The sheriff blinked, unsure whether he was being mocked.
He wasn’t.
Willow could tell.
Rowan had returned different.
Not softer exactly.
But stripped down.
The sharp edges were still there, but something proud had been burned out of him.
The fair slowly resumed, though not really.
People pretended to return to kettle corn and raffle tickets, but every eye followed Willow, Rowan, and Ava.
Whispers changed shape.