Her Guardian (NaNoWriMo)

[Ranarath]

Ah, what the hell, I'll put my effort at NaNo here, too. Just don't expect it to be any good.

Her Guardian

Chapter 1

“Yeah, it’s good to see you too,” a voice said. It was a woman’s voice, light and cheery but had a strained tone that showed something wasn’t quite right. The sound seemed diluted as though she were talking through a pane of glass. “No, everything’s alright,” she stated. He could tell there was a bit of a lie in that sentence. Something was bothering her but what it was couldn’t be nailed. It was a feeling of uneasiness and nervousness that stretched her smile thin. Anything that could be seen was distorted and fuzzy but there was a source of light right in front of her. It hugged her with warmth, something she needed. Maybe it was a person but people don’t usually glow. “I’ve missed you too, Dad. And there’s no need to worry. It’s just...”

Brown eyes flashed open in the suddenness of being awake but slowly closed to only half-circles as the drowsiness returned all too quickly. I can’t believe I fell asleep, Alex thought to himself as his slumped body ungracefully rose. He let out a rather large yawn and brushed his blond bangs out of his eyes; though, they returned to the same spot after his hand let them fall. Alex Beelz, pronounced ‘BELLS’ and not ‘BEELZ’ which irked him slightly when mispronounced, looked around the small café where he had taken a little snooze. It was a regular looking place with white walls and white-tiled floors. He had seated himself at a tiny, two-chair table since he was by himself. The 19-year-old stretched and shrugged off the rest of the residue of sleep. I’ve got to admit, it was a nice dream, he thought with a small smile, That girl seemed really nice, whoever she was. Grabbing the cup of hot chocolate and swallowing the last bit that was in it, thankfully still lukewarm, he threw it in a trash can on his way outside.

December had set in on the city of Oakfield. Everyone who was outside was dressing in sweaters, long coats, gloves, scarves, two pairs of socks, whatever they could find to kept themselves warm in the 20 degree weather. Alex himself was wearing a pair of blue-jeans with a red turtleneck sweater under a large black leather jacket. His tennis shoes were faded around the edge, he had worn them for about the last two years, and had a pair of black cloth gloves. His blond hair was cut short except for the bangs which hung about halfway down his face and framed his brown eyes. Alex’s skin was lightly tanned with a few freckles. He supposed he was considered what would be cute but never really thought about it. Picking up girls was near the last thing on his list of things-to-do which said quite a bit since that list was quite small. The teenager was extremely laid-back and working him up over something was almost impossible. He also always wore a little half-smile on his face, another trait of his happy-go-lucky character.

Having nothing better to do, Alex traveled down the sidewalk to admire the cheery decorations. Christmas was only a week and a half away and every single store or restaurant had been covered in lightly and tinsel since the end of October. Lights of all colors, mainly green, red and white, flashed and sparkled. Garland and snowflakes with little crystals glistened while music, both from CD players and actual people, glided along the strands of air. Looking up at the sky, which was whitish-gray, promised that the fake snowflakes would soon be accompanied by the real thing. That was okay, though. Virtually everyone in Oakfield adored the white stuff. Snowmen, angels, crosses, and Santa Clauses hung in window sills and doorways. A few tricky shops had even dangled mistletoe above their doors, an embarrassing surprise for people who thought too long about whether or not they wanted to enter.

The holiday always managed to cheer Alex up as well as about everyone else. People always seemed to act nicer and more friendly when Christmas knocked on the door. “Peace on Earth and good will towards men,” he thought. That phrase certainly did fit mid-December. A man in a Santa Claus suit dinged a bell as Alex walked past, a small, red bucket sat beside him. Sorry, he apologized silently as he walked by, I’d give you some just for sitting out in the cold if I had any. The cement was only slightly crowded, it was 12:40 so most people were sitting in some café like the one he had slept in. Apparently, it was crowded enough as someone, another man, bumped into Alex. It was a rather large jolt but the stranger just kept on walking as though Alex didn’t exist. The teenager gave a quick glare but then shrugged and walked on, I guess some people still can’t get into that good ol’ Christmas joy.

Taking a small detour, the leather-coated guy walked into an old-fashioned toy shop. It was stockpiled with wooden toys of animals and people. A train choo-chooed its way around a track that was suspended above the heads of customers. A spiced apple scent danced through the air, either they were burning a candle or had some cider hidden in the back room that stores always have. Alex picked up a small, wooden clown and examined with his characteristic half-smile. I remember getting a toy like this for one of the many Christmases. I broke it about three days later, he chuckled, I was just a little rough with my toys. I only cried a little about it, though, because then I had a toy with a removable head. It certainly didn’t take much to keep me entertained. Ah, he did have some good memories about his parents and childhood. He put the wooden clown with its wide, slap-stick grin back on the shelf and exited the novelty shop.

By now, the sky had taken all it could and small, white forms where slowly falling to the ground. A little crystal landed precariously on Beelz’s nose and melted into water and dropped off. It tickled. Now, to waste more time, he decided what shop he should grace with his presence next. Oakfield was one of those cities that had started out as a small town and had never left that behind when its population soared. The inner city was all brick shops that were around 100 years in age and filled with wooden rooms. Tourists loved the quaintness and flocked to Oakfield year-round. All the name-brand superstores and factories where on the outer rim so as to not take away from the small-town center. He suppose the people of that time when the big companies wanted to come in had panicked and put them as far away as possible so they couldn’t interfere with daily life. Small towns did act nervous when something came in that wasn’t there originally or wasn’t the norm even if it had started there. Growing up here wasn’t exactly what I would call pleasant, he thought absentmindedly but stopped in mid-stride when what he had said actually hit his mind. Well, it wasn’t that bad. I wasn’t popular but I wasn’t miserable, either... Was he? No, I wasn’t miserable, he asserted, I never remember getting picked on at school or being isolated because of my family... Finally, Alex shrugged and let the thought go. Arguing with yourself wasn’t the best thing to do, especially if your standing smack-dab in the middle of an increasingly crowded sidewalk. He was somewhat surprised he hadn’t been run into like before.

