[ After Dusk ]

UnreachableRomance

[Chapter 2]

It was at the end of the week that I met him. I had been going to school for three days now and the days passed by in an uneventful matter. I met some girls who were willing to be my friends. However they were shallow and I had a strange dislike to shallow people – girls especially. I've been called a ditz myself, but ditz socializing with ditz… that doesn't seem to work out very well.

My new school, Cronk-Memorial High (CMH for short) was on a big area with a lot of grassy ground. It looked more like a campus, with rooms located around the soccer field, which was served as an auditorium. We held assemblies, prize giving, speeches, announcements – everything was done on that soccer field. There was a big roof, of course. I couldn't imagine sitting there, in the rain, listening to one of those boring announcements that I didn't even care about.

The rain fell everyday as expected. This resulted in puddles everywhere, and that resulted in muddy shoes and clothes. Especially since we had to walk around such a lot in the rain when changing classes. I was never so glad to walk out the sophomore Chemistry lab, that Friday afternoon. I didn't bother to make a stop at my small locker, having everything I need already in my backpack and ran out of the building before any of my new friends could ask me to join in one of their Friday activities. Socializing would come after I had settled here.

I found my Mom's violet Volvo sedan parked somewhere in the distance of the pouring rain. Using the hard Chemistry textbook in my hand as a shield from the enemy rain drops, I covered up my head and jogged to the warmth of the car, my backpack bouncing up and down on my back. I finally reached the car, and opening the back door, I threw myself down in bliss. The warm air ventilating from the heater was very consoling.

"Hi May!" Mom greeted me cheerfully, turning from the driver seat. Max was sitting beside her, as he got out of school an hour earlier than me. He was beaming and holding Ralph, the new spotted Dalmatian puppy that Justin got as he promised.

"Ralph says hi, too," my little brother said, giving a grin and pushing the dog to me. I pushed it back towards him.

"Yeah, hi," I answered, rolling my eyes. "Now get that creature away from me before it licks me with its disgusting germy tongue."

"You hurt his feelings," Max whimpered. I rolled my eyes a second time.

"Can we please just get home?"

"Sure, May," Mom agreed and started the engine. The car started with a roar. Max began his usual chatter and this time it was about the 'A' he got in a Math test. I looked out of the window, drifting away to space. I had no idea that the biggest surprise of my life was in store for me.

--

I sat calmly in my seat at the couch and watched my family, all wild and in frenzy as always. Mom was sprinting about, complaining about how the dog spilled all the tomato sauce that we were going to have with spaghetti for dinner. Max was yelling that it wasn't the dog's fault and rather the 'irresponsible' person who had so left the bowl unattained on the kitchen table, so on and so forth. Justin was looking for his precious lucky fish tie that was packed somewhere. He had a seminar with his boss and apparently wanted to look good (or feel good as looking good in a fish tie is not at all likely). I, on the other hand, had no intention of including myself in the riot that was going on.

I flipped a last month magazine and reread all the articles on Celebrity Gossip. I noticed that it was always the same people who got mentioned over and over again. In the midst of an actress talking about the new look she got, the bell rang. The sound chimed through the house, creating sound waves and echoes against the damp walls. Although we had already lived in this house for four days, everything was pretty much the same dreary state.

No one seemed to notice the bell going off and so I put the magazine down and walked over to get it. Pulling the heavy, dragging mahogany door – I lifted my eyes up and saw a boy.

The first thing I noticed about him was his pale, pale skin. So very pale. It was like something had sucked all the blood out, leaving chalky white flesh in its wake. The next thing I noticed was how dull his spinach green eyes seemed. The orbs looked heavy. As if the only thing that was keeping the eye-lids from smashing down, was will. And the third thing that I noticed was how amazingly handsome he was. Really. His perfect chartreuse tresses looked soft . . . yet they were adamant by the throttling wind that was screeching outside. He was also very dry, notwithstanding of the rain hammering down. The insipid light flickering above the porch sent off diminutive little shadows about his face, generating a more alluring and mysterious upshot.

Abruptly I came to my senses and realized that neither of us had said a word. The anomalous stillness was starting to grow uncomfortable. I shifted my weight and cleared my throat, hoping it would clear away some of the unease. Apparently it did.

"Hello."

The sound of his voice was dry. The sound of dry dead leaves crunching away in autumn. A scent of peppermint filled the air. The air became colder. My knees suddenly felt fragile and a chill went down my back. Goose bumps spread my arms. I grabbed the doorframe tightly to keep myself from collapsing.

"Can I help you?" I asked, my voice coming out in a tiny squeak. I wasn't sure that he heard me over the sound of the wind and rain.

"My name is Drew," he said, his face incapable of showing any feeling. "I. . . I live around here."

If he were a neighbor as he had stated, I would have been shocked. No neighbor had ever come and gave a welcoming to our new, odd family. I decided that people must have hated changes around here. In a sense, I don't blame them. They must have been used to living the same way everyday. Rain, grayness and more rain.

"Oh." I replied dumbly. I tried my best to smile and act pleased of having a sudden neighbor visit. I failed though. Terribly. The silence that befell over us once more was disturbing and I wished that I could think of something to say. Anything. I was desperate as not to look like a stupid freak who couldn't even say anything in front of this boy. "Can I help you?" I stuttered out again. Maybe repeating that same thing was worse than standing and staring without saying anything. I felt like such a dork.

"Do you know about this house?" he asked me in the same dry voice. The unchanged expressionless face stared bleakly into my eyes. Those trapped emerald orbs failed to show any feelings. Any warmth.

"This house?" I echoed, without thinking much. I stared into his eyes and searched for a hint of human ingenuity. I failed to find any. His words finally flashed through my brain as if hearing them for the first time. "Wait – what about this house?"

