Redemption
Chapter 4
"So this is where it was. I was on my roof then I saw a light that looked like a satellite or something, Then it crashed right there in my lawn. I went to get a camera, but by the time I got back. It was gone." Dib said, kicking the dirt. "Even the hole it made just vanished."
"And you didn't notice anything strange after that?" Tak asked looking out at his lawn.
"Nope. Just a dumb squirrel. I went back inside when I found it was gone."
"Interesting." She said simply, then she walked back into the house with Dib.
"So... Do you believe me?" He asked, knowing the answer.
"Well… All I know is that it's not here now." She said standing in the living room.
"Yea, I thought so." He sat in his couch and looked out the window; it was dark and dreary outside. "You think I'm crazy too, huh?" He asked looking back at Tak who leaned against the wall. She frowned in thought, then opened her mouth to say something.
BOOM!
Thunder crashed outside somewhere close by, shaking the house slightly. Tak jumped out of her skin, suddenly looking worried. Dib looked outside and saw as rain began to pour in buckets.
"Looks like rain." Dib joked, then thunder crashed again, this time farther away, but still loud. He looked back at Tak who had backed into a corner, breathing heavily.
"What was that?" She demanded.
"It's just thunder." He said, raising an eyebrow. Tak straightened slowly, pretending to be unconcerned.
"Yes. Thunder. Of course." She lied, then thunder crashed again, much closer, and she flinched back into her corner.
"Are you okay?" He asked standing up and walking toward her.
"Yes. I'm fine." She raised her arms away from him defensively.
"Are you afraid of the rain?" He asked, concerned.
"The... rain?" She raised an eyebrow at Dib who pointed at the window. She looked over his shoulder and walked slowly over to the window and looked outside. Her eyes widened as she leaned closer to the window, watching the rain pour down.
"You've never seen the rain?" He asked in disbelief, sitting beside her on the couch. Tak looked at him, thinking. Then back at the rainstorm.
"We don't get much rain where I'm from." She stopped flinching when the thunder crashed. Dib looked out the window, then back at Tak.
"You wanna get a closer look?" Tak looked at him, wide eyed.
"Is it safe?" She asked, cocking her head.
"Yea sure. Come on." Dib hopped off his couch, ran over to his closet, and dug until he found his sister's black umbrella, then turned to Tak and waved her over. She walked over to him as he opened the door, never taking her eyes off the umbrella.
"There's only one so we'll have to share." Dib said ripping off the strap and opening the umbrella with a quick pop. To which, Tak jumped back as if it was a threat.
"It's okay," He laughed as she straightened, examining the now open umbrella. Dib walked off into the rain, stopping at the door. Tak stepped closer to the door carefully. "Come on." Dib said, holding out his hand to Tak who stared at it questioningly, then at the umbrella, then Dib again. She took his hand and walked out the door, under the umbrella.
"Follow me." He said walking down the rainy street, with Tak staying close and protected. "I know just the place."
As they walked down the sidewalk, Tak took in her surrounds in stoic examinations and Dib watched her with fascination. Every time thunder rolled from somewhere in town, Tak whipped her head around to the source of the crash, and watched rain fall all around her, flinching when it would seem too close. She stopped by a puddle and watched it grow in the street. Then she stooped down to look into it moving her head or her arm over it, playing with her reflection.
Has she really never seen rain? He thought smiling down at her. Tak noticed Dib smiling at her in the puddle and turned to glare at him. Quickly he looked away, blushing. Tak looked back into the puddle and stood to walk with him again.
"Where are we going?" She asked, trying not to look at him, and crossing her arms.
"You'll see, I go there sometimes to watch the stars."
"How do I know I can trust you?" She asked, looking at him with a hint of distrust. Dib stopped and raised an eyebrow.
"Why do you have to ask? Have I given you a reason for you not to trust me?" Tak raised an eyebrow at him, and looked away.
"Fine. But if this is a trap? I will hurt you." She pointed a finger at him threateningly.
"Why would I want to trap you?" Dib asked sincerely. Tak stared at him for a moment before putting her hand out for him to continue walking. He lead quietly as she followed with her arms crossed. Finally they arrived at the park, Dib turned to Tak with a smile on his face.
"Okay, close your eyes." He said excited. Tak's glare darkened. "Come on, you can trust me."
"Why do I have to close my eyes?" She questioned.
"It's a surprise." He shifted the umbrella to the other hand and put an arm around her. She flinched back, glaring suspiciously. "Come on, I'll lead you along." He said smiling. Tak stared at him again then relaxed and closed her eyes.
"I won't let you hit anything." He said, slowly leading her forward. He lead her through the park careful not to let her hit anything or fall. Soon he got to the end of the park where a little hill stood with a lonely maple tree guarding the normally quiet hill. The grass was slippery, and wrong footing made Tak slip causing her to grab onto Dib's arm, while still keeping her eyes closed.
"Sorry, we're almost there." He walked under the protection of the tree branches. He closed the umbrella and let go of Tak's arm. "Stay here, I'll be right back." Tak nodded and let go of his arm while Dib went to lean the umbrella against the tree. He turned and held Tak's shoulders, turning her around to face the park where they came from.
"Okay. Open your eyes." Dib said letting go of her. Slowly, Tak opened her eyes and looked out into the park. Her eyes widened in awe. The whole sky was covered in a swirling black and grey storm that drizzled and drenched the whole park, illuminated briefly with white sparks of lightning, lighting up the sky in a deep purple flash. Tak walked slowly over to the very edge of the canopy of branches and leaves, to get as close as possible to the sight. Dib smiled as she panned left to right, taking it all in. He came up next to her and she glanced up at him.
"It's pretty isn't it?" He smiled. Tak looked back out and nodded her head. Dib looked down at her hand and bit his lip. He wiggled his fingers, bounced in place, and looked around awkwardly while Tak wasn't paying attention.
Okay. I can do this. Just reach out. And take it. He thought nervously, looking back down at her empty hand. Simple.
He breathed quietly and bent down a little, slowly going to hold Tak's hand. He just barely touched her finger when she looked at him again and held her hand to her chest. Dib flinched his hand up to pretend he was messing with his hair and turned to walk away, hiding his blush.
"So yea," He started. "I come here a lot to watch the stars. Well… When it's clear obviously… not, you know... raining." He sat down at the base of the tree and pretended to watch the storm, glancing at Tak every few seconds, trying very hard to look normal. Tak looked out at the storm again before sitting beside him, at a fair distance.
"Why do you watch the stars?" She asked. Dib played with his thumbs, trying to steady his voice.
"I dunno. I just like looking into space, y'know?" He leaned back against the tree. "It's just so huge."
"Yes. It is." She looked up at the storm clouds again.
"I would love to get out there someday. Just fly out and never come back. See everything there is to see out there." He sighed, smiling at his personal dream.
"Why don't you?" Dib smirked and huffed under his breath.
"Trust me, if I could I would." Then he laughed.
"What is it?" Tak asked, looking at him.
"When uh… When I was a kid I stole one on my dad's inventions." He sat up, telling his story with fondness. "It was this hover-helmet thing that would lift you into the sky. But I wanted to use it soooo bad cause I thought I could go to space." Tak smirked at his story.
"Yea, far-fetched I know. But I was maybe… 6. So I thought I could go to space." He laughed again shaking his head.
"But I got so high above the ground I could see my whole neighborhood and even farther than that. Just. Forever."
"Did you get to space?" Tak joked.
"No. But pretty close," He laughed again. "My dad caught me using it and made me come down. Otherwise I probably would have made it!" He grinned at Tak who smirked and looked back out into the storm.
"I mean. Can you even imagine all the different kinds of aliens out there?" He asked, looking at the sky. Tak looked back at him suddenly.
"What makes you say that?" She asked. Dib snapped up and looked at her, playing with his thumbs again.
"Well, nobody at skool believes me but… I like to think there are aliens in space." He smirked, expecting Tak to laugh at him.
"It's just. You know. With how big the universe is," He looked back up the sky. "It's pretty impossible that we're the only life forms out there. There's gotta be at least one you know?" He looked back at Tak who watched him closely.
"Go ahead and laugh, I'm used to it." He nodded in acceptance, but she didn't laugh or make fun of him.
"I get what you're saying." She nodded. Dib snapped up, looking at her in disbelief.
"You… You believe me?" He asked.
"Well, yes. I do believe there could be something out there." She leaned against the tree and crossed her arms in thought.
"Wow." He doubted. "No one's ever believed me before." He looked at the ground then back at Tak.
"What do you think they look like?" He asked, Tak looked at him again, then back at the storm.
"I don't know." She dismissed simply. Dib sat back on the tree quietly watching with her. Then he looked at his watch.
"We should probably head home." He sat up and stretched his arms, yawning. "It's getting pretty late." He took the umbrella, opened it, and held his hand out to Tak who used it to get up and stretch as well.
"Do you want me to take you home?" He asked as they started walking down the hill together. Tak looked at him and sighed.
"Yes. That would be fine." Dib smiled inwardly and followed at her side as she told him where to go down each street until they reached a dead end road in a big circle lot. He could almost immediately tell which house was hers. It was a little purple house in the center of two larger buildings. It was so nice for the block, it didn't seem like it belonged. He walked her all the way to her front door.
"Well, Dib. Thank you for… Showing that to me, it was very nice." She tensed.
"Oh yea. Sure thing, anytime. Maybe we can do this… again? Next time it rains?" He asked, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly and smiling. Tak smirked then turned around, about to close the door. Dib turned to leave with his hand in his pocket.
"Dib?" Tak called behind him, he turned around, hopefully.
"Yea?"
"I… I'd like that." She smiled awkwardly and closed the door. Dib stood on her lawn for a half second before jumping and running around waving his fists in the air.
"Yes! Yes yes yes yes! YES!" He said excitedly as he ran and jumped all the way home. He closed his umbrella and strutted into his house where Gaz sat on the couch playing her GameSlave. She opened an eye as Dib strode past her to the stairs with a big happy smile on his face.
"What's with you?" She asked, not really caring.
"Oh nothing." Dib sang, walking up the stairs to his room to crash.
