Disclaimer: I think I'm going to stop putting this on here since everyone knows I am not MNS and while I would like to own a yellow cloak, I own nothing in connection to "The Village."

Rating: PG-13 warning goes into affect in this chapter because Kevin curses a little bit.
Chapter Title: Watching Puddles Gather Rain

A/N: Well, I want to get at least this chapter up before starts "repairing" the site problems. The story is going somewhere, I promise, thanks for your patience with it! I'm also working on the spacing. It really bothers me that doesn't allow indentations. It just makes everything look sloppy. Grr. Also, I've always wanted to do this with a story. All the chapter titles are going to be taken from a song lyric to random songs. The first chapter is from R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion" and the last chapter is from the musical "Into the Woods." I will say where this chapter's title is from in the next chapter. My author's notes are always too long, hehe. I was having writer's block with this chapter, but then it turned into the chapter that would not end, and I don't write long ones usually so enjoy it. - That's about it…don't forget to review!

Chapter 3: Watching Puddles Gather Rain

Throughout the night and well into the morning the ancient trees made their usual creaking sounds. Kevin woke to the sounds of the trees whispering to each other in an unknown language to humans. At some point during the night Kevin had decided to lie down, and now found himself covered with leaves and even a few insects that had decided to explore this new found obstacle.

He swatted the bugs off of him and ruffled his dark hair, attempting to remove the leaves and dust that had acquired there since he had not used a pillow. He yawned and rubbed his eyes and finally decided he should sit up. Taking the pocket watch out, he looked at the time. Nine AM. It was hard to believe he had actually slept through the night. He half expected a pack of wolves to attack him; which was odd because he didn't think wolves even lived in the preserve, but then again he hadn't know Ivy lived in it either.

Sighing, he reached over for his pack and took out the last sandwich he had made. He had a decision to make. He could either continue in the way he was going, or turn back. In one direction, he may come across Ivy, in the other, he would not. This was completely insane. Who goes after some girl that lives in the woods? Kevin shook his head. It was completely and utterly insane. But that's what made it so intriguing. A girl living in the woods is insane, yet she did. It's insane to think that he would find her, but he may. He didn't know. Just like he didn't know what exactly lay in these woods. It occurred to him that he didn't know a lot of things. The one question he could ask himself is 'why'. But if he continued questioning his actions, then he would never accomplish anything.

Once he finished his ham sandwich, he put his blanket away, and was just about to put his jacket in his pack as well when he felt a drop on his head. Glancing up, a rough drop hit his eye.

"Damn it," he muttered and rubbed the water away. His action was in vain as more drops soon fell from the grey clouds above him. Sighing, he put his jacket on quickly and slung the back over his head. He could turn back now and make it over the fence before a storm hit. Or he could go forward and hope against all hope that he would come across Ivy. He couldn't give up the search.

Kevin looked towards each direction, his dark eyes surveying what lay behind him and what lay before him. With a definite step he walked forward, not daring to look back in fear that he would change his mind.

The rain never ceased as he trudged along, his hiking boots becoming covered in mud as he walked. Even with the rain falling onto the trees, they were uncharacteristically quiet, and he felt as if they were watching his every move.

'Perhaps it's like that one movie; maybe the trees can walk and talk.' The thought actually made him chuckle a bit. 'What was it called again? Such an awesome movie; it had great battle scenes.' Shrugging, he continued to have internal conversations to fill the silence around him. He was too used to the noise of chatter and cars that filled the streets of Pennsylvania. He entertained himself with his conversations and tried not to think about how the farther he walked; the least likely it would be that he would come across anything of importance.

An hour, and then another, passed. Kevin felt worried that he wouldn't be able to remember the way back. Had he made the wrong decision? Suddenly, he stopped. He smelt something. It smelt like fire. Like a stove of some sort. He looked around him and could not see anything to his sides. The only sensible thing to do was to continue walking. The farther he walked, the stronger the smell became. It wasn't just one thing burning; it smelt like a few fires going. It even smelt like food. The muddy ground squished underneath him as he broke into a jog. Animals don't cook their food. Not wild animals. The more he ran, the more distinguished the smells became. Chicken soup with vegetables. That's what it smelt like. Hadn't his mother once said something to him about not running while it was raining? Why had she said that?

