The next morning went on very quietly. While we were eating breakfast, there wasn't a single sound except for the clanking of our utensils. The silence was broken when mom ordered me to take out the trash. I obeyed her without a word. My body is still in pain due to what happened yesterday so I move a little slower. Mom lost her patience looking at me moving like a slug so she snapped at me and told me to move faster.
Well, I have no choice but to endure the pain and do my task. The wind was cold outside.
When I went back inside. I already saw Akio and Haru packing their stuff. I went to my room to do the same. When I left my room, I bumped into Haru. He looked at me as if he wanted to say something. I just told him to hurry up and get going.
We left thirty minutes early. The sun was still rising as we walked down the road. People that were doing their morning jog went past by us waving their hand. I didn't have the energy to smile or wave back, so I ignored them. My body aches all over. My sleep wasn't enough. We waded through the bustling streets of Creekswood. Passing by billboards, shops, and busy people. It was a sunless sky as the clouds covered it all.
As we were passing by the park, my face burned in pain as the wound in my cheek throbbed. I held up my hand to it and it hurts when I touch it.
"Hikori...." Haru called. I looked down at him and saw tears flowing on his face.
"I'm sorry... I didn't know why you would do that but thank you..." he wailed while wiping his tears. I looked at him and gave him a reassuring smile. I crouched down and placed my hand on his head.
"Listen here, Haru. It's perfectly fine. But isn't this what big brothers do? I'll always look out for you." I looked at Akio and placed my hand on his head too.
"And also you too, Akio." they both start to tear up as they hug me. I braced them back for a moment, then stood up.
"Well, since we left early, I suppose we have time to spare. You two want to go to the park right?" I asked. Both of their expressions suddenly changed to excitement.
"Really?! You mean it?!" they asked.
"Well I did promise didn't I?" I replied. They both jumped happily as they charged inside the park.
"I'll just buy something on the convenience store nearby!" I called after them.
"Okay!" they called back. 'I should buy a face mask to cover up my wound.' I thought to myself. 'Would be a hassle if I had to answer all of their questions.'
Good thing I managed to secretly hide a five cent coin when mom took all my savings. I placed the coin in between my notebook when she was emptying my wallet. I put on my mask and looked for Haru and Akio. My heart almost skipped a beat when I didn't see them anywhere. But then I heard an angry duck and Akio's voice screaming.
I saw him being chased by the duck while he's carrying a loaf of bread.
"Akio! The bread! Let it go!" shouted Haru from the other side. He was on the bench, making sure his feet are off the ground. Akio let go of the bread and the duck took and went away.
"Geez, what were you two doing?" I said, as I approached them.
"I thought, I could befriend the duck." answered Akio. I laughed and told them that we should get moving.
"Hikori, tomorrow can we go earlier as well? I want to spend time here!" asked Akio as we walked towards the school gates.
"Me too!" Haru followed.
"Well, it depends if she won't make me do a lot of stuff." I replied.
"Alright" they both said in unison. As usual, the front gate was crowded with a lot of students. I dropped Akio and Haru to their room and head for mine upstairs. Hopefully they don't notice it that much.
When I opened the door, I was face to face with Samantha, our class president.
"Oh, Hayden! I was just looking for you... Uh, why are you wearing a face mask?" she said.
"I feel a little sick today." I did a little fake cough, I pray that's enough to convince her though.
"So, anyway. You were looking for me?"
"Oh right, right. It's about our graduation. Our teacher told me to ask my classmates who still haven't paid the graduation fee. Have you let your mother know?" she asked. I felt myself turning into a rock. I totally forgot to tell her.
"I'll ask her later when I get home." I told her.
"Also, was it Mr. Osura that asked you?"
"Oh, no. It was Ms. Burnes. Her mail came by this morning." she replied.
"Ahh, I see." and with a last smile, she went on to ask other students around. I headed to my seat and sat down. I placed my head on the desk and used my arms as a headrest. I tried to get some snooze when I felt something soft at the back of my head.
'Huh?' I thought to myself. I felt it bounce once and I immediately sat right up.
"Ouch!" said a voice behind me. I saw Christy hugging her chest.
"That's what you get!" said Eliza, who was sitting beside me. She looked at me and her expression changed.
"Why are you wearing a mask? Oh, no. Are you sick? Do you need medicine?" she asked as she was looking at me with worried eyes.
"No, no, I'm perfectly fine. It's just mild." I pretended to do another fake cough.
"Anyway, where are Toby and Scott?"
"Who knows, those two could be anywhere." said Christy, heading to her seat. As soon as she seated herself, Mr. Osura came into the room. We saw Scott and Toby following him carrying his stuff. Toby with a slightly displeased look. When they both got back to their seats, I whispered to Scott.