The teenager quickly stepped inside another shop, the end-lunch rush started to get to him. This place was serving apple cider and he picked up one of the styrofoam cups. He took a small sip which was enough to warm him right down to the toes. Free stuff like this never fails to attract people, Even if they don’t buy something, it’s still nice to have some customers in the shop at all times. No one likes to be alone. Taking another swig, he looked at some of the Christmas CDs on sale with mild interested. They were all common songs like ‘Deck the Halls’ or ‘I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas’ or ‘Silent Night.’ Stuff that you heard all time from carollers or on the radio. Another part of the shop was dedicated to Christmas paintings. Snowy landscapes, couples skating on a frozen pond, baby Jesus in his manger with Mary, and several others. All oil paintings with golden frames that sold for about 50 dollars. People, mainly tourists, would buy almost anything just to have it. One picture, a small girl sitting on her dad’s lap while he read her a story, caught his fancy. Cute, he decided with a comforting grin and was almost sad to leave it sitting in the store without an owner. Alas, the curse of being completely broke, he said with theatrical drama.

The sidewalk was still crowded as he left but not nearly as bad as before. Manageable, anyway. Crystal of white still danced down to the stony ground, slowly covering up the gray with their purity. Alex let out a bored sigh, his breath condensing and traveling in little wisps. Well, I suppose this is what I get for having nothing better to do, he thought with irony. Having no worries was nice but boring as dirt. Seeing an empty, wooden bench, the teenager lazily flopped down on it. His mouth let out another large yawn, You’d think I didn’t sleep a wink last night, and stared at people with a glazed-over look. Bet I resemble a zombie from one of those cheap horror flicks, he mused with a slight laugh. Second by second, his consciousness surrendered to the sleep that marched on with rifles loaded. Traitor, he scolded as the blissfulness couldn’t be resisted. As his head slumped, he wasn’t sure whether or not someone was talking to him or if it was just a simple dream coming on...

“It’s just I don’t like this town. I hate it, really. But I just had to come back and see you.”

~

Word Count - 1703

[Ranarath]

Chapter 2

A girl was sitting on the swing set all alone in an elementary playground. The other were playing various games like four square, soccer, and digging in a sand box. The lonely girl just stared out into space, a hard look on her face that signal that tears were being fought back. “Hey,” Alex said, he himself only 12 years old. The girl didn’t look at him but lowered her face and peered at the ground. He couldn’t see the specifics of her profile, only that the child was wearing a pair of purple shorts and a white shirt with purple flowers. She had long, black hair that hung in front on her face. Her face, however, was the main part that couldn’t be seen. It was obscured by a gray mist, only a few facial features making their way through. Alex just stood by her, waiting for her to acknowledge his existence.

Finally, she turned and looked up at him. Even with an opaque fog over her face, he could now see that it was scrunched up in a position that showed tears were only a few seconds away from pouring out. “Hey, it’ll be alright,” Beelz stated with reassurance and rested an arm on her shoulder. “Those kids are mean just because they can be. You shouldn’t listen to them,” he consoled which felt like a second nature to him.

A few drops trickled down her cheek and curled under her nose. “B-But why?” she sniffed, futilely trying to stop the water, “Why do they have to be so mean to me? I never did anything to them.”

“Some people are just like that,” he answered and knelt down by her. “But you don’t need to worry about them. Come on, lemme see a smile that you say your dad always brags about,” he gave her a goofy grin. The lonely girl chuckled and gave him a weak smile. “There we go. Yeah, you don’t need to worry about what those morons say,” Alex reassured her. Yep, it was his job to keep her happy, to help her in her hard times.

He wasn’t sure what woke him up but Alex instantaneously rose from the little dream. I remember her, Beelz thought with a fogginess that always seemed to accompany waking-up. We were best friends since... wow, probably before kindergarten. Yeah, she was... she was... But try as he might, he couldn’t think of what the girl’s name had been. Alex scolded himself, Best friend and I can’t even recall her name to save my life. ...I’m not even sure what did after high school. We did kind of drift apart around... oh, junior or senior year. Well, I suppose that’s just what happens sometimes. He stayed slumped on the wooden bench, shuffling through old memories in peace and quiet.

Complete peace and quiet. The 19-year-old finally gave that fact his full attention. It was the middle of December on one of the busiest streets in Oakfield. The phrase ‘peace and quite’ should never apply to this place. Unfortunately, it did. There wasn’t one sound, not even the wind blowing a leaf or plastic bag across the sidewalk. It was an empty silence. As weird as it seems, there are several different kinds of silence. It definitely wasn’t that quietness you get when everyone else is dead and the flies are going nuts around fleshy remains. No, it was more like every living thing had simply dropped off the face of the planet and only he was left. He slowly sat up, his clothes making the only sounds on the street. It crept him out and he wished he could hit the mute button on his outfit.

Of course, accompanying the intent silence was the fact that there were no people other than the teenager who was fully awake. Several cars were still angle-parked by the sidewalk but no one sat inside them. Snow still fell slowly to the ground. Apparently the cold dance stopped for nothing, not even the unnatural stop of the world. The gray cement now had a thin layer of white covering it. If this weather kept up through the night, which it probably would, the snow plows would have to clear some of the lesser used streets and throw salt on the highly used ones like this. That is, obviously, if any people existed to do that job. Come on, he told himself as fear started to crawl into his system, People just don’t disappear like in a puff of smoke unless you’re watching a magician and then it’s even just an illusion.

Well, where did everyone go then? the fear asked, trying to settle some firm roots into his brain.

Beats me, Alex reluctantly answered. No matter what sense he tried to make out of this situation, no rational remark came to his mind. In fact, the more he thought about it, the wilder the answers became. Bah! I’ll go stir-crazy if I sit here and trying to figure it out, he decided and jumped to his feet. The echo of his tennis shoes hitting the pavement traveled far and wide without any other sound waves to bother it. A tingle ran down the male’s back. Stop it! he growled at himself and stomped his foot which sent another, louder echo through the air. He finally sighed and told himself to forget about it. It wasn’t like him to get ancy about something, no matter how strange and awkward it was. Though, strange and awkward didn’t begin to describe this situation.

You know what they say, ‘There’s always a bigger fish,’ fear snuck in, imply that things could and will most likely get worse. Alex rolled his eyes and just tried to ignore the shivering in his spine. It wasn’t like there was anything to get too concerned about. There wasn’t some psycho with a chainsaw running after him or some man-eating alien that fell from space in a meteor. Hoping to maybe strike a bit of reason into this place, he started walking down the sidewalk. The stores that had been all lit up with twinkle lights, sweet smells, and glittering ornaments were now dull and stark. The Christmas lights didn’t glow at all, maybe the power had been cut. No, it was... darker than that. Almost as though something was suffocating the light out. He couldn’t tell if there were any human beings hiding inside the shops for their windows had suddenly turned foggy. A grayness pressed against the glass and the corners were ugly with caked dirt. As if they hadn’t been cleaned for several years... he thought with a mild amount of curiosity. He walked up to one of the windows and smushed his face against it, hand cupping either side of his face so light wouldn’t cause a reflection to study him. But the only thing that could be seen through the gray emptiness was vague outlines, nothing definite. Like her, a picture of the dream child entered his mind, her face covered with a similar grayness. Yeah, kind of like that except I could still tell what her facial expression was. I can’t see a darn thing through this stuff, he let out a relinquished sighed and stepped back from the glass. Well, what the hell do I do now?

