Heartbreak » l.h.

Chapter 26~ Hideaway

BRIAR.

Time skip

"Where are you taking me?" I asked Luke as he guided me through the poorer side of the city. This would be what you would call "the projects".

The houses were very congested and stuffy. There were dozens of small town houses on each side squeezed together. Each house was maculated, stained, from age. The windows and doors were boarded up with wood and in all, the neighbourhood looked dilapidated.

"You'll see," He replied mysteriously. Luke walked through an abandoned house's yard, stepping into the grass. He turned back at me expectantly and motioned for me to follow him.

I looked down at my white shoes, not prepared for this. I repeatedly looked back and forth from my shoes to Luke. Shoes. Luke. Shoes. Luke. He moaned impatiently, pulling me in the grass by force.

He had dressed casually, wearing a black T-shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes. The snapback that he was sporting kept his sandy blond hair tamed and under control. My apparel had more colour. A burgundy shirt with long sleeves and dark jeans. Not much colour, but more compared to his attire, all black.

He held onto my wrist, dragging me on the path. Not surprisingly, the trail was desolate. Luke let go of me then. "Just walk. " He directed, taking his hands and putting them in his jacket's pockets.

Beside his voice, there wasn't any noise. Pure silence as we walked. No birds chirping, or squirrels chattering. Quiet. I wanted to say it was peaceful, but it unsettled me rather than calmed me.

The short trail ended with trees. I'm serious, the path literally led to a bunch of trees. They weren't bulky, but rather thin and stick-like. "This is it?" I asked. Luke shook his head and stepped in between the trees. He climbed in the middle and jumped out on the other side. I knew I was supposed to follow, so I duplicated his actions.

My next sights amazed me. It was incredible. Before me was a city street, packed with 50's-esque shops, a small cinema, small apartments, and stores. Each building had a small little section, similar to books in a stack. It was intriguing because no stores like these had ever been around, at least since I've been alive.

"Luke," I nudged him. "What is this?"

"A street," He grinned at me.

"No shit," I said, walking up the steps of a store and touching the glass window. The sign on the door was for fruit, and it had a different monetary system than what I was used to.

"Ever heard of Charles L. Capone?" He came up behind me and rested his chin on my head, wrapping his arms around me. I shook my head. "He was a 3D artist. Charles' best work was his cities. He made spectacular city blocks in abandoned neighbourhoods, like the one back there. "

"Was he American?" I asked, referring to the sign and the overall style of the building.

"Nope," He replied, causing me to be puzzled. "But his wife was. " That made more sense. "He met her in America, where he fell in love with the city of New Orleans. She had lived there all her life until he came. "

"Did he ever move back?"

Luke nodded. "She was hesitant to leave her beloved city. He convinced her into doing so, telling her she would like it better there. That wasn't true, she hated moving. Never got used to it, never liked it. It wasn't New Orleans. "

"So he made the city for her?"

"Well, " He responded unsurely. "As they age, she fell ill mentally and was always yelling at him over the littlest things. Telling Charles she hated him, and wanted to move back. She kept threatening to divorce him. Charles didn't want her to leave him, so he built this in memory of 'Nawlins. " He stepped away from me and hopped down to sit on the top stair.