"That was three years ago, Ally."
"So? You liked it then." She turned to the teenage employee. "She'll have lavender honey in a waffle cone. I want marionberry cheesecake and... can I try the salted caramel?"
They ended up on the beach, shoes off, toes in the sand. The Oregon coast was moody today—gray clouds gathering on the horizon, wind whipping hair into their faces. Allegra didn't care. She raced ahead, ice cream dripping purple down her hand, laughing at the gulls that dove for dropped pieces.
"Bri, look!" She'd found the tide pools in the black rocks, the ones they'd explored years ago. "Remember when you taught me about the starfish?"
Briar picked her way across the wet stones, careful not to slip. "You were seven. You tried to take one home in your pocket."
"I wanted it to be my friend!" Allegra crouched by a pool, watching tiny crabs scuttle between anemones. "I named it Frederick."
"You named everything Frederick back then."
"It's a good name." She dipped her fingers in the water, then yanked them back. "So cold! How do the crabs stand it?"
"They're built for it."
"Lucky them." Allegra found a dry rock to perch on, patting the space beside her. "Sit. You're making me nervous hovering."
Briar wanted to say no, but she sat anyway. She’d never get this chance again. This close, she could see the faint shadows lingering under Allegra's eyes, the way her cheekbones were still too sharp. She was healing, but not yet whole. It would take time to fully recover from nearly dying.
Time Briar wouldn't see.
"You know what's weird?" Allegra said suddenly. "When I was sick, like really sick, before I went unconscious. I had the strangest dreams."
"Yeah?"
"There was this forest. But not a normal forest. The trees were so tall I couldn't see the tops, and everything was green but also dark. Green shadows, if that makes sense." She picked at a piece of dried seaweed. "And there was a man there. He had antlers, I think. Or maybe branches? It's fuzzy."
Briar's blood chilled. "What did he say?"
"Something about presents and promises. And thorns." Allegra shrugged. "Fever dreams are weird. But the strangest part was he mentioned you."
"Me?"
"Yeah. He said…" She scrunched her face, trying to remember. "He said he would see you soon. I don't know. It's all mixed up with the other weird dreams. The one where our couch turned into a boat."
Three days is a gift, not a suggestion.
"Dreams are just your brain processing things," Briar managed. "Nothing more."
"I know." Allegra finished her ice cream, licking her fingers clean. "Still. It felt real. The forest especially. I could smell it, the pine trees and dirt and something else."
They sat in silence, watching the waves crash against the rocks. The beach was emptier now, most tourists driven away by the threatening clouds that had started blooming overhead. Soon it would rain, because this was Oregon and rain was as certain as breathing.
"We should do this more," Allegra said. "When I was sick, I kept thinking about all the stuff we never do anymore. Remember when we used to come here every summer? Build sandcastles and look for shells and you'd make up stories about sea creatures."
"You got older. Busier."
"No." Allegra turned to face her. "Yougot busier. You're always working or tired or taking care of Mom and me. You forgot you're allowed to have fun too."
"Ally…"
"I mean it. When's the last time you did something just for you? Not for work or us or bills or whatever. Just for fun."
Briar tried to remember and came up empty.
"See?" Allegra bumped their shoulders together. "Promise we'll do more stuff. Just us. We could make it a regular thing. Sister beach days."
