At sunset, Kiela sails her library boat into a hidden cove on the island of Caltrey, just east of the village. Despite Caz's worry that she'll crash, she successfully docks at the rickety old wooden dock once belonging to her family. Memories of her mother teaching her to tie a bowline knot here surface, both familiar and distant. Exhausted from the escape and long sail, she carries the reluctant Caz to shore on the condition he never speak of the indignity again.

Kiela uncovers the overgrown stone steps leading up the cliff and finds the cottage of her childhood almost entirely consumed by vines. Though tempted to retreat to the boat, she pushes open the creaking door and steps inside. Shadowy shapes match her memories: the wood-burning stove, the daybed in the corner, the kitchen, her parents' bedroom. She shakes out the dusty quilt and falls asleep on the daybed, while Caz finds a hole in the floor where he can root for the night.

At dawn, Kiela wakes to find a tall, strong man holding a scythe in the doorway. She screams and tumbles off the bed. The man, holding up his hands, apologizes and introduces himself as Larran Maver, a neighbor from the merhorse farm at the base of the cliff. He explains he saw her boat and came to check on the long-abandoned cottage, since outer islanders look out for their own. Kiela panics about Caz until she spots him hiding in the rafters, safe.

Kiela gives her name and explains the cottage belonged to her parents and grandparents and is rightfully hers. When Larran asks why she's returned to Caltrey, she vaguely says she'd had enough of the city, and he accepts the answer without prying. He smiles—an unexpectedly transformative, handsome smile—and offers help settling in, but she firmly refuses, wanting only to stay hidden. He invites her to visit his yellow house and merhorse farm anytime, then leaves. Kiela watches through the vines as he disappears into the green, relieved but uneasy about being noticed.