It had been about a year since Ezra had visited his old town. His home still stood untouched by anything but the weathers of time, his family's possessions still in the same places he left them, even the yard was kept tidy by the community. Always waiting just for him.
He did a bit of visiting around before returning. His parents' graves, his old classmates, the only thing he avoided was the church. It was dark by the time he made it to his home, a thin layer of dust covering everything when he entered. His bed was still pristinely made, and there were still dishes on the drying rack that he'd never put away the last time he was there. It was eerie no matter how many times he returned.
Despite everything, he was planning to stay for a few days, so he slept, staying in his old room. The early curfew laws of the town made it easy. Their crime rates were so low that he didn't even need to lock the door, though he always did, which unfortunately resulted in hearing the bolt get broken in the middle of the night by an intruder. Didn't they know it was rude to rob an uninhabited house? Though he didn't want to get up, not truly caring if they took anything on the main floor, Ezra still chose to investigate, clutching onto a knife he had picked up years prior as he left his room and went down the stairs.
It was hard to make out the figure in the dark. All they were doing was rummaging through drawers, staying near the (now broken) haphazardly closed door. Ezra flicked on the light, causing the figure to whip around, a look of fear plastered on their face, though also surrounded by an air of familiarity.
"..Ezra? You're alive? You're here?"
"Who- why are you in my house? Leave, I'm not going to ask again."
"Ezra, it's me. It's Isaac! Don't tell me you forgot about me."
Hearing his name immediately made his recognizable. Isaac's features had changed a great deal over the years. His voice sounded so different, and it's not surprising Ezra didn't recognise him. Rather than forming a response, the knife dropped from his hand, and he rushed over to Isaac, wrapping him in a tight hug
"I thought you were living in Arkansas! Why are you back?"
"I came back to look for you! I always heard rumours- that the 'miracle child in Nevada' disappeared. It had to be you. Nobody else was called a miracle by the entire community. But- was it? You're here. It had to be someone else, right?"
Ezra sighed before responding. "No, that was me. I ran away, just like we always talked about. I visit a lot, all things considered, it's been about a year. Why did you break in?"
"I was looking for anything I could find on you. If you had run away, I had to find you! But you're here! We can leave together! You can come live in Arkansas!"
"Isaac.. I can't go back with you. Not if you stayed with the church. I can't live my life with people like this."
"Why? It's so much better in Arkansas! The rules are so different in my community branch. They care about us there."
"Isaac, I am always going to be seen as some sort of symbol. I can't do that forever. Sure, I can visit- but I'm not going to live there. I'm sorry."
Isaac looked disappointed and not fully accepting, but he didn't say anything else about it. The pair ended up sitting and just talking the night away, learning about what had happened in the years since they had last seen each other. Ezra's stories were much more interesting, even a bit horrifying for Isaac as he had been quite sheltered, even after moving. There was something different about him, something very off, though Ezra shook it off as the labors of growing up rather than a legitimate problem.