What about the school? a side of him asked, calling up a few more remnants of the dream.

“Why there?” he asked out loud. Not like anyone was going to walk by and think he was crazy, “I haven’t gone there for seven years. Just because I dream about it doesn’t mean I should go there.”

Well, it was the last dream you had before this happened. Besides, you just asked what you could do, it reasoned.

“Yeah, I suppose so,” he resigned. Now he only had to figure out where the school was. If the elementary school was on Nixon Street and he was on Main... It should be a couple blocks west of here. He jogged down another block to reach the intersection of Nixon and Main Street and took a right. Gotta love that innate, manly sense of direction, he said with a corny grin and power-walked down the pavement. He had only taken a few strides before realizing, I just convinced myself to go to my old elementary school. No, I just argued and then convinced myself. Isn’t that suppose to be the first sign you’re going crazy?

When you’re suddenly the only person in a heavily populated city, who cares? that other voice questioned, It’s not like you had managed to think up anything, anyway.

He closed his eyes and nodded, Yeah, you’ve got- Alex stopped in mid-sentence when he realized he was doing it again. He wondered if he had always had such an easy time talking to himself. Then decided he could worry about whether or not he was going crazy when he actually found someone else that the teenager could talk to. Other than himself, of course. The 19-year-old started walking down the sidewalk once more, his steps with a little less vigor that they had previously had. Another odd thought managed to sneak it’s way into his mind, What if you don’t find anything at the school? What if you just relive some memories and nothing more?

Alex almost felt as if his mind was being infiltrated by several other voices that had always lived there but only recently made themselves known, Well, I don’t know. I didn’t even realize I was expecting to find anything relevant there. Though, I suppose... he looked up at the gray-white sky as tiny crystal glided downwards, Maybe I’ll be able to remember her name. It was really starting to bug him that he couldn’t. He knew they had been at least good friends. Alex had even been over to her house several times. He had always looked after when she felt no one else could even though he was the same age. In fact, that’s what probably made it easier for her to confide in him with what was troubling her. And yet I can’t even remember her name or face. Gah, maybe we weren’t quite as close as I recall. I shouldn’t forget someone’s name just like that. Oh well, the school was only two more blocks away. But, more importantly, whatever memories were hidden there were only two blocks away.

~

Word Count - 1743

[Ranarath]

Chapter 3

Lakewood Elementary School. That’s what the large sign in front of the building stated. It had been seven years since Alex Beelz had even set foot near this place. He was mildly surprised that he even remembered where it was. The first part of the building was an old brick school with two stories that had once been the old middle school. Well, the middle school had been transferred to a newer home while this old thing had become grades K-6. Eventually, after Oakfield had its population explosion, new buildings had been added onto the old one. Now, about half of the educational prison was new and the other half old. A stark contrast when one walked from shiny, white linoleum to tile that was slightly yellow with age. Of course, all the older kids, mainly the fifth and sixth graders, loved to search around the older half of the building. Especially in October when all the TV horror movies put in the ideas that there would be some hidden room with a corpse that would come after you if you disturbed it. Children had repeatedly found small holes in the back of cupboards that led into a small crawl-way under the main floor. Or they would open a closet door and find a bricked-up window. The doors that were half up the wall in the auditorium were always a favorite subject in making fear-inducing theories about the old school. Speaking of theories, one of Alex’s favorite was the one that the bricked-up windows where actually doors to hidden rooms where people where buried alive. He wasn’t sure why but he had always remembered that story. Maybe because he had actually believe it at first.

The new part of the school had never gotten as much attention as the old section. Nobody was ever able to find any sealed windows or hidden corridors. Though, in tradition that a whole building should be haunted instead of just half, a story did circulate that the new part was built over a graveyard where people who died in the brick section had been buried. And, like most urban legends, the gory history of Lakewood Elementary School was completely made up by horror-obsessed children. It was and always had been a school. Though, most kids find that fact horrifying enough. But now Alex had returned to this place under circumstances that almost gave truth to the gruesome tales. I’d probably wet myself if I actually did find some dead and rotten bodies, he thought with a little irony. That would just be the thing to happen, too. He simply stood at the front of the brick building and gazed through the windows. Like the store windows, these also had that strange, grayish fog obscuring them. I wonder if the whole building will be covered in mist. Well, there was only one way to find out. Mustering up some courage, he quickly walked up the three steps to the school door and laid a hand against the wooden door. The doors were one part of the old building that had been replaced.

Alex half-expected it to be locked, I mean what kind of care-taker would leave the building unlocked so people could just come and go- the knob turned in his hand. He sighed, Figures, opened the portal and went inside. The door made a large echo as it shut automatically behind him, making the somewhat nervous teenager jump. Man, if it wasn’t for this silence, I wouldn’t be so freaking freaked out, he sullenly thought, Then again, I suppose it is better than a chainsaw sound... Alex almost bursted out laughing, not really because being chased by a chainsaw would be that funny. More about that fact that, for far, he was the only person here and that he was letting his imagination get away with him.

Well, with this weird stuff going on, you never know what might be waiting around the corner, the new, inner voice warned with a grin.

Thanks, the 19-year-old remarked with sarcasm and rolled his eyes. The interior of the school looked like about any school in the country. The front office was just to the right of the doors and the hall almost immediately split into a T-intersection. Thankfully, the interior wasn’t obscured by thick fog. Perhaps it was just a trick of the glass that made them appear smokey. For all he new, they could’ve just been reflecting the cloud-covered sky. Though, I highly doubt that, he told himself. If one thing didn’t have a rational explanation, what made him think anything else would. I suppose that’s just how the mind works. It wants to figure out everything, he introspected.

Pretty good assumption there, the little voice nodded, But let’s stop with the philosophical thinking and see what’s new in this old building.

