2 Chapter - II

Twelve-year-old walked out of the house as in the hope of seeing the same girl again, he walked to the beach and found her as she squatted in the beach making her incongruous from others, the sun stood there in the blue sky and the hot sunlight shimmered against her skin making her whole body sweaty, he walked to her and found her eyesight and hands dispersing into the sand as she was searching for something, he deftly put his hand onto his pockets and clenched the pieces of her locket, he had known the locket is a vital thing for her, "Are you searching for this?" the waves crashed slowly against the sand and the hot noon would soon change, she looked up at him and found the remains of her locket in his palm, her cheeks flushed with the hot noon sun, she looked weary and stood up, "Thank You," she said, taking long breaths of relief, "Thank You so much," the remains slithered on her hand from his palm, "Oh god, I was searching this for hours," she let herself fell on the sand and then beneath her hip the gritty sand slid, he sat down beside her, "This was given by my mother," she said, "Too bad it's broken but I'll take care of it," she gazed at the locket, "I felt bad when I saw you crying for your locket yesterday so I thought that I should pick this up and give it to you, it seemed important to you,"

"Yes, it was my mother's," she said again, "She gave it to me the day before she went far away from me forever," they both heard the buzzing bees, the sun stood high in the blue sky and continued pouring the hot light in the ocean, she lied down on the beach, "It's so weird," she said, "Yesterday, it was raining but today is so hot,"

"Yes, the weather is so weird these days," he looked at her, the sunlight was evident on her sweet face, a strand of hair was stuck against her lip, tickling, the hot breeze pressed against their skin and took the hair away from her lip, "Look," she pointed to the sky, "That cloud looks like a monkey," Arlo looked up, to the blue sky, "Where?" Intrigued had joined him, "Look," she said, "There dummy,"

"Where? I can't find it,"

"Just come here," she held his arm and pulled him, his back lied against the gritty sand, her hair slithered smoothly onto his face as she lied down with him in the gritty sand, "Now look there," she said pointing out with her soft fingers, He let his gaze turned to the clouds and found the monkey-shaped cloud, "Yes, I can see it," he said, "Look, that one, it looks like a bird,"

"Yes it really looks like a bird," The hot breeze moved again, "It's so hot," he said as he turned his attention to her, "Yes but I kind of like this hot sunlight," she hummed and beneath her the sand slid and shifted as she turned herself towards him, facing him, the wind made her hair flutter and flickered on his face, "I feel so sleepy," she said, "Sorry I forgot about your sweater,"

"Don't worry about it,"

"I will return your sweater the next time I see you," she shut her eyes and lied still on the beach, still this girl was somewhat a mystery to him and the breeze moved again and helped the waves struck the sand, "It's so relaxing, isn't it," he asked, "Yes,"

"You haven't told me your name,"

"You never asked me," she said perfunctory, didn't bother herself to open her eyes, Arlo chuckled as the breeze surpassed them again, "My name is Arlo, what's yours?"

His phone rang a Miss call from Wren and called him back, "What is it?" he said to the phone, "I am standing in front of your house, open your door," he went out of his room and found it emptied, the stillness had made him weary and yet it was peaceful for him, that's what he yearned for but not without noisy giggle of her, he had wanted those loudly appearance of her, he walked to the door and opened it and found Wren standing in the door, a gregarious friend of him but the tears had been shimmering on his eyes, "I am so sorry," he wept, "I could have done something at that time, it was all my fault,"

"Come here," Arlo said as he flung his arms, he hugged him, "It was not your fault, okay?" he said, "It was an accident, there was nothing you could do," they both went inside to his house, the utterly silence house stood the same, "Where is mother?" he thought, Wren went inside the littered room, it was Arlo's, the last time when Wren was here it was abundantly gorgeous and then he thought "Was it the work of her?" the balmy sunlight was coming inside through the apertures in the window and there it was the photo of her, hung still in the beige wall, the glossy smile of her in the photo, to distract himself from the photo he kept his gaze on the shabbiness of the room, "I know my room's a mess," Arlo said, "I don't feel good to clean this up," dejection infused in his voice, "You want a drink or smoke?" he asks, "Both," Wren turned and gave a agitated smile to him, he smiled back, "I know the place where my father keeps his drinks, I will go and grab a bottle," he went out, Wren sat down on the bed, he surveyed the room, everything was messy but there was a closet free of every dirt and looked immaculate, he stood up and walked there and then opened the mahogany closet, there was some bunch of dresses, pink and yellowish dress for a teenage girls, all clothes were immaculate too, "It was hers," he heard the lower voice of Arlo, "I know," he put the glass and a bottle of gin on the table, "Come here," he said as he made a gin for himself and Wren, Wren sat down as he lifted the glass brimming with the gin, they both drank the fine gin and then Wren took out the cigarettes, one for himself and Arlo, they both walked out together, still the glorious taste of gin was on their mouths, the other parts of the house remained the same, without Cassia and Atticus, Arlo had known that his father is at work but didn't have an idea about Cassia, they walked to the backyard as Wren combusted the cigarettes, they started to smoke, little fumes drawing out from their mouths, "My life has been fucked up without her," Arlo said, "I miss her," the wind wandered again and the clouds hovered the hot sun, "I am so sorry," Wren said, "If only I could not have invited her to come with me that day then everything would be fine right now,"