"So that was where you two were." I asked.
"Yeah, but I asked to help Mr. Osura with his stuff. Toby just got dragged into it." we both chuckled as we sat properly.
"Good morning, class." said Mr. Osura. We greeted him back and everyone went back to their seats.
"Let's first do some attendance check here, okay?" said Osura as he starts calling the names of my classmates.
"Um, Hayden Bakers?" he called. I raised my hand slowly. I saw him give me a confused look for a moment, then he moved on.
'I forgot I blurted out my real name to him yesterday.' I thought to myself. 'Crap, I messed up.'
But despite that, he didn't call me out or did anything. He proceeded with the class lesson as soon as he was done doing the attendance check. The morning passed by with us learning what constellations are.
The bell rang, it was lunch time. Everyone went down to the cafeteria to buy food. My friends went on ahead of me. I told them I'll catch up in a bit (Even though I wouldn't). I don't have any money to buy food, so I'll just stay here. I placed my head on the desk again and tried to get some sleep. I could feel my stomach growling.
'I probably should've went down with them.' I thought to myself. 'They'd probably give me food, right?'. I closed my eyes and began to doze off.
A few moments later, I felt something that's been placed on my table. I pulled my head up and saw a paper bag. It smelled like it was packed with freshly cooked garlic bread. I felt like I was about to drool. I saw Mr. Osura sitting at the opposite table, looking down at me.
"So, 'Hayden'. Is everything alright with you?" he asked, picking up a garlic bread and offered it to me. I looked at it eagerly but didn't move at all.
"Um, yes sir. All seems well." I replied. Mr. Osura raised his eyebrow.
"I can hear your stomach rumbling from here. You can eat this, I bought it for you afterall." I looked at his eyes and there I knew he must've already seen through me. Those eyes seemed to look deep into my soul. If I try to keep it from him he'll still get the answer one way or another. That's the kind of vibe he's giving off. I slowly took the bread from his hand and removed my face mask. I ate the hot, delicious garlic bread and grabbed another from the bag.
"Your wounds, where'd you get them?" he asked.
"It's nothing, I just fell-" Mr. Osura grunted.
"It's just... family issue." I replied. Mr. Osura mouthed the word 'Oh' and looked at the window. There was a moment of silence between us while I munch down on my lunch.
"Is it your 'mother'?" He asked, still not looking at me. I abruptly stopped eating and stared at him. 'The way he emphasized the word mother... How much does he know?' I thought to myself.
"Y-yes sir. How can you tell?" I asked. He chuckled and looked at me,
"I can obviously tell. You live with her." He replied. Before I can say anything, he stood up and patted me on the shoulder as he proceeds to leave the room.
"W-wait! Mr. Osura!" I called out.
"Don't worry, Hikori." He said, stopping at the doorway.
"We'll be here for you" Mr. Osura gave me one last look, then walked down the hallway.
'We?' I thought to myself. 'Who is we?' I was busy thinking it over when I heard voices in the hallway. I turned to see my friends entering the room. Eliza was holding a paper bag in her left hand.
"Hikori! We noticed you didn't come down so we assumed you're still- What?!" Eliza looked at the garlic bread I was about to stuff in my mouth.
"Wh-where'd you get that? Who?" She asked.
"Oh these were given by Mr. Osura" I replied munching the bread.
"B-but, I bought you food." She said, frowning.
"Hey, hey. If he ain't eating it, I wouldn't mind eating it for him" said Toby.
"Idiot!" said Eliza, knocking her knuckles on Toby's head. I smiled at Eliza,
"Thank you, Eliza. I didn't get to eat much during breakfast so I'm pretty much hungry." Eliza's eyes widened and she smiled brightly.
"Of course! Do you want me to feed you?" she said taking the food out of the bag. Christy rested her head on her hands.
"My, my. You two look cute together don't you?" she said, smirking at Eliza. Eliza's face instantly turned into a tomato again and spouted every excuse and insults she can think of. We all laughed and enjoyed the rest of lunch time.
"Oh, by the way." Christy said, as we tidy up our lunch.
"Do you guys want to check out the 'Haunted house' later?" she asked. Toby got startled by this question.
"Wh-what?" he stuttered.
"Sure" I told Christy. The rest seemed to agree.
"H-hold on! I th-thought it was supposed to be for t-tomorrow!"
"You know Toby, you suggested this idea" I said, frowning at him.
"If you're scared you can always back out." Toby recoiled and headed towards his desk.
"No way I'm passing this up" he muttered to himself.
"But we gotta make this quick, I still have to take my brothers home you know." They all nodded and took their seat. The teacher entered the room and we spent the afternoon as just another normal school day.
