Secret Affinity

3

Today was the perfect day to spend some time outside on the lawn fix it from its hideousness. Mom's favourite wide-brimmed hat served me while I worked under the beating sun. I kept a cup of lemonade on the porch and sunglasses if I needed them. Mom used to love gardening with me. She'd tell me every little rule and precaution, and I'd have to touch a worm if I didn't follow them.

A man, all bald and with a white moustache, walked by with his Bolognese dog. "Workin' on the lawn, eh?" he said to me. I stood up. "That nasty needed cleanin' up. You new to the neighbourhood?" I nodded. "Ah. I live right there on the other side. My name's George."

"Hi, George," I said, tilting my head. "I'm Ari."

"Don't worry, I don't bite," he said. "Butterscotch might. He runs away sometimes so all I'm sayin' is be careful."

"Oh, your dog?" Butterscotch, the silver white pup pulling on its leash, barked at me. "Does he trespass or...?"

"Yeah. Gotta tell everyone new here to look out for him." George rubbed his forehead. "He'll sneak right out, that bastard. Sorry for bein' a damn creep. Nice meetin' ya."

I smiled. "Yeah. Thanks for telling me."

I hadn't noticed how much time had passed when my straw made gurgling sounds in the lemonade cup. I was the only one left on my lawn. My arms and legs were aching, and my forehead was moist with sweat. It sure felt like a workout. Four hours to be exact.

The sky changed from its radiant colours to a dull maroon, deep red and orange. In Sunnywind, Dad would've been home at this time. It felt different without him.

A car drove up on the McCoys' driveway, and Julianna stepped out. She closed the door and looked at me in surprise.

"Dear, were you outside the whole day?" she asked.

"I didn't notice the time," I admitted, putting down the trowel. "I was going in soon."

"What about dinner? Did you eat?" I didn't say anything, and she folded her arms. "Alright, you worked enough. Come on over, have dinner with us, okay?"

"I can't, Ms. McCoy," I said, "I don't want to trouble you."

"I insist," she said. "And call me Julianna, no need to be formal." I looked around at my lawn. What a mess. "Get cleaned up and come right over." I thanked her before running back inside.

I couldn't get over the fact on how friendly my neighbours were. Being with them gave my mind a perfect break. I felt like I was getting that familiar family feeling back.

The McCoys' dining table was noisy and hectic with Liara and Evin fighting with each other, Elise helping Andy on his chair, and Julianna setting up the food.

"Hey, Ari," Evin said when he saw me. I waved and smiled politely, rooted to my spot. "You can sit down. We're not strangers anymore." I took the empty seat next to Elise.

Julianna sat down next to me when the table was ready. Their dinners were the most colourful I'd ever eaten. With only one night, one dinner, I felt closer to the McCoys than I normally would've been. They seemed like the most perfect family. That was what I thought until the conversation turned down.

"You really remind us of the boy who used to live in your house before you," Julianna said, and paused. "But the happier side of him."

"Juli, why bring that up now?" Elise said, and cleared her throat. "Ari's going to school next week, the same school as Arian."

"Grandma, why bring that up now?" Evin interrupted when he saw Julianna's face darken.

"Wouldn't it be nice for Ari if they drove there together?" Elise continued. Julianna put down her spoon and wiped her mouth. "Now, don't be like that."

"I'm not," she said.

"I'm fine walking," I said quickly. "I really don't mind. It's nice of you to offer, but—"

"No, it's alright," Julianna said albeit reluctantly. "But Arian would say no for sure. You know him."

I didn't know if it was out of pity or actual concern that they were willing to help me. Did I seem like that much of a loner? And by the looks of it, this Arian guy didn't seem like the friendliest person.

When I caught Andy looking at me, he said, "He's not that bad." Who? "Can you pway with me?"

"Andy," Julianna said, "Didn't Liara say she'll play with you?" Liara gave her a confused look and shook her head. "Evin, are you going to work tomorrow?" Evin nodded, innocently drinking from his glass of water.

"I can play," I jumped in. "I'm free. I mean, I have a lot of experience with children." Elise and Julianna wore a similar expression. "I mean, I did babysitting in my old neighbourhood. So..."

"You'd really like to do that, hon?" Elise asked me. I nodded, and she beamed at me. "That'd be very helpful, dear! We'll pay you for—"

"No, no," I said. "I want to do it for free. You know, just for the sake of having fun. Spending time with Andy and Liara."

"In that case, can you take Liara to her school?" Evin asked me sheepishly. "I have to wake up extra early just to drop her off and go to college."

"Evin!" Julianna scolded. He mouthed 'sorry' and I grinned.

I could only imagine how complicated the family must be, now that I learned a little about it. I wanted to help them, as a returning favour for their generosity and kindness.

--

Brilliant Cove was an area full of secret passageways, abandoned parks, and secluded cave and forest areas. Dad requested Evin to take me on a brief exploration while visiting my new school on the way. Evin went overboard as a personal guide and showed me almost all the city.

I realized I was living in a much bigger place than I thought I was, but two-thirds of it was void of commercialized or residential buildings.

