerk-water hick telling me how to treat my kid—“

      “Oh, so he’s your kid now—“

      “GUYS!” Jake cut them both off. They both looked over at him in shock, as he continued, “Barclay, I appreciate what you’re doing, but you don’t know what you’re talkin’ about. We have an understanding, and—“ He looked over to Vic, “—And I broke your trust, and I’m sorry.” Vic pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a deep sigh. He glared at Jake, then at Barclay, then back at Jake.

      “Yeah, okay. Look we gotta take off. Come on.” He jerked his head toward the truck signaling for Jake to follow him, and stalked back to the truck. As he turned to follow, he looked back at Barclay, and mouthed I’m sorry, and got into the front seat of the truck. Before Barclay could do anything, the truck backed up and screeched out of the parking lot. Barclay watched them leave as Dani walked over to him.

      “Jesus,” she said quietly, after a moment of silence.

      “Yeah,” Barclay agreed, “I’m gonna go talk to Mama."

      Late that night, Barclay finally got Mama to himself, and explained the whole ordeal to her. She listened intently.

      “That don't surprise me,” She replied after some thought, “Guy seems like a piece of work,”

      “Well we have to do something!” Barclay exclaimed, “It’s just this piece of shit and this poor kid who’s been nothing but decent to us. I have no idea where they’re going all day, but he's obviously mistreating him.”

      “Barclay, you have to be reasonable about this,” Mama said calmly, “It’s our job to protect the Sylphs in Kepler. Jake seems like a good kid, but he’s a bit outside our jurisdiction.”

      “Outside our jurisdiction? Mama, this is an innocent kid, it’s about right and wrong at this point.”

      “What do you want me to do, Barclay, call Sherif Owens? Or Deputy Dewey? We don’t want no law enforcement anywhere near Amnesty Lodge! We can’t put everyone in danger for the sake of one human!”

      “So we don’t get them involved. We can take care of this Mama, you know I could take him.”

      “Take him? You’re not sounding like yourself, just think about this for a second—“ She was cut off by the door slamming open.

      Vic entered, followed by Jake, who had the hood to his windbreaker pulled up over his face. Vic nodded at Mama. Jake kept his eyes fixed on the ground. He avoided eye contact with Mama and Barclay, and quickly followed Vic up to room 204. The door to the room shut followed by a moment of silence.

      “I’ll talk to Jake in the morning,” Mama decided with a tired sigh, “We can figure out what to do after that.”

      The Next morning Vic left the room at his normal hour, but Jake didn’t. Noon passed, then one, and there was no sign of the teen. Mama, who had been planning on intercepting him when he left his room, paced impatiently near the front door, as Barclay continued to shoot her increasingly nervous glances. When the clock hit 1:30, Mama lost patience, and went upstairs. She knocked firmly on the door. No Answer. Another knock. No reply. With her third knock, she called though the crack in the door.

      “Jake? It’s Mama, just checkin’ in.” After a few moments she finally heard Jake's tired voice.

      “I’m not feeling’ too good Mama, I’m gonna get some rest today.”

      “That’s fine Jake,” Mama replied, “I just want to talk for a sec.” Another long pause passed before she heard the deadbolt to the room unlock, but the door stayed closed. When she opened it and entered, Jake was sitting on the pull away bed in the dark, wearing just boxer shorts and that stupid wind breaker. The room was a mess— bottles and papers cluttered the floor and the desk, and both Vic’s and Jake’s personal belongings littered the room like a mine field. She closed the door behind her and flipped on the light. Jake squinted as if this was the first light he had seen all day, and looked towards the floor, but not before Mama could get a glimpse of his face; His left eye was blue and purple, and swollen shut. She said nothing for a minute, but sat down next to him, the bed sagging under her weight.

      “You okay?” She asked finally.

      “Fine,” He muttered.

      “What happened?” She asked, gesturing to her own eye.

      “Skateboarding accident,” He said, “Ate it in the parking lot yesterday.”

      “Funny, Barclay didn’t tell me anything about that.”

      Jake grimaced; Mama could tell he was a bad liar.

      “Jake, if there’s anything you want to talk about—“

      “It ain’t a big deal,” he cut her off.

      “I’m just saying, if at any point you feel unsafe,” she put a gentle hand on his shoulder, “You can always—“ Jake shot up suddenly, harshly shrugging away her hand.

      “I said it ain’t a big deal! It’s fine! I’m fine! Just leave me alone. Please.” He stalked to the other side of the room and sat on on the other bed, ignoring Mama. She looked back over at him for a moment, then got up and left him alone.

      Barclay was waiting a few feet outside the room when Mama exited. She pulled him aside, and whispered to him,

      “When they leave tonight, we’re following them."