As school ended, all of us gathered at the park to plan.
"Okay, so what do we need for tomorrow?" My friends began planning on what to bring for tomorrow. Haru and Akio are close by, swinging their feet in boredom. At the corner of my eye, I saw a man sitting on a bench near the pond. It was Mr. Shan. He looked all alone. Sitting on a bench feeding the ducks bread. I have been talking to Mr. Shan for over a year now. Over the year, I learned that he also lost someone a while back the same way I did. I lost my mother through cancer. He lost his daughter through a heart disease. Having both lost someone really close to us, we can relate to each other's grief. He had it worse although. After his daughter's death, he couldn't pay for the hospital bills and went in debt. He also couldn't save his daughter because he could not afford the treatment she needed. And he can't find any job except for this one. I feel bad for him though. I'm here, enjoying my time with my friends while he sits there all alone. I noticed my friends heading towards the convenience store. I asked them if they can take Haru and Akio to watch over them while I talk to Mr. Shan. They agreed and I walked over to him. I sat in the same bench as him, just watching the ducks in the pond.
"Looks like you're doing well, Bakers" he started. I looked at him and he was looking at the ducks. He takes another piece of bread and tosses it.
"How are you.. Mr. Shan?" I replied.
"I'm fine. Your wounds. Is it from that woman?" he asked, looking at me now. His eyes drifting towards the marks on my face.
"Y-yeah. It's no big deal though." I said, adjusting my mask to hide the scars.
He sighs and gently pats my back. And looks at the sky. We sat silent for a few seconds before he spoke once more.
"Bakers, do you ever wonder what lies beyond the sky?" he asked. I looked at him with a confused expression.
"I think the sky is an ocean. That's what my mama used to say. It would make sense if you think about it" I replied. No one has ever reached beyond the clouds. It's just like the ocean. Every ship that tries to sail around the world never returns. The same goes for every ship that tries to fly across the skies.
"You know, I used to work in a Research Facility that's keen on discovering what's beyond our skies." he started.
"As a researcher?!" I asked, quite excited.
"No, as a janitor"
"Oh."
"Anyway, being around those researchers, I got curious myself. We managed to see balls of fire. Spheres made of water, and earth. Can you imagine that floating just above our heads?!" he said, likes he's telling a story to children.
"Someday, I'd like to see them with my own eyes. I want to explore. Discover. Now I know why researchers dedicate their life to their studies. The thrill of discovering something new drives us."
I listened throughout his story, even more eagerly.
"Wh-where is this research facility?!" I asked.
He looked down, scratching the back of his neck.
"It's abandoned now. Scheduled for demolition if I'm correct. Everything went down when the researchers saw something weird in the sky. And I.. I..." he clutched something in his chest. Between his fingers I saw a locket. I didn't understand what it meant. A photo of his daughter is probably in there.
"It was called D.R.E.A.M. labs once. Development & Research for Exploration of Astronomical Mysteries. Or whatever those fancy words mean. It was around here just outside Creekswood. In Delaham District." he stood up and faces me.
"Well, I have to go now. I still have a duty to clean the school. Stay safe, Bakers." he gave me one last smile and begins to walk off. He looked like he had a tired expression as he left. I do wonder how much he's keeping in. As if just on cue, my friends returned with all the stuff they bought.
"Hikori, are we going the right way?" asked Haru. School was over and I picked up Haru and Akio. We went on a detour which would still lead to our home. Haru looked behind,
"Are they coming home with us Hikori?" he asked.
"Nope, we just want to check something out Haru." I replied.
"Check something out?" Akio looked expectantly.
"That's right!" said Christy from behind running up to Akio.
"Your big brother's birthday is tomorrow right?" Akio and Haru beamed and nodded. But then they started to frown.
"I hope Mama would at least throw a party for Hikori." said Haru.
"It's okay Haru, I don't need parties." I smiled and ruffled his hair. I bumped into Toby who was leading the group in the front.
"What's the matter?" I asked. He retreated to the back of the group and said,
"We're here."
We were at the gate of an ominous, old house that looked like from the horror movies. The walls seemed old and dusty. The shutters on the house's windows open and close eerily. Horror aspecs don't technically scare me as much as it does a normal kid. Ghosts, Spirits, Haunted Houses, I usually don't get scared of them. Being in front of a haunted house doesn't seem to be any different. It feels the same way I feel about it in movies. Just an abandoned house. Before I could push the gate all the way open, the window shutter banged loudly and Toby screamed.
"I'M DONE! SEE YOU GUYS TOMORROW!" He yelled as he ran down the sidewalk.
