The next morning had not been going well for the brothers at all. It started with William inspecting the fireplace, only for him to discover that it was in disrepair, several small cracks in the concrete causing a notable draft. It appeared that some of the heating vents and pipes were not functioning as they should have either. It seemed as if nobody had lived in this flat for a while. The effects of it not being used and the corrosion of some of the electrical wiring in various spots among the apartment meant that he would have to fix it. He knew that he would have to talk to the Land-Lady. After learning the source of that problem, it only got worse from there. As if the faulty fireplace wasn't enough, they discovered the plumbing also had problems, causing condensation to grow mold that had been forming for years in several parts of the house. William groaned at the thought. The pipes weren't going to be the problem. It was the mold that he didn't like. He was highly allergic to mold, and the thought made him shiver. Luckily however, he would be able to use a natural remedy for it. He knew of several ways to stop the condensation. Using the rest of the morning, he and Joey inspected the remainder of the home and were happy that there were no other issues. After peeling back the overall condition of the home, it would only need moderate repair. It was much better than some of the places they had resided in during the past. The two had worked all morning on various small projects, not stepping foot outside of their flat. However, as the noon approached, they knew they would need to collect more firewood for their fireplace. Begrudgingly, they both ate some soup from a can, engaging in some small talk. The soup was a nice change from being hungry. After their small meal, the two proceeded to step outside and off the porch. William spoke first, "Behave yourself. If we happen to meet anybody, be respectful and watch your tone." Joey nodded and they stepped onto the stone path. The cool air was not as sharp as it had been yesterday, and they were thankful for that. Joey seemed enamored by the enormous size of the garden space. It was hard to tell just how many plants they could put there. William looked over and saw a tree stump beside a section of the barn. William wondered for a moment what had happened to the tree that was once there.
Beyond the barn, William could see a patch of woods that led to seemingly infinite nowhere. Joey looked over and saw a path that appeared to lead up a hill. The younger boy looked up to his brother with pleading eyes, wanting to go explore it. William eyed the path silently. Joey said, "Can I go see what's up the hill?" William merely stared at Joey hard, before saying, "Get out of my sight." Joey said, "Thank you." For as harsh as William spoke to Joey at times, it wasn't entirely intentional. Their grandfather had instilled a gruff side to William, and it showed with his dialogue at times. Joey excitedly walked swiftly up the hill away from the older brother. As soon as his younger brother was out of sight, William said to himself, "He is so adventurous." The older boy smiled gently. He couldn't act so softly in front of Joey however. It would make the boy cocky. William proceeded to look around by himself, and found a few collapsed branches from trees. He began to break them apart, piece by piece, placing them neatly in a stack he started. He continued doing this, making sure to steer clear of any poison oak or poison ivy he might see. It was quite easy work, and he soon found himself in that comforting pattern of labor, which kept his mind vivid and focused. He had been working for quite some time, when he heard a peculiar sound. He stopped his work, and he heard it again. It was Joey bellowing somewhere in the distance. William initially blew it off, thinking his brother was just pulling a prank. Sure enough, after a few minutes, things went silent. William laughed, thinking to himself, "Nice try Short-stop." However, after a few more minutes, he heard it again. Joey seemed to be crying out in fear.
William was never one to panic, but they were in a rural area and they did not know what sort of creatures might be lurking out there. He stopped his work and quickly made his way up the path immediately. The path led a good deal further than he had thought. Looking back, he was a fair distance from The Pink Palace. It certainly led up the hillside, that was for sure. William noticed as he ran up the path that there were several wood piles and fallen branches. He would come back to get some of it later. He silenced his breath and listened, waiting for any sign of Joey. A loud sound pierced his ears. Was that an air horn? He hurried off in the direction of the noise, his blood pressure keeping him warm against the frigid air. It had begun to storm, a steady rain replacing what should have been snow. William noted this was a very peculiar condition to occur during this time of year, and he put this thought aside. Ahead, he saw a sort of clearing. He saw Joey being intimidated and terrorized by two hooligans whom were riding what looked like a home-made motorized bicycle. They were wearing masks over their faces, so William couldn't tell what they looked like. However, one voice was feminine, the other masculine. The female was on the back seat of the bike, holding onto the male, making swats at Joey and making loud yips. The male was screeching like an animal, and their bizarre behavior was indeed terrifying the younger sibling. Joey didn't see William rush up, and the two hooligans were too busy scaring the dickens out of his brother.
