Who might he be? Who might he be? Carter sang in his head, making the situation feel like a joke, as it was in fact not.
Unfortunately, all the young boy wanted was to feel like a young boy, as he did not in fact want.
Much like how someone would act a play, all of this was more like a role to make the scene more real, as in fact, nothing was.
Unfortunately, his talent didn't include the role of a child.
Going down the staircase after going through the corridor in the first floor, Carter, finally saw the first glimpse of what the ground floor looked like.
It was more or less resembling a normal living room.
His view widening little by little, the whole place became visible.
Getting down to the last step, he saw two doors he could go out from; first was an obvious exit to the outside of the house since the little glass window showed the clear morning sky, and second was seemingly an entry to the kitchen of the house.
He looked around to see if there was any other door and found none.
It felt like going back in time to the nineteen hundreds, from the simple outline of the room, to the near zero amount of technology.
The only one he saw was so crude, you could say it wasn’t one.
There was no heater since the fire place and layout of the building covered the heat, and no air conditioner since the fresh air coming from the widows and the low heat, or, to Carter’s astonishment, near cold temperature was a dissuasion for any.
To his pleasure, the climate was in the perfect middle, not too hot, not too cold.
It was the one of the only thing he had wished for in his world and here it was, in another.
Everything was so simple, elegant, calm and balanced.
All of those made his mood a little better.
Breathing the fresh breeze of the early morning, Carter decided to experience what was outside.
With smoke coming out of the kitchen, Carter strode towards the door leading out of the house, his right gloved hand still hurting a bit but overshadowed by the little feeling of excitement he felt.
Opening the door without any hesitation, he finally saw the endless field of green that could only be admired from the first floor.
Letting the door open beside him, he stood there for a moment, admiring the scenery that was lighted by the slight orange glow of the rising sun.
All the new sensation, he let them all in, from the breeze wrestling on his clothes, to the silent sound of the moving grass, and all the multiple smells.
And with one hand in his pocket, Carter's nose twitched.
He sensed a familiar smell, one he had just reminisced the night before, though it was a bit different than what he was used to.
Looking beside him, where the smell came from, he saw a man at his height, a lighter in one hand and a cigarette lighted in the other; they were at eye-level since the young boy was on top of two sets of stairs.
The young man, side-eyeing Carter, slowly put the already half way finished cigarette off his blowing mouth and put it behind him.
But unable to restrain himself anymore, he began to very slowly let out the smoke out his mouth, the dumb look in Carter’s eyes staring at his soul.
The black haired man was surely not used to this method of smoking since not long after trying to blow smoke slowly, he began coughing wildly, an eye always in Carter’s direction.
He was there for a bit of time.
Still mildly coughing, he began talking in a choking voice.
“H-Hey little one,*Cough* *Cough*, didn’t catch you there.”
Taking in a deep breath, the young smoker finally stabilized his breathing.
Not entirely able to regain his usual voice though, he continued.
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“Hope you had a good nights of sleep and that I didn’t scare you too much. W-What are you doing here?”
Narrowing his eyes, Carter realized who was in front of him.
How can a voice as enchanting as last night's be such a heavy smoker? This world has as much nonsense as the other one. He thought, trying to put the two different voices together.
Panting a bit, with every breath some smoke coming out, the young man put the lighter in his jacket’s pocket and laid his back on the wall.
His thoughts were mostly fighting about why he was still sucking on a stick
It was enjoyable but very bizarre.
Turning his head, Carter realized there was another person apart from the man beside him.
Tilting his head, he realized the other one was asleep on a chair next to a round table. She was sitting backwards and was facing the house, her eyes closed.
The furniture was made of wood, so he thought it wouldn’t be so comfortable.
Her closed eyes were a proof of the contrary.
Perhaps she isn’t sleeping. Carter thought, his scepticism a bit high.
“Who are you?” Carter asked 'innocently' to the young man below him, still looking at the woman for a bit, not answering the last question.
“Oh sorry little one, you can call me, uh… Uncle?” the man responded, his two hands on his knees while his posture bended and his eyes watering red.
Before Carter could even think, his ‘uncle’ decided to refute what he said.
Shaking his one hand while the other stayed on one knee, he said. “No forget that, just call me by my name, it’s Vale.” Before saying anything else, he also introduced the other person. “The sleeping beauty other there is Iris.”
