The blue sky became a soft, orangey orb, with a bright ball of fire slowly sinking in. Stan looked at Elsie with an expression she couldn’t decipher after she asked a question he didn’t see coming. Everything was quiet as they locked their gazes with each other. The wind was warm, embracing her and calming her down.

“What kind of question is that?” Stan asked.

“The kind I’ve been meaning to ask for quite a long time. A question that will help me decide,” she said.

“Decide on what?”

“On how I will view you from now on.”

A few days before the kidnapping incident, Elsie and Lily were talking...