Two years later.

She sat in the booth of the roadside cafe, looking out of the window. For some reason she had never stopped coming to places like these. Over the past two year she had come to anyone she passed, buying only a coffee and trying to remember the faces that faded from her memory more and more each day.

Resa had never intended for anything to happen. It had all been too much. To many words, to many people near her. She had kept quiet about everything, had not told Fran and Andy a thing about her father and his drinking or his...other tendencies once drunk. Their place was a sanctuary to forget these things, not to bring them up. Yet he had followed her there, a cloud on her soul. That was when she sent him away, blinking him from existence as she had wished so many times before. She had never meant to do the same to Andy and Fran. They had always been there for her, and she had removed them from their lives and their dream of Batoun Rouge.

After everything and everyone in the diner vanished, Resa had taken off. She walked down the road until she reached the closet farm. For the night she huddled under hay in the barn, heading out early the next morning so as not to be caught. From there she just kept on walking. Sometimes she hopped a train or hitched a ride. Most of the time she just walked, stopping at some places to get food if she had the money or doing a days work to earn said money. No matter what though, she never stayed in one place for long and never said more than a few words to anyone.

Once in a while there was no work to be found and her stomach begged for food. These were the times when she would have to speak, choosing her words carfeully. This had been one of those times. Just across the diner was a gas station. She had staggered up to a man filling his car with gas. Not haven eaten anything in a week or more, Resa was starving and in need of some food. That was when she asked the man for all the money in his wallet, minus the cost of his gas. Without a moment's hesitation he had handed it over, and moved on with his life.

Now she sat in the diner, staring out the window waiting for the waitress to bring her the sandwich, fries and coffee she had ordered. Once more trapped in a memory of a kitchen's warmth and a loving hug, Resa did not notice the young man that came to stand beside her booth.

"Hello there." He smiled, looking at her with a grin on his face. Resa nodded back, used to creeps coming up to her. Sometimes they wanted money, other times they wanted more...unsightly dealing with her. She turned from him, looking out the window to let him know that she was not interested.

The stranger cleared his throat, a gloved hand coming up to his mouth. Rolling her eyes, Resa stared back at him, looking him over. The young man was tall and skinny, his hair black as night and pulled back in a long ponytail. No beard or hair of any kind adorned his face and he dressed in a faded pair of jeans with an old leather coat over the top. Grey eyes shone at her, his smile making her a little fuzzy inside.

"So, what power do you have?" he leaned over to her, face inches from hers. At this Resa's eyes grew wide, and the young man took this as his sign to move in. "Never heard that one before huh?" With a sad smile he put out his hand to her. "The name is Sinch. What is yours?" Resa did not offer her hand back, terrified of what this man knew about her.

At that moment, the Waitress arrived with a cardboard cup of cheap coffee, promising to be back with the food in a few minutes. A single thought passed through Resa's mind as she walked away. It would not have taken this long at Andy's...She shook her head, trying to clear those thoughts.

"Forgive me darling, but do you know...exactly why these things happened to you?" he slid into the booth next to her. Jeans scratching on the pleather upholstery, a tired smile gracing his face. Silently she stirred the cheap water downed coffee in the cup in front of her. Slowly the straw spun the liquid inside, mixing cream and coffee together in a whirlpool.

"What?" she asked nervously, voice holding an audible tremor. Her eyes did not leave to the cup, trying desperately not to look at the uncomfortable man beside her. How could he know of her curse? No one knew, no one could ever know. They would think her mad.

She could almost feel his smile get wider, and an almost audible sigh escaped her lips as she once more fidgeted in her seat. Hands fingered the side of the cup and the straw erratically, betraying her nervousness.

"Oh come now." his voice was right in her ear, his hot breath blowing down her back making her shiver involuntarily. "You know damn well what I mean. A power, and things you know no one else can do. Sometimes things you never wanted to do ever." Voice gruff and smelling of cloves and smoke, he went on. One hand moved slowly up to hers, stilling her incessant stirring. "Things from the very soul. A secret if you will. Secrets you...keep."

At this she jerked away violently, pushing herself as far as she could against the far end of the booth. The cup tipped over as she moved, falling on its side and spilling its contents across the chipped table. Back pressed against the glass, eyes wide with fear, she stared at him. From the commotion in the booth, a few heads raised from their meals to glare at the person interrupting them with some stupid drama. Over in the farthest corner, an older woman stared at her, whispering something to her husband. Silently, he looked around. She was drawing attention to them, something he did not want. Something he did not need. Slowly he raised both hands into the air, almost as if surrendering. "Whoa. Did not mean to scare you." He pointed to the light brown pool on the table, and grabbed a handful of napkins from the dented metal napkin holder sitting like an island in the middle of the pool. "I'll, uh...clean this up." Moping the stuff from the table, he gave her a tired smile.

"Look. I know it seems scary that someone knows about the secrets. When Cypher first approached me, I thought he was as crazy as I was." His eyes left her, looking at the table as he grabbed more napkins. Absentmindedly, he pushed the now sopping wet napkins into a pile on the edge of the table. "But now I know, im not crazy." At this he smiled suddenly. "Well, not as crazy as I thought I was. Cypher helped me, made me realize what this is and why I was given it. He made me ready for my place. Now..." He stopped, and looked at her, eyes half lidded, the tired smile no longer on his face, replaced by a gentle smirk. "Now I hope to do the same for you. Please, please let me help you."

Suddenly he began to cough, using one of the wet napkins in his hand, he hacked and sputtered into the cheap paper square. After a few moments he pulled away, wiping his mouth. Catching a glance at the napkin, she became memorized. Smiling calmly, as if the few moments where he seemed to be dying had never happened, he continued rambling on to her. Yet, her attention was now diverted. As his voice went on, saying nothing, she starred at the napkin he had clutched in his hand. The one that he had used to cover his cough. She was lost in the whiteness of the napkin, and the red that now stained it.

The blood. His blood.