The next day, Wybie took the liberty of sleeping in instead of waking up an hour before sunrise. When he did wake however, he hurried to get washed and dressed for the day. His goal for today was to meet the new neighbors looking his best. He brushed his hair as best as he could, put on his nice new jeans and shirt and freshly washed jacket. He even put on his new shoes that his grandma had bought him a month ago that he never wore. Besides, meeting the new neighbors was really the only thing he could do today; after grandma had found out what he had been watching despite his best efforts in telling her that he had been channel surfing and just 'happened' to land on that channel, he was banned from watching t.v and working in the garage for three days. He walked down stairs to grab a poptart or something for breakfast when his grandmother saw him.
"Well, if the day ain't long, don't you look handsome today." she said looking him over with a smile, "It's just too bad that it won't last."
"Ah, come on grandma," he said to her opening the fridge, "don't you have even the littlest bit of faith in me that I can actually stay clean?"
"As sure as the devil goes to church."
"Oh, come on grandma," he said closing the fridge, "I'm going to stay nice so I can get a good impression with the new neighbors." He grimaced when he realized he said that last part out loud. His grandma looked daggers at him and said:
"You are not to go there by yourself Wyborne. You goin' for the rent was just a one time deal, and..."
"And it proved that I can be responsible," he said looking up at her, "please grandma, I'm eleven years old, almost twelve. I know that there's some things I still can't do but going over to the Pink Palace by my self is something I can do! I don't know why you wont let me."
"You know why." she said flatly.
"Yeah, I know," he said a little annoyed, "you're twin sister, who you never talk about, disappeared when you two were eight years old."
"And that's why, Wyborne," she said sternly, "that's why."
"But grandma," he said, "it's not like someone would kidnap me if I happened to be within twenty feet of the house." He looked up at her and saw just how serious she had taken that last comment, he could have sworn she had gone a little pale, and looked like she was remembering something not very pleasant. He was expecting to hear her say 'oh that's nonsense' or 'don't you give me no sass' but instead she said:
"That's exactly right Wyborne, and that's why I won't rent it to people with children." He sighed, looking up at her.
"You know, wouldn't be easier to just sit down and tell me everything so I know what's going on?"
"If I did," she said very sadly, looking away from him, "you'd just get curious too, just like she did." she said the last part so softly, he didn't hear it. He did however see the tears forming in her eyes and now he felt bad.
"Hey grandma I'm sorry," he said walking up to her and hugging her, "I didn't mean to upset you." She hugged him back and started to rub his back.
"I know baby, one day I'll tell you." He couldn't help but to roll his eyes, why was it that grown ups always waited to tell you thing important and usually when they did, it wasn't all that important to begin with. Nothing was said between the two for a minute or two, but finally:
"Alright Wyborne," she said letting him go, "you can go meet the new neighbors, just don't go inside....especially that apartment."
"Thanks grandma," he said while with poptart in hand, "I've a few things to get and then I'll leave."
She watched him go upstairs and then walk over to the sink to fill the teapot with water. She thought about what they talked about and knew that part of this was so he could just talk to someone. What made her even sadder however, was she knew that she was part of the reason why he was so lonely. She heard him descend the stairs and saw that he had that horrible mask of his, all neatly cleaned and...
"Oh no," she said turning toward him, "you are not takin' you're school backpack out in those woods! It won't survive the day!"
"Geese grandma, you act like I'm going to burn it or something."
"Knowing you, I wouldn't be half surprised."
"I'm not going out to explore," he said in his defense, "I'm just going over to say 'hello' and then coming right back home."
"Mmm-hmm, and I'm a pekinese gopher."
"Y-You'll see," he said to her, "when I walk in the house just like I am now, you'll flip."
"Wyborne, if you walk into the house still clean," she said walking over to the cupboard to get her tea, "I'll be one surprised woman." He scoffed at her and walked out of the house. He looked over his bike, it wasn't all that bad so it didn't need to be washed. He hopped on it and headed toward the Pink Palace.