“Agreed,” Alex said out-loud and then scolded himself for answering. He walked into the T-section, his shoes still making a hollow echo that didn’t travel quite as far as outside. Glancing to his left, he saw that a door at the end of the hall way led out to the playground. A picture of his dream slowly floated upwards and then back down. A small warning tingle went down his back, telling him that he really didn’t want to go outside. Then again, he didn’t have any other leads to follow unless he wanted to wander aimlessly around the school. Stretching his arms in an attempt to get rid of the tingle, he walked to the door and pushed it open. Yep, just like I remembered it in my dream, he thought as his eyes scanned the playground. A large part of black pavement was laid down for courts of all different kind of games. A swing set and monkey bars settled over an area covered with wood chips with a large sandbox nearby. Last but definitely not least, about half of the area was a field for kids to go nuts and run around on. Soccer goals were placed at both ends just incase and the grass had long since turned yellow from the cold. Memories didn’t exactly flood back as he started walking towards the swings. They more or less came in sporadic, disjointed bubbles. Everyone of them had the girl even though he still couldn’t recall her face or name. The swings were relatively old with chains holding the leather strap that served as a seat and the place where children stopped themselves had moved away all the wood chips so that dark brown dirt showed through. Alex gently moved the swing and it rocked back and forth slightly, dislodging any snow that had accumulated on the seat. Wiping the rest of the cold stuff, he took a seat, So, now what? I’m reliving childhood memories, yay. He looked down and kicked absentmindedly at a few chips.

Suddenly, a sharp sob caught his attention. The teenager jerked his head up and saw a group of kids, probably around ten, standing in the middle of one of the courts. There were four boys standing around a girl who seemed to be crying. It took Alex only a second to realize, It’s her! He bolted up and started running to the group until two thoughts struck his mind rather hard.

The first one, Wait, that was over seven years ago. How could she be here now? She would be the same age as me.

The second was more of an observation, I... can see through them... Indeed, up-close one could see right through the children. The word ‘ghost’ instantly came to his mind. They certainly wouldn’t be out of place with the other strange stuff going on. Also, just like his dream, the teenager couldn’t see faces, only the misty outlines of facial expressions. It was obvious the girl was crying. But now he could hear exactly what she was crying about.

“Aw, poor girl crying,” one boy jeered in a false-concern voice, “Bet you want your momma right?” The others laughed.

“She can’t see her mom ‘cause she doesn’t love her,” another stated loudly which caused another burst of laughter.

A third looked at the others, “Naw, she wants her daddy. ‘Cept he’s not here to protect you, either.”

Alex was starting to lose his temper even though he probably couldn’t do anything about it. Why doesn’t one of the teachers do anything?! he questioned with appal, They’re talking loud enough that somebody has to hear what they’re saying to her. He looked around but there weren’t any other ghosts in the area, just this play out of torment.

“L-leave me alone,” the girl finally said between sobs.

The ghostly boys were quiet for a few seconds before one finally said, “Eh, whatever. You’ve been plenty entertaining for today.” The others snickered and the four boys walked off. Actually, they walked only a little distance before disappearing into whatever nether realm they lived in.

The solid boy stood silently, depressed that he couldn’t do anything. Well, I suppose I haven’t tried... he decided and slowly walked up to the transparent girl. “H... hey,” he asked, slightly worried that disturbing a ghost would make it turn on him with a ghastly face and mouth that was full of sharp teeth. But, just about the opposite happened. Nothing. The ghost apparently couldn’t hear him which actually relieved him.

“You know you shouldn’t listen to them,” another voice suddenly stated, startling Alex. However, what startled him more was the fact that a ghostly version of him had appeared beside the girl. Creepy... he thought and took a step back without realizing it. “They’re just bullies,” the younger ghost reassured, “They don’t know anything about you.” The scene playing out before him reminded Alex highly of his dream. In fact, if he thought hard enough about it, he had a feeling he knew what would happen next.

Isn’t it obvious? the inner voice asked, surprised that it hadn’t been figured out. You were talking about reliving memories. Well, here you go.

You mean this is just a memory, he pointed at the two ghosts. Now that he really thought hard about it, he could kind of remember this conversation. He had several that were almost exactly the same with this girl. Or, he queried, Am I just thinking that I remember this? ...Naw, that’s too creepy to think about.

“Okay, kids, recess is over. Line up single-file so we can go inside,” a woman’s voice stated, the teacher. Both the ghostly girl and his younger version stood up and walked a few steps in the direction of the doors and then vanish. Alex, however, stood in the snow for a few minutes, mulling things over in his mind while snow continued to collect on the ground. Even if they had been memories, their voices were more than welcomed in the silence that had once again engulfed the town.

Are there more memories in this building? he wondered and glanced back over his shoulder. The brick structure almost seemed to loom over him.

I wouldn’t be surprised if there were. Though, I wouldn’t be surprised if there weren’t anymore, either, Mr. Voice replied. Alex wasn’t sure if he should be comforted by those statements or worried. Then again, what harm could a memory do to a person? Just memories, nothing more or less. The teenager bent down, rolled up a bit of snow into a ball, and threw it out into the field. It hit near the middle and broke into fine, white power. He didn’t have any reason for doing so. Alex just did it for the sake of doing something other than wandering around like a lost child. Letting out his breath, which turned into a visible wisp, he turned and went back inside the teaching center. It wasn’t much warmer indoors, the heat was probably turned off since there wasn’t anyone around to turn it on for the few teachers that came to grade homework over the weekend. Alex rubbed his gloved hands together to chase away the coldness that was prickling them. Let’s see, those ghosts looked like they were about... 11 so they’d probably be in the sixth grade, he surmised and then looked above. The fifth and sixth grade classrooms were kept on the second floor of the old building. He took the stairs two at a time, his shoes’ echos had become so common that he practically tuned them out.

The upper floor wasn’t anything special. Rows of lockers lined the walls and broke whenever there was a door. The lockers had been repainted red but some had been chipped in some spots so the dull metal showed through. None of them had locks, either. All the children were assigned a locker simply so they could hang their coats or put projects inside so the rooms would have more space. Nobody expected a ten- or eleven-year-old to remember a lock combination. That being said, Alex had no idea what his locker number had been. Of course, he never thought he’d be coming back here. Likewise, he didn’t remember which rooms had been the sixth grade classes. Well, there are only six rooms to look through, he counted and then opened the nearest door on his left side. I led into a normal-looking classroom with rows of desks, a whiteboard for the teacher to write on, and the teacher’s desk. Two windows at the back allowed light into the room. Walking up to said windows, the teenager peaked outside. Nothing had changed in the outside world. He could see the faint outlines of his footprints leading up to the front door though they were almost filled in with the continued snow fall. Seeing those tracks as the only sign of human life made him uneasy. The 19-year-old had to resist the urge to go out there and try to wipe them away. I’d only make more tracks doing that, he reasoned and stepped back from the glass, I wonder if the windows still look foggy on the outside. Oh well, doesn’t matter. Since nothing interesting was happening in this classroom, not that he knew exactly what he was looking for, he exited and went to the one across the hall. This one was also extremely normal-looking. He waiting for a few minutes and then left when nothing happened. Jeez, it’s like looking for a needle in a needle stack, he commented when he opened the door to another normal classroom.

