"Hey there. I'm Owen and I believe we met before." A big raincoat wrapped around his mesomorph body frame got wet as soon as he exposed himself to the rain. His hair covered his forehead just like yesterday.
"About that. Thanks for saving me. I'm Faye. I live next door," I gestured to my house.
"Don't mention it. Can I ask you something? Have you been crying? I didn't mean to pry, but your eyes are red. Is everything okay?" He walked closer, and I stepped further back, keeping my distance.
"If you read the news, you'll know." After I mentioned that, he took out his phone from his back pocket. After a while, he put it away and clutched my wrist, pulling me into a hug while stroking my hair.
His body gave me a reassuring warmth I never knew I needed at the time like that. Even though my nose was stuffed, his cologne managed to get in. His steady heartbeat went into my ears, making my own heartbeat steady. I ignored the fact my clothes got wet because they touched his wet raincoat.
"I'm so sorry. If you need anything, let me know. Now, if you excuse me, I have tons of things to unpack," he pulled himself away from, waving as he walked further.
I stood there in the rain with an umbrella in my grasp. The sound of rain dropped on the top of it was like music to ears. Then, someone behind me tapped on my shoulder, causing me to yelp. I turned around and saw Mrs. Willow, the one who just got back after she's been gone for a long time. Her tan skin was decorated with a warm, motherly smile, forming creases on her face.
"My dear, you shouldn't be standing like this. You'll get sick." She pulled me into my front porch. Allen was already there, but he had his eyes on his phone with a puzzled expression on his face.
"Mrs. Willow, you didn't tell me where you've been for a couple of weeks," I continued the conversation as I put my umbrella down into a special place.
"We're taking a vacation to celebrate Liam's graduation," she glanced at her eldest son, who was carrying baggage.
I stared at Liam and his younger sister, Emma. Both of them got their mother's skin tone. Emma got her mother's smile but Liam frowns a lot but he's friendly. He's much older than me, though so we rarely talked. Both of them walked to the front porch with smile of their faces.
"Faye, it's been a long time since the last time we talk," Emma surprised me with a warm hug, which I returned.
But something on Liam's arm made my heart stop for a second. It's the code, just like the ones on Grace's arm. Only the numbers were different, but the lines were similar. I had a bad feeling about it.
We chatted for a while until I interrupted the conversation flow. "I'd love to talk more but I have to get in now. We'll talk later." I gave a signal to Allen, and he followed me from behind. I fumbled on my keys as my mind imagined worst-case scenarios about Liam. The Willows already left, but that didn't stop me from staring at him. The thunder roared, motivated me to focus on the keys.
My fingers were slowly turning into ice. I could barely move them. So, I rubbed my palms together, trying to create some heat so I could hold them. After a few tries, I managed to unlock the door and kicked it open.
"Allen, your shoes go on the rack, but use that newspaper. The soles are wet so I don't want to destroy the shoe rack," I informed him as I snatched a few pages on old newspaper and placed them on top of the rack, then my shoes went on top of them.
I stepped inside and saw Kim laying down on the couch with layers of blankets wrapped around her body. She caught me staring at her and forced a smile, "Faye, I'm glad you're back." She paused to sit up. "And you brought Allen with you. Sorry I couldn't serve you anything. I feel a bit funny in my head. Help yourself with anything."
"Kim, if you're sick, go take a nap." I walked towards her and grabbed her arms. Her eyes were bloodshot and her nose was red; her pale skin made them visible. She nodded without saying anything. "If you need anything, tell me," I said as I took her to her room. She went inside with blankets sweeping the floor from behind.
I invited Allen to sit on the couch while I made some drinks for both of us; two cups of warm lemon tea with a freezing weather. He took a sip before giving me his full attention.
"Do you want to talk about it?" I could tell he's being cautious with the question.
"Yes," I fixed my posture, so it's more comfortable, "Grace told me yesterday she couldn't sleep. She got sleep paralysis for days and she crushed her phone,"
"Why so?"
"She got a lot of calls from an unknown number." I bit my lips as the vivid memory of her from yesterday.
"Larissa said the same thing, too. She told me she felt someone in the house with her. I stayed with her for a while but I didn't hear or see anything strange," he sighed as he shook his head.
I got curious with something. "Allen, are you and Larissa a thing?"
"No, we're cousins. She didn't tell you about that, huh?" he chuckled. He glanced at his watch on his wrist then stood up. "I have to go now. Thanks for this tea and if you need anything, here's my number." He took out a piece of paper and a pen from his jacket, writing something. I took it from him and stared at it for a while before I led him outside. I kept the number in my pocket so I didn't lose it. He said he'll call his brother who lives nearby to pick him up.
My eyes were on Owen's house next door. Kim said she had a bad feeling about him and I did too.