Markimash: I'm Afraid to Believe

Chapter Two

Rendered almost entirely speechless by what he had just seen, Yami allowed Mark to pull him toward the door.

Back at the table, Mark's friends watched with confused looks before setting their table upright again and gathering the glasses that hadn't broken when falling to the floor.

"Hey, wait-" Yami finally said after he came to his senses a little, pulling his arm away from Mark's grip. "Where are we going, are you sure you're okay?"

Mark turned away from the door, one hand resting lightly on the handle. "Yes, I told you, I'm fine. I'll explain everything when we get back to my house, but as for right now, we absolutely must leave as soon as possible."

He pulled the door open and turned back to Yami, his eyes practically daring him not to go in a disobey me and see what happens way.

Frightened, Yami hurried out of the diner and onto the road, Mark's footsteps close behind him. The people and the children out front were no longer there, the sun almost entirely set behind the mountains in the distance.

"I didn't mean anything by running into you," Yami told Mark quietly, watching carefully as the other man surveyed the street.

Like he hadn't heard, Mark said, "Did you drive here or walk?"

"Walk."

Mark nodded, as if that was a great relief to him. "That makes things easier because we don't have to get your car. I live a few houses down from here, it should take us about two or three minutes to walk. Do you like tea?"

"I do like tea," Yami replied, wondering vaguely if Mark was going to serve him tea with poison it in.

I sure picked the wrong person to run into . . .

"That's good, Yami, I'll make you some tea," Mark said in a surprisingly friendly tone. He gestured with his hand the way they should walk and Yami followed, uneasy that each step took him a little farther away from his own home.

"How do you know my name?" He finally asked, certain he hadn't told it to anyone yet.

Mark didn't answer for a moment, although it wan't clear if it was because he didn't want to answer or he didn't have an answer.

"Heard it around," he finally shrugged, turning to look at Yami with a sideways glance. "So, you're new in town. We haven't had a newcomer for a while, I suppose you moved into that vacant house back the other way."

"Yeah," Yami said dully, kicking a pebble down the road. "Say, do you know what happened to the last person who lived there?"

"Can't say that I do," Mark replied in a way that suggested he didn't want to be asked about it anymore. "See that grey house up there? That's mine, I think you'll like the interior, I just repainted."

"I'm sure I will," Yami sighed.

~ ~ ~

Mark's house was built in almost the exact