On top of that, the history behind it seemed oddly interesting. Brilliant Cove was part of a bigger city a long time ago. It split into two, one was Brilliant Cove and the other was Nightingale. I was told there was a border between the cities and crossing it would mean never returning. To be honest, Nightingale and the name itself sounded insanely creepy. I wouldn't be surprised if it had some twisted, alienated background.

Juniper High was two times bigger than my old high school, and half of it was made with glass panels. I'd already asked Evin three times if it was a public or private school judging by its looks. I was amazed it was a public school and one of the smallest.

"That's insane," I murmured in disbelief. "This city sends me odd vibes."

Evin glanced at me. "Well, Brilliant Cove is known for its mischief and mystery."

"Like, spies and theft?" I asked dubiously. He shrugged.

I went back-to-school shopping with Dad when he had a day off from work yesterday. With school starting right after this weekend, and getting comfortable in my new house, I began to feel more at home. Babysitting the McCoy children was the cherry on top of it all. I stayed at their house longer than ever before, and I knew their entire first floor. Every nook and corner, like I lived there all my life.

The sky had already darkened by the time Evin and I reached home.

"Sorry for taking the entire day to show you around," Evin said. "You coming over for dinner?"

"Sure," I said. "I was going to come later to play with the kids anyway."

"Perfect."

I took a shower before heading next door. Julianna invited me in, telling me I was lucky to drop by for dinner today. I wondered what she meant until I smelled my favourite Indian cuisine. Evin pouted when he realized they made it without him. I was surprised when he told me he wanted to become a chef one day. After all, he did work at a food court and Dairy Queen.

After dinner, I helped tidy the table and stayed with the kids for a bit. Liara was watching My Little Pony on T.V, sitting on one of the couches.

"Your name is Arial, right?" she asked me. I said yes and she laid on one of the pillows. "Can I call you Little Mermaid?"

"If you want," I said. Andy asked me if we could play with Legos, and I didn't refuse.

An hour later, Liara fell asleep and I turned off the T.V. and bid Andy goodbye. I informed Elise that I was leaving and crept behind the kitchen to where the sliding door towards the backyard was. I would go through the McCoys' backyard, over the gate, and to the trellis leading to my bedroom window. It was a shortcut I discovered, and surprisingly didn't faze the McCoys.

It was completely dark outside apart from the streetlights casting shadows across the houses and fences. I closed the sliding door behind me and walked towards the gate. I heard leaves crunch under my shoes as I held on to the gate and pulled myself up on the hinges.

When I jumped over, a quick movement startled me as I landed right on top of a body. Scared out of my mind, I kicked whatever was under me with only one thought running in my mind. Was it a thief?

"What the hell—" the person grunted. Our eyes adjusted on each other in the dark, and I got more scared.

"Who, are you?" I said in horror. He started to stand up.

I grabbed the gate and pulled myself back to the other side. I ran to the sliding door, hearing the stranger hop over the gate in no time after me. I whipped the door open and locked it, going into the kitchen and looking through the cabinets.

"Ari? What happened?" Elise said, watching me in confusion as I flipped over a black pan and inched towards the sliding door.

"I think there's a thief outside," I told her nervously. The thief suddenly appeared behind the glass and I gasped. "That's him! Elise, should we call the police?"

Then he started to knock. He started to knock on the door. My hands began to shake, and Elise sighed in relief.

"That's not a thief, dear," she said, unlocking the door. "You had me worried for no reason." I looked at her blankly, but my arms were still out holding the pan. "We should've warned you before. Sorry for the scare."

He slid open the door and stepped inside. His hood shadowed his face, but when he lifted his head and looked directly at me, I swore I'd never seen such blue eyes turn so cold before. It didn't help that they were extra-intimidating on a pale face and tall, towering person. I could've sworn he was a vampire, or some ghost practising exorcism.

"What happened?" Elise asked him. With the awkward silence, I realized he must be someone important, or even part of the family.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry," I said embarrassed, lowering the pan. "I accidently stepped on him when I was going over the gate and I thought he was a trespasser. I'm so sorry."

"Oh, lord, this is Arian. I should've told you he uses the same gateway to get inside and out." My eyes flicked to him. He, was Arian? Man, what a rough way to meet. Elise walked to him. "Why did you come so late? You frightened her." She put a hand on his arm. "Apologize."

"I'll pass," he replied. I heard thudding as Andy ran from the living room and towards us. He squeezed between Elise and me, hugging Arian's legs.

"Hello, Big A," he said.

"I told you not to call me that," Arian said. "I'm going to my room." Before he left, his eyes pierced at me and averted just as quickly that I doubted it happened.

"My goodness," Elise said, putting her hand on my shoulder. "Sorry again for that, hon. I promise Arian's not as...unfriendly as he looks. And for that accident—"

"No, no, I'm sorry. I should've known. I mean, he's your grandson. You have the same dark hair," I said, laughing nervously. I put a hand over my beating heart. That was a big darn scare. "Well, I better get going."

"Okay, take care dear," Elise said, a trace of worry still on her face.

Back in my bedroom, I couldn't believe how badly I embarrassed myself. I didn't want anyone from that family to have negative thoughts of me, and I never thought I would make a bad encounter like that. Now I knew for sure there was one person who didn't, or wouldn't, particularly like me. It was him and his damn cold eyes. If I was right, he would not make my life easier.

Everything was going perfectly well, until I messed up with Arian.