When he reached it, it looked the same as always. He looked to the left, then to the right, hoping to see a car or something, but he didn't. He decided to go for broke and take a peek inside. He walked toward the old porch and was about to step on it when something darted out from the step he was about to step on. He cried out and stumbled backwards, desperately trying to regain his balance, not wanting to fall down and get dirty. When he eventually did, he looked around to see what that thing was, and there sitting on the steps of the house was the black cat looking at him.
"Geez," he said grabbing his jacket where his heart was, "you about knocked me down and gave me a heart attack in the process." The cat did not looked very amused, it's tail swishing from side to side, it's body ridged and stiff and if he didn't know it, he'd swear it was glaring at him.
"All I want to do," he said making his way up the porch, "is look thru the window to see if anyone is home. That's all." He went up to the window and looked inside. The house was dark inside, but he could still see that it was rather grey inside, despite the wallpaper. The house looked like the sort of place that you would love to explore on a dark, creepy night, but not on your own. Despite those observations, the fact still remained that the new renters hadn't arrived yet. Suddenly, he felt the cat climb up his leg and up into his jacket. The cat normally did this whenever it was muddy out and he knew he didn't like getting his feet wet, and he didn't mind, but today was different.
"No," he said first trying to push down the cat, "you get out of there. You can't be in there today, I'm trying to stay relatively clean!" But when the cat reached his abdomen and found his pockets that he would stand in to stay up, the cat hunkered down and refused to move.
"You know w-what," he said opening his jacked a bit to look at the cat, "fine. I guess you c-can stay there, but when the new neighbors come, you got to go." The cat, looking smug like most cats do when they get their way, just snuggled closer once the jacket was closed again. Wybie sighed, he had never seen such a weird cat in all of his life. It was ok though, he decided. It was unnaturally cold this summer, and the cat always acted like a warm fuzzy fanny-pack that would vibrate every now and again.
Wybie looked up at the house and decided that since the new neighbors hadn't arrived yet, he would go home and wait a few hours and try again. He hopped on his bike and started to peddle home, not wanting to get lazy just because he had a motor. On the way home, he looked around at the familiar things of the woods, trying to see if there was anything interesting that he may be able to take a picture with. Not finding anything in particular interest nearby, he started his way home again but, in retrospect, he really didn't want to go home just yet. So changing his mind headed toward the old well.
He reached the old well location and decided just to sit on the old tree stump that was nearby. Dusting it off before sitting down, he looked over to the mushroom fairy ring where the well was and wondered why exactly did they close it off. Thinking about it for only a few moments, he looked toward the Pink Palace and started to think about that. One thought led to another and soon enough, he had come to the conclusion that his grandma was just being overprotective of him.
"You k-know what cat," he said to it, patting it from the outside, "I think grandma said that she had left the house unlocked, so that the renters could go inside if they needed to. M-Maybe," he said taking his gloves off for a moment to scratch an itch on his left hand, "I-I mean it wouldn't hurt just to take a peek inside, now would it?" The cat while he was saying this jumped out of his coat and started to clean it's chest, and as soon as he finished, snatched on of his gloves and ran off.
"Hey! Crazy cat," he called out trying to snatch it, "come back here with my glove!" The cat darted to the woods and Wybie was forced to get onto his bike and chase after it. The cat continued to run deeper into the woods and Wybie was trying his best not to hit any mud puddles or anything like that, but eventually the cat ran up to an old gnarly tree and stopped for a moment, looked over its shoulders and stepped inside of it.
The tree was not unfamiliar to Wybie, it was his 'messing around' tree, one he knew inside and out, literary. The old tree was hollow inside and when he was much younger he would crawl inside and out of the thing, climbing up as high as he could and just whatever he felt like doing. In fact, it was where he first saw the cat several years ago. Wybie got off of his bike and walked up to the tree.
"Come on you psycho," he said calling into the hole at the base of the tree, "I need that glove back. I can't come in and get it from you 'cuz if I did..." Suddenly he could hear fabric ripping from within the tree.
