5.
Lewis was leaning against her porch, studying the wood railings as she approached.
"Hi Rei!" He waved as she neared. "Need a hand with all of that stuff?"
He helped her set the items on the porch and chuckled when she told him that Marnie had pawned a cat off on her.
"Careful, she'll start sending more strays your way before you know it!"
These people always cautioned about their friends, however it didn't feel malicious like back in the city, just friendly and teasing.
"Anyways, I came by because I wanted to show you something!" Lewis gestured for her to follow him.
They walked close to town but before reaching the clinic, made a sharp left up some stairs. They passed a playground, a picnic table and then, standing before them a stone and wood building.
"This was the old community center. When I grew up here, this place always held the community together. Parties hosted here, dances, you name it. It's a little run down now, but I wanted to show you where the heart of this town used to be."
He sighed as memories washed over his face, and went to unlock the door.
"Your grandfather was the last person to keep upholding this space. But since he's been gone, no one's really stepped up to the challenge. I would've but I have more than my fair share of affairs to handle." He gestured inside.
Rei went cautiously. In the movies, you don't go into an abandoned building. It was dark, smelled slightly damp and moldy…and sweet? She couldn't place it. The cracked windows let in some light, and there was a whooshing sound throughout the rooms. She felt her skin prick up, as if there was a predator near.
Lewis walked around the old space talking about memories with her grandfather here. Although Rei always relished hearing about her grandfather, she felt there was something else in the room with them. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a shadow move. Spinning around, she was faced with just the corner of the room.
"Anyways, I should let you get back now, maybe get some rest." Lewis had apparently noticed her discomfort. He walked her back, thanked her for 'taking a walk down memory lane' with him and set off for town once more.
But Rei's mind was whirling. Her grandfather always told her tales of spirits in the valley. She had always imagined herself meeting them, being connected with the land. Later, after everything had happened, she was told to quit those fantasies entirely.
Tonight was different. After feeding her kitten (she decided on the name Miso), she put on an extra jacket, grabbed a flashlight and set off for the community center.
Lewis had left the door unlocked, luckily. She opened it as quietly as possible, trying not to make a sound as she stepped into the building once more. She knew it was probably a bad idea, but she wanted to figure out what she felt. And a part of her was telling her to go look, search for it! Find answers!
As she crept towards the hallways, she heard little whooping noises. Maybe owls? Maybe something….else. A strange light was coming from under the door of one of the rooms in the hallway. She stood by listening for any noises. Apart from the strange wind, and the hooting (or whooping?) there was nothing. She carefully opened that door too, to see a small plaque in the center of the room. But it was glowing.
By all accounts she should have just left right then and there. But she didn't. She walked over to it, momentarily forgetting she was trying to be stealthy, and tried to decipher it. Strange markings covered it. She racked her brain thinking of any languages she knew with symbols. Japanese? No, and she was taught to read it when she was growing up, so she would've known. Not Chinese characters either. Korean? Maybe but there were some symbols that looked strange. Strange yet familiar. She couldn't place it.
A crunch from outside shook her out of her thoughts. Heart racing she carefully switched off her flashlight and crept towards the hallway. She managed to sneak out of the building entirely, her adrenaline shooting through her and forcing her to move quickly. She practically flew down the stairs, and crashed into someone right next to the clinic.
"Oww…"
She looked at the person she was sort of laying on top of.
He was wearing all black as usual, smelled slightly of cigarettes and coffee and in the streetlamp light, looked slightly annoyed.
"Oh, Sebastian? I'm sorry. Didn't see you there." She was still too excited to form coherent thoughts.
"What are you doing out here?" He asked, brushing some of his hair away from his face.
She stammered to come up with an explanation. "I uh, needed to go for a walk."
"And check out an abandoned building?" An eyebrow raised.
She had nothing for that. Okay, how about diversion. "What are you doing out here?"
"Needed to go for a walk as well." He was smirking and she was blushing now.
She got up, extended her hand out. There was no way out of this but diplomacy.
"I won't tell if you won't."
"I wasn't the one in the building." He was smirking even more and she desperately wanted to wipe it off his face, but her panic must've been visible because that smirk turned into a casual shrug. "It's not like this town has a curfew."
She let out a sigh of relief she didn't know she was holding and turned to walk towards her farm. Steps beside her had her turning in yet again, surprise.
"Let me walk you home." He was trying to pull off casual when he really meant concerned. She thought it was cute, so she shrugged and said "okay."
They had walked in silence before he spoke, softly.
"I have insomnia. So I walk around town sometimes at night. Usually I go up towards the railroad and have a smoke, but for some reason I felt like heading to the park tonight."
"Wanted to play on the swings?" She teased.
"No more than playing in an abandoned building." He teased back. But then serious once more, "What had you go in there anyways?" Curiosity laced through his question, and it was that, instead of concern or nosiness, that had her answering.
"Lewis showed it to me earlier today. And I….just felt like checking it out without all the conversation." He wouldn't believe the plaque or the weird feeling that she was being watched.
"Well next time, bring Abi or I. We love doing shit like that."
She smiled, but knew she'd never follow through. It felt like the place was calling to her, like it needed her to communicate with it. She wanted it all to herself.
They had reached her farm and she heard a soft mewing coming from inside the house. Sebastian raised his eyebrow once more at her. "New friend?"
"Yup."
"Marnie?"
"Yup."
His soft half smile, one that she had only seen him wear around his friends, came out as he bid her Goodnight. She thanked him, went inside and promptly sat in her bed with Miso as thoughts of that strange plaque flowed through her mind. That night she dreamed of the color green, and a strange flute melody. Whispers of the wind blew through her tiny farmhouse, and far away, an old man in a tower, bent over an even older book do doubt, caught the edges of the cool spring breeze.