The Fused & The Muse  Ch.9
 

London, England
Present Day

  We arrived back in school the following day, but we didn't have to attend the rest of our classes since we were still technically "on our trip." Mr. Johnson allowed us to roam around the school freely, so Alyssa and I headed over to the bleachers at the field. It felt so relaxing to be back. Being in the castle somehow made me feel tense and caged. My face lit up when I caught sight of Edward playing in the field. "Oh...my..." I looked up at Alyssa. dropped and she held onto her chest. "Girl...Edward looks so fine right now, like was it because we haven't seen him for a while or?" She her lips and raised her brows up and down. I laughed at her and shook my head. "Back off my man." I crossed my arms and puckered my lips. "Nuh-uh girlfriend! If he be lookin like that?! You best believe imma get sum." I laughed at her and we took a seat on the bleachers. Edward's light blonde hair glistened in the sun. His pale skin and pink lips were even deeper in color. Alyssa was right. He did look even more handsome than I'd remembered. He bolted through the field—his feet swiftly trailing along the ball. He kicked the ball and as usual, it made it into the goal without a sweat.

  After their little game, Edward took his duffle bag and started walking away from the field, until he spotted me sitting on the bleachers. He stopped and turned back, making his way over to Alyssa and I. Alyssa saw him coming our way and she kept nudging me until I looked up. "Ouch. Wha-?" Her face turned to stone and I turned my head. Edward stood in front of us with a smile on his face. "Hey, you're back!" I sat up straight and faced forward. "Yeah...and you're here. Like you said..." He smiled again and turned his head to Alyssa. "Hi, I'm Edward." He held his hand out to Alyssa, who didn't make any movement that whole time. She unfroze and shook his hand. "I'm Alyssa, Ella's best friend." He nodded and chuckled at her side comment.

  The bell rang and Edward checked his phone. "Hey, I have to go but, I'll see you guys around?" Alyssa and I stood up from the bench and coughed. "Y-yeah," we said in unison. He waved to us and jogged off the field. As soon as he was no longer in sight, Alyssa slapped my arm. "Ouch!" "GIIRRLLL DID YOU JUST SEE THAT?!?! Thank you for being my friend...now he knows I exist." I rubbed my arm, shaking my head at her. "Hey, I guess I'm just a natural." "Mhhmm. Let's just go home."

  We walked to the bus stop to wait for the school bus. When it arrived, we got on and sat at our usual spot in the bus. As I listened to the music playing from my earphones, I watched all the colorful trees as they shed some of their leaves. The wind carried the leaves away, making small tornadoes along the sidewalks. Alyssa arrived to her stop and waved to me before hopping off the bus. The next stop was my stop. We lived fairly close to each other, making it easier for us to visit one another. The bus stopped once more and I leaped out. I walked down the quiet sidewalks filled with the colorful, fallen leaves. They danced their way around me, as the wind picked them up from the ground. I heard a crunching sound, which made me turn my head to look around me. *Nothing* I took a step forward and a leaf crunched, making me jump. I lifted my foot up and saw a crushed leaf. I took a deep breath before I continued to walk. Hold up. I should probably pay my grandfather a visit. I walked another block away from my street and made my way over to my grandfather's cozy home. He lived in a wooden and brick home, which seemed to look almost like a cabin. It was two stories tall, and a front garden stood beautifully with flowers of all sorts, complementing the home and the wooden fence built around it.

  I knocked on the wooden door, waiting for my grandfather to come and open it. I had keys in case he wouldn't answer, so I'd be able to check up on him to make sure he was alright. I waited a few more seconds before reaching for the spare. Suddenly, the door opened slowly, revealing 'my cute old man'. He was quite short, his hair white, and his skin showing the fair sign of age. He held onto his black, wooden cane, which had symbols he'd carved in it. He walked backwards to give me room to come in. "Lock the door after you my child." I closed the door behind me, locking it. He always wanted the doors locked and he constantly checked the windows, as if in hiding. I knew he wanted to be secured and that's a good thing, so I never questioned him for it. "Granpapa! I've missed you so much!" I hugged him and he patted my back. "Sit my child." He held out his arms to the couch. I watched as he trotted his way to the fireplace. "Let me get that for you." I took the logs of wood and he sat down on his favorite chair. I started the fire and added the logs to light it up more. I waited for it to burn high enough before I made my way back to the couch.

  "How was your trip to Romania?" My grandfather sat his cane gently beside his chair. "It was pretty good...interesting I guess." "The castle of the Vampire was where you stayed?" "Yes, granpapa." He nodded his head but his eyes were in deep thought. "You know, those creatures I told you about, can smell emotions." I looked over to him curiously. "Did anything weird happen while you were in that castle? Did you hear or see anything weird?" I shook my head at him. "You know, a lot of people were trapped in that castle—trapped, beaten, killed." I suddenly remembered how I felt when I was in the castle. My grandfather noticed and changed the subject. "How's your mother?" "She's doing alright." I stared down to the rug. "Is she still busy in that bakery?" I nodded my head slowly. "Granpapa, do you have any more stories for me?" My face lit up from the idea. He looked out at one of the windows before standing up. "I should probably send you off now before it gets too dark. I'll tell you another story next time."

  I stood up from the couch and walked to the front door. "Alright...You take care now, Granpapa. I'll come visit again sometime." He raised a hand at me before closing the door. I walked out and locked his front gate behind me. That’s weird...Granpapa was quite rushed just then….wonder what came up.? The wind was much calmer in his side of the block than mine. The wind picked up in my area, so I rushed to get to my house. I shuffled through my bag to get my keys out. As soon as I opened the door, I walked inside and locked the door after. I took my coat off and hung it on the hanger that stood beside the door. It wasn't too cold inside—well, compared to how it was outside, it was much warmer.

  I walked up the stairs to get to my bedroom. It was quiet in the house, as usual. I guess my mother was going to spend the night at the bakery again. I changed into my home clothes and tucked myself into my bed. "I'll just take a short nap." I huddled under my blanket and shut my eyes. After half an hour, my eyes twitched and my ears pounded. I took my blanket off and sat straight up on my bed. "What?" I heard a clinking sound, which made my eyes shoot wide open. "What was that..." I whispered. *Mom?* I got off my bed and tiptoed downstairs. An apple rolled out of where the kitchen was. I took an umbrella in case it wasn't my mother in the kitchen. I stared at the front door, which was still locked. *Was it my mom?*

  *Thud* An orange rolled out this time. I slowly poked my head out to peek in the kitchen. I found the refrigerator open and someone was right in front of it, crouched down. I couldn't quite make up who it was because the table and the chairs were in the way. I mustered up my courage and stood in front of the kitchen's entryway, with the umbrella in my hand. "Hey! Show yourself!" The person stood up and my goodness...was that not my mother.

"Life is a beautiful mystery."

-Unkn