Town Like Still Water (Nanowrimo 2021)

Chapter Three: The Lighthouse

I could tell them I had plans if I wanted anyway, just lie to them, and I was going to point that fact out to Rana too, but something stops me, the words catch in my throat. I look over at the twins, still staring at me with matching smirks, and then back to Rana, looking expectantly for an answer.

"Yeah, it sounds good." I say. Rana flashes a quick smile and claps me on the shoulder.

"Alright cool." She says. "And not that this is about you owing me anything but I hope if they ever come after me you'll do the same."

She scampers back across the room to Gabe and sits back down. I'm about to go back to opening my book, finishing and then drawing over my door, when Gabe raises his hand. It takes Eillie a minute or two to notice, but he just stays there, holding it up until she does.

"Gabe?" She asks. "You have a question?"

"Um... yeah." Says Gabe. "Can we come back to me now?"

"I'm sorry?" Eillie looks as confused as I feel.

"In the icebreaker, we never got back to me. Saying what I like." Gabe explains. There's a pause where Eillie looks like she's trying to piece together what she's going to say.

"That was three weeks ago, Gabe." She says.

"Yeah." Gabe replies. He doesn't say anything more.

"Um, of course then I suppose, go ahead." She says finally. Gabe turns around to the whole class and takes a deep breath. Everyone's eyes are on him, even the twins. He has the attention of the whole class. Even if it's just five people, it may as well be the world.

"I like rocks." He says. "Diggin' em. Finding em."

Then he turns around and sits back down. The class is silent, not quite sure what to make of this development. Finally Eillie says something, even though Gabe has long since gone back to his sketchbook.

"Awesome, thanks Gabe,"

————

I make an effort to leave class earlier this time, the twins always like to leave last, or second to me, and if I want to ditch them, I'm going to need to be quick. I get the obligatory goodnight and pat on the back from Eillie on my way out the door, then hurry downstairs and wait around the corner for Rana, out of the usual sight line for anyone coming down, but I'd be able to see them. As I'd feared, the twins come down first, almost definitely looking for me. I squish myself as far back in the corner as I can go, I may as well be praying that they don't see me. But, it turns out I don't have to go that far, as after a second, they give each other a strange look, and leave.

I hurry out to catch up with Rana and Gabe, as they come down a few minutes later.

"Darcy! You're coming!" Rana says. She sounds surprised.

I shrug. "Yeah. I said I would be, right?"

Gabe waves at me awkwardly. I wonder if he ever does anything not awkwardly. "Hey man." He says.

The lighthouse is so far out on the beach that I had nearly forgotten the town even had one. I still wasn't sure why it had one, there weren't, and had never been, any large ships out on the lake. But it was here nonetheless, imposing and old, and had been here as long as anyone can remember. One of the oldest in the country, the plaque said. The town really went out of its way to make that in big letters, probably because it was the only interesting thing about the town, and it was barely within its borders.

We walked for what must've been at least forty five minutes to get there, trudging through the snow. I had protested my mother making me wear a coat this morning, but I was glad for it now. Rana and Gabe chatted about nothing, and I was happy to follow along behind and listen. Listen to Rana talk about her summer cabin, to the crunch of our boots on the untouched snow, to the whistle of a bird somewhere in the distance, to Gabe humming to himself. They weren't sounds I was used to, but they were sounds enjoyed. Like discovering a new album for the first time.