"Don't rip up my glove!" he said and totally forgetting about not getting dirty, got on his hands and knees and squeezed his way inside. It was a tighter fit than the last time he went inside, it had been at least a year ago. He actually had to get off of his knees and army crawl his way inside. Once inside, he pulled out his little flashlight that he always kept with him and looked around for the cat. The cat was near another hole near the base of the tree that led to another larger chamber inside and was on his way toward it. Wybie, without thinking twice, made a daring lunge for the cat and with his free hand snatched the glove from the cat. He held it triumphantly and looked at the cat with the aid of the flashlight and said:
"Ha! Got it back from ya." He put it back on and went to back out when he realized something, he was stuck. Lunging for the cat had successfully wedged himself between the ground and the small hole. He placed his hands on the ground and tried to push himself out while saying through clenched teeth:
"I remember this hole being a little bit bigger last summer." Eventually he freed himself and crawled out of the tree, with some consequences:
His jacket had mud and half decaying leafs and branches caked on it; his jeans were just as muddy same with his shoes and his hair was messed up with twigs and leafs in it as well. He was sure that his face was just a dirty. He groaned and rolled his eyes, looking over to the cat who was sitting on the tree as if he had done nothing wrong.
"Well, thank you for proving my grandma right...again." he said to the cat, who acted that he wasn't even there. He sighed again, walked over to his bike and decided that even if the new neighbors came, there was no way he could present himself looking like this. He jumped on and just as quick, the cat jumped on his shoulders and stood there, wanting a ride home. He started his way home, making it near the Pink Palace when he could see a car approaching from the distance. He knew it had to be the new neighbors, because no one came out this far! He decided that even though he couldn't introduce himself just yet, he would at least see them. He made his way toward the Pink Palace and found a good spot to stash his bike for a moment and a good hiding spot as well. He grabbed his mask and put it on his head and found another spot to hide in. It was perfect, he had a clear view of the front and everything.
He quietly watched a newer model of a grey Volkswagon Beatle with a large dent in the front pull up to the house. A average height woman with black hair opened the driver door and looked around.
"Where are the movers?" she asked her husband who was also stepping out of the car, "I thought that the movers would be here by now."
"Oh I don't know Mel," her husband said with a small smile, "I'm sure that they're just...stuck in traffic."
"What traffic? There was hardly anyone on the roads today." she sighed out and pulled out her cell phone and started to punch in a number. Wybie looked on and was making quiet observations about them. He lowered his mask and quietly as he could, cranked the view to get a closer look at the two. The man was pretty tall, but not as tall as Mr. Bobinsky, and kind of looked like a goof ball. He looked over to the woman again an was quietly noting that she had a neck brace on, when he heard the dad talking agin.
"Well my twitchy-witchy girl, here it is...our new home." he said while opening the door. A girl with blue dyed hair stepped out of the car and looked up at the house.
"This old thing? Are you for real," she said looking at her father, "it looks like it should be condemned."
"WHAT! What do you mean you'll be here tomorrow?!" yelled out the mom at the cell phone, "We needed you to be here today!" As the mom continued to yell and her husband tried to calm her down, Wybie silently made his way closer and closer to the new neighbors, particularly their kid, being silent as a mouse. He was so excited, finally he had someone near his age to talk to! He got as close as he dared to and looked at the new neighbor girl. She was looking at the house as if she would rather throw rocks into the windows than to move inside of it. She looked like she wasn't even happy moving here in the first place.
"Thank you very much." the mom sighed and closed the phone. "Well," she said to her husband, "looks like we're spending the night at a motel Charley."
"Are you sure that they wont be here later," he asked her, "because they have my computer."
"I told you to get a laptop," she sighed to him, "that clunker you have will soon turn into a big paper weight soon."
"Come on kiddo! Time to get into the car again, we're going to a motel tonight." he called out to his daughter. She huffed and did as she was told to do and soon enough they drove away, with the weird neighbor boy watching them with a big smile hidden underneath his mask.