Morning Glories 32

Morning Glories 32 is the 32nd issue of Morning Glories.
==Solicitation==
Tagline: "Stories we tell."
==Synopsis==
===Flashback===
One Month Ago: Vanessa Richmond and Brendan meet under the apple tree the night before the rescue attempt. She teases him about being scared and he lends her his jacket.
===Now===
Vanessa is in a stone-lined cell when she hears scratching at one of the walls. She notices a hole and peers through, thinking it is one of The Truants. Someone responds from the other side of the wall. Vanessa asks if they are a student. The voice responds that they were, but they don't remember how long they've been imprisoned. They were incarcerated for "fighting with a teacher," and have lost track of how long they were locked up.  However, the teacher they fought with was "the most dangerous one of them all," and the unknown prisoner is down there because they were wrong about trusting the teacher. Vanessa asks who the voice is and the voice tells her to look through the hole and see for herself.
However, before she gets the opportunity to look, the cell door opens and Lara Hodge enters with a couple of guards. Lara takes Vanessa outside and tells her that her suspension is rescinded; she's free to go (back to class). The rest of the truants are also getting released (except for Akiko, who's receiving the best of medical care). Vanessa questions Lara's motivations, but Lara tells her she's been on her side all along.  She wasn't like the other teachers, and was disappointed that Vanessa pulled her stunt which caused a significant amount of damage. Vanessa is incensed; the school cost her the man she loved. Lara tells her that Vanessa knows that the students are here for their own good, and maybe if Lara had been here, she could have prevented Brendan's death. However, she points out that Brendan's death was also partly Vanessa's fault.
They enter a walled garden with a large central pond. Lara says she's here to reward Vanessa and that this is another shrine like the tower or the cave. Lara commends Vanessa for saving lives when Irina made her move. Vanessa is skeptical about Lara's plan to send her back in time, still being in doubt about Lara's trustworthiness. Lara says she would worry about getting it wrong, but she doubts Vanessa has "any other moment on [her] mind now". She briefly describes Zhuang Zhou's butterfly dream and as a butterfly lands on Vanessa's hand, she sees a bright light and a series of images: a ring of white-robed men, an angry warrior, The Scientist, and a woman being hung.
Vanessa and Lara reappear by the side of the school: It's the night before the rescue attempt. Vanessa sees herself saying goodbye to Brendan and re-entering the school. Lara lays down ground rules: Vanessa can't change anything, she can only see Brendan, and she only has a few minutes. It isn't much, but Vanessa has a chance to say goodbye.
Brendan is surprised to see Vanessa moments after they just said goodbye and in a different outfit. She's overwhelmed at seeing him alive again. She kisses him and promises that she'll find a way to save him, even though Lara will make him forget everything that's happening right now.She tells him that she loves him and that tomorrow, she wants him to kiss her and tell her that he'll find her. As she promises to find him, she disappears in a flash of white light. Lara shows up in her zookeeper outfit and tells him that Vanessa's gone and she's sorry but "this never happened".
Vanessa appears gasping for air in the pond. Lara is by the edge and helps her out. Vanessa asks why Lara helped her say goodbye. Lara says that Vanessa deserved something. She wished she could fix everything but Brendan's death was a "hard thread to unravel". Lara tells Vanessa that she doesn't expect her trust, but that the truth is more complicated than what Abraham told her. Vanessa thanks her and Lara replies that it's her job, besides she might need a favor in the future.
Lara leaves Vanessa and returns to the cells. She enters the cell next to Vanessa's (with the mysterious voice) and the prisoner greets her by name. Lara apologizes for taking so long, but the prisoner says she doesn't mind waiting. Lara asks what the prisoner's plan was, Vanessa was going to look through the hole, see the prisoner and then what? The prisoner agrees, it was pointless but she thought Vanessa should hear the truth from someone she trusted. Lara smiles, and remarks that Vanessa (the prisoner) always did love a futile gesture, turning to look at a much older, short-haired Vanessa in an orange jumpsuit.
==Characters==
===Featured===
*Vanessa Richmond
===Supporting Characters===
*Brendan
*Lara Hodge
==Continuity==
*The scene with Vanessa speaking with the person in the next cell mirrored the scene in Morning Glories #3.
*Brendan kisses Vanessa and tell her that he'll find her in Morning Glories #1.  It also echos Jade's assurance to Casey "You'll find me" in Morning Glories #13.
*The flashes Vanessa sees while time travelling echo the flashes Casey saw in Morning Glories #13 and Morning Glories #28
*The older Vanessa was last seen in Morning Glories #20 being dragged to the guard's station after being betrayed and beaten by an 11-year old Lara.
*Lara's statement to older Vanessa "But then you always did love a futile gesture" echos Abraham's previous statement to Gribbs "Of course, you always did love a futile gesture".
==Trivia==
*The butterfly that alighted on Vanessa's right hand, orange in color, is similar to an American Painted Lady.  The scientific name for this species of butterfly is Vanessa virginiensis.
==Goofs==
*The issue's colors are credited to Jason Lewis, but were actually done by Paul Little.
==Cultural References==
==Questions==
===Unanswered questions===
*How come Vanessa knows "more than anyone" that the students are here for their own good?
*Where was Lara during the rescue attempt? In the time loop?
*How come Vanessa's return has rules, but Casey's time travel had none?
*Why is Lara visiting the older Vanessa?
==References==
==External links==
*MG TinyChat 32
Category:Vanessa Richmond/Appearances
Category:Brendan/Appearances
Category:Lara Hodge/Appearances
Category:Issue
Category:Professor Meylikhov/Appearances
Category:The Scientist/Appearances
Category:The Headmaster/Appearances