Well, at least this stack isn’t poking the hell out of you, the inner voice joked.

“Har, har,” Alex said sarcastically with a little grin and opened another door. Instead of finding a classroom, he found the old school library. Bookcases lined the walls, and were obviously filled to the brim with books, while round tables were set up in the middle of the room. One table was had a notepad, pencil, and filing box sitting on it. Mostly like where an adult sat and had the children checked out books. He was about to leave, A library, how exciting... when another sob grabbed his attention. Another pack of ghostly children appeared in the middle of the room. It was the girl in the center, again, with only two boys and another girl crowded around her. Alex sighed, Why do all the memories seem to just be this girl getting picked on by other kids? Though, this little time trip wasn’t accompanied by sounds. He could tell that the bullies were saying some mean stuff but their mouths moved without any noise. Curiosity overcoming his fear slightly, the teenager walked over to the group and poked at one of the bullies. His finger went right through just as he had expected. Okay, if all I’m going to get out of this is seeing the girl get hurt feelings and then me coming over to comfort her, I’m outta here, he turned and marched towards the door. Then stopped as a sharp pain shot through his head and scrambled his thoughts.

“They were so mean to me,” a voice, a woman’s voice stated suddenly. It was full of contempt and pain. Not only that but it seemed to come from nowhere but inside Alex’s head. “All the kids picked on me and I never did anything to deserve it other than have the family that I did. Monsters, that’s what they were. Monsters...”

As sudden as the pain had come, it vanish altogether. That voice... the teenager though. He had heard it before, just as distinctly, but couldn’t recall. A strange hissing sounds forced him to turn back to the movie memory. The bullies were still jeering at the girl but the smokey fog that had covered their faces was now enshrouding their entire body. The hiss came again, from the ghostly forms. On the shoulder of one of the fog-covered children, a slit appeared. Alex thought that something might have cut the kid’s shoulder, don’t ask how, until it opened and showed off a top and bottom row of sharp teeth.

Several things soared through his brain at that point but only one managed to correlate into a complete thought, Monsters... By now, several mouths had opened on various places on the... things’ bodies, everywhere but the head which didn’t have any facial features to it at all. Alex unknowingly took several steps back, his eyes about as wide as a person’s could get. The ghostly girl in the center had long since disappeared so all that was left were the gray monsters. Which weren’t transparent anymore. Another hiss came and, at the same time, the three creatures turned their heads at him and looked at him. Even though they didn’t have eyes, the teenager knew that they could see him. And that was about all he could take. He turned around quickly, almost tripping over his own feet, and bursted through the door only to close it immediately behind him. “What the hell was that!?” he shouted, his fear finally allowing cohesive thought through. His heart slowly went back to its normal pace which had tripled in the last few seconds. Alex let his breathes come in and out, trying to calm himself. Maybe, he thought, Maybe that was just my imagination. Maybe I just thought I saw those things because of headache and the woman’s voice. Yeah, that had to be it. Seriously, monsters don’t exist.

At scraping noise from the other side of the door nearly made him leap out of his skin. Oh crap, they are real! he panicked.

Calm down, the inner voice commanded.

“How am I suppose to do that?” Alex asked out-loud, not caring about the fact that he was talking to himself, “There are monsters here. Monsters!”

Can they open doors? the second Alex asked calmly. That stumped the teenager. Could they? How was he suppose to know? You do realize that, if they could, there’s another door that leads in and out of the library, he stated. The 19-year-old muttered something intelligible under his breath and back away from the door. The scraping noise continued but the door didn’t suddenly swing open with the gray monsters leaping to tear him apart. Thankfully, Alex’s heart and breath rate slowed to normal and he let out a semi-relieved sigh.

“Okay, they can’t come after me. That’s good. But what the hell are they doing here in the first place?” he asked, somewhat to no one in particular and somewhat to that inner voice that seemed to know everything.

That’s like asking where did everyone go, the second voice replied.

“I can handle being in a deserted town. Being in a town populated by monsters instead of humans is a little much,” he said with slightly aggravation.

Those are the only ones you’ve seen, Mr. Voice pointed out, Saying the town is populated by them is a bit of an exaggeration.

“Who cares about specifics?!” Alex shouted then wished he hadn’t as his voice echoed throughout the school. The scraping became slightly louder and more frequent. He forced himself to calm down, “Look, the fact is that there are now monsters in this place. I would just like to get out of here,” he stated.

You could try going to sleep, came the suggestion.

The teenager shook his head, “Forget that. I’d be so worried about something jumping out and biting off my head that I would never be able to fall asleep.” He sighed and glanced back at the library door. With the scratching noise still coming, he had a feeling the monsters weren’t exactly the brightest things ever... created. Which he was highly thankful for. He’d probably already be dead if the things were smart. Well, at least he knew what he wanted to do now, I’m getting the hell out this school. And, he answered, knowing the question was coming, I don’t know where I need to go next but anywhere is better than here. He marched to the stairs and down them, not even taking the time to check any of the other rooms on the second floor. Alex had a feeling that, for some reason, he was only suppose to see the creatures here and that nothing else would happen at the school now. The teenager stopped at the T-intersection right in front of the main doors and looked to the right. The hallway had a few more classrooms but mainly led to the newer half of the building. And as he continued to look down that hall, bad vibes started to circle around him, almost smothering him. Something much worse than those gray monsters was down there.

Will you becoming back? the inner voice queried.

“I hope to God not,” was the reply and Alex hurried out into the snowy town.

~

Word Count - 3645

[Ranarath]

Chapter 4

The blond-haired teenager was leaning against a streetlight post and holding his forehead in pain. He had made it a block from the school when another sharp headache had hit suddenly and he had almost tripped from the suddenness of it. The headache felt like someone was trying to bore a hole straight into his head. Or, actually, like they were trying to bore from the center of his brain out. Needless to say, it hurt like hell. I hope no more monsters show... up, Alex thought foggily. Those gray monsters from the school had shown up right after his first episode of pain. He prayed it wasn’t going to be a custom.

