The Block

STEY

Stey trudged into her room, exhausted by the events at the station. The realization that Christopher was being transferred was slowly sinking into her. As she groaned and slumped into her couch, a sound from the direction of her window made her turn. She watched as Kyle crawled through it and landed on his palms and knees onto her carpeted floor. He stood up, flashing a wide, but tired grin and walked over to her bed. Lying down in it, he turned to her and asked, "Where were you found this time?"

Stey groaned and covered her head with a cushion.

"Seriously, you should be over Christopher by now. It's already been a year and you're the only depressed one. I'm sure he's thrown a fit in jail when he got there but right now he must be just living his own life."

Stey threw the cushion at him, annoyed that she was getting another lecture. Her mother had already drilled her about it during the drive back home. She was too tired and her arms were weak so it landed with a soft thud on the floor not hitting her target at all.

"Jeez. Throw harder," he suggested staring at her ceiling.

She didn't try again. They were both clearly too drained for a conversation, although Stey had no clue what her best friend had been up to the past two days.

The silence enveloped them, creating a warm world with just the two of them inside and it felt so perfect, like nothing could ever go wrong as long as they had each other. Having a good friend was always reassuring.

She counted the number of times her purple clock ticked in the room, moonlight shining in through the open window. Her couch was pushed against the wall, near it allowing her to see the bright full moon, looking down at her. She smiled feeling the light, warm as it touched her skin.

Her eyelids became heavy as sleep called to her.

Kyle coughed and said, "Christopher was caught in prison with a knife."

Stey's eyes snapped open and she sat up, "WHAT?"

VIXX

"You aren't allowed to be here so late," the guard mentioned shining the torch away from her face. Vixx stood outside the school gates in the dark of the night in a purple, thick hooded jacket and loose track pants.

"I know and I'm really sorry, but I left my phone in class and I need it. We have an assignment to submit tomorrow."

"No, no, sorry. Not possible, kid."

Vixx looked around desperately not sure what she wanted to see. The guard shook his head and gestured at her to leave and walked back inside the school, leaving her on the other side of the grilled gate.

"Please, mister," she shouted, hoping he would come back, but he didn't even turn. Vixx threw her hands up in exasperation and whined looking at the moon. "It's so unfair!"

Two days had passed since Stey's disappearance and she had only heard more and more of the rumours about the crazy girl. She had also heard a lot of whispers about the Block but she didn't have any free periods to use to take a look.

That particular night, her curiosity had reached its limit and she HAD to go see it, so she had slipped out of bed and rushed over.

"If only I hadn't lied to him," she dragged off, glaring at the white orb in the sky.

"Hey."

Vixx jumped and turned around in surprise. She hadn't even heard his footsteps and he was right behind her, staring at the moon.

"I- who are you?" She asked, still in shock.

"Ey," the boy smiled and under the shadows of the tall trees she noticed a scar across his cheek, widening his smile, "Come now, that isn't how you greet somebody."

"I'm sorry, but you creeped up on me, excuse me for being rude," Vixx hissed. She took a step back and away from the boy, whose face shone a beautiful white. He had clear skin and perfectly even teeth as he chuckled and raised his arms in surrender.

"Fine, it's my fault," he admitted. He was one of the most handsome boys she had met; Vixx concluded and soon pushed the thought from her mind. She was alone with a stranger; she had to get away from there as soon as possible.

"I'm sorry but I should leave," she stated. As she turned he spoke, "I can get you a way into the school."

She looked at him uncertainly.

He cocked his head and smiled making the atmosphere sinister yet making her heart skip a beat.

"Follow me," he ordered and began walking from the gates to the side of the school and towards the back. He didn't turn around to check if she was behind him.

Vixx looked at the time in her phone and bit her lip, wondering what she should do- 22:45. He was entirely in the shadows when he finally turned around to face her. He said something, his whisper carried to her by the wind, "I'm not going to kill you."

He gestured to her, "Come with me."