Chapter Text

Jake Coolice sat quietly on his bed, staring in front of him, looking at nothing in particular. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror off to the left and touched his eye. How embarrassing. If he had just listened to Vic, he wouldn’t have had to put him in his place. And Jake wouldn’t have had to snap at Mama. It was probably for the best though. If she knew his secret she would be terrified, and probably hate him. His memory shot back to yesterday when he and Vic were talking in the truck.

“I keep telling you not to make friends Jake,” Vic had chastised sharply, “If these folks find out who you really are they’ll run you out of town or try to kill you. You’ll be just like how you were when I found you: alone. Remember how people responded to your ‘ability’ before we met?”

“Of course I remember,” he snapped, “But I think these guys are different. I wasn’t gonna tell them anyway.”

“I don’t give a shit, They’d have found out, Jake! I found you, I feed you, I keep you safe, and all I ask of you is one thing! Just stay in your room Jake, that’s all I’m asking!”

“Maybe I don’t want you to protect me!” Jake finally admitted. With that, Vic swerved the truck to the side of the road and screeched to a hault.

“Out.” Vic commanded. Jake’s eyes widened and he and Vic both exited the truck. Vic stalked over to Jake and stared him down. “You wanna repeat what you just said to me?”

“I said I don’t need your protection no more—”
Vic punched him in the face, and his head smacked into the window of the truck. Jake yelped and covered his face as Vic grabbed him by the front of his wind breaker and pushed him against the truck.

“You think you can protect yourself from people who actually want to hurt you? You can’t even protect yourself from me! When those freaks find out what you really are, and they will, they’ll be a hell of a lot angrier than I am now!”
Jake looked down at the ground and Vic released his hold, standing back.

“You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“Good. Now if you’re ready to quit being a baby, this is the spot I staked out to set up for the day. Help me grab the stuff.”

So Jake helped him. He helped him set up the tent. He helped him put set up the large collapsable cage they always put inside, and he helped him put up the sign, just like every day. The sign read:

West Virginia Freak Show:
See the Amazing Human-Harp Seal
Only $5 per Entrance
No Refunds

The next day was the same as ever. Vic started the day finding a spot along the road in the Monongahela Forest, heavily trafficked enough that they would get business, but not so much that they would raise unnecessary suspicion. He returned to find Jake in his room, complimented his obedience, and they took off. Only this time, they didn’t notice another truck following some distance behind.

They set up the tent. They set up the sign. Jake went inside quietly, and hung his windbreaker on the side of the cage before entering. As soon as the windbreaker came off, white fluffy fur covered his body. The sign was not entirely correct; there was nothing human about this boy. He was a Sylph. He still had the proportions of a teenage boy, if slightly rounder. His blue eyes became huge, round and brown, and his hands became soft flippers.

He closed the cage behind him, like every day, and waited for the taunting crowds to come, to ooh and ah at the freak who sat on the cold ground in front of them. Vic locked up the cage and took his seat outside in his folding chair next the the gas heater he set up daily.

Some time passed, and no audience had arrived yet. Jake shivered, both from the cold that neither the tent or his soft fur could quite protect him from, and the idea that Vic would be angry after a day of little to no business. However, after about twenty minutes he heard the telltale sound of a truck pulling into the sidebar off the wooded road. He sat up a bit straighter, ready to impress the oncoming travelers.

“Welcome all, to the amazing show!” Jake heard Vic recite his customary greeting, “Just five dollars, and you’ll see something so amazing, it will change your entire perception of reality! You may have seen the Cryptonomica, but that crazy old lady has nothing on cold, hard evidence!” Jake rolled his eyes. The Cryptonomica bit had been added when they started touring around Kepler. He heard a woman’s muffled voice, then the tent flap opened. A broad shouldered woman and a tall bearded man entered the tent, both wearing sunglasses and baseball hats. Jake cocked his fluffy head to the side inquisitively— they sure looked familiar. The woman touched the windbreaker hanging from the cage, then crouched down so they were at eye level and removed her sunglasses.

“Mama!” Jake gasped without thinking.

“Jake?” She asked, hesitantly reaching through the bars. He pulled back from the touch and looked from her up to the man with his large round eyes. Barclay. Vic had been right: anger was clearly coursing through the man’s veins as he stared down at the young Sylph in front of him.

“I’m gonna kill him, Mama.” Barclay muttered. Jake’s eyes widened and he scrambled toward the back corner of the cage.

“No, please!” He pleaded quietly, “I’m sorry I’m like this, I never should have tricked you—”

“Wait, Jake,” Barclay’s tone softened immediately and he knelt down as well, “Not you. You did nothing wrong, please don’t apologize.”

