Prologue - Arrival

It was an afternoon unlike any other. For starters, the comfort of home was replaced by the rocking of the vehicle and the feeling of vertigo that only increased a little with each turn. The car ran over a small boulder, generating a jolt of equal power, and looking out the window, there wasn't much more than several kilometers of woods and scattered houses that appeared almost periodically on the sides of the road.

A sign. In the middle of that highway, a wooden sign indicated the place where they now found themselves, the sign of a new reality that was about to begin. "Welcome to Elderlog" was what it said in that piece of crude wood. Painted in white letters, the characters delimited the beginning of a new geographic space on the planet.

The sky, subtly colored in shades of amber, carried away the memories and emotions, things that they would never think of leaving behind at the expense of that new reality. Why does everything in the world have to be so complex? Why do things happen the way they do? Is all of existence just a set of successive coincidences – those that were usually and collectively called "fate"?

They definitely didn't know it, and they didn't even set their sights on looking for an answer. All they knew is that their past lives have been reduced to ashes by this change, all their stories erased, as well as what they used to mean to this world.

Everything was seen being washed away by the orange sky of that late afternoon.

"I hope you are looking forward to seeing the new house. It will be our final stop."

A female voice drew attention. Steady, and at the same time extremely fierce, the woman in the front seat was intently watching the road. Her curly hair, long and voluminous, did not allow a view of the front of the vehicle for anyone sitting behind her. She had slender hands, showing nails painted in pale pink enamel that glowed, almost blinding anyone who dared to look at her fingers.

She had already maintained this same posture for a few hours, holding on to the wheel of the family car. Everyone inside the vehicle had a story to tell, but the one she kept would be one of the most crooked and complex to understand.

"I'm going to take a while to get used to this country life... Why did we have to leave Dothan to living in this cold wasteland that is located literally in the middle of nowhere, Mom?"

A second woman, this time much younger, indirectly answered the question asked by the first. She was not looking forward to what was to come, and deeply resented the other for the choice so arbitrary that was made.

A small silence rested over the inner space of the transport for a couple of seconds. The conductor then cleared her throat, in a clear sign that she didn't like the questioning, and then proceeded to provide an answer.

"You know very well what the reasons were, Hannah. We couldn't stay there. And Elderlog is not a wasteland. You'll like it here. Just give the place a chance, will you?"

She tightened her grip on the steering wheel, digging her nails into the rubber frame. That, however, was not the explanation they sought to hear.

"You will like Elderlog. Just give this place a chance, will you? The place is beautiful and the people are interesting to meet. You two will adapt before they even have a sense of it."

"You two". There was another person in the vehicle besides the two of them, a third individual whose presence had not yet been reported.

"As if that were an excuse. Just because our father died doesn't mean we have to run away like that, because that's the feeling I get from all these travels: that we're always running away from something."

His words were sharp and direct, the trait of someone who is not afraid of hurting others' feelings, or that at least didn't care all that much. The deep voice indicated the existence of that boy, a seventeen-year-old almost-man.

He looked out the window. His eyes, empty as black holes, thought of all that was being lost as a result of it all. He never wanted that kind of life – the one of having to move around the world, never being able to stop, never having a place to call "home" for real.

Now all that was left was the perpetual cold of Elderlog, a small town located in Montana. The place was small and simple, being far more filled with forests and woods than houses, with quiet streets and an almost general lack of entertainment.

The three were in this car for a simple reason. Five years ago, a man named Emanuel Savoia, the father of the two who sat in the back seats, died. Their children are named Hannah and Ryan. Mr. Savoia's death remained a mystery, as he was simply found in a ruined laboratory in the fields of Harvard University.

After the mysterious death of Emanuel, Joanne Savoia, his wife, decided that it would be more pleasant for them to move to a different place, and so began the odyssey of moving from city to city every two or three months, or even less than that. In this case, the small and quiet Elderlog was chosen. That decision was made with the children's total displeasure, since none of them approved of it or wanted to leave the previous location.

The fact was, Ryan's argument was able to impact Joanne. The woman was silent for a few more moments when she heard that. She was trying to get away from the past and the boy knew it.

"We will be arriving soon. As soon as we go in, get your things organized."

She successfully changed the focus of the subject, and continuing down the road, it took them about five minutes to reach an address. Joanne stopped the car in front of that house. That would be the new place the family would live in until eventually they were forced to move elsewhere.