"H-hey! Toby! For Christ's sake what the hell man!" said Scott chasing after him.
"See you tomorrow!" he waved at us. Akio, Haru, and Christy are huddled up in the corner watching a line of ants. Christy noticed the other two running and said that she should be going as well.
"The house is cool! Excited about tomorrow. See you tomorrow Hikori!" she bid farewell. I sighed and turn to Eliza, who was playing with her fingers.
"Well, we should also probably be going. Mom might not be too happy we're late." I said, while calling for the two.
"See you tomorrow, Eliza!"
"U-uhm!" She started. I raised my eyebrows.
"Is there something you need Eliza?" I asked. She clumsily rummaged through her backpack to search for something. I waited for a while till she finally got what she was looking for. It was a brand new Walkman. She handed it to me with a red face.
"An early birthday present... It only has one tape at the moment, but I can bring more if you want!" said Eliza. I smiled at her and hugged her tight.
"Thank you, Eliza. I always wanted a Walkman. This means so much to me." I told her. She stuttered some words that I couldn't understand, but she said
"It's nothing Hikori! Um, You're welcome!" I let go and bid her farewell. I hid the Walkman inside my bag as I walked towards the direction of our house. I felt Haru tugged at me.
"Hikori, what did she give you?" he asked.
"Oh it's just a gift from her, just a music player." I smiled at him. He looked excited and gave me a huge grin.
"Can I try soon, Hikori? please, please!?" he jumped up and down.
"Ok, Haru" I replied.
" Me too! Me too!" joined in Akio. I laughed and both told them that I'd let them borrow soon.
We went home and luckily, mom didn't scold us. She was just on the couch watching television. We all got bathed and prepared the table for dinner. The evening passed by so silently, well except for Haru and Akio's rumble. After we cleaned the table and washed the dishes, my two younger brothers went to their room to play with their toys.
I also went to my room and slumped on my bed. It was a tiring day. I pulled out my Cap and the gift Eliza gave me. I hid my Cap and played the Walkman. The song's title was "Life is a fleeting Memory". It was about how you'd only know a moment's value when it's now in the past.
I recalled what Mr. Osura meant by "we" earlier. He was referring to my friends, my teachers, and everyone that sees the value in me. I can't do everything. So I just need to treasure each and every moment that I can have... I closed my eyes and listened to the soft and comforting tune of this song...
**********************************
"This is it." said Christy.
"Today's the day. But do you guys have any plan on how we do it?" Toby looks a lot more calm than he was yesterday.
"We could do it when school's over? You know, like yesterday." he said. We kept talking on how we should go about our little trip to that house as a birthday celebration for me. In the end, we decided that we'll do it after school and quickly go to the house and enjoy it for at most an hour. Haru and Akio has half days at school whenever it's the last day of school week. So I wouldn't need to pick them up since mom will do it.
"Actually, guys. I was kind of thinking an alternative to the haunted house..." I started. All of them gave me a shocked expression.
"But, Hikori! We already talked an planned about this!" exclaimed Eliza.
"Yeah! Bought all the stuff and everything!" said Scott.
"Well, it just hit me that I don't think a 'haunted house' is worth going through it all." I replied.
They all murmured.
"So what's it, then?" asked Toby.
"I heard there's a much more interesting place... An abandoned research facility. It's set to be demolished so we gotta be quick. It's called D.R.E.A.M. labs or something." I said.
"Oh, D.R.E.A.M. labs! I have been there! Two years ago, my older brother had a trip there and he brought me along! Heard it from my dad that they got run out of business last year!" said Toby.
"So you know where it is?" I asked.
"Kind of, yeah! It's not that far from our place. It's just one train ride from Creekswood station."
"I think that's great! Urban exploration! Urbex!" said Christy with a cheery air pump.
"Ugh, fine. At least this time it's Hikori's idea." said Eliza, crossing her arms.
I smiled as they all agree to this change of plans. Sorry gang, I wanna see what Mr. Shan was talking about.
As the bell rang, we all headed outside and immediately had Toby guide us to the spot. We walked through crossroads of people and headed towards the station before rush hour settles in. We noticed we didn't have enough money, but luckily Eliza paid for our tickets. We eventually arrived in Delaham District in about three minutes. We walked through the sidewalks of the town square until we arrived at a street with lesser people. We followed down the road till we finally saw the end of our journy. A large fence with brutalist buildings and towers on the other side. We noticed there was already an opening in the fence. Scott, Toby, and Christy were already squeezing through the other side.
"Hikori, come on! This looks so exciting!" exclaimed Christy.
I sigh and smiled as I lean down and begin to squeeze through the opening.
"Well, Happy Birthday to me."