Update: The Apprentices
It's summertime, and things are changing fast.
Ronald Howard
5/8/20243 min read
Timeless tales.
Summertime has arrived in Alabama, and if there is one thing I have learned about summer, it is that things have a way of changing when you aren't paying attention. School lets out. Plans get made. Young people who seemed perfectly content with where they were only a few months ago suddenly find themselves standing at a crossroads, wondering which road they ought to take.
And that is exactly where we find The Apprentices.
For a while now, Makaley, JD, Sean, and Dezi have been serving as Watchers—learning that there are things happening around us that most folks never notice. They have followed the signs, listened when others didn't, and stepped into situations when common sense probably told them to turn around and go home.
But this summer, things are different.
For the moment, at least, The Apprentices are stepping back from their duties as Watchers.
Life, it seems, has come calling.
JD
JD Sawyer has just completed basic training at Kelly Air Force Base.
After weeks of discipline, early mornings, orders, and learning what it means to become part of something much larger than himself, JD has finally returned home for a little while.
And there was somebody particularly happy to see him.
Makaley.
The two are enjoying some much-needed R & R together before JD receives his first deployment. Neither of them knows exactly what that deployment will mean—or how long they might once again be apart. For now, they aren't worrying too much about it.
Sometimes you just have to enjoy the days you've been given.
Dezi
Dezi Whitlock began an adventure of her own.
She has officially kicked off her career in the United States Army and is currently going through basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.
I can't help but smile imagining Dezi there. Anyone who knows her probably understands why.
Somewhere at Fort Jackson there is undoubtedly a drill sergeant who hasn't quite figured her out yet.
Give it time.
Dezi has always been smart, independent, and more comfortable figuring out how something works than accepting somebody else's explanation of how it is supposed to work. The Army may change Dezi.
Then again, Dezi might change the Army a little bit.
Sean
Sean “Twitch” McCready is still in school and is expected to graduate in 2027.And apparently, school isn't the only thing occupying his attention these days.
There is a new love interest in Sean's life. I'll leave it at that for now. A fellow ought to be allowed a few secrets.
There is also a rumor floating around that Sean intends to enlist in the United States Marine Corps after graduation. Knowing Sean, I wouldn't bet against it. He has always had that restless streak in him—that need to find out what is waiting beyond the next hill.
The Marines might just suit him.
Makaley
And then there is Makaley Broward.
Makaley is learning something that every young person eventually discovers:
Life after school doesn't come with a syllabus. There are no teachers telling you where to be next period. No bells ringing to remind you that it is time to move along. Suddenly, the choices belong to you.
All of them.
She and JD have finally reunited after his time away at basic training, and for the moment they are simply enjoying being together again. But Makaley has some decisions of her own to make.
She recently turned down an opportunity to join a crew in NASCAR—something that would have seemed almost tailor-made for a girl who has always loved fast cars and isn't particularly afraid of taking chances.
Why did she turn it down? Maybe even Makaley isn't completely sure yet.
She is weighing her options and trying to decide what comes next.
And perhaps that is exactly what she needs to be doing.
And What About the Watchers?
So, for now, the Apprentices are scattered.
JD is preparing for his first deployment.
Dezi is marching her way through basic training.
Sean is finishing school, discovering romance, and apparently thinking about becoming a Marine.
And Makaley is standing at one of those wonderful and terrifying crossroads where almost anything is possible.
Their duties as Watchers have taken a back seat. But I wouldn't count them out just yet.
Because one thing we have learned from The Handyman's Guild, The Quarry Keeper, The Watchers, The Apprentices, and now Fault Lines is that the strange things happening beneath our little corner of Alabama don't particularly care about our plans.
The old mines are still there. The tunnels are still there. The rivers still run beneath the ground.
And somewhere, tucked away where most people would never think to look, there is probably a ledger waiting for another name.
For the first time in quite a while, Makaley, JD, Sean, and Dezi are trying to live ordinary lives.
I hope they enjoy it.
Something tells me it won't last.
—Ron Howard
July 30, 2026