Thanks once more to all reviewers, I'll include replies in later chapters but I won't be replying that often. I once tried replying to reviews in every chapter of one fic once, and thinking up things to say often took as long as writing the chapter.
Also just so you know, the story, (well chapters like this one at least,) are set in the present day as opposed to 1989.
Chapter 3: Surrounding Silence
If an Artifact occurs, the Living will retrieve it with great interest and curiosity. – From the Philosophy of Time Travel.
"What the hell were you thinking?"
Kelly opened her mouth to respond to Seachnall, but was unable to get a word out.
"You can't just take souvenirs from a fucking crash site. It..."
"That's just it." Kelly interrupted, "There wasn't a crash site. There's no charred wreckage outside the school, there was no mention of this on local news, and no one's said anything about it. There's just this charred piece of metal, which I found on the grass.
Seachnall Kerr took another look at the singed registration plate that laid on the grass between him and Kelly. At the start of lunch, she had pulled him away from the lunch queue because as she said, 'there was something important that she needed to show him'. She had then dragged him to the furthermost corner of the school, to a cold, wet patch of grass next to a collection of pine trees. Then she proceeded to show him the interesting chunk of aluminium that she had found on the grass that morning.
At first, his reaction had been one of anger and slight confusion. He had been denied lunch and had had to endure the insufferable suggestive jeers and hoots from Jack and Kyle that came as a result of Kelly dragging him off into seclusion. Then he found this whole thing was about something as small as a registration plate. After the initial frustration had passed, the questions regarding Kelly's grasp of common sense came to him.
Now, after realising that she was right about the silence surrounding this find, his curiosity grew. Casting his mind back to the start of school, he remembered seeing nothing vaguely resembling a car wreck, nor had anyone said anything about one. Normally anything interesting that happened in the area, especially that close to the school; was awarded at least a few minutes of discussion amongst students.
Kelly watched as the realisation, and subsequent confusion appeared in Seachnall's facial expression. With one finger he began to trace the edges of the registration plate, as if touching it could somehow reveal whatever secrets it held.
She had chosen to tell him as opposed to Elena or Callie as she knew he'd be the most likely to keep quiet about it. Anyone else would have been certain to spread the tale of the mystery registration plate, before long, a teacher would find out, or a parent or someone who had the power to take it out of her hands.
That couldn't happen, there was something about this chunk of metal that surpassed mild curiosity. She couldn't explain it, and a strange part of her felt as if she didn't need to, but she did know that she let it leave her side.
Seachnall's head tilted upwards so that it was facing hers.
"What do you think happened?" He asked; his voice made quiet and slower by his confusion.
"I don't know." Kelly replied, "It, doesn't make sense."
"If there was a crash," he said, his eyes moving to the plate once more, "they might have already moved the wreckage, if it happened late at night maybe? Around midnight?"
"What would a car be doing here at midnight?"
"Who can say, but it's only thing I can think of."
"We still would have heard something, you know how it is here. The most interesting thing that happens is the monthly thunderstorm. Gossipers would have pounced upon this."
"I wouldn't call a lack of gossip proof that this thing just appeared out of nowhere."
"But still, you have to admit it's strange."
"Hmm," Seachnall paused for a few moments, apparently considering the subject before finally pushing himself to his feet.
"Come with me." He said.
"Where are you going?" She asked, pushing the plate back into her bag as she did so.
He was already making his way back down the field however; Kelly pulled her bag from the floor and took of after him.
"Where are you going?" She repeated, louder this time.
"The local newspaper has a website right?"
"Right." Kelly said, relief emerging within her. She half expected him to say he was going to politely ask a teacher whether there had been a car crash recently and then explain in depth why he had asked. In other words, to bring the registration plate out into the open.
"Well then, if there was a car crash here then the story will be on their website won't it?"
"And if it isn't?"
Seachnall pushed breath out through his teeth as he considered this thought. It seemed possibly, albeit unlikely that he and Kelly had just stumbled upon a new local legend, or perhaps something bigger. He did not know. Already he was beginning to dismiss the idea however. He had come to believe that there was a rational, logical, and thoroughly disappointing explanation for everything. This would be no different.
Soon enough the two found themselves in an almost vacant computer room. In one corner, a group of students were all gathered around one screen, Kelly could not see what was on the screen, nor did she really care.
Other then this group and themselves, the room was deserted. Most of the students had chosen to spend the lunch hour outdoors, or lingering in assorted corridors.
Seachnall pulled one of the seats to a nearby computer and typed his username and password into the waiting menu. Kelly remained standing and watched the screen intently over his shoulder.
When the machine finally showed Seachnall's user area, he clicked the Internet explorer icon and soon found himself trying to remember the website for the local newspaper, which normally he never looked at. He wasn't even sure of the name.
After four failed attempts, the two gave up and reached the website through a search engine.
There were two reports of car crashes, neither of them however took place anywhere near the school, nor did the registration plates match what they could make out of the one in Kelly's school bag.
They checked the collection of the day's news stories three times over before checking the articles from up to two months ago.
"Well," Seachnall said, his shock made it difficult to form a coherent sentence, "That's unusual."
Kelly also felt shock, despite the fact that some irrational part of her mind had been expecting this. Her suspicion that there was much more to the plate then met the eye was now confirmed.
"So what now?" Seachnall asked, his voice still partially subdued by shock.
"I don't know." Kelly replied quietly, not wanting to draw attention to herself, "But you can't tell anyone about this, not yet. Ok?"
"OK." He replied, wondering whether or not remaining silent was a smart thing to do.
A loud ring informed the two that the lunch hour had ended. This forceful yank back to everyday life was welcome with either Seachnall or Kelly.
"Shit." He said.
"I'll see you on the bus," Kelly said, "And I'll try and find out more about this tonight, or about things randomly appearing out of nowhere or," she cut herself off, as equally unsure of what to say as she was of what to look for that was related to the situation, "well, I'll see what I can find."
"Same here." Seachnall replied, "I'll see you later."
"Bye."
To be continued.