Chapter 4

"Hey!" my brother said, addressing our parents. "Can you check for a missing tile or brick or

something in the wall around the window in my room?"

"Why?" Mr. Meyers inquired.

"Because the curtains didn't stop moving while the window was closed!" my brother exclaimed.

"Um, we'll check it later this afternoon," my mother promised.

"Weird!" I said, joining the others for breakfast. "You probably had a nightmare?"

Today, I was the last one to get out of bed.

"Maybe," he replied.

"Here," Alexandra said, handing me a plate. "I kept your food warm because we didn't want to wake you."

"That's very nice, thank you!" I smiled at her.

"It's nice out… We should take a walk and explore Dark Falls," Mike suggested.

I took a bite of my ham omelette.

"It's a great idea, children," Mrs. Meyers nodded. "You might even meet kids your age."

"You can make new friends," my mother added.

I smiled. I could start over here. Without bullying. This new place is the perfect opportunity to make new friends for the first time in my life. Mike caught the desire reflected in my eyes and he spoke to me about it when we were waiting for Alexandra and Derek on the gallery outside.

"You want to live here, don't you? You would even attend the village's school…"

"Yes," I said. "It would be a proper life."

"Kim," he said forcefully, "everything will get better after high school. Jacob will regret what he did."

"No…" I said. "He's not mature enough for that… At least, not yet."

"Who's not mature enough for what?" Alexandra, who had arrived, asked me.

"Jacob Miller," Mike replied.

"Oh, that idiot!" she muttered.

"And there's Derek… Mike said."

"You know your shirt's inside out?" I told my brother.

"Thanks!" he said, putting it back in place.

"Well, are we going to the cemetery?" I asked.

"Why do you like it?" Alexandra asked.

"Because it's old…" I stammer, tired of explaining my preferences.

That ended the conversation and we began our long walk. A few blocks away, we pass Dark Falls School. It was a huge old red-brick building flanked by white columns with double beating entrance doors.

"I guess everyone has to be in the same building, from kindergarten to high school…" I said, expressing my opinion.

"I don't see how it could be otherwise," Mike nodded.

"We can't know because the school's closed for the summer," Derek added.

"It looks empty and deserted as if no one used it in years," Alexandra whined.

"But that's what makes the beauty of things! I mean Dark Falls have a gothic look which makes it a mysterious and beautiful city!" I exclaimed.

"Unlike them, I agree with you!" said an unknown male voice behind me.

Used to the city's silence, we were all startled by that teenager.

"Oh, I remember you!" I said, delighted to finally meet him. "You're the guy I hailed from my bedroom's window!"

I didn't know if he heard me. If he did, he didn't show it. All four of us stopped walking so he could join us. He was dressed in very dark clothing: black top hat, dark blue jeans, a gray shirt and black converse shoes. His black leather coat was tied around his waist. He had blond hair and blue eyes just like the Pacific Ocean … an almost azure color, far more specials than Mike.

"Hello!" he said to me, holding out his hand. "I'm Riley Simon."

I shook his hand with delight. I almost fell when he pulled me to him.

"Hey!" Mike protested, shocked.

"What's your name?" Riley asked me without any discomfort.

"Kim Belleville," I whispered, blushing slightly.

I answered his smile. I was a little uncomfortable: the newcomer held me against him when I just meet him. The pressure from his hand on my lower back relaxed and I freed myself by stepping backwards. Mike stepped closer to me.

"We're here for summer vacation," Alexandra said. "By the way, I'm Alexandra Meyers."

His beautiful blue eyes ceased to fix me to focus on the No Warning's fan.

"Derek Belleville," my brother smiled.

"Mike Meyers," my friend said.

I realized that this was the first time I openly thought Mike was my friend. I had a friend! Dark Falls really wasn't bad!

Riley shook hands with each of them kindly, but Mike was a little tense. He looked a bit … pissed?

"Brothers and sisters, you're sharing the House?" Riley asked us, still smiling.

" 'The House'? " my brother asked. "Not 'a house', you know where we live?"

"Yes," he said, "I used to live in your house."

"Oh, so everything inside belongs to your family?" Mike asked. "The barbecue, for example!"