“Am I safe?” the woman’s voice questioned. Unlike before, it was unsure and nervous in sound. “No one else is here. Where did they all go?” Alex noticed that her predicament sounded extremely close to his. He went on to wonder if this lady was actually in Oakfield at this very moment. It wouldn’t surprise him... too badly. “Everybody in the library just disappeared... Should I just stay here until someone comes back or should I try to find another person? ...No, I’ll stay here. I’d look awfully silly searching for people.”

Library? Well, if she was in Oakfield at this exact moment, she sure wasn’t in Lakewood Elementary School’s library. In fact, she was probably talking about the public library. At least, that was the only library that would be open at this time that Alex could think of. It took a few minutes after the woman’s voice had disappeared for the pain to leave with her. The teenager let out a wisp of air, Would somebody please tell me what’s going on. Someone here has to be psychic or something. He pulled his head back to look up at the white-gray sky, knocking his skull against the pole in the process. It sent a small pain through but he barely noticed. Snow was still falling onto the silent town. However, ever since his encounter in the school, the silence that was pervading Oakfield had taken on a different meaning. No longer was it an empty quietness of a lonely person. The silence had taken on an animal-like quality that something was waiting to pounce on an unsuspecting person. Alex had a hard time not looking over his shoulder every five seconds.

Are you going to go to the public library? his inner voice asked.

“I don’t know,” he answered in a stressed tone, “Last place I went to after following a dream had monsters. And these... headaches aren’t much better than dreams.” He rolled his head forward so that he was now staring at his feet. Small tendrils of mist were curling around his tennis shoes. That struck him as odd. This town very rarely had any foggy days and the nearest body of water that could created fog was several miles away. Then again, Oakfield had never had a day were it was almost completely void of people. Regardless of the weird circumstances, a mist coming in that would further obstruct the town was bad news indeed. I suppose... maybe I should head to the library, he decided and straightened his posture, Though, I kind of wish I had a weapon just in case. Fighting off a monster wasn’t a great prospect in his mind but he supposed he would have to if worst came to worst and he couldn’t just run away. Stretching his arms, panic had away of making him cramp up, and started walking down the sidewalk, leaving his lonely footprint in the school. He wondered if monsters would be able to follow footprints and then shook the unsettling thought from his mind.

Alex Beelz had only managed to walk a little distance before the air changed. Crap, what now, he flinched, ready to run if anything blood-thirsty came at him. The change was hard to describe. Nothing was different, the snow was still falling and the mist was trailing around by his feet. But the atmosphere had taken on a foreign quality almost akin to a dream. The sound of feet soon accompanied. The teenager couldn’t believe what he saw. It was another, normal every-day person. He almost shouted in relief if he wasn’t sure the sound would’ve probably given the stranger a heart attack.

The mysterious person was actually a woman probably around five years older than Alex. She had long, red hair and green eyes that seemed to convey a mixture of fear and fascination. A long, black coat covered most of her form, hanging down to mid-calf. Below that, red slacks and black dress shoes could be worn. A gloved hand, a black, leather gloved that fit the contours of her hand tightly, pushed a bundle of flaming hair behind her left ear. Her face was enhanced with make-up, from her cherry-red lips to the perfect smoothness of her skin. All in all, this woman was nothing short of drop-dead gorgeous. When she had finally laid eyes on the teenager, she stopped in her track with a suspicious look adorning her face. “Who are you?” she finally asked and turned her head upwards with narrowed eyes.

“Uh, Alex Beelz. You?” he replied, his own suspicions of the woman rising as he walked towards her.

However, she smiled at his question, “Cassandra Newwells. I take it your probably wondering what’s happened to us.”

Something about her tone, which was a little too happy for the situation, threw him off. “Yeah, I am. Do you know about what’s going on.”

Cassandra chuckled and closed her eyes, “Something strange is all I know.” She opened her eyes back up and gave the 19-year-old a smile. He could tell right away that the smile was forced and that her answer wasn’t everything. She knew something more.

“So, what are you doing here in Oakfield? You live here?” he asked.

“Why yes, I am a resident,” her voice was rather seductive though he knew she wouldn’t be interested in anybody like him. She looked like the kind of woman that like men with money and power, to hell with love. His dislike for her was rising by the second. “I was just doing some Christmas browsing when... well, when everything went weird. The whole town is empty. In fact, you’re the first person I’ve run across.”

He nodded, “Same here. Though, you aren’t the first living thing I’ve passed.”

She cocked her head, “‘Living thing’? Oh! You’ve seen those strange creatures, too!” Her eyes brightened in fascination again, “I’ve seen them wandering around the town. Thank goodness they never noticed me. I wonder what caused them...” her voice trailed off.

Oh great, so they are wandering around the town, Alex groaned. He really didn’t want to see any of those gray things again.

“Say, what are you doing here?” Cassandra queried, narrowing her eyes once more at him.

“Likewise, I was just wandering around and looking at shops. I fell asleep on a bench and when I woke up, I was only the person around,” he replied.

“Really,” she confirmed and looked him up and down, examining him. “Well, I’m a reporter for the local newspaper. It’s my day off but I seem to have a more interesting story now than any of my regular work days.”

“Uh-huh,” he commented blankly. He really didn’t know what to say to her. Well, there was one thing, “Say, have you seen any ghosts around here?”

She gave him a confused glance, “Ghosts? No, I haven’t seen any. Are you telling me there are ghosts and monsters parading around in this town?” Cassandra’s face had now painted itself a look of intrigue. She even put her hand to her mouth and walked in a little circle while mulling things over.

Alex almost regretted mentioning it, “Well, they weren’t exactly ghosts. They... just played out a scene and then disappeared.” He purposefully neglected to mention the part where those memories had turned into monsters. She didn’t need to know that. He was almost thinking it was crazy himself.

She looked directly into his eyes, her green ones dancing with mischievousness, “Well, they say strong memories can leave a psychic imprint. Maybe that’s what you saw.”

“Oh.” Jeez, I already knew that. Well, that those were memories I was seeing. But, ‘psychic imprint’? I wonder if psychic stuff really is floating around in this town, know Alex started mulling things over much like the reporter.

“You know,” Cassandra added, “Several people have disappeared in this town before. Though, that happened over sixty years ago so almost no one knows about it. But, still, perhaps this has happened before.”

That tidbit perked the teenager’s attention, “People have disappeared here?”

She nodded, “Indeed. ...Well, it was very interesting to meet you, Alex, but I’m afraid I must part ways.”

Even though he wasn’t exactly enjoying her company, her statement still surprised him, “Part ways? But, wouldn’t it be better if we stick together?”

