A light dusting of snow glistened against the early morning sun, as Sarah raised her first cup of precious coffee to her lips. The beauty and quiet surrounding the tiny bungalow was relaxing, and comforting, allowing her to think and plan the future, which as of late, looked very promising. She had invested in this place, just on the outskirts of Philly, as a place to get away from the daily hustle and bustle, clear her mind and think. The events that took place over the last while, the amazing friends and acquaintances she had made; they all surrounded her in this little oasis of serenity.

Sarah set her coffee cup down beside her and looked over at the stack of journals she had found from relatives that had passed away, all of which had left their mark in some way. The knowledge she could glean from them would no doubt be invaluable, and set her course, learning from the mistakes they made, and trying to live up to their successes. 

One such journal peeked her interest, as  it was written by a distant ancestor who had also worked closely in Philly. Her eyes twinkled with curious delight as she turned page after page, reading stories of legends her late predecessor had worked with, some of who's bloodlines still to this day enriched this thing of ours. The bonds between them, even at their last breath were something to admire. Their loyalty to their crew, protecting them at all cost, and stories of how members of the family stepped up when needed most, some even laying down their lives for the leader they so loved. These were all things that Sarah hoped to live up to, and to one day have her journals read by one of her descendants, just as she was doing now.

She finally set the journals aside as the days light slowly diminished, and reached for one that sat apart from the group, opening it's crisp new pages and beginning to write her story, the story of Eternal Evanescence. She stopped for a moment, closing her eyes and listening to the silence of the night before continuing.

Sarah awoke to the soft creak of the front door of the bungalow being slowly opened. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she quickly realized she had fallen asleep at the table, with her journal open before her. It was obviously morning, and as Sarah's eyes turned toward the now open door, she smiled as she saw the familiar form of her oldest bodyguard, who was now her head of security. She slowly raised herself from the chair and turned toward the counter beside her.

"Morning Hershal. I'm about to put on some coffee, would you join me for one?"

Hershal closed the door behind his large frame and his eyes twinkled as he replied.

"Yes Boss, I'd love one. Looks like you fell asleep reading again."

Sarah looked over for a moment so Hershal could see the exaggerated eye roll she threw him, then went back to filling the kettle with water.

"Not the first time, Hershal. I just need to stretch a bit, that chair is not quite as comfortable as my bed."

She turned back to the table and sat down, offering the other seat to Hershal.

"Thank you Boss. I really just came in to check on you, but I appreciate the coffee. How are things?"

Sarah pushed the journals to the side and looked over at Hershal. He looked overly concerned, for some reason.

"Everything is going well. I just came up here for some quiet. You know how I like to get away sometimes. I swear, everything will be fine."

Hershal's eyes narrowed slightly, as if he knew something was up.

"Will be fine? You mean things are not fine now?"

She stammered for a moment.

"No no, I mean yes. Everything is fine. I'm fine. I swear Hershal."

She stood and turned to pour the coffee as the kettle started to whistle, bringing two steaming cups back and placing one carefully in front of Hershal, who's expression was a bit more relaxed.

"Alright Boss, but if there is anything you need to talk about, you know damn well I'll listen."

Sarah sipped her coffee, and as the glorious liquid warmed her, thoughts drifted back to the night before.