Everyone got out of the vehicle. The icy wind rushed between their legs, and the sound of birds singing their melody was the only thing alien to the calm that was consolidating there, in the middle of that literal highway. The sky presented the eyes with the beautiful gradient of colors, which stretched from the gray hue of the clouds to the yellow of the setting sun at the other end.

Calm. There was no other vehicle around or people could be seen, and the other houses were too far apart. A rustic and fine architecture that combined to create the atmosphere, a heavenly and unusual place for the world in which they lived. Coniferous groves on all sides, and a gentle haze – which carried the odor of wood from the pine and spruce trunks – was the finishing touch to the entire composition.

Judging by the almost complete sunset, by the time they arrived at the beautiful house it would have been around 7:30 pm.

"This is our new home, our new life. You can put this idea of ​​going back anywhere you lived before away from your minds. If it's up to me, my family will never set foot in any of those places again."

Joanne imposed an ultimatum. They will not return to their birthplace, or to any land that has been visited before. There was no clear answer to that, just the urge to run away from her painful past. Avoiding talking more than necessary, the woman soon opened the trunk, removing two large suitcases from there, quickly climbing the wooden steps, which counted in five, and that separated the house from the floor on which it had been built, guaranteeing about one meter of elevation.

Even with all the complaints and disgust, one point had to be considered – the place was beautiful and appeared to be cozy. Painted in a subtle shade of blue, it had two windows just downstairs, and the fact that they were made of glass hinted at the sense of security experienced daily by the residents of Elderlog. The place was quiet enough to allow any house to be as poorly protected as this one.

Looking around, a similar character could be seen in the other outlying houses, scattered along the side of the great Route 89, which stretched out into the distance, far beyond the visible horizon of green field and trees.

There was a perfect observation space just down there, as well as a balcony upstairs. The aesthetics of the house also looked good, almost like it hadn't been built much more than five years ago, which in itself is a small advantage over the rest, and that meant saying 'to all they've had and will have to go through in this new environment'.

Ryan's sister name Hannah – a young woman in her mid-twenties – was visibly sulking at the change in routine. Now she would have to do her job as a nurse in the only hospital in the small, cold town, which meant a more exhausting workday, which in turn also meant she couldn't flirt with the nurses and doctors as often.

Her frustration was perhaps one of the greatest, after all, she had friends and valuable contacts in every place she visited on her perpetual journey that seemed to come to an end at both the wrong time and place. Her outgoing, lovable and authentic character served as an instant draw for the best types of friendships.

However, it was clear that even this adventurous and warmly friendly character needed a certain consistency of time and place, something that was almost absurdly absent. Trips that seemed to have so little planning were always hated.

She shook her head to either side, and wearing an expression of displeasure, took her two bags of clothes, one in each hand, carrying them into the house, thus leaving only the boy outside.

In all his nearly two decades of life, young Ryan has never strayed far from his birthplace. His dislike of the situation was more hidden, sublime, and rested on his sternly serious expression. That, as fancy and cozy as it was presented, was not a suitable place for him, and the boy felt the discomfort of it. He didn't belong in this small town and its lull.

He frowned, watching as the sky gradually became darker and devoid of that color gradient. There was nothing to do, unfortunately. He would have to get used to that environment. This would prove a lot easier than the other way around.

Ryan took the last two bags in his hands. Time to discover the boring new place where he would be for a not so significant part of life. He climbed the steps, and they creaked. The wind rustled the leaves in the nearby woods. Exploring the woods promised to be the greatest fun this place would ever offer, and with that the boy felt he would periodically do so.

"A few dry leaves and sticks shouldn't be worse than wandering around aimlessly…" He muttered to himself in displeasure.

The oval-shaped brass front door handle was cold. The glossy varnished wood didn't make the slightest noise as it opened, and soon a slightly wide corridor was present in front of him. There was a chandelier there with yellowish electric lights that ensured a harmonious illumination of the space, and to the right of the corridor stretched the stairs that would lead to the upper floor. Moving forward, two doors – one leading to a bathroom, the other to the kitchen. Between the two doors, a room existed, which corresponded to the living room of the house.

The place was fully furnished, with each object gleaming in its designated space. There wasn't much else to do besides arranging the clothes in their closet spaces. The floor was smooth, made of varnished hardwood but still not allowing one to slide and roll forward easily, and the walls were painted the same gentle shade of blue that covered the exterior. The ceiling was white, plain and simple, made of thin plasterboard.

