(REWRITING) The Skylar Experiment : Coveting

Chapter Four - Spencer's Place

EMMA

MILES HAD MOVED in a large, neat house on the outskirts of town, right between Oakwood and Huntington. I trod on a stone path hedged by trimmed shrubs and rang the doorbell. We'd began working together at the library and in the computer lab, but it hadn't been enough.

He answered the door and opened it wide. "Emma, hey."

"Nice house," I commented and stepped inside, looking around.

He shoved his hands in his pockets. "Thanks. It's bigger than we're used to, so it took us long enough to decorate. My Dad and I are not huge on decorating. Want a tour?"

I nodded, and he led me around the house. We greeted Mr. Spencer in the kitchen but didn't see his mom. Miles showed me the yard, his room and the basement where we settled our books to start working.

"Do you want some water? A snack?" he offered.

"I'm good, thanks." I sat on the extra chair he took for me.

It didn't seem to bother him that I didn't talk much, and nor did it make him uncomfortable. I appreciated the respite, because I didn't have to appear forcefully cheery and play pretend in order to escape the attention—though it was impossible in this community. 

Miles, against all expectations, acted polite and down-to-earth. Maybe he didn't judge me since he didn't know the story in the news. Maybe it would change once he realized. 

I decided not to care whether he knew or not. He never brought it up. We got down to business with his laptop, and an hour flew by without us noticing.

"What's it like, going from Chicago to here?" I asked, and he looked surprised at my sudden interest. I'd never tried to make small talk until now.

Miles rotated his chair. "I miss it, to be honest. I miss the noise of traffic and the busy streets. Here, there aren't as many shops or people, and everyone stares at me like I'm an alien." He shrugged lightly. "We tend to move a lot, though, it's not the first time. Dad does this often for the job."

"My friend Riley was the new kid before you, and she hated the attention. She couldn't do anything without launching a rumor. It wears off over time."

"She must be relieved that I took her place, then."

I smiled. "You're not entirely wrong. She feels bad for you, though."

"It's so stupid," he said, shaking his head in disapproval. "This whole school blog idea. Like no one has better to do than to shove their nose in other people's business. In Chicago, we had the anonymity among the crowd. No one worried about anyone. You just blended in."

I wondered what it would be like to just blend in. I was born and raised in Oakwood. In our closeted little world, everyone wanted to know what you were up to. The locals compared to distant relatives that gossiped at the Thanksgiving table, only it occurred all-year round. After the Wanderer attack, everyone turned on me with the gossip.

"That must be really nice, being able to be unseen in Chicago," I answered, feeling a pang of envy.

Miles stopped scrolling on his screen to look at me. "It's not all bad here. It's calm no matter the hour of the day, feels like going to the countryside. I expected to see kids wearing overalls and straw hats and living on farms."

I snorted. "We're not that secluded."

I was surprised he didn't notice the town's recent loss of ten people or the articles about us in the newspaper. Most of the speculations were far from the truth, but Miles couldn't tell the difference as he wasn't here when we were confident to step out in the streets after dark.

I stretched my arms and excused myself to go to the bathroom.

I moved up the staircase, turned to my right in the long hall and eventually found it. When I got out, I arrived at a cluster of doors and scratched my head. Which one did I come from, again? I tried one but stumbled on the garage.

My eyes swept over the car, but that's not what punched the air from my chest. The walls were covered in weapons from top to bottom. 

Crossbows, whips, and guns of all kinds.

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Welcome back, awesome readers! Hope this little chapter cleared up some topics, however I had to keep the balance and come up with new questions to answer 😈

What's going to happen after Emma leaves that garage? That is, if she does...

Today, I am dedicating this chapter to FMM2310, one of my WP friends who has immensely helped me with my storytelling and continues to support me. If you love Tom Hiddleston and traveling, she writes a quality romance fanfic that is also suitable for people who are generally not fond of the genre (me, for instance). Check it out if you are curious!