“We are your father’s co-workers, well, I’d say we’re closer to being good friends, so,uh… no need to fear, ok?”
Slanting on the ground, he lamented.
“Why did you have to go out at the worst moment though? You even made me question all my choices.”
Co-workers? Ignoring what he said last, Carter picked up a word.
Trying to fight his own self, he asked with a very low voice.
“Does that mean you’re rays as well?”
His eyes had already shifted towards Vale’s slant figure, its height a contrast to how low his voice was.
Vale narrowed his eyes.
Only by listening sharply could he make out the words the young boy uttered, he though it wasn’t that normal, but everyone was different in a way.
Though Vale was a bit curious if the little one in front of him was that different. Fortunately he had a reason to find out.
Though he thought if it would be called bullying if not.
He asked anyway.
“What did you just say little one?”
Putting a hand on his throat, Carter wondered if his voice was that low.
He thought there was something wrong with his throat while his own rational knew exactly what was wrong.
He shook the hand and prepared himself to repeat his question.
Then he narrowed his eyes.
Since Vale was the same person putting him to sleep last night, he began thinking.
Did I grunt that loudly last night?
It was a bit of a challenge for Carter to recall his own voice at that time since it was as flickering as a shrouded memory.
So to say that it wasn’t loud wouldn’t be a sure statement.
He was sure though that the reason the young one in front of him came to sing a lullaby last night was because of his loudness when he was injected with these informations, but what if he wasn’t even loud.
Before waking up this morning, Carter didn’t even imagine that his parents next door would have heard him, coming to the conclusion he was loud only when someone came to his door to put him to sleep.
He decided that he would consult his mother, the one that should’ve heard him as well, later.
Returning to the conversation he repeated what he just said, this time with a bit more confidence.
“Does that mean you’re also rays?”
Shrugging, Vale, who wasn’t disappointed by the fact that Carter wasn’t special, responded.
“Out my little secret I guess. Sure little one, we’re the same as your father, our mission is to protect this place.” Adding a bit of their role in to make the boy’s eyes sparkle, Vale was a proud worker.
“Do you mean our house?”
Knocking at the wall of the house with his knuckle, Vale responded.
“Yes, little one, you and your mother need a bit of protection.”
Changing the course of the conversation, Carter asked another question, like a kid whose curiousness could not be satiated.
“Do you know what is happening to my father?” It was a question that Cuel did not know the answer of, thus a valid one.
To Vale, it would mean that Ash’s son was worried for his father, to Carter though, it was more of an introduction to understand more about his father’s condition and about what the rays are.
The young boy’s worry stemmed only from his fear and to ensure his own safety.
Clearing his throat, Vale responded, his usual voice finally returning to him.
“He is sick little one, a sickness that wouldn’t be easy to cure. But thankfully, I think you waking up will help.” Exhaling, Vale enjoyed the sound of his recovered voice for a bit.
Though the kid didn’t stop questioning.
“A sickness, what kind of sickness?”
Twitching his eye, the black haired man responded.
“A curse, ok? A curse.” Before the kid could utter a single word, as Vale saw his mouth move to do, he continued with a hurried voice. “Me and my colleague have something to do little one, so, uh… will you please, return inside? As it is not appropriate for little kids to witness.” With an awkward smile, the young man tried to hush him away, afraid that his questions would go on endlessly.
Guess in every world, a child is always as terrifying. Carter thought, disappointed he couldn’t get more information.
It would be unreasonable and cruel if he were to ask away all of his questions in one go.
Nodding like an obedient child, he went back inside, his thoughts on what he just learned.
Watching the kid re-enter his house, Vale’s smile slowly disappeared.
He took his already extinguished cigarette, put it in his mouth, and lighted it again, his one hand shielding it from the wind.
Looking away from the door, he was lost in his thoughts.
He exhaled, the grey smoke out in the air.
Across from his figure, the girl’s eyelids slowly moved up, her beautiful brown eyes slowly appearing.
Her soft voice came out of her mouth.
“Beauty?”
Smiling, Vale responded.
“I only tell the truth…”
A bit of silence followed.
Looking at the closed door, Iris, still backward on her chair, asked a question.
“What do you think?”
Looking at the same door again, Vale responded with his enchanting voice.
“Same as you… Odd.”