The Primrose landed on the beach that afternoon. Wendell hurried down the ramp to take the rope from Samantha to tie up the boat. She looked out at the island with a sense of nostalgia, as if she'd been away from Eternity for a long time. With everything that had happened, it felt like years. "We made it," she said to Prudence.
"Do you suppose everyone else is all right?" Prudence asked as they descended the ramp.
"I hope so," Samantha said. They joined Wendell and then started along the path towards town. Prudence and Wendell walked a step behind Samantha, holding hands and pressing so close to one another that they were like one person.
Samantha walked alone, hugging herself as she went. Joseph had stayed behind in Seabrooke with his father, which at the time she hadn't disagreed with, but now she wished he were here with her. She didn't know what they would find in Eternity. Although the timeline had changed, something equally dangerous could await them. Reverend Crane and Pryde might still be alive or perhaps something even worse lay in store for them. She longed for Joseph at her side so that his love could strengthen her. And so that she might protect him from any dangers lurking.
Before they reached town, Samantha saw a pale girl sitting on a log, staring at them. The girl was as heavy as Prudence at her peak and wearing the same loose-fitting gray dress. A veil of brown hair obscured her face from Samantha. Only when she brushed it aside did Samantha recognize her. "Rebecca?"
"Yes. I figured you would be along sooner or later," Rebecca said. She heaved herself off the log, approaching Samantha like a stranger.
"But you died!"
Rebecca took Samantha's arm. "There's something you need to see," she said. "Then it will make sense. Or about as much sense as any of this can make."
"What's happened?" Samantha asked.
"You'll see." Rebecca led her away from town, Prudence and Wendell following behind with wary expressions. Samantha knew it could be a trap set by Veronica, but this girl looked and sounded exactly like Rebecca not the Rebecca-Veronica hybrid Samantha had raised for three years. How had she managed to overlook the subtle changes in skin and hair color and, even more importantly, the difference in Rebecca's eyes? While Veronica had always looked away from Samantha, Rebecca met Samantha's gaze, her eyes clouded with sadness.
She led them to the fountain cave, or rather what had once been the cave. A mountain of rubble stood in its place. At the base of the hill sat a granite marker. Samantha knelt down to examine the writing carved into the stone. She traced the letters with one finger, not comprehending the words for a moment. "In This Cave Lies Molly Brigham. She Died So We May Live," read the marker.