She smiled and chuckled at him like he was a kid that didn’t know any better, “No, I don’t think that would be the best thing to do. Besides, I’m actually interested in what’s going on. I think I might investigate this further. So, I bid thee adieu.” Cassandra made a little bow and then walked off. This time, Beelz didn’t make any attempt to stop her. In fact, he found her rather unsettling. Thought, strangely enough, as soon as she was out of sight, the air seemed to change back to what it was before, the strangeness gone.

She definitely knew more than she was letting on, he decided. The teenager had always had a knack for figuring out if a person was telling the truth or not.

Then again, you didn’t tell her everything you know, either, the inner voice stated, making him feel slightly guilty.

Well, I guess that makes us even, then, he rebuked, trying to lessen his guilty conscience. It didn’t help. Well, he had more important things on his mind than some reporter who was way too interested in what was going on. And those more important things consisted of getting to the library and finding out who was giving him headaches from hell and weird dreams.

~

Word Count - 1717

[Ranarath]

Chapter 5

“Deck the halls with boughs of holly, falalalala lalalala. ‘Tis the season to be merry, falalalala lalalala,” Alex sang while he tromped through the snow that was starting to pile up. Man, you know you’re really bored when you’ve been reduced to singing Christmas carols. At least I’m not out of season, he justified. The silence of the town no longer badly bothered him even though he had to look over his shoulder from time to time so he was fairly comfortable hearing his own singing and singing echo. He hadn’t quite realized how far away the public library was, if he was going the right way, and was almost convinced he was lost. You would think they might have signs or something that pointed in the right direction, the teenager complained besides the fact that he knew Oakfield wasn’t large enough for that kind of treatment. “Don we now, our gay apparel, falalalala lalalala,” he continued, “Troll the ancient yuletide carol, falalalala lalalala.”

So, how long are you going to keep this way? the inner voice asked. He seemed bored as well.

“I don’t know. Until I hit a place that I recognize, reach the library, or find myself outside of Oakfield,” he answered nonchalantly. Despite the crazy things happening, he felt relatively happy and carefree. If this is what it was like to be in shock, he hoped he would stay in shock until this weirdness was over.

For all you know, this could last until you die, Mr. Voice stated and practically threw Alex’s good mood out the window.

Thanks, he groaned sarcastically, Though, if there are monsters running around, dying might come a little quicker than I would like. Luckily, he hadn’t seen anything else on his travel since the reporter, Cassandra. [/i]Maybe the monsters are more attracted to women or something, he thought, Though, if that’s the case... crap.[/i] He regretted thinking that. Because if that was the case, then the woman who had been giving him headaches would be in serious trouble. The 19-year-old rubbed his head, not from pain but just because thinking about all this strangeness was extremely confusing. He needed to find the library fast. Even if he didn’t find anyone, going there would at least put his mind to rest. He came to another intersection and looked at the street sign. Currently, he was still on Nixon Street while the intersecting street was Kellogg. Kellogg, Kellogg, he strained his memory, Okay, I think the library’s on... Mathis Avenue. That’s... two blocks on Kellogg? He could barely remember but it sounded right. Thus, he turned... which way did he go on Kellogg? Alex let out an aggravated sigh and lightly knocked his head on the street sign pole.

Finally, he gave up trying to figure out which way was correct and went left. Left was a good direction to go. He brushed some snow out of his hair and moved his bangs out of his eyes. They fell right back. The teenager then jabbed his gloved hands into his coat pockets. It felt like the temperature was dropping which wasn’t the least bit surprising. Night usually came about five o’clock in December. It was probably around three o’clock at the moment. If I don’t figure this out soon, I’ll be wandering around this place in the dark which is exactly what I would rather not do. He started power-walking down the sidewalk and scanning the buildings for any sign of a library even though he wasn’t on the right street. Thankfully, his guess in direction had be right on as he came across the intersection of Kellogg and Mathis. He hopped from one foot to the other for a few seconds, once again try to figure out which direction to take, and decided on the right path this time.

As he continued walking, he started humming ‘Silent Night’ until he realized that he really didn’t like the lyrics that went with it. Silent Night was a little too close to the situation so he started humming ‘Joy to the World.’

I think you’ve gone the wrong way, the inner voice pointed out after a four block travel, I don’t believe the library was this far on Mathis.

Alex sighed, “I wouldn’t be surprised if this was the wrong direction. I could only remember that it was on Mathis.” He turned around and almost took a step when he looked back over his shoulder. What if the library was only a block down? The teenager would end up going the wrong way and losing more time. But, if he kept going this way and it was wrong, he would lose just as much time if not more. He groaned.

Trust your inner voice. It knows the waaaay, the second voice said with the tone of one of those fake fortune-tellers that wanted to sell people so they made their voice mysterious and mystic sounding. Alex chuckled and walked back the direction he had come. The inner voice had seemed to be correct about everything so far. The 19-year-old followed his lonely footprints back to the intersection and made news ones in the opposite direction. Thinking about his tracks, he realized that, once the snow had covered them up, it would be like no one was ever here in the first place. Like he had never even existed. The image sobered up his mild good mood.

Being so serious all the time gets depressing, he decided. It went against his devil-may-care attitude. Though, one sight did relieve that serious mood almost to the point of pure elation. He had traveled three blocks in the opposite direction to come across North Oakfield Library. Oh, thank you God, he said and ran to the front of the library. Unlike all the other buildings he had passed by, this one actually had lights. Working lights that shined with a warm, white brightness akin to being lost in the dark wilderness and then seeing a light that belonged to a flashlight wielded by your parents. He pushed on the door’s lever and walked inside as the door opened without the slightest resistance. The North Oakfield Library was a modern building having only been built in the 80s. Florescent bulbs provide the heaven-like light to the library while neatly kept shelves held books of all varieties. Near the entrance was the checkout desk where several computers sat, all off. The carpet felt wonderful under his feet even though he could barely feel through his shoes. There is no way anything bad could be lurking in this place, he stated. The building was too warm and comforting for that, unlike the school.

Although, there was one thing missing. Another person. That woman, to be precise. He had been so happy to find a normal and inviting place in this cold desolate town that he hadn’t realized the silence the pervaded Oakfield had also crept in here. He almost wondered if, by opening the door, he had let the quietness in. Alex walked deeper into the library and into the sea of books. His shoes made almost no sound, whatever waves produced were captured by the carpet. It kind of made him think of those wold librarians, the elderly woman with skirts and giant glasses, that always yelled, “Quiet! This is a library!” The image brought a brief smile to his lips. The teenager slink through the rows a bit more, working his way to the back of the building. He was almost sure that there wasn’t anybody here, which was somewhat a relief as well, when he spied an open door. “Hello?” he called out. A startled squeak was the reply. Oops, he thought, I think I just made whoever is here wet themselves. He trotted up to the open to find a backroom where book copies are kept and another open door. This one led to a break room completely with a couch and coffee maker. The scene made him think of the little old lady librarians again. However, it wasn’t a cranky old lady waiting for him.

