Tampered

Susanne nods as she takes the letter from Sapphire. She understood. Most of the people at TJY knew of the tension between siblings, but no one gossiped about it. Susanne knew what Sapphire was saying, and she would deliver the letter. "Sure... I'll make sure he gets it."

Once shes' gone, Gage looks to Sapphire, slouching to rest his chin on his hands as he continues to lean on the back of the chair. "Do you ever wish we hadn't met?" He wasn't trying to start an argument or sound stupid. But he genuinely wondered how Sapphire felt and how she dealt with all this.

"I mean... if it wasn't for me, you and Scott would probably be getting along right now, ya know? I know you're happy with me, I just... wondered if you ever considered what it would be like if that whole mess with me and him hadn't happened."


Scott wasn't really sure what Hope meant by all she said. She spoke with a tone that said she had learned something new. Almost like she'd gotten an idea or something. But he didn't understand.

Leaning over slightly, his head finds a place on her shoulder. "I'm still mad at you, ya know," he comments. "You keep trying to fix me... find ways to help... put me in this place... when all I wanted was some time alone and you didn't respect that." His voice wasn't angry... just quiet and frustrated. "I care... if I didn't, I'd go find a train to walk out in front of. I'm just trying to deal, but no one can understand what I'm going through. So I'm alone. And I'm not even allowed to be mad at the people who made me this way."

His head still on her shoulder, he sighs deeply. He didn't have the energy to yell. "You're talking about lightswitches and I feel like all the wiring in my brain has been tampered with so much that there's no way a switch can be installed."


Dylan walks farther than he really had intended. He wasn't sure what his point was... maybe he just wanted to openly defy Mick to show that he had no respect for him. Maybe he really did want to head west and hit the highway eventually. Maybe he just wanted to walk until he was tired so he could sit and think alone. He'd be in deep water no matter what, but he didn't care. He was making his own decisions and he wasn't going to be punished like some little kid. He had his reasons for not telling anyone about why he'd taken those pills from Angel's office. It was his life. His right to remain silent.

Trudging on and scuffing through loose leaves and bramble, Dylan realizes that the trail had started to climb slightly. Going farther would take him into the foothills where his sister had talked about riding to see the whole ranch. He couldn't care less about the beauty but it was farther away that he wanted. He did, however, need a break.

Catching his breath, Dylan stops by an old tree stump. Sitting down on the ground and using the dead tree as a backrest, he picks up a dried up stick to whittle with his pocket knife. At least it didn't smell like horses here.


Sparky grins as he helps steady Faith. "I want you on your own feet again," he admits. "But... it's nice to help you too."

Giving her a wink, he holds one hand and slings his other arm around her shoulders so she could lean on him. Walking slowly, he consciously takes smaller steps and doesn't turn corners too quickly. Once they're finally out to the truck, he opens the door for her but doesn't let her climb in herself. Instead, he picks her up in his arms and sets her inside.

"I'll be right back with your stuff."