Riley chuckles:

"No, but to those who came before me…" he replied.

"Where do you live now?" I asked him.

His blue eyes were deep and filled with an almost unreal beauty. In response, he pointed to the nearest neighborhood, close to the cemetery.

"How long have you been here?" my brother asked.

"Long enough to know every corner of this city by heart."

"Did you love staying at our house?" Alexandra asked.

"Yes, it was dark!" Riley replied.

"Ew!" she said.

"Why 'ew'?" I asked her. "This darkness is very comfortable!"

Everyone became silent around me: I was definitely the only one who appreciated Dark Falls' natural appearance. Riley arched an eyebrow and looked at me with a strange expression.

"You're really going to love it here!" he said half-amused with a half grin.

"Where's everyone?" Alexandra questioned. "Dark Falls seems deserted!"

"That's because you haven't explored enough places…" Riley said. "We don't see it from here, but there's a playground behind the school … and almost every day there are children and teenagers who come to play baseball games."

"Baseball!" Alexandra and Derek exclaimed, at the same time.

I exchanged a glance with Mike.

"It's her favorite sport, right?" I asked him.

"Yes," he replied. "Like your brother I suppose?"

I nodded.

"You don't like baseball?" Riley asked us.

"It's not that…" I started.

"Baseball is a good sport," Mike cut in, "but we don't love it as much as our youngest siblings."

"We had other ideas in mind for today," I continued, completing my sentence where it was interrupted.

"Perhaps you could help us," Mike suggested. "You know the city."

"You could show us around," I added.

"Mmm, I see," he said simply. "I will direct Alexandra and Derek and present…"

He didn't finish his sentence as he hailed a little red-haired boy going towards the school and that we hadn't seen yet because he was behind us.

"Hey, George!" Riley yelled. "Come here for a minute."

The kid named George ran toward us. Arriving at our height, he greeted Riley before he took a brief look at us. Riley reached for Alexandra and Derek.

"They just got to Dark Falls and they'll spend the summer here," Riley said. "They love baseball and would be delighted to participate in the games you organize each day at the playground."

"We'll lend you equipment!" George said, shaking hands with Alexandra. "My full name is George Carpenter."

My brother shook his hand eagerly.

"Tomorrow we'll bring ours," he said.

"And maybe we'll join you," I added.

George smiled and began to walk away, followed by Alexandra and Derek.

"Don't apologize!" George said. "My friends will be delighted to have new players."

"I know he seems to be ten or eleven, but George is thirteen," Riley said, watching them go.

After a few minutes, they had disappeared behind the school. No one dared break the silence. I kick a few rocks at the edges of sidewalks, trying to stay occupied to avoid Riley's and Mike's gazes centered on me.

"They end their games before lunchtime," Riley told us after a few minutes of silence, and sometimes, they play late at night around seven thirty."

"Do all the youngsters in Dark Falls play?" Mike asked.

"No," Riley answered. "Some take part from time to time like me. Others prefer to spend their time on something else. But everyone knows each other, we're all friends. I might, maybe, in the next few days, introduce you to my circle of friends."

"That's a great idea," I say, smiling and looking away from the old pavement. "What do you do during your free time?"

"Oh, not much!" he replied. "You know, as teenagers, we like to stay in groups, walk, talk, watch old movies… The important thing is to be together."

He was so destabilizing with its supernatural blue eyes fixed on me!

"I see…" I said. "Could you give us a tour?"

"Of course!" he said.

Mike trotted beside me and we walked along the cemetery's street.

"There's a stray dog!" Mike exclaimed, pointing to a small white dog walking among the graves.

"Not quite," Riley contradicted him. "I don't know who his owners are, but he spends his whole days there. All I know is that his name is Petey. He's a white curly-haired terrier. He's very friendly, and the city lets him wander around. Besides, it's the only dog here."

"Do you mind if we take a look?" I asked our guide, nodding my head toward the cemetery.

It was full of beautiful artistic tombs to explore.

"Sorry!" he apologized. "I'm superstitious and fearful of places like these."

"It's okay," I replied. "I'll come here later then."