"Shit," Kevin said as his foot slipped and he fell forward, throwing out his hands to break his fall. Still, his khaki pants acquired quite a bit of mud on them as he stood up and tried to rub them off. His hands were now muddy too and he did his best to rub the dirt off. The entire time he did this, he looked only at his hands and the bottom of his pants. Once he decided it was the best he could do, he looked up. Smoke from chimneys. Chimneys that were part of houses. Houses that were in the middle of a clearing…

"Oh my…," Kevin couldn't even finish his sentence as his mouth dropped. It was a village. There were houses in the middle of the woods. He didn't see anyone, but it was raining so who would be outside? He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands, his mouth still open. Slowly, he walked forward and saw a watch tower. No one was apparently in it. He continued walking, his heart beating at a quick pace, his tan face in a look of disbelief. It was a village.

Slowly, he trudges along, almost tripping on twigs that he did not pay attention to. Soon he found himself out of the woods. Looking up and around, he saw tall poles with yellow flags attached to them, each marked with yellow paint. He exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Why had no one told him of this place? He continued walking, taking down the hood of his dark green jacket as he did so, not caring that the rain would soon soak his hair. His heart was beating even more rapidly as he made his way through the wet grass. He couldn't tell if he was excited or scared out of his mind. Still, he kept going and eventually reached the clump of houses. What would they do when they saw him? He needed to find Ivy. Ivy had to be here.

Ivy had found Lucius sitting on her porch once again, after he had finished his morning chores. The elders were having a meeting in the town hall. She had walked out, wearing a light green dress and her father's coat wrapped around her.

"You can come in, Lucius," she said with a smile. "Why didn't you just knock?"

"I like watching the rain," he responded quite simply as he sat on the steps.

"Have you eaten lunch already?" she asked. He shook his head. "Mother made some soup earlier. I have yet to have any if you would like to join me," she said. Lucius smiled one of his quiet, hardly there, smiles and stood up. Ivy led him to the door and opened it for him to go in first. It was at that moment, as she held onto the doorway, that she turned her head and looked out into the village. It was at that moment, like some sign of fate, that Kevin came into view.

He had a color. It was faint; it had always been faint, since he had returned with the medicine. Since he was still far, it was even fainter. The rain made it even harder to see anything clearly. She could see it though. It was enough to make her stop, unsure of herself and unsure of what she was seeing.

"Ivy?" she heard Lucius call as he returned to her. She could feel his gaze on her. "Is everything alright? Ivy?"

"Lucius…Lucius," Ivy whispered; her voice strained. Lucius's eyes followed to where Ivy seemed to be intently staring. There was someone walking towards them, but it seemed that the person had not seen them yet.

"Lucius, it's him. It's him," she repeated, as she stepped away from the door way and stood at the edge of the porch. Her hands clasped the cane in front of her as she just looked, her eyebrows contorted to a look of worry and uncertainty. Lucius came up behind her, his hand finding itself on her waist.

"How did he get pass those we do not speak of?" Lucius whispered and watched as this unknown person that Ivy seemed to know walked towards them. It seemed that he had seen them and was now walking at a quick pace. His voice even rang out into a word that was hidden with the sound of the rain, now coming down harsher. Lucius looked to the other houses, but no one appeared at the windows that had their curtains drawn, and no one seemed to notice.

"Ivy!" Kevin called again, drawing closer to the house. This was so much for him to take in, but now he saw his ghost. He saw her and, somehow, she knew it was him. She was there, standing, waiting. He was closer now. Muddy, wet, cold, tired, he even felt ill, but none of that matter. He had found Ivy, and she was waiting for him.

"Ivy," he said again, this time with less force and in less of a shout as he stopped in front of the porch. Ivy seemed to retract from him, bumping into Lucius as she took a step back.

"Ivy, it's me. It's Kevin," he breathed out. The world seemed to spin around him, he felt faint and dizzy yet elated all at the same time.

"Kevin," he heard her whisper, in a disbelieving tone that matched his emotions. Suddenly, she looked to Lucius. "We must get him inside, he can not be seen," Ivy quickly said and took a step down from the porch, fumbling for Kevin's arm. He lifted his arm to her and she felt the unfamiliar fabric of his jacket. Ignoring it for the time being, she pulled him up and ushered him into the house. "You can not be seen," she repeated.

In a daze, Kevin let himself be let into the house and watched as the man that was with Ivy shut and locked the door behind them. Ivy was feeling his forehead and his wet hair.

"You will catch your death," she whispered, unsure of what to do. Lucius simply watched from the door, his hands at his sides. "How did you find me?" she asked. She didn't want to seem rude and asked why he had found her. This was dangerous. It jeopardized everything the elders had worked for. She knew the question in Lucius's head. He wanted to know why those we don't speak of did not harm him.

