The Cottage

The old cottage, with its wildly overgrown garden, was silent, secretive, and completely unexpected. The rain from the previous night clung to the made the wildflower garden look picturesque. It was hard to believe they were parked near such a dreamlike place.

"Whoa," Noah said from the driver's side of his jeep. The vehicle looked too modern and bulky parked next to the rustic charm of the old house.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Rex asked taking in the bewildering sight. It looked like a page from a fairy tale come to life. What it didn't look like was the home of world renowned scientists.

Noah cleared his throat, pulling Rex's attention away from the climbing ivy to the blond sitting in the driver's seat. Noah gestured over his shoulder and leaned back to let Rex see the white mailbox painted with the letters spelling Salazar in swirling lines, while stylized versions of the very same flowers that bloomed in the front of house, wrapped around his family name. There was no mistaking it; this house belonged to his parents. And now it belonged to him.

"You don't have to go in," Noah said casually when Rex made no move to step out of the jeep. "We set out to see the place and we have. That's all we can do this time if you're not ready."

Rex gave Noah a pained look. It was as if he was able to see the battle raging inside of him. Given Noah's ability to read him pretty well, Rex wasn't really surprised, though it was nice to hear Noah's support no matter what he decided to do.

Rex didn't say anything, just continued to stare at the inviting cottage. This was a part of his past. There were answers inside the cottage; if he was willing to look for them. But as desperate as Rex was to know about his family, he didn't know if it would really change anything. His mom and dad were still gone. He would never know them. Was it even worth finding out exactly what he had lost?

Rex looked over at his best friend and wondered how he would feel if he ever forgot Noah. Would he want to do anything he could to relive their time together? And even if he was able to remember those memories, would he be able to recall how he felt about Noah? Rex suppressed a shiver. It was a thought better left alone. He may not remember his parent's but he didn't have to torture himself by imagining forgetting Noah.

Rex gave Noah a soft smile, gratitude filling him. He was so glad Noah was with him. He didn't think he could do this without him. In fact, he knew he couldn't. His blonde friend had been the first person he went to when Caesar had told him about the existence of this place. It had been Noah's idea to make the journey up here, but now it was Rex's decision to stay or leave. If Noah wasn't sitting here beside him, looking confident and curious and excited to see what awaited them inside, Rex was sure he wouldn't have found the strength to step out of the jeep.

"Let's go."

There's more to this, but I just can't make it work and I've delayed posting something in the hopes of figuring out how to continue this submission. Here's hoping I can post another chapter after the month is up.

Bramblerose4