Magnum Opus I

Chapter Two (Full)

Octavia jumped as her phone rang, interrupting her reading. She let out a grin when she saw it was Derek. "Hello?"

"Hey babe, where you at? I thought you were coming over after school today."

"Shit... I forgot. I'll be right over. I'm sorry, I love you."

"I love you t-" Octavia hung up sooner than anyone anticipated. She felt adrenaline flow through her veins, consuming her. Something in the back of her mind told her that she had reason to feel anxious, like there was something she had to do.

Derek's house was a cozy, two-story cottage style home with eggshell colored wooden panels that were just beginning to give in to age. Octavia felt like she was home every time she came over. After opening the door, she inhaled the warm, cinnamon scented air and smiled as she saw her boyfriend. He brought her into his arms and held her, kissing her forehead.

"Sorry I forgot, babe. I just got... preoccupied," she hesitated to tell him exactly where she was. He always got worried when she would explore new places. The thought of the only person he wanted in his life getting lost or hurt devastated him.

"Preoccupied? What could you, the careless Octavia Marie, be preoccupied with, besides maybe exploring a haunted hospital or abandoned insane asylum," he chuckled.

Octavia glared down at her feet, kicking the invisible dust softly. "Well-"

"Octavia, you didn't."

"It was just an old house and it looked completely harmless. Look, I'm fine, see?"

"We talked about this. There could be rabid animals, shattered glass, even crazy people hanging around inside. You could get seriously hurt," he grabbed her arm affirmatively, paying close attention to the strength he had, using caution not to hurt her.

"The only thing that was hanging around in there was this," she pushed the journal at him. Derek took it, brushing his fingers over the rough cover and cautiously started to flip through the pages of the journal, each one filled with poems, letters, and some of the most intricate and beautiful illustrations he had ever seen.

"What is this thing?"

Octavia let out a sigh of relief now that she realized Derek was curious.

"I think it's like a diary or something. Most of the letters start of by saying 'Dear Baby' or something. It must be for a kid."

"That's pretty dope babe, but what if they come back for it," Derek asked, his eyes still glued on the book.

"That house looked like it's been empty for years... I don't think anyone is ever coming back for it."

"Well... don't you think they'd want it? It only was dated like 20 years ago, I'm sure whoever this is written for is still alive and I'm sure they have no idea it even exists."

Octavia sighed and looked at Derek. "I think I have to return it..."

"Return it? And how the hell do you propose you're going to do that? You don't even know where this person is, what they look like, how old they are or anything." Octavia reached for the journal, pulling it from Derek's hands and holding it out for him to see as she started to flip through the pages. Each page smelled like the damp pavement after a heavy rain mixed with Chanel Number 5.

Octavia stopped on a page that contained a map, carefully drawn by hand, each line as precise as possible to the actual landscape. Brushing the map with her fingertips, she could feel the indentation the pen left on the paper. At the top of the page, a bright and colorful title that read "Winchester Bay, Oregon" population of,

"Thuh-ree hundred and eighty-two... and look! Here's an address. This has to mean something." she read aloud, shifting her eyes up at Derek. His arms were tucked between his elbows, a stern look on his face showed an obvious expression of disapproval.

"You're insane. Absolutely loca." He reached out and squished her cheeks together, Octavia not breaking eye contact with him, smiled, causing her eyes to almost disappear behind her cheeks. "But... you're not going to take no for an answer. You never do."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and he wrapped his around her waist. Having to stand up on her tippy toes, she kissed him and looked at him with a smile so radiant, he couldn't decide whether she was the most beautiful person he had ever seen or completely and truly insane. "I have to go, babe. Gonna go home, plan my route and I'm going to be leaving tomorrow morning. Are you coming or... ?"

"Octavia, you know I have work and Ed would kick my ass if I asked for any more days off. Just call me before you leave and I'll be over to kiss you goodbye."

"Okay, baby. You know I love you, right?"

The right corner of his mouth lifted just enough to let Octavia see. "You better, punk."

"I'll see you tomorrow, babe." She kissed him one more time before making her way to her chocolate brown 1984 Ford Bronco. His name was Bruce and Derek swore Octavia loved him more than she loved her own boyfriend. She blew a kiss to Derek and hopped in, starting the engine and pulling out of his driveway.