"Ivy...I just came over the fence…I don't know how I found you, really. I don't even know what I'm doing here. I didn't know there was a village in the woods," he finished, unable to keep his eyes away from Ivy. She was real. She was solid.

"This is Lucius," was all Ivy could respond, as she motioned to where she thought Lucius stood. Lucius nodded to Kevin. "Lucius…this is Kevin. He was the one that got the medicine for you," she said. It was happening too fast. She didn't know what to do or say. He couldn't be here. He didn't belong here. Why was he here?

"Lucius….um, nice to meet you," was all Kevin could say as he extended his muddy hand to him. Realizing that the mud was still on it, he shook his head and retracted it. "Never mind,"

"Are you hungry, Kevin? We were going to have some soup, but first I think we should get you out of the wet clothes. Lucius, do you think he is of your size?" Ivy asked, and Lucius answered by unlocking the door and running to his own home to retrieve clothing.

"He was the one that needed the medicine?" Kevin finally asked, putting down his backpack and taking off his jacket. Ivy nodded as she took his things and set them near the door.

"Yes. He is alive and well because of you," she said. "I do not know what to say to you, Kevin. I did not expect to see you again. You are not supposed to know of our village," Ivy said, speaking her mind as she often did. Kevin watched her as she turned to face him. She looked the way she had when he first saw her.

"Look, I don't know why I'm here either. I can't even begin to think of an answer to the question. I can start by giving this back to you," he said and took out the gold watch from his pocket. He grabbed her hand and let the watch fall upon it.

"It was payment for the medicine, I can not take it," Ivy said, shaking her head.

"I don't and didn't need any payment," Kevin responded. He let go of her hand and ran his own through his wet hair. Lucius returned then, slightly wet from the rain, but carrying fresh and dry clothing. Kevin left to one of the rooms to change.

The clothing was odd and it was that then he realized that it was old fashioned, just like her dress. Another thing that struck him as odd was that there was no television in the living room. No lights. There didn't seem to be any sign of electricity in the entire house. When he managed to get his clothing on, which fit almost perfectly, it was strange. He was wearing suspenders and he had never even owned a pair of suspenders his entire life. There was a water basin in the room and he used that to clean off his hands. He felt ill and hoped that the rain would not make him sick. When he returned to the kitchen, a bowl of hot soup was waiting for him, and Lucius and Ivy were seated at the table already, waiting. By their sudden silence it was apparent that they had been discussing him. When he sat down, he watched as Lucius and Ivy bowed their head in prayer. He followed example, not wanting to be rude and listened as Lucius said only the 'Our Father.'

Once the prayer was finished, they each began eating their soup. Kevin waited to see how they ate before nearly devouring his own bowl. When he was nearly done, he noticed the awkward silence at the table. Lucius seemed to be a quiet guy anyway, but it seemed forced. Kevin looked out a window and fixated himself on watching the puddles gather rain.

"We have to take him to see the elders," Lucius finally said. Kevin raised his eyebrows.

"The elders?" he questioned.

"They are the council of the older people in the village, Kevin. My parents and Lucius's mother are part of it. You see, we've never had someone from the towns wander in and we do not know what to do about it. They will know what to do and how to explain your presence to the others without anyone being frightened," Ivy said gently.

"Frightened?" Kevin said.

"You see, we are not supposed to go to the towns. The woods are filled with creatures that we do not speak of. They are supposed to stay out of the village and we do not venture into their woods. When I did, we paid dearly for it," Ivy said, a note of sadness coming into her voice. Now she was lying to someone that knew more of the towns then she suspected she'd ever learn.

"Creatures? I didn't see any sort of creatures in the woods," Kevin said. Ivy heard Lucius's breath hitch and she spoke once again.

"They are attracted to the forbidden color. The color is red. We are not allowed to have any sign of that color in the village. Yellow is the safe color. Perhaps they did not attack you because you were innocent of intent and they knew you had not come to look for them," Ivy explained. This new information startled Kevin. He had slept, unprotected except for a mere fire, in woods that contained some sort of creature that evidently evoked fear in the village. "It is best if you do not speak of the towns to the other villagers, Kevin. We must leave all decisions to the elders, though," she finished calmly.

"I feel like I've caused a lot of problems," he said sheepishly. Ivy smiled kindly.

"Let us hope you have not," she replied.