“You’re not scared of me?” Jake asked, moving just an inch closer. Barclay couldn’t help but laugh.

“Scared? Jake, look at you! I just want to—” he reached through the bars and tousled the soft fur on top of his head. Jake flinched, but allowed the unexpected sign of affection.

“So you’re from Sylvain, huh?” Mama inquired, turning her attention from his new form to the padlock on the side of the cage. She took a pin out of her hair and began picking the lock.

“You know about Sylvain?”

“We know more than you could imagine, sweetie,” She opened the cage and gestured for him to come out. He stood, but hesitated.

“Look y’all, I appreciate your help, you have no idea how much, but Vic won’t just let me go like that. Anyway, I owe him.”

“You don’t owe that man nothin’,” Mama said sternly, her voice raising above the the hushed tone in which they had been speaking, “This is no way to live. That man out there, he’s the real monster, not you.” She looked over to Barclay who nodded in agreement. Jake looked between them, and finally stepped out of the cage.

“What the hell is going on in there?” Vic exclaimed, bursting through the tent flap. He saw Jake who was standing outside his cage, and suddenly recognize Mama and Barclay without their half-hearted disguises. They both stood up straighter, positioning themselves between Vic and Jake.

“It’s Vic, right?” Mama asked calmly. He ignored her and tried to push past to get to Jake.

“Get back in the cage Jake.” Vic ordered darkly. Jake took a step backward but Barclay grabbed Vic and pushed him back.

“Don’t take a step closer.” Barclay warned.

“Back in the cage!”

“Well, I would say pick on someone your own size,” Barclay said with a mischievous grin, “But if you don’t want to do that, I’ve got a better idea.” He glanced back at Mama, who gave him an affirming nod, and began to fiddle with the hemp bracelet around his wrist. Jake and Vic watched closely in confusion. Barclay grew frustrated, the knot was fastened tighter than he remembered, and the pause was ruining his cool line delivery, but he finally managed to untie it. When he did, Jake gasped in shock as the man standing before him grew larger and… hairier?

“Barclay, you’re…” Jake began.

“Bigfoot??” Vic yelled, and he backed up into the tent’s canvas wall. Barclay grabbed him by the collar and threw him outside into the snow. The Bigfoot followed after him with the others in tow and towered over the terrified man on the ground. He picked him up again, lifting him to eye level and balled up a massive fist.

"Tubular." Jake whispered in reverence.

“Barclay,” Mama intervened, “He isn’t worth the effort it would take to hide his body.” Barclay looked at her, then back to Vic, and threw him, hard, back on the ground.

“You’re right,” He looked again at Vic, now scrambling towards his truck. He stepped on his leg to stop him from moving, “We’re taking the kid. And if we ever- and I mean ever- see you ‘round these parts again, you’re not getting off so easy.”
Barclay let Vic go, and he sprinted to his truck and screeched away leaving behind the tent, the sign, and the young harp seal who watched the truck disappear into the Monongahela Forest. The three stood together in silence for a moment, processing what had just happened.

“What do ya say, Jake, you want to stay with us at Amnesty Lodge?” Mama asked him warmly. He stared at her blankly for a moment and his large brown eyes began to well with tears. He tried to nonchalantly rub at his eyes with a flipper and laughed.

“Yeah Mama, I think that’d be alright with me.”
Mama grinned and pulled Jake into a bear hug, and he understood why she was called Mama. Barclay grabbed Jake’s windbreaker, put his bracelet back on, and the three “humans” got into Mama’s truck. Barclay turned on the heater and soon Jake stopped shaking. He didn’t even realize he had been.

Back at the lodge, Dani was waiting impatiently by the door. Barclay hadn’t told her that they were going after Jake, but she was always perceptive.

“Jake!” exclaimed, “You’re back! Oh my god, what happened to your face?”

“Oh this? It’s nothin’.” He had almost forgotten about the bruise on his eye.

“Dani, I’d like you to meet Amnesty Lodge’s most recent permanent resident.” Mama announced proudly.

“Really? What about… the other guy?” She looked uncomfortably out the window.

“He won’t be coming back any time soon.” Barclay assured both her and Jake. Jake beamed up at him and they all decided to take a break, and sit in from of the fireplace. Barclay brought over some hot chocolates as Jake filled Dani in on the details of what had just transpired. They all sat and they talked. They talked about Sylvain, and about Amnesty Lodge, and about snowboarding and gardening. The sun went down, and they sat warmly and comfortably in front of the fire. Jake regularly shot glances at the door out of habit before remembering he was safe. He looked around at his new family. Yes, he was safe. And he was home.