"I have an idea" says Casy.
"Let's hear it".
"Can you come with to my place for a moment?".
"Alright".
We got on the train. While sitting next to her, I noticed how slowly her head was resting on my shoulder. She fell asleep... I tried to move as little as possible to not wake her up. After a while, Casy suddenly woke up again and said.
"We have to get out on the next one".
I jumped a bit.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to" she says to me.
We didn't had to walk far before we arrived at her house.
"Can you wait for me here?".
"Sure".
"I won't take so long" she said as she ran up the stairs.
A short time later she calls me on my phone and asks me.
"Hey Ace… I know it sounds weird… but could I spend the night with you today…".
"Wait what? Why are you asking?".
"My parents are on vacation for a few weeks and I'm home alone for that time and wanted to ask if I could stay with you…".
I thought for a moment.
"Fine…".
"Are you sure?".
"Yes, I am".
She hung up immediately. I sat on the stairs and waited. After a while Casy came with a small rolling suitcase and looked at me with smiling eyes.
"Thanks again!" she tells me.
I took the suitcase from her and we went to my place. On the way home I asked her.
"You're only going to stay today, right?".
"Not for several days?".
I stopped.
"Wait, did you plan on staying for several days?".
Her expression became sad.
"You can spend the night at my place today, but we haven't even known each other for that long. Not even a week to be exact".
"I know... It's just... Somehow it feels like I've known you longer than anyone else... Not just you, but Haru and Anna too... Like we've known each other for a long time".
I looked at her. She's right, it really feels like we've known each other forever.
"Okay Casy, you can stay, for now, at my place".
She ran full force into my arms and hugged me.
"Thank you" she told me, wiping her tears on my shirt.
When we arrived at my house, I took her suitcase into our guest room.
"We have school tomorrow so we won't stay up long" I called to her.
Meanwhile she changed in the bathroom. I went into the kitchen to quickly make something to eat. Casy came into the kitchen.
"You can cook?" she asks me.
"Unfortunately yes…".
She looks at me very confused.
"What do you mean, unfortunately?".
"When I was younger, I had to cook because my mother was hardly there, she was always busy so I had to do the cooking for her".
"And what about your father? Is he busy too?".
There was a moment of silence between the two of us. My relationship with my father is rather very bad, in contrast to my mother. I can't remember it very well... in any case, the marriage didn't last long. And just when I was 6 he was just gone. My mother told me he was somewhere "fixing" his problems, as she said. In reality, he has found a new family and has 2 children. I found out a few years later. My mother wasn't feeling well at all while he was gone. She was so depressed that she constantly took anti-depression pills. Every time she was sad or crying, I had to comfort her. I felt so sorry for her every time and I did everything to make her happy. But that's all just memories now. My mother is doing much better than she was back then. I noticed that the food was ready and scooped up a portion for Casy and me.
"Thanks".
"Do you want something to drink?" I asked her.
She thought for a bit and said.
"Just water".
"Coming right up".
I poured water into her glass and we both started eating.
After dinner, Casy went up to my room while I was washing up. It was already 11 p.m. and we have to get up at 7 a.m. tomorrow. I cleaned up the kitchen, locked the front door and went into my room. When I got to my room I saw Casy trying on a few of my hoodies. She jumped once she noticed me.
"Oh… I'm sorry…".
"Looks good" I said to her.
It was one of my favorite hoodies. It's really soft and warm on the inside. Her face went completely red again and she hid in the hoodie. I laughed. I went to my PC to check for messages and I saw that I got one from Ethan. Right… He meant something about "tonight". Before I could look at the message, Casy interrupted me.
"Woah, you have a PC too?".
"Yes, do you have one too?".
"I only have a laptop". She looks at me enviously.
"I'm saving up for one. What games do you play?".
"I don't play that much games on my PC , it's more for work or school".
Casy looks at me with a smile.
"I didn't know you were such a nerd". She laughs.
Okay, it's a lie. Of course I play on weekends or on days when I have free time. I like JRPGs or MMOs the most. Casy gets up and looks around my room, inspecting every corner. While she inspected everything, I tried to read the message Ethan sent.
Yo Ace,
I hope your date went well ;) You both look really cute together. I don't think that's what I wanted to tell you. I continued to ask around town and even went to the archives at the city library. Unfortunately I couldn't find out much... We have to make a visit directly on site. Best in a group or something. Ask Haru if he has time to go to the city's lab building after school tomorrow. I got off school at 1, but it's half an hour away to get to the lab. We will meet at 2 p.m. at the entrance to the main street and from there we will walk together to the laboratory building. I'll head to bed now. You should also get some rest after your date :)
See you,
Ethan.
Nobody remembers the accident...? I am absolutely confused. How can it be that no one remembers something like that? I mean, someone should have heard an explosion near the lab buildings, right? The website is even more confusing... There is information about it , however there are no eyewitnesses or any records of it elsewhere. I don't understand anything anymore. Before I could disappear into my thoughts, Casy stopped me.
"We should go to sleep, don't you think?".
I looked at the clock. 0 o'clock. I looked at her and nodded. Casy looked past my face at my monitor. She looks like she's reading through it. Before she could read it more of it, I closed the window.
"Ethan…". she thinks about something.
"I heard that name before…".
"AH!" she jumped up.
"The one guy who ran into us today!".
"Yes, it was him, hehe…". The nervous laughter didn't make it any better.
I don't want to get her involved in that mess.
"He just wanted to ask me if I was free tomorrow.".
What a save Ace really.…
"What did you told him?".
I turned off the PC and turned to her.
"I'll answer him in the morning."
Casy smiles at me again. She's far too good of a person…. I got up from the chair and said to Casy.
"I'll go to bed then, you should get some sleep as well".
"Alright".
I accompany her to the guest room, which was not far from my room. Right next door. I get the guests bedsheets from the closet and make her bed.
"When do we get up?" she asked me.
"At 7 a.m., I set an alarm. But it wouldn't hurt if you set an alarm too".
"You can also try to wake me up~". She teased.
I laughed a little.
"Who knows".
We both grinned at each other for a while.
"All right, I'll go to bed then. See you tomorrow".
"Goodnight Ace and thank you again for letting me sleep at your place".
"You're welcome, good night and sleep well".
I turned off the lights and closed the door. Phew… I walked downstairs to get something to drink. 12:14 a.m.… I looked out the window at the sky. Soon to be a half moon... I always admire the moon. Even as a small child, I really liked the moon. Back then, my grandfather told me everything about stars, planets and much more that was up there. This brings back some memories. Sometimes I wish I could relive my memory again. I checked again whether the front door was locked and then went to my room. The moon shines through my window and illuminates the room just enough so that I can still see something. I changed clothes, put my phone to charge and lay on my bed. I'm not tired. So many thoughts were running through my head. I stared at the ceiling, trapped in my thoughts. A mix between Casy and the investigation... Should I tell Casy about it...? I sighed and closed my eyes. It's better to think about it the next day... I got comfortable and tried to relax my breathing. And before I knew it, I fell asleep.