Somehow MC and Jane manage to go back to their bedroom, but MC can barely sleep after it.
As soon as the sun rises, Jane wakes up bright and early, as if she has forgotten what happened in the backyard.
“How can you be so energetic this early?” – MC yawns, while they both go downstairs for breakfast. – “I couldn’t sleep at all, my mind was racing of memories of Mr…”
“MC.” – Jane interrupts them before MC can profess their childhood monster friend’s name. – “It was nothing. We were just imagining things.”
“But you heard the whistle. And I heard it too.”
“I know. But it might mean nothing. Yeah, my whistle is still there, but it probably was just the wind. I… I have to believe that it meant nothing, okay?” – Jane looks at MC with her big brown pleading eyes.
MC nods.
“Yeah… It was just… a coincidence, right?” – MC forces a smile.
“Yeah!” – Jane eagerly agrees. – “It’s what I always say, the past is in the past! Come on, let me make us a nice and rich breakfast!” – the ginger girl rolls up her sleeves entering the kitchen. – “I’ll make you bacon with eggs!”
“Oh, I would like that!”
“I thought you were the one who was going to make us breakfast, not me.” – MC points out to their best friend, when they’re already eating.
Jane, unlike her twin brother, is a completely disaster when it’s about cooking, so she had to ask for her friend’s help and MC ended up cooking everything.
“Well, Noah does the hard part and I actually just break the eggs. But, come on, at least my intentions were good!” – they both laugh it off, what happened that dawn soon forgotten.
They chat all the way towards the Marshall’s house, before heading to school.
“Wow, I have to congratulate you, MC.” – Noah says as he opens the door.
“Why?”
“You were able to wake Jane up on time. I swear this girl would be sleeping throughout the ending of the world.”
“Shut up, Noah!” – Jane says as she enters the house to leave her things and greet their mom.
Noah and MC share a giggle before going silent.
“…Is everything okay?” – the boy asks.
“Uh?”
“You seem a little off today. Didn’t sleep well?” – MC shakes their head. – “Jane snored so loud that you couldn’t sleep?”
“No!” – MC chuckles with his comment. Only Noah could make them feel at ease when they’re worried about something. – “…It was just insomnia.” – MC shrugs, deciding to forget what they heard that morning.
Jane is right, it was just the wind. It meant nothing.
The boy doesn’t look convinced, but he doesn’t say anything as Jane comes back from her room and they all leave for school.
“Have MC told you the news?!” – the girl asks her brother as they walk the road towards Westchester High.
“What news?”
“She’s coming to camp with us this weekend! I’ve already asked Dad if it was cool and he said ‘sure’!” – and she hugs MC tight.
Noah just looks to their friend:
“I’m sorry Jane is dragging you into this.”
“Noah!” – Jane releases her best friend to elbow her brother hard in his ribs, who lets out a curse. But before she can lecture him, the ginger girl’s attention quickly changes to someone who’s walking ahead. – “Ava!” – she yells as she approaches the other girl.
“MC, I know how Jane can be bossy…” – Noah suddenly says when they find themselves alone. – “so don’t let her push you to do something you don’t want, ok? I always have this sensation that she’s pressuring you to do something you don’t feel like doing…”
MC smiles softly at him.
“I know. Thanks for always looking after me, Beanie Boy.” – his cheeks turn a little red. – “And don’t worry, I actually want to go. If it’s okay to you.”
“Are you sure about it? You’ll have to be more than 24 hours with us. You even might have a ‘Marshalls overdose’.” – and MC can see a smile tugging in the corner of his mouth.
“It’s a risk I’m willing to take.”
His grin widens.
“Good. It’ll be nice having you around. At least I hope you’ll help me and my dad in setting the camp, because Jane just sits there and watches us doing all the work.”
MC chuckles as Jane calls them to hurry up, leaving all the anxious and fear they felt that morning behind.
The week proceeds normally without nothing unusual or sinister happening again. Jane has long forgotten what happened in MC’s house, her mind focused in just one person: Lucas Thomas.
It’s (finally) Friday and she exits the school building in full sprint, towards the coffee shop down the street. Her eyes easily recognise a lone and tall figure in one of the tables of the cafe. She walks up to him.
“I’m sorry, Lucas, I know how busy you are, but I had cheer practice until–”
“Calm down, Jane.” – he interrupts her, with that deep and reassuring voice. – “Everything’s alright. Why don’t you sit while I grab us a drink? What would you like?”
“An iced coffee is fine by me.” – he nods and goes to the counter as she plops down in the chair.
He’s back soon after.
“An iced coffee.” – he gives the girl her drink, with a charming smile. She smiles back.
“Thank you, Lucas.”
“So… hit me up.” – the boy says, after they both have sipped their drinks. Jane puts on her best ace reporter voice and mimics writing in a notebook, making him chuckle:
“Hi, nice to meet you. I’m Jane, with the Westchester Word. Thank you for sitting down with me. And can I just say, sir, what an honor it is to interview the Class President Thomas?”
“Oh gosh.” – Lucas can’t hold back a giggle and Jane can see him relaxing instantly. – “Uh, my pleasure. I’m… a big fan of your work? I guess?”
“Aw, thanks! Let’s start with an easy question, to help our readers get to know you better…”
Soon, the coffee shop is filled with their laughter.
“I doubt they’ll ask me if I’d rather make Andy or Stacy angry!” – Lucas says to Jane’s silly question.
