Beware of the Neighborhood.

10 - Is this a date?

"So what next?" Kevin asked eventually after a little moment of awkward silence.

"I don't know, seems like this whole thing was a waste of time" I said, "anyway, I am hungry, know any good place?"

At the mention of the places, Kevin's eyes widened and he asked "Are you kidding me? We are in the Town! There are hundreds of places we could go. There is this really cool place I wanted to try out".

"You coming?" I asked looking at Jason who still looked disappointed and shocked.

"Jason, let it go," Kevin said soothingly.

"What?" he asked looking up; still confused.

"I said, you coming?" I asked again.

"No, I think I will go home. I just want to go home."

"Okay then, let's go" I said glancing guiltily at Kevin, giving him the look which said 'maybe next time'.

"No!" yelled Jason and then added softly "I mean, not now Ash, you don't have to cancel your plans for me. You two go ahead I just need to be alone for some time"

"You sure?" Kevin asked. "Would you be able to find your way back?"

"Yeah, I think you should go ahead. I will catch up with you at dinner Ash" he said and started walking the way we had come.

"Jason, wait" I said going after him but he didn't turn back.

I watched him until he disappeared completely in the canopy of green trees which surrounded the entire estate. I had never seen my brother look so...lost.

"Calm down, Ash" Kevin said from behind me.

Ash? I thought.

"Let him go, he needs to be alone for some time. At least he will get some time to think" he said.

Ash? Had he just called me ash?

"Come on, let's go. I am Starving" he said walking straight ahead towards the main town.

I followed him, with only one thought in my mind

Ash!

As we walked further the houses and shops began to appear which I had seen while we were coming to wheeler falls for the first time. My legs were already starting to ache due to the long walk which we had in forest and I was really starving. I had barely eaten at school and then nothing since we left. The town was small and sleazy. Nothing like the city I was used to. There were small shops selling cheap goods which sort of came with a guaranty to fall apart as soon as you opened them. I could vaguely hear the river flowing nearby and the things which you didn't find in the small shops were guaranteed to be found floating in the river is what Kevin said.

"What would you like to eat?" he asked.

"Anything it fine. You said you wanted to try a new place, let's go there" I said.

"Ah there's this amazing restaurant called 'Lue Bellue' which has amazing Italian food. Do you like Italian?" He asked. And I nodded. Together we proceeded towards this lue bellue or whatever the pronunciation was.

It wasn't much far off. Just past a few more shops and then there it was, standing almost lazily between a pet store on one hand and a chicken store on the other.

"This place is really nice. I have never been here myself but I have heard that it is really exclusive" Kevin was saying.

"I can see that" I muttered. "It is so exclusive that they have literally written the name in tiny letters, as if they don't want anyone to notice" I added to which he chuckled softly.