"Oh come on, we never know what's going to happen at any time, stop blaming yourself," he tucked the cigarette away, the silence had joined them, Arlo stared at the clouds, "I think I should go now," Wren broke the silence, "Looks like it's going to rain, you can go later," calmly rain had started, the cold breeze moved and they walked inside the house and then Wren's phone rang, it was from Paola, a friend of Arlo and Wren, a girl with a soft disposition, she had a love for everyone and everything, a tall and thin girl with a large blue solemn and intelligent eyes who loved to party even about little things, the phone conversation between them ended, "It was Paola," Wren said, "She's having a nice evening, apparently she found an agent for her books and she invited us to the diner,"

"You go, I have no mood for going out, it's good for her but I don't feel to go and enjoy,"

"Just letting you know that she grieves for her too but you know her, she can't sit her ass knowing that she got a publisher, remember when she invited everyone to a big party in her house because her parents bought a new dog?" Wren chuckled

"Yes and I understand, I just don't feel like celebrating something, you should go and don't worry about me," Wren nodded and started to leave the house

"And don't forget to give her a kiss on behalf of me." Wren smiled as he turned around, Wren had gone and Arlo looked at him as he turned to speck, Wren had been went far away from his house, he became alone again, returning the bottle of a gin to his father's cabinet and wondered about Cassia and then her, the sweet voice of her and everything, her long blonde hair, "I should have gone to the diner with Wren, I am all alone once again," the rain had started to last down and the shiny light of thunder flickered in his eyes and water slowly seeping inside the room through the opened window, "I love this winds," he stood up and shut the Frosted window, he looked at the frosted window and then walked out of his room, the silence had remained the same so as the wind outside his house, "It's getting dark, too dark to see," he went to the garden leaving the inaudible house behind, the breeze and rain felt good to him, the pattern of light and shadow in the sycamore were soothing as the leaves moved with the wind, the fierceness of high wind had surprised him but still it was peaceful, the stirs of the fluttering leaves, the rain had already made him and his clothes wet and then he walked inside, "Alright, I will change and I will go to the diner," he waddled to his room making the carpet soaked with water, the aroma of the gin still had been there and the tantalizing and lethargic smell of a cigarette, the aroma was irresistible for him as he took out a cigarette and a bottle of gin from his father's mahogany cabinet, he drank while he walked to the garden, the rain was still pouring out from the sky, the wind had gone tensed and the bristle of his long hair rubbed against his pale cheeks, the cloudy water hid the tears, "What was I doing before Wren came to me?" he thought but soon he remembered the moment, "Ah yes I know, I was thinking about her,"

"My name is Arlo, what's yours?" he asked, she lay still beneath the sun, the gritty sand had been caught on her back due to the sweat of her, she had been there for hours searching for her locket but now she was relaxed and her eyes were closed, "Are you sleeping?" she laid still without hesitating herself to wake up

"Wake up, you're going to get sunburn if you sleep here," the wind infused with the aroma of coconut trees surpassed them, the gorgeous blonde hair fluttered again and stuck on her face, tickling her, she leisurely opened her eyes, "Oh I was having a nice nap," she stretched her arms, the merry smile was evident on her face, "You're still here?"

"Yes, I can't leave you behind by all yourself," waves crashed against the sand, she stood up feeling the sun and the wind moved across her skin and the sands were slowly releasing from her back, "You are Arlo, right?" she asked, he nodded, "Nice to meet you, Arlo, I am Amelia."