Chapter 2 Cal

As if being freed from a watery baptism, I wake with a sense of disturbia in my mind. That had been a terrible nightmare. I look around my room. It's dark but I feel rather safe here. A crack of blue light pearces through the indigo curtains hanging from my window. My eyes sting from how tired I apparently still was. I look at the time. 6 o'clock a.m....I wanted to go back to sleep....ugh!

Rising from my bed with an outstretched yawn, I opened my bedroom door ready to make a hard left to the restroom but noticed all the doors had been wide open. Excluding the bedroom door.

My mind goes straight to that terrible dream. I close the doors heading to the living room with a bat I pulled from my room. If baseball taught me anything it was that a bat hurts like hell.

I tried letting Ryan know the situation, knocking on the door and speaking just loud enough so that he could hear me. But all he did was mutter something about being half sleep. Anything after that definitely wasn't English. Entering the living room I see it's clear but...the front door was open. The light of dawn hitting the street and the the winds of early morning blew into the house.

Someone must've left the door open...maybe I was sleepwalking. But I dont think i sleepwalk...I close the door contemplating this. Trying to come up with a logical conclusion. And then the hairs stood up on my neck. Chills ran up my spine. Something told me to turn around. Fear tried to hold me. And it would've. I knew something was there...

I feel something tug at my shirt and spi. around swinging my bat....but nothing was there. Just...the entrance to the kitchen. Letting out a sign of relief calmed me. I must be half asleep. Must've been the chemicals in the cleaning products. I guess it's still early enough to TP---

My thoughts are cut off by the sound of scratching. Dread washes over me and I spin again towards the now clear noise.

Black eyes, pale face, black teeth, a child. Down like some kind of beast I see a child screech at me like a loud distorted horn. I cover my ears yelling myself. My eyes had closed due to the inhuman ear pearcing noise. The child is gone. Front door open like it was before.

I hear movement In the bedrooms.

First words to escape my lips "RYAN!"

Now almost a quarter after 6 in the morning and All the brothers are up, sitting on separate couches.

Of course I began telling them everything that just scared my soul out of my lungs. But they assumed I was half sleep. And of course I got pissed off. I know it couldn't be that simple. I mean I don't sleep walk. I never have. At least not that I know of. And that seemed too real for me to be half asleep...or maybe it was that simple. Guess I gotta rationalize it. Everyone goes back to bed but not without Son teasing me. Until he saw the bat was still in my hand. At which he says one last thing about me being a weirdo and ran in his room. How old are we suppose to be?

.....I chased him to his room.

This time I wake I felt plenty rested and satisfied. Never got to my vandalizing with toilet paper but I can sweep the town for potential friends and job opportunities. I'm not gonna stress it but if I'm being honest...I'm mad I missed the festival last night. I mean I'm sure we'd be welcomed. And there were a specific three individuals that just swam through my mind.

Drake and Son left out early. Or at least earlier than me. Son's probably talking to someone about where he can set up shop and Drake is most definitely checking in at the Police Station. Ryan is getting to know the neighbors.

Looking around I see a lot of small shops and local grocery stores. People get along well here. As a matter o fact they seem to act like close neighbors.

I mingle with some folks dancing and singing in the park. Some my age and some older.

I even ran into the three girls I saw on the way into town yesterday afternoon. And they were incredibly friendly to say the least.

Apparently they all grew up together. Yona, at age 24 being a chill big sister type. Tsula, at age 23 comes off as innocent at first but clearly has ulterior motives that Ya'no quickly caught onto giving a smirk and a eye roll. Ya'no is 20 and is a definite tomboy and my new favorite person. She's into practically everything I'm into. It's as if I have an extra sibling. I love these girls. So many cute Cherokee names. I dont know what either means. Mom tried to teach us but I never grasped it. Drake did though so I'll ask him later. I dont want to ask them and ruin my chances to "impress" bwahaha.

The older folks seem to know our grandparents pretty well. Even said that grandpa Kai had been the town elder before his passing. It explained why Ryan was able to get the home so cheap.

Getting to know everyone in town....all in all I'm surprised we were welcomed so easily. Even with the family connections to this quaint little village it's rather friendly but I hear small towns relatively are. Feels like an extended family. It easily takes my mind away from that scare earlier.

Telling everyone about Ryan's "adventures" was a highlight. Although they're not my achievements I feel like they are because they are Ryan's....if that makes any sense.

After I told them how Ryan narrowly escaped being eaten alive by a bear I spot a familiar face. An old man in a festive old style Cherokee costume. He just stood off in the distance...staring at me...or someone behind me? No it's me. It's definitely me. I can just feel it. Now that I think about it I do remember him. He's the old man from yesterday. He did the same thing then too. Somehow he's just creepier today though.

"You good?" Ya'no touches my shoulder smiling with her dazzling pearls.

"Yeah.." I told her looking back towards Mr. Mime. (That's his name until I ask him otherwise.) but when I look back he's gone. like before.

Maybe his nurse found him. He seems out of it. Maybe there's a home for the elderly here. Haven't seen the "whole" town yet. So much to explore...on foot. This should be interesting I guess.

"C'mon. I want to introduce you to some friends." She pulls me along. I.Do.Not.Resist. Haha