Ryan went upstairs. It was a sixteen-step path to destination. On the upper side, the space was divided into fewer rooms, which caused the feeling of being wider. On the right side of the climber, you could see the path to the veranda of the house – a large glass door that allowed a view from the outside. Considering this, altitude would generate a nice view of the forest and other nearby houses. On the left side, there was another corridor, this time much smaller, which contained two doors on each side. Each of these doors corresponded to a room, and according to what he was told previously, his room would be the one on the left.

His bedroom door creaked a little. The upper hallway also had a chandelier, and although that was turned off, the place was well lit by the light coming through the glass door. Ryan tried to turn on the chandelier by flipping the nearby light switch. Soon the darkness of night would consume everything.

He finally entered her room. All the furniture was already there. Joanne spent a fair amount of money just to make everything perfect that way.

His room had a large glass window on the wall opposite to the door. It was a rather large room, which came off as surprising. The bed lay on the wall adjacent to the right of the door, while the desk with its notebook and lamp faced the natural light source. The wardrobe was on the last remaining wall – on the left – and in the center, a square red carpet, decorated with diamond patterns in gold, hollow and overlapping parallel to each other in a vertical direction.

It was a beautiful environment, and that fact was undeniable. Even so, nothing would replace the life experience he had previously, after all, what can such a small town provide that is interesting for someone like him, a person who knew the fun of large urban centers?

As he wondered this, Ryan set the bags on his bed, trying to pull the zipper off the first one.

"This is going to be a drag…" He spoke to himself.

He quickly organized his things. Time passes slowly when you're bored. With nothing to do afterward, Ryan went downstairs again, visiting the kitchen room. He pulled the doorknob, and stepping into the space, realized that only his mother, Joanne, was there.

She was already preparing something for dinner. Ryan approached the fridge with a glass in his hand. He didn't want to make it clear that she was being watched, but finding diamonds on concrete would be much easier than seeing Joanne cook, so that was a rare moment he just had to confirm.

"What did you think of the house?" Joanne questioned him.

Ryan took a deep breath. He knew that one was coming.

"Do you want me to be honest or want me to lie? You can stop pretending to care about our opinions. It is not like you do, anyway."

Ryan looked at her seriously. He wasn't even the least bit satisfied with this change of life. His mother, in turn, soon suffered from a change of mood, moving from being anything but friendly – yet still mindful enough – to straight up cold and hostile.

"Ryan, you know this is our only option. We couldn't stay in Alabama and you know why."

He set the empty glass down on the drying rack. Its content was already consumed.

"No. Don't act like I know what you're talking about. You pulled us here against our will and you know it well. Don't complain if we don't fit in here."

Only silence came as an answer. Joanne knew it was true, that she was just running from her past and dragging her children with her. However, as most mothers would instinctively do, that decision was made for the greater good, for the sake of her offspring. She took a deep breath, taking in a large amount of air, and as she closed her eyes, the woman spoke.

"Tomorrow you'll be going to your new school. You'll make new friends there, I guarantee that."

Joanne then touched her son's back, slapping lightly in a symbol of companionship. Fact was, that woman was never the "loving" type. As long as he could remember, Ryan had never received a hug from the woman he was supposed to call "mother." The woman never made herself seen as a more than a distant friend that you can hope to maybe count on once in a blue moon.

The Savoias were certainly not as normal of a family as the image they tried to convey.

"I guess I don't need to tell you anything, do I? Same old rules. Keep an invisible profile." Joanne said, uncaringly cutting a tomato.

"I know, I know...!" Ryan responded with some disgust. "I'm not going to do anything that might lead to future regrets."

"Perfect." She coldly finished. "Go get your sister. Dinner is on the table."

That was the beginning of a new life, but how to live a new life being someone so bizarre? Waiting for the new beginning that would come with them, Ryan could only question himself.

"Ryan."

Her call to him made him freeze on the way back. Ryan didn't look back, content to wait for the speech to continue as he kept his hands in his pants pockets.

"I don't plan on stopping you from doing whatever you want to do. Do worry about your own safety above all else, though."

It was her unique way of showing the tiniest amount of affection. Ryan smiled sarcastically in face of that.

"Eh. Sure thing, Joanne." He confirmed it. "I'll get Hannah to dinner."