William wordlessly approached the racketing crowd, and kept silent. Joey looked to be on the brink of sprinting away. William maneuvered himself in front of the hooligans at the last moment, back-handing the driver off the side of it. The fellow on the bike flew several feet, while the female screamed in horror as the bike kept going. It crashed on a rock, and she was sent flying, doing a front flip in the air and splashing in the mud. The male landed squarely on his face, groaning in pain. Joey looked up, joy on his face. "Bro! Where did you come from?" William didn't answer, only looking at the hooligans. First at one, then the other. Joey noticed a frightening rage in William's face, and knew better than to piss the older sibling off. Joey simply backed up behind William, who's chest was heaving. A few seconds passed, and the hooligans rose. The female spoke first. "Ow! What in the world did you do that for, you ass!" The male walked over to the female, and said, "Hell. You try to welcome a guy and you get back-handed." Joey's temper had flared up. William said nothing. "Welcome? You call that welcoming someone? You scared me to death! Who wouldn't be scared of you two acting like feral animals?" The female looked towards Joey, as if she would thump him. The male held her back gently. He said, "W-well regardless it doesn't give you the right to hit us!" William noticed his stutter immediately. It was not bad, but it was noticeable. The masked male lifted the helmet, and revealed his face. He was a mixed, young teen. He looked no younger than 13. He had a very noticeable slouch, and his body emanated signs of anxiety. He began to wring his hands. The female lifted her helmet, and Joey was a bit taken aback by this, not expecting the sight. She had a blunt, short haircut. Her hair was dyed blue, and she had mild freckles upon the sides of her cheeks. She must have been the dominant of the duo, for she seemed much more confident in her actions.
The mixed boy spoke once more. "Look, I...We didn't mean to scare you...W-well...we did actually...Jonesy and I were just pulling a harmless prank. This is our turf you see...I'm Wybie. Wybie Lovat." The female interjected with a snark towards him, "He's the village stalker." Wybie sighed, rolling his eyes. The female spoke once more, "I'm Coraline Jones." Wybie interjected, "Indeed, Caroline. That is what you were saddled with. Not very scientific ya' know." The girl made a face and punched Wybie in the shoulder. William and Joey merely looked at them. Joey broke the awkward silence. "Do you always greet people like this? It's not very nice...or cool." William looked completely violent, prepared to smash the two younger teens across the head should they try to harm Joey again. Coraline said, "Well, Wybie here welcomed me the same way. I guess it kind of stuck. Not to mention there have been repeated thefts reported in the Ashland area." Wybie said, "You should have seen the look on her face when I did scare her." Coraline merely stuck her tongue out at him. She said defiantly, "I wasn't scared. It was just your cheese-smelling shoes." Wybie feigned a hurt look. Joey looked slightly uncomfortable. Wybie noticed this and said, "Look, I'm sorry we scared you. We thought it would be funny." Coraline nodded, saying, "Yeah, it was an innocent prank." Joey's face reddened and said, "Well...just forget it." William continued to say nothing. Coraline looked up at William, whom had not said a single word, and asked, "And who is this? Mr. Universe?" Joey said, "My name is Joey, and this is my brother William." Wybie held out a hand and said, "Pleasure to meet you William." The older sibling did not respond, merely looking down at the mixed boy. Coraline noticed this and said with a rose brow and a frown on her face, "Hey, can't you shake a man's hand?" William looked at the hand, and proceeded to take it in an iron grip. Wybie had to hold back a yelp of pain, as he thought his bones would be crushed. William released after one brief shaking motion.
Joey could sense the tension. William clearly did not like these people. Joey wasn't so sure himself either.. He thought they were...strange. He said, "Well, we have a lot of work to do around the house, and we need to finish gathering the firewood." Wybie rose a brow. "Firewood? What, do you guys live in the 1850s?" Wybie said it with a grin, trying to lighten the mood, but it didn't seem to work. The mixed boy then asked, "Would you like some help?" Joey glanced into his older brother's eyes for some type of validation, but there was nothing there. It was the look of indifference. That meant that Joey could dictate the answer. Joey said, "Actually, you wouldn't mind would you?" Coraline piped in and said, "Now wait Wybie, you just got your hand crushed and you want to help them?" Joey was grateful to have some help. William started to walk away from them, back down the path towards the house. Joey called out, "Bro! Where are you going?" William did not answer as Wybie said, "I know where there is a ton of firewood." Joey grabbed his brother's shoulder and said, "Come on Bro. We need your help." William continued to walk away wordlessly, not acknowledging Joey's hand. Soon, William was out of sight.