We resumed our walk. There wasn't much to see. Dark Falls was filled with neighborhoods. The houses were all old, well-kept, and most seemed as big as the one we occupied. They seem in better condition with their fresh, vibrant and unchipped paint. Even the grass's mowed perfectly, but full of dead leaves. Strangely, the trees weren't leafless.

"Why is this place called Dark Falls?" Mike asked.

"I don't know all the answers," Riley said politely while watching my friend. "One of them is because of all these shadows which give the city a dark appearance. Another reason may be a rumor of which there were once waterfalls in the forest that borders the city. It's close to your house and I think it left a stream."

"Maybe we could take a look?" I suggested.

Riley looked at the sky. Mike and I did the same. The clouds were a little scattered and some sunlight managed to break through. It "would be fine" in my parents' words. The Dark Falls resident looked down at his black leather watch:

"It's eleven thirty and I promised my parents to be home for lunch on time. Also, Alexandra and Derek have finished their baseball game."

I was surprised that he remembers their names. Nobody does at a first meeting. I gaze at the direction he was pointing. In fact, my brother and sister approached, smiling.

Hands deep in the pockets of his jeans, Riley stood before us:

"Would you like to meet me in front of your house tomorrow morning at half past nine? We could explore the forest and try to discover what's left of the falls?"

"Yes, Mike said."

We nodded together at Riley. He stepped back and saluted us timidly before starting to run towards the cemetery.

At least he brought us back to our starting point, in front of Dark Falls School. By the time he completely disappears from view, Alexandra and Derek had joined us.

"We met people our age…" she began, eager for us to learn more.

"They're nice and strange," my brother interrupted.

"We played two full rounds of baseball until the sun came out, Mike's sister added. George's really nice."

"He introduced us to the others," Derek added.

"That's good news…" Mike nodded. "Especially because baseball is your sport. But what do you mean by 'strange'?"

"Well… They gave us a scare by making a circle around us. They didn't speak until a certain Jerry Franklin laughed."

"Then that's when someone called Ray Thurston divided us into two teams."

I exchanged a glance with Mike: it was definitely a very original welcome.

While we were eating chicken sandwiches, all sitting around the huge table, I discussed improvised theories of the morning before. Alexandra seemed amused to know that we weren't entirely wrong.

"How was your walk?" Mrs. Meyers asked us.

"Fine," his son answered.

"People are so kind," Alexandra said.

"And you, Pauline?" Derek questioned her. "Did you like your morning?"

Pauline and Jean Meyers had insisted we call them by their first name.

"Yes, thank you, sweetheart."

My brother nearly choked. He hated being called "sweetheart". Alexandra, caring for him, gave him a pat on the back.

"We met some neighbors, my father said. "Tomorrow night we're invited to a party."

"Several other people in the surrounding streets will be there," Jean Meyers announced, taking place at our side on a wooden chair.

"They would also like you to come as there will also be young people," Pauline continued.

"You don't need to stay for the whole evening, only hours, time to get to know them…" my mother said after joining us. "Just to be polite."

Then the adults, after their break from cleaning (there was nothing to clean in my opinion) and outdoor gardening, returned to their tasks. Maybe George and Riley would be at the party tomorrow night? I couldn't wait. Even if we stayed only for the summer, it would be a great way to fit in this small town. Who knows, we might become part-time residents?

"Is the smell in your room still there?" Mike suddenly asked me.

"Yes, I think so," I said, trying to remember if I smelled yesterday's old perfume this morning.

"Do you to check?" he suggested, letting me know that he, too, had finished his lunch. "I promised you I would yesterday."

"Okay," I said, rising from my chair.

"I'll join you in two minutes with cleaning stuff!" he said, moving away to the laundry room where our parents had decided to store cleaning products.

I climbed quickly to the top floor.

Cree. Cree. Cree.

For some reason, the corridor's bulb waltzed right to left. It put weird shadows everywhere.

Derek's bedroom door closed with a sharp snap and opened again with sinister creaking. It was definitely my brother who had been silly with the light: I could hear muffled laughter and noise coming from his room. I shrugged and went in mine. He must surely be telling jokes to Alexandra. I waited in silence for Mike, sitting on my bed.

Suddenly, I heard a scratch in my closet. I got up. Was there an animal? Maybe a racoon? It was possible in a remote village like this one, especially since, according to Riley, a forest began in our backyard.