KYLE

"That's the reason he's being transferred," Kyle ended. Stey sat cross legged on the couch her eyes red from crying. She groaned and closed them leaning her head back.

A knock on the door made Kyle sit up at once, for Stey's mother hated tardiness. It opened, just as Stey covered her face with a cushion, and her mother stepped in.

"Oh Kyle, you're here too. Stey it's late, go to bed soon. Do not leave your room," she ordered.

"Good night Miss Reyn," Kyle said as politely as he possibly could. Stey's mother only glared at him in response and he winked at her.

"She's gone," Kyle announced after the door closed.

"Why do you annoy her?"

"Why do you like to do the same to your father?" Kyle retorted.

Although he could tell she was totally miserable she managed to smirk and then laughed. He smiled as well and it was a genuine one.

It was their secret- something only between the two of them.

"You were right," Stey confessed. "I'm the only depressed one. Chris must have forgotten all about me and I'm suffering alone."

"But?"

"A part of me hopes he hasn't. A part of me wishes he remembers me and will come back to me," Stey said softly.

Kyle wanted to scoff. "Dream on! That's-"

"Shut up." Her voice was low and cold. "Don't say another word. This is the only thing I can think of. If I don't- If I let go... I'll go crazy. I'll die." She faded off to a whisper.

"That's mental. You're going to ruin your life for a criminal! What about me, huh?" Kyle demanded. "I'm doing my best to keep you safe and you're going to die?" He laughed wickedly, "Sure, mate. Go ahead." He opened his arms and spread them wide as he spoke, standing up.

He chuckled and walked out the room, his head beginning to ache. It was so unfair especially after what he had happened with Han two days ago. Stey was utterly selfish and all she could think about was Christopher. She didn't give him a second thought and that made him furious. Kyle was beginning to hate the mention of Christopher's name. It was his entire fault to begin with but Stey was the one suffering.

"Argh!" He banged the door behind him as he left her room.

VIXX

"You're an Asian aren't you?" She asked as they walked through the silent and dark hallways.

"Obviously not Australian," he mentioned, guiding her using his flashlight. It was thin, long black tube that rested in his slender fingers.

She assumed they were soft and slender because of how pretty his fingers appeared; even his nails were perfectly sculptured.

She stopped staring at him and shook her head, driving away such unnecessary thoughts. It was bad enough that she had followed him alone in the night, she didn't want to do anything but go to the Block as soon as possible, making sure she spent as short a time with him as she could.

"What country are you from?"

"South Korea."

"No way, really? I mean, seriously?" She asked, surprised to hear.

He said nothing as he turned the corner and his face hidden in the dark so she couldn't see his reaction.

"My friend is a crazy South Korea fan. She loves it! She would be so glad to meet you."

He stopped in his tracks and turned around shining the light directly to her eyes. She blinked and covered them.

"Why?"

"Why? Well, obviously half the world loves SK for their music and-"

"What about your friend?"

"I'm sorry, I was getting there," Vixx continued, "She watches Korean TV series and she wants to visit because she absolutely loves- and I mean she loves," Vixx emphasized on the last word, "their food. She wants to go eat South Korean food."

She couldn't see his face because the light was still on her but she noticed his body relax a bit as he turned around and continued leading the way. "Oh I see," he said.

"Why did you-"

"We're here. This is it." He opened a door and told her to enter.

Vixx walked in as he switched on the light from the outside giving her a clear view of the room.

Her eyes widened as saw it; the walls brown and burnt, the paint peeled off but that was all beneath the papers: Hundreds of papers, newspaper clip-outs, post-its and boards stuck on the wall, stacked one on top of another, all around her. They covered all four sides of the wall and some even continued up to the ceiling. They were like crawlers like grew from the ground up the walls and to the top.

She took a few steps towards one wall to get a closer look.

Words in ink and pencil scribbled across every inch and pictures drawn, met her eyes. She skimmed through some and realized what the Block was.

It had the story of their high school, the stories of every student and their lives filled to the brim in the papers.

Proof of how they lived and why they did things; it was all in the Block.