"The plebeians haven't told you yet?" Drew asked.

I shifted my attention from his face to his body and the clothes he was wearing. He was only a few inches taller than me and was wearing a pale worn out grey cardigan. The grey and weariness matched his features and the weather outside. I suddenly felt as if this place was sucking out all the color from everyone. Maybe if I lived here for about a year or so – I'd become one of them. One of the pale, grey habitants of Kavlin City. I shuddered at the thought and looked up into his eyes. They stared at me expectantly. My cheeks flushed.

"I'm sorry – what did you say?" I felt like a major dork right now. Why couldn't I just pay attention to what he actually says instead of gawking all over him as if he were a creature from Mars?

"Haven't the people in this town told you about this house?" he repeated slowly. The blood wouldn't stop pumping to my cheeks. I had a strange habit of blushing hard for no reason at all. And when I do – I always mostly looked like a tomato that was about to burst.

"No – not really," I answered and bit my lower lip. "People here aren't so friendly." The moment that slipped my mouth, I felt myself blushing again. He's from here, stupid; I thought, feeling the urge to kick myself. You just totally insulted him and his family!

To my surprise, he didn't look at all angry. In fact, he seemed calm – as always. "Yes, I've noticed that," Drew agreed and shoved his hands inside the pockets of his black micro-fiber pants. "May I know what you're called?"

"Huh?" escaped my mouth. In all my excitement I haven't even told him my name! Wait – what is my name? What am I called? Think, think!

"May!" my mother's voice sallied through from the kitchen. "Where are you?"

Yes! May! That was my name. Whew. Saved by Mom this time. "I'm at the door!" I yelled back and turned to Drew again. "My name's May. Hey – I'm really sorry, but I think my Mom's calling me for dinner. Do . . . Do you wanna come in?"

"No thanks," he answered. Probably the thought of having dinner with a wacky family such as mine freaked him out. Great going there, May. "I don't eat."

His last statement was muttered in such a low voice that I had trouble hearing what he really said. He doesn't eat? But everyone ate. I must've heard him wrong.

"MAY! Last call for dinner!" Mom shouted again and her voice echoed through the whole house. I bit my lip again as I saw Drew arched a brow.

"Okay then," I said hurriedly. I didn't want my mother to come follow me to the door. I knew her reaction when it came to boys. She'd be all awkward with that sugary voice that she uses for strangers. "See you around. Thanks for the visit."

"Yeah," he replied and turned around. I looked at his back for a little while. It was just as good-looking as the front. "Bye," he murmured and walked out in the horrible rain that was thundering down.

"Hey! Don't you need an umbrella?!" I called out after him and he shook his head, raising up an arm.

"I'm fine," he answered and shoving his hands back into the pockets, walked out into the cold darkness of nightfall. He seemed almost transparent against the rain. I shook my head and muttered something about my eyesight doing tricks on me. I turned and walked back inside the house, with him still on my mind.

--

I didn't see him again on both Saturday and Sunday. In fact, I spent those two days working on renovating my room and never went out of the house unless it was absolutely necessary. After all that work, my room still looked drabby and worn out and that horrible putrid stench of rotted wood still greeted my nostrils every time I would go inside. I tried my best to be cheerful about it. I even considered repainting the room so it would seem more me. Nothing, unfortunately, lasted very long. I just wasn't happy here. I wasn't adjusting very well to my new environment.

On Sunday morning, after I had my usual breakfast of toast and ham – I decided to do some exploring. The house was old so it practically must have some deep dark secrets waiting to be revealed. I felt excited at my new plan for the day and Justin even remarked that it was the first time he saw me smile ever since we moved to this place. I smiled a tightlipped smile back at him.

The attic to this house was located on the ceiling of the third floor. I found the hole in the ceiling the very first day we arrived at this house and I always wondered what was up there. I had absolutely no guts to search there at night but today, it was unusually bright. The rain was merely drizzling and the sun was peeking out between the clouds for the first time since we got here. I could tell that in Kavlin, getting this much of sun was like finding a pot of gold.

Anyway, I pulled on the string that was dangling down from the hole and with a huge clank, the stairs came clambering down. I thought maybe my mother or someone would come up from the huge noise that I just made but then I realized that they were all gone to this PTA meeting in Max's school. I was alone for now.

I checked on the squeaking stairs to see whether they were safe or not before taking a deep breath and climbing up. I steadied myself every now and then to assure that I wasn't going to fall and hurt myself before I crawled to the floor of the attic. It was pitch dark and I could just smell the dust everywhere. I stood up and felt the wooden planks squeak under my weight. I dusted off my hands and the knees of my jeans before blindly searching for a light.

My fingers finally grasped the hold of a cord hanging from the ceiling and I pulled it down, releasing a faint source of light to spread about evenly above the hub of the attic. I turned around to see what wonders await me and gasped in shock.

Everything was bare. Completely bare. There was absolutely nothing in the attic. Nothing. Not a single thing. A feeling of disappointment mixed with anger washed over me. I had anticipated the hidden objects so much. Feeling let-down, I walked solemnly around the bare attic. The air was hot and smelt mucky and sour. A fine coat of dust was layered on the ground and my steps puffed up the clouds of dust, causing me to cough.

My eyes watered but I wandered around the attic as if in trance. Around the centre of the garret, my dragging feet tripped over a piece of wooden plank that was randomly rising up amongst the others. Pain shot up my foot and I growled as I turned around to see what has caused me to trip over. The pain from my foot almost instantly disappeared when I saw that the plank of wood looked, sort of, different between the other gris covered wooden planks.

I could feel myself smiling again. Maybe my exploration wasn't all over yet.

…………………

R E V I E W! :)

--Suzie :o))