I'll aim to have another chapter out tonight... if I don't, I'll try for tomorrow. Blessings to you all! A. R. Sorry for typos! -----------------------------------------------------------      Dylan sat across from her in the dimly lit corner house, his eyes sad. “I’m sorry, Laurel.” He said softly, his arms crossed in front of him.      Laurel looked up at him, her eyes glistening as she wiped them on her sleeve. “I just… I didn’t think it would happen. The Evergreen's are being watched? Why?”      Dylan grimaced. “That’s what irritates me… I can’t seem to find any clue as to why. But I’ll keep looking.”      They were silent for a moment, and Laurel studied the additional gold band on his arm. “They made you a captain,” she said quietly, breaking the silence.      Dylan nodded, though he didn’t look happy. “They did. Garten Longtreader even came for the ceremony, if you could call it that. That was why Vitton went after you yesterday,” he explained with a scowl.      Laurel frowned. “So what does that mean?” She asked.      Dylan sighed. “Well in regard to the Administration, plenty more assignments and obligations. As for the Cause, plenty of information.”      Laurel nodded, though she felt sick. She wanted Patrick to come home! And with Dylan moving up in rank, what kind of danger would that put him in if he ever got caught? What would happen to her? Everything was changing. For the better? She didn’t know.      Dylan stood up, stretching slightly. “You ready?” He asked, watching her with a tenderness in his eyes.      Laurel inhaled deeply before rising from her seat. “Yeah.”        Laurel didn’t remember much from the meeting. The only thing she could remember however was Melody refused to even look in her general direction. Harmony seemed cold as well, not once smiling at her.      Laurel frowned, trying to catch sight of Whittle or Sween. She finally gave up, slouching in her seat as a farmer finished his report.      Dylan glanced at her, then back at the Tunneler as the meeting wrapped up for the night. As soon as the Tunneler dismissed them all, Dylan pulled Laurel aside.      “Is something wrong with Melody?” He asked quietly, his blue gaze focusing on her.      Laurel grimaced. “No… everything is wrong with me. Every person I’m in contact with seems to be getting into sticky situations thanks to me. Patrick, You, Melody and Harmony…”      She sighed, stuffing her hands in her pockets. “What am I doing wrong?”      Dylan was quiet for a moment, and Laurel looked around the room full of Causers.      “You’re not doing anything wrong, Laurel.” He finally answered, bringing her back to the present. She looked up at him.      He looked determined. “Its not you. I promise.”      She shrugged, looking over the room again. The number of rabbits gradually diminished, until only five other rabbits besides Laurel and Dylan remained.      Laurel rubbed her eyes. “I better get home… I’m going to have to tell my mom sooner or later.”      Dylan nodded. “Tomorrow I’ll look into what I can about Patrick. I might even be able to find out who is keeping tabs on you and your mother.”      He smiled ruefully. “Being a captain has its benefits.”      Laurel chuckled. “Sure it does… so long as you use your new-found power along the Administrations guidelines, you’ll be fine.”      Dylan smirked at her. “What, you don’t trust my sleuthing skills?”      Laurel grinned. “What skills?”      Dylan laughed, shaking his head. Laurel didn’t realize how much she enjoyed hearing him laugh. It lightened the mood and the environment. It made Laurel’s heart almost burst.      “That wasn’t fair…” He finally said, having recovered his breath and smiling at her.      Laurel grinned, trying to look like she didn’t care.      Dylan sighed, shaking his head. “Okay, okay… you win. For now.”      Laurel looked up at him, smiling. “Is that a challenge? Are you calling a rematch of wits?”      Dylan smiled. “What happened, Laurel? You’re all mischief and sass.”      Laurel laughed quietly. “Maybe you’ve just never seen this side of me before.”      Dylan smiled, locking his gaze with hers. “Maybe.”      They were quiet, the playful feeling of moments before slipping away like grains of sand through ones fingers. Laurel wanted this moment to last longer, to act like a child. But she knew she would have to return to reality. The reality that Pat wasn’t coming home. That she and her mother were on the watch list of Longtreader Administration. That she had to pretend she didn’t know Dylan.      She sighed, blinking and looking around once more. “Let’s go,” Dylan said quietly, giving her a small smile as they headed towards the tunnel.        “What?” Fern asked, her eyes wide with horror. The doe swayed slightly and steadied herself against the wall.      Laurel tried to swallowing around the lump in her throat. “They won’t let him come home. They say if we try to see him, we could be arrested. They also said we are being watched.”      Fern covered her mouth, trying to think. Laurel knew her mom’s mind was filled with fog; hers was too.      “We have to do something,” Fern said quietly, rubbing her chin as she stared off into space.      Laurel felt something inside crumble. Why should she feel defeated over the idea?      “Do what? Mom, didn’t you hear me? We are being watched. If we try to create any sort of contact, we could be arrested. He even threatened me that if I tried, he would hurt Pat.”      Fern looked up at her sharply. “You’re one to talk, Laurel. You’re the one in cahoots with a Longtreader buck.”      Laurel’s face burned. “Can we not fight? Right now, we have to worry about Patrick.”      Fern scoffed. “You should have thought about that earlier.”      Laurel glared at her mother. Had she done such a thing a few weeks earlier, she would’ve regretted it. But now, it filled her with guilty pleasure.      “So. You’re pinning the blame on me. Great. What else do you have against me?”      Fern stared at her daughter, her mouth hanging open. “Laurel, I-"      “No, I get it. I’m the problem. So while we're at it, tell me more. Tell me what else I’ve been doing wrong.” Laurel challenged, her voice low and rough. She was done with her mom choosing the rumors over her own daughter’s word. While her heart was being shredded, why not add a few more burning tears to it? Make it hurt.      “Laurel, you are not the problem. I just-"      “Really? I’m not? Strange, a few seconds ago you were saying I should’ve thought of Patrick earlier. I’ve thought about him ever since he was allowed to live with us. Since dad died!” She thundered, angry tears burning her eyes.      Fern clamped her mouth shut. The silence around them was cold and persistent, the dawn and light so far, it felt as if death was nearer.      “Try to get some sleep. It’s been a challenging couple days,” Fern said quietly, turning and heading to her room. Laurel waited till she heard the door click shut before allowing her tears to flow. Her heart was broken. Her mom was holding something against her. What, she didn’t know.