“Okay, okay, I’m sorry! Going back to be serious now. Let’s talk about the school year ahead… what are you looking forward to most?”
“Ooh, good question. I’d say this year what I’m most looking forward to is homecoming.”
“Oh, really? Well, since we’re on the subject, let’s talk about the event on everyone’s mind, this year’s homecoming. Who are you going with?”
Lucas laughs to Jane’s straightforward question.
“Well, you see, I still haven’t had the chance to ask this amazing girl… we both have a pretty busy schedule, you know? She’s a cheerleader…” – the girl immediately feels her heartbeat quickening in her chest. – “In fact, she’s sitting right in front of me in this moment.” – Jane can’t contain a excited squeal. – “Jane Marshall, do you want to go to homecoming with me?” – he asks, extending a hand to her over the table.
Trying to control herself, the girl clears her throat and says in a collected tone: “Oh, I would love to, Lucas Thomas.”
He chuckles as she turns to her true self and leans over the table, pulling him in for a kiss.
“Jane, we’re in public.” – he mutters, interrupting her.
“I don’t care about what other people think, I’m just too happy to hold me back right now.” – she says. – “Now shut up and kiss me, will ya?” – he smiles at her.
“Always so bossy.” – and he kisses her back.
…And then, someone’s cell phone starts buzzing.
“…I’m sorry, Jane.” – he says as they pull back. But, surprisingly, it was not his. It was hers.
“Crap, it’s my brother. He’s asking me where the hell I am because we have to pack things for this weekend. Obviously it was Noah to interrupt such a perfect moment. I’m sorry, Lucas, I have to go home now.” – they both stand up.
“It’s okay, Jane. I promise you we’ll have plenty of perfect moments together.” – and she swears that she can feel herself melting under his smile. – “I’m sorry I’m too busy for us… and I can’t take you home, since I have to go back to school…”
“Don’t worry about me, Lucas. I’m just happy that we’re going to homecoming together. And you were right when you said that we’re both busy… Cheer practice is being pretty intensive this year. I think Stacy is making us practice harder because she almost lost for Britney as this year’s cheer captain.”
“This makes sense.”
“Hm… speaking of this weekend… We’re going camping with our dad… Do you want to go with us? MC will be there too, so it won’t be that awkward.”
“I don’t think this is a good idea, Jane. Noah would give me a poisonous fruit first chance he has.” – Jane agrees with him. Sometimes her brother was so overprotective! – “Besides, I have a lot of work to do. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, I imagined that. But, please, don’t overwork yourself, okay? You have to rest too, Lucas.”
“Yes, ma’am.” – Jane rolls her eyes.
“Call me if you need anything. Even if it’s just talking.” – and she kisses him on the cheek, before heading home.
Mr. Marshall picks MC at their house right after lunch, on Saturday.
“Wow MC, you’re so big! It’s been ages since I last saw you! How are you?” – the man greets them from the driver’s seat as they sit beside Jane on the backseat of the car.
“OMG dad, stop being such a… dad!” – Jane says, embarrassed and MC can see Noah rolling his eyes in the rearview mirror and lets out a chuckle.
“I’m great, Mr. Marshall.”
The trip is short though it looks much longer because Jane singed along to all the songs on the radio.
“Thank God you don’t have to sing as a cheerleader.” – Noah says as they step out of the car.
“Don’t be such a jerk, Noah! My voice is great!” – Jane tells him. MC giggles and looks around them.
Mr. Marshall parked the car by the lake in the back of the woods that border Westchester. They don’t know why, but being into the woods again… after all those years… even after that fateful day with Mr. Red… it almost feels like home.
“Hey MC, are you going to enjoy the view or help us?” – Jane talks to them, snapping them out of their thoughts.
“Sorry!” – MC quickly turns to help their best friend unload the things from the car.
“You brought too much stuff again, Jane.” – Noah curses, grabbing his sister’s bags.
“Oh God, do you never get tired of whining?!”
“Stop bickering in front of the guests, you two.” – Mr. Marshall says as he starts setting up one of the tents.
MC chuckles again. The Marshall Twins would always bring a smile to their face, no matter what.
After setting up the tents, Mr. Marshall and Jane go fishing for their dinner, while MC and Noah collect some wood for the campfire.
MC is fully aware that this is a maneuver from her best friend to make them spend some time alone with Noah. And they kind of appreciate that. MC knows that they’re both too damn shy, so a little help from Jane is always useful.
“So… not a big fan of fishing?” – MC asks him, searching for sticks on the floor.
“No. I know fishing is supposed to make you relax, but waiting for a fish to come around actually makes me anxious. The idea of being in the middle of a lake surrounded by deep waters is not my idea of fun or relaxing. I prefer doing other things.”
“Like setting the campfire?”
“Yeah.” – he shrugs. – “But this is quick to be done, so I usually read while I wait for them to be back. I actually don’t find joy in camping, I like it more when Dad takes us to a nearby town. But he and Jane like it, so I always come. And because they both can’t cook a damn thing.” – they share a laugh. – “But, uh, I’m glad that you came this time.” – MC can see his cheeks getting a shade pinker and smiles warmly at him. – “It’s nice to have someone to talk to.”
“Yeah, I’m glad I’m here.” – he grins back at them, his eyes lingering on MC’s.
Without realizing it, they’re both drawn to each other, their eyes locked. MC feels their heartbeat quickening as he rests his free hand on the back of their neck, pulling them close… They’re a breath away when they both hear something.
A faint whistling sound.