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Jinna realized that Elle was very nervous and she did not try to touch her anymore, smiling widely and nodding at the mention of Terence.

"Yes, he told me you would come. Please, sit down. I am baking some gingerbread for us to have later." Jinna contemplated having the children come in but decided that in Elle's situation, it would probably make things more stressful for her, instead of less. Jinna pulled two wooden mugs form a cupboard. "Would you like something to drink? We have water, milk or apple cider."

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Elle sat down slowly, but she was on the edge of her chair. She shook her head when offered something to drink. "No, I will take nothing."

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Jinna put the mugs away, suddenly too nervous herself to have a drink. She sat down across from Elle and smiled, but she was shaking. Before she knew what was happening, tears were pouring down her cheeks and she was kneeling in front of Elle, the girl's hands clasped between her own thin ones. "Elle, please, if you know where my baby Gracie is...I would do anything to have her back again." Jinna began sobbing uncontrollably.

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Elle stared at the woman, a look of horror crossing her face. She quickly stood, pulling her hands free from the woman's. "I don't know where she is! I only know who took her!"

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"I can't believe you just did that!" Shay yelled at the top of her lungs. She was fuming as Terence set her down on the chair. "I told you, I'm fine!" She swatted him away from her. "And don't you dare say you enjoyed doing that!"

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Terence grinned, grabbing her hands as she swatted at him. He leaned in close and said, "I enjoyed it thoroughly."

Releasing her hands, he kneeled in front of her and pulled her shoe off, gently and slowly. "Of course, you're fine. Everyone believes they're fine..."

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Jinna tried to stop from crying, but it was futile. She just nodded. When she finally calmed down a little bit, she stood up and sat in the nearest chair, which was beside Elle.

"I...I'm sorry." she sighed. "You don't know how much that child means to me..." Jinna sniffed and pulled the handkerchief that Terence had given her from her pocket and wiped it across her eyes. Then she looked back at Elle.

"You know who took her? Well, that's a giant step in the right direction!" Jinna sat on the edge of her seat, elbows on her knees and hands clasped, waiting to hear more.

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Elle stood for a few moments before taking a seat again. "Gracie was my niece. My sister's daughter. The man..." Elle stopped talking and she swallowed. "The man that took Gracie was her father."

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Jinna gasped and stared at Elle, wide-eyed.

"That's not possible. Why would the child be left on the doorstep only to be stolen back? And he lied to me and my neighbors, too! Everyone believed Gracie was dead..." Jinna forced herself to take a deep breath. When she did she smelled the gingerbread burning and rushed to take it off of the fire, burning her hand in her haste. She laid it on a hot-mitt and, sucking the injured finger, came back over to Elle. Jinna did not sit down, but asked "So, do you know where your sister and her husband lived? Maybe they still live there, and I can see Gracie." Suddenly Jinna's breath left her and she had to sit down. At last, she murmured to herself "What if they refuse to give her back? She is their child, after all..."

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Elle didn't flinch or show any concern when Jinna burned her finger. She only looked down at her hands, which were folded in her lap.

When Jinna returned, Elle spoke again, "My sister is dead. You won't find anything in the house they lived in because it isn't there anymore. I burned it down years ago." Elle looked at Jinna, her eyes narrowed. "As far as I know, Gracie is still with her father, but I cannot tell you where he is, because I don't know."

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Jinna gasped again when Elle said that she had burned her sister's house down. "Why did you do it?" Then she sighed and leaned back in her chair. "Well, can you show me where the house was, or the last place you saw Gracie or her father? What does her father look like?" Jinna pressed her handkerchief to her face and was silent for awhile.

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"I can show you, but it isn't there anymore. The last place I saw Elias with Gracie was by the river. My friend and I were catching frogs when we saw him. Walter immediately ran to get Terence, but I didn't follow. Elias saw me and told me to keep my mouth shut about everything...and I never told anyone except for Walter. That's when he wrote the note..." Elle closed her eyes and lowered her head, her hair completely blocking Jinna from seeing her face.

She looked up a second later, her eyes misty. "Elias had light brown hair. I don't really remember much other than that. I barely knew him and it was dark that night..."

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Shay gasped as Terence grabbed her hands. Her reaction was more out of indignation than anything else. She opened her mouth to retort, but she was struck with another wave of pain that rendered her speechless. Instead, she relaxed a little and allowed him to pull her shoe off.

"Why are you doing this?" She asked quietly. "You owe me nothing."

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"Because it was my floor that caused you pain. I, myself, have tripped on that board many times. I've been meaning to fix it, but I've never gotten around to it." Terence said, looking up at her. He held up her sock and said, "By the way, there's a hole in this one."

With a chuckle, he stood and said, "Stay here. I'll be right back."

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"Alright." Jinna said. "I am relieved that you know anything at all. You have done your part; if only you will escort me to the ruins, to the river. I will be most grateful." Jinna stood and pushed her chair in, then suddenly smiled. "Your niece...you have a lot in common with Gracie, actually, Elle. She had such spirits..." For a moment Jinna was lost in a reverie; then she snapped-to. "Alright then, I'm ready to go; we need to find my daughter and your niece."