☀ S E A S O N 2: Chapter 1

You know something is different the moment you smell the smoke.

You stumble out of bed, following the smell. The morning wake-ups haven't been implemented since the Temple of the Black Sun, nor the nighttime curfews. The chores still need to be done -- animals need to be fed, crops need to be watered and harvested -- but everyone has worked together on this, managing their time individually, making sure everything gets done.

You grab a handful of ambrosia berries off the countertop, following the smell of fire, of burning, of ash--

"Hey there," says MARLEY, manning the rusty old red barbecue. "Good morning."

He's laying a huge rack of brisket onto the BBQ. CARRIE is behind him, chopping applewood. SNEAKY frolics about around their feet.

"I thought... you guys could use a treat," CARRIE says, flushing red. She stops chopping to wipe the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. "Dinner at seven?"

Life at Pinefallow has been different.

REX is gone, heading off for who-knows-what urgent business, so the cast of characters is pretty much back to normal -- and yet life isn't the same as it was.

The Keeper's iron-tight grip on the parolees has loosened, whether from gratitude for saving the park or for guilt from the same. There is pretty much no enforcement of the parolees' daily schedules, so long as the necessary weekly work to keep the park running gets done.

The barbecue that CARRIE cooked up with MARLEY's help is magnificent. There's brisket, ribs, grilled hot dogs, bacon baked beans, pulled pork, coleslaw, mashed potatoes, macaroni and potato salad, blackened corn on the cob. You all sit around on picnic tables that CARRIE helped KEN drag out of the shed -- and CARRIE talks.

For one... she's loosening the boundaries on the Yard. Safe creatures like TREVIN, DELANEY, OPHELIA, and more will be allowed in, although they still need permission to enter the House, a permission which resets each time they leave.

She's allowing you to pick your own chores now instead of performing the assigned tasks, so long as everything in the park still gets done. She'd truly done her best in the beginning to assign the chores based on what she perceived as everyone's strengths, but she acknowledges now that she didn't truly know everyone. Maybe to an extent she still doesn't.

Meat will be allowed on weekends. For a moment, based on KODY's stunned expression, everyone fears he might truly grab her face and kiss her.

She apologizes. She tears up a little, but stays mostly stoic. She says she wishes she had played a lot of things differently -- and that from now on, she will. She says she's thankful for you and all you risked. She knows you didn't have to do that.

Shyly and awkwardly, she says that... she's happy to have you all as real friends.

And then...

You all return to your rooms, the thought of those mysterious photographs on your minds.

"Mistakes are okay," CHAMP says loudly, demonstrating the brush strokes as he deftly adds gorgeous pink clouds to his canvas. "If you pick the wrong color or put it in the wrong place... that's totally okay! You can make something great out of it..."

It's a lazy Sunday morning, and CHAMP has wheeled the old clunky TV cart outside, running cables into the House, to host a little Bob Ross paint-a-long on the lawn. This time, it seems he's learned his lesson -- only the parolees who want to participate are included.

"Happy little trees...!" says Bob Ross, as fairies flit around over the painters, showering glittering dust into the paints...

CARRIE steps out of the House onto the porch and gazes out at the group... just enjoying the lovely day. Having a good time.

She squeezes her eyes shut, and takes a deep breath, and sets out across the lawn.