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The shock of someone behind her made her hands loose enough of the cone to drop it on the ground. She looked at it with a hint of sadness and the stranger noticed. “I’m so sorry.” He said. “Let me buy you another one.” Caroline felt a pang of guilt since it was her fault she dropped the cone, even though she had been looking forward to it since she laid eyes on the stand, but before she could say anything he already had the money out and Frank already had the cone made. It was people like him that gave her faith in humanity. “Thank you. I’m sorry if I got any ice cream on you.” She said as she took the cone and looked over his shirt for any sign of ice cream on it. “No, you’re fine. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. Have a good one Caroline.” She watched as the middle-aged man walked away while taking a bite of her ice cream. The kindness of the man seemed to lift her spirits and put her in a good mood she desperately needed. She felt her depression wash away with each taste of her ice cream and walked back to her bench to enjoy the cold, rocky road flavored treat.
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Half way through her cone, she heard a familiar voice and felt a shift in the air around her as someone approached. The sudden break in silence startled her, her hand instinctively gripping the cone as to avoid another disaster. But it wasn’t the shock of no longer being alone that surprised her, but who the voice belonged to. Evelyn. Of all the people expected to show up, she was the last on the list. The last time she saw her sister was when she left # years ago, leaving with what Caroline viewed as hardly a proper goodbye and no idea where she was going. She looked up at her sister, her surprise quickly turned into animosity. The last time she spoke to her sister, her words were anything but kind, and while in the beginning, Caroline had feelings of regret, the time spent apart did nothing but cement her anger towards her sister. The circumstances of why she left was still a mystery to Caroline, not that it mattered. She didn’t care why her sister left but rather why she didn’t keep in contact after the fact. The first few months, Caroline tried to reach out with no success. The only way she knew her sister was even still alive was through their grandmother's reassurance. Eventually, Caroline gave up, giving into the idea Evelyn didn’t care, so why should she? Caroline still cared about her sister and deep down knew she would always love her, but you could love someone and hate them at the same time.
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Three days ago, their grandmother left town, spewing the excuse the Grand Coven requested her presence which Caroline knew in her gut was a lie since her entire life she made her distaste for them clear to everyone who would listen. Caroline couldn’t help but assume it had less to do with the Coven and more with her sister. Caroline pressured her grandmother to tell her the truth, but as always she refused. Even if it was to protect Caroline or even Evelyn, Caroline didn’t like being left in the dark.
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As Caroline weighted her options on whether to entertain her sister's presence or just get up and walk away – feeling justified as she had done the same thing years ago – Evelyn’s last words resonated in her mind. Right before Eve left, she said the only reason she would be back was if something happened to their grandmother. At the time, the two were fighting and Caroline didn’t put much thought into it. But since Nana left under odd circumstances just days before Evelyn’s return, she began to think her sister's words had more weight to them than she previously thought. As the realization hit her, she quickly shot up from her seat to meet her sister face to face, completely forgetting about the melting ice cream in her hand. “Where’s Nana.” Her voice cracked and it was clear Caroline's emotions were trying to break through her hard exterior. She hoped her sister was here on better terms but the voice in the back of her mind had less optimistic thoughts.