She was probably his age or a little older. He attire consisted of blue jeans and a heavy, white sweatshirt with a red collar the had poinsettias decorated on it. Actually, on closer inspection, the red collar belonged to another sweater under the white one. She had a pair of brown boots on her petite feet. The back of her black hair was pulled back into a ponytail so that some of it was allowed to flow freely while the rest of it was put in its proper place. Her face was slender with everything in small proportions. But her blue eyes were by far her most striking feature. They were a solid shade of dark blue that Alex had never seen but found beautiful. At the moment, they were filled with a multitude of emotions, the most predominate being fear, shock, and relief. Alex walked into the room and offered his hand for she was sitting on the floor having most likely stumbled when he had called out. “Sorry I scared you,” he apologized.

At first, she looked at his hand as though it might come lose and bite her. But then she suddenly leaped up and wrapped her arms around Alex in a big hug. “Oh, thank goodness,” she cried, her voice melodic and fitting to her delicacy, “Another person. I just knew another person would come sooner or later.” She pulled back and then gave him a questioning look. Mainly because of the look plastered on his face. “What?” the lady asked.

The teenager blinked, “Ah, nothing. Just a little surprised at the gratitude.” He was lying. It hadn’t hit when he first saw her but her voice had given it away. It’s her... was the only thought circling around in his head. The woman who’s voice he had heard in his dreams. His dream girl. He held back a laugh. The thought of a dream girl seemed wholly out of place in this scene since that usually carried romantic connotations. He held out his hand, this time as greeting, “I’m Alex Beelz.”

She took his hand and shook firmly, “Ivy Wethers. Nice to meet you. Especially now. Are there other people with you?” Ivy glanced past him with a hopeful expression on her face.

“Er, no, sorry,” he grimaced, hating to dash her hope, “I’m the only person here besides you.”

Fear returned to Ivy’s blue eyes, “Only person. You, you mean there isn’t anyone else besides us?”

Alex nodded, “Well, I did meet one other lady, a reporter. But other than her it’s just us.”

Ivy paced to the back of the room, “But... where did everyone go? People, a whole town’s population, just doesn’t disappear in a flash. It’s, it’s impossible,” she turned back to look at him, “Are you sure it’s just the three of us?” Alex nodded and her posture drooped, making her look smaller than she was already. The woman couldn’t have been more the 5 foot, 4 inches. “It’s impossible,” she repeated in a whisper.

The 19-year-old walked over and put an arm around her. “Hey, it’ll be alright,” he cooed, “You’re right, people can’t just vanish. There are probably others waiting somewhere just like you were waiting in here in the library.” She clung to him and didn’t say anything for awhile. He hadn’t really thought about it deeply but, once he considered that they were, so far, the only people in a city that had a population of a little over 10,000, it had a much larger impact. And we don’t even know what to do other than sit around and twiddle our thumbs, he realized. The only reasons he had been traveling around was because of his dreams and the fact that simply sitting around would have drove him nuts. But now what? He hadn’t had revelation lately and he doubted Ivy wouldn’t question his sanity when he suggested to go somewhere because a little voice in his head told him so. In fact, it was sounding highly crazy to him, too.

You wouldn’t have met Ivy if you hadn’t listened the little voice, that inner one stated. Of course, it was right but the prospect of taking its advice still sounded completely nuts.

Oh well, maybe the fact that I recognize that it sounds crazy means I’m not crazy myself, he decided and then decided that sounded like a lame excuse.

“Alex?” Ivy asked in a shaky but more in control voice, “What are we doing to do?” She let go of him and backed up.

He shrugged, “Beats me. Though, it probably wouldn’t do us any good to just sit here and wait for others. Like I said, I’ve walked around some of Oakfield and have only met one person.”

“Oh yeah, a reporter. Who was it?” she cocked her head to the side. The position made her look very cute.

“Cassandra Newwells,” he replied. The teenager doubted he would be able to forget her name. He didn’t trust the reporter one bit.

“‘Cassandra Newwells’?!” the dream girl repeated, her right eyebrow arching up, “Somehow, it doesn’t surprise me that she’s here.” With a disgusted look on her face, Alex surmised that his opinion of the reporter wasn’t unique.

“Who is she?”

Ivy sighed, “Well, she’s the gossip columnist at the Oakfield Sunrise, the daily paper. She has a bad reputation of getting her information right.”

“Getting information right is a bad thing?” he asked unbelievably. Boy, was he out of touch with the media.

“No,” she shook her head,”It’s the way she gets her information. She usually bribes and blackmails people. Not to mention she always seems to have at least one tragedy a week in her column. And those are usually very private. I’ve heard she’s been sued a few times. At least, taken to court over it. Last I heard she was still working for the paper, which seems like a crime itself, but that was two years ago.”

The blond-haired male crossed his arms, “I just that would explain why she didn’t look the least bit trustworthy. And how she knew that.”

“Knew what? Does she know what’s going on?” Wethers questioned and walked up to Alex with a suspicious look in her beautiful blue eyes.

“Well, she said she didn’t know what was going but I don’t believe her. She definitely acted like she knew more. Anyway, Cassandra said something about people disappearing in Oakfield before. Sixty years ago. I think she thinks that this situation and that one sixty years ago are related,” he told her.

Ivy rolled the new information around in her head a little bit, her hand resting on her chin, “You know what. I think we should try and find Cassandra and figure out what she knows.” The woman glanced at him with a newfound glint of determination. “If she knows what’s going on, than maybe we and can figure out a way to... fix all this.” She spread her arms wide for emphasis.

Alex agreed, “Sounds like a plan.” Much better than the ones I’ve come up with, he mulled, Following dreams around on wild goose chases.

But those weren’t wild goose chases, his inner voice reminded, You actually did find something. First the monsters and now Ivy. You weren’t just stumbling around blindly. Even though it was right, again, he tried to ignore the voice. He didn’t have to listen to it or dreams anymore. Now there was something tangible he was going to run after. And somebody to run after it with.

Ivy had ambled over to the door and made a little bow with her arms pointing out into the main part of the library, “Shall we?”

Alex chuckled at her lightheartedness, “Ladies first.”

~

Word Count - 2643