The scratching stopped and the closet door slowly opened. Again, the breath appeared on my neck. I turned quickly, eager to discover the identity of the person who took pleasure in making jokes out of me. I blinked. I didn't remember leaving the window open? The curtains were separated and raised slightly with a soft noise. Some sunlight reflected on the hardwood floor. Who opened it? My parents probably. Maybe they felt the masculine smell and had wanted to air out the room? I tried to close it. It was stuck. I pulled with all my might. Nothing. It didn't move. I'll ask Mike to help me.

Tac.

This time it was a knock that came from the bottom of my closet. I approached cautiously. Fists clenched on my body, I sank inside. I tried to grab the tin rope linked to the lightbulb. I couldn't find it. I decided to go back for a flashlight when, with a sudden blow, the door closed on my face.

"Hey!" I protested, trying to turn the handle.

Like the window, it was blocked! We'll have to grease the house or what?

Tac.

My heart skipped a beat or two.

Tac.

I tried to open the door again, but it was like it was locked! And I knew fully well that it didn't have a lock.

"Mike? Derek! This really isn't funny! Somebody, open!" I demanded, hitting the door.

Tac. Tac. Tac.

I was now panicking. What if it wasn't an animal that was with me? What if it was a human?

Bravely, I turned towards the source of the sound. The fragrant scent was back! Was the intruder hiding on the shelves?

My back against the door, I let myself slide down against it. I gritted my teeth.

"Kim?"

The sound of Mike's voice took me out of my torpor.

"I'm stuck," I moaned. "Can you please open the door?"

"Certainly," he replied.

I heard his footsteps coming to rescue me.

Tac.

The smell was pervasive and stuck to my skin as if coming closer. Just before I heard the sliding noise of the handle, a human form appeared in the dark.

"No!" I reminded myself. "This is my hyperactive imagination."

Still, I could've sworn a man was standing there. There was even the shape of a top hat that stood out. Although I liked the darkness, I felt strangely dominated by the shadows.

As I sat against the door and almost fell backward when Mike freed me from my prison. What else but the wind could have caused this?

"Damn it! You could have suffocated with that smell!" he worried, receiving the scent's wave. "We'll clean it right away."

He helped me up and showed me the sanitizer, old towels with holes, the bowl of water mixed with Pine-Sol he had brought.

BAM!

Fortunately, none of us were holding these items. By instinct, in his fear, Mike had grabbed my arm.

The damn window had closed by itself!

"Sorry!" he apologized, releasing his grip.

"It's okay," I said.

At least he hadn't closed his fingers on my bruises.

He gave me a last look full of excuses. I tried to smile reassuringly. He answered it weakly before turning on the light by pulling the thin white thread I had struggled to find. Five minutes later, we found what we were looking for. Mike picked up the more pieces of glass he could in his used towel while I went to get the vacuum in the laundry. I suck up the remaining residues.

There! This was certainly going to end this old male odor.

"The air still stinks…" Mike said. "Maybe you shouldn't sleep here tonight."

"Why?" I protested. "It doesn't matter. The smell is not that strong…"

Mike went and threw the remains of the broken bottle into my bathroom's garbage bin.

"Derek and I thought about making tents in the basement where we could sleep in for a few days while we get used to this house," he began.

"Making what?" I asked him, unsure if I heard right.

"Tents," he repeated. "As children, we create a house with blankets that rises above us with ropes."

I smile. It would be nice to go back to childhood.

Even if I was older, it was difficult. We wanted to be sure our huge suspended tent wouldn't fall on us while we were sleeping. It had taken us five thin blankets, tied with ropes to the beam, shelves or anything that could be high enough to support them. Our beds, mattresses borrowed from unoccupied beds were arranged in a star shape. It was the first night we slept peacefully. The only weird last moment of the day was when my father discussed my brother's room. He had looked for a default, as small as it might be, around the window's edges.

"You're sure it wasn't a nightmare, Derek?"

"I'm not sure, anymore…"

"Well… There's no hole in the wall or window. The curtains that moved must have been your imagination."

My brother had shrugged, convinced our father was right. After all, supernatural doesn't exist, right?