The 18th Shade Of Summer (Fractured Script Series #1)

CHAPTER 21

Just before I turned right, like Grandpa told me, I caught sight of a wide, gray building straight ahead. It looked like it could’ve been a school—six floors tall, silent and shut tight. There was no name, just rows of dark windows and patches of peeling paint along the walls.

I kept going straight, watching for the “big gate” Grandpa mentioned. Houses lined right sides of the road—some looked lived in, others half-forgotten with rusted mailboxes and grass pushing through cracked driveways. A few windows were boarded up.

I hadn’t seen a single car since I got here—just bikes leaned against fences, and the occasional parked motorbike. The whole place felt like it had pressed pause sometime in the past.

Then out of nowhere, a cat darted across the road. I pulled the brake hard and lost balance, tipping sideways off the bike and hitting the ground.

The concrete kept the fall from being too messy, but I still winced as my hand scraped against the pavement. My clothes were fine—just a little dusty—but my right palm stung. The cat had already disappeared behind a blue gate.

A small gate clicked open.

“Hiro, I told you not to go out—”

I looked up—and froze.

Akiro stepped out from behind the gate, holding the latch with one hand.

He hadn’t seen me yet—his eyes were on the cat. Then they flicked down to the road, where I was still half-sitting beside my bike.

His expression changed in an instant. The headset in his left ear slipped as his eyes widened.

“Elaine?” He sounded unsure, like he couldn’t believe it. Then, quickly—“I’m so sorry.”

He rushed toward me, crouching to help me up. His hands brushed the dust off my sleeve before reaching for the bike.

“Are you okay?” he asked, concerned. I nodded, but as I tried to push myself up, pain flared in my hand. I hissed softly. He caught it.

“Let’s go inside,” he said. “I’ll get something for that.”

We stepped inside the house. I sat down on a simple couch while Akiro disappeared into another room. I glanced around. The space was bare—just the couch I was sitting on and a low table in front of me. No decorations, no photos, just clean white walls and a faint smell of something herbal, maybe from the cat or the air freshener.

He came back holding a small first aid kit. Without saying much, he sat beside me and gently reached for my hand. He rinsed the wound with a small bottle of water, not seeming to mind when it dripped onto the couch. Then, he applied ointment and wrapped a bandage around my palm with practiced care.

After he was done, he let go of my hand with a sigh and placed the kit on the table.

“How did you know I was here?” he asked softly, leaning back into the couch.

“I came to visit my grandfather—on my dad’s side,” I said, watching him carefully. “Then I asked if he knew you. I remembered the letter saying this was your hometown.”

He raised his eyebrows slightly, waiting.

“Grandpa told me to go straight until I saw a big gate and a wax apple tree,” I added with a small smile. “But I guess your cat made it easier.”

That part seemed to surprise him a little, but he didn’t say anything.

“He also mentioned that you and my dad were in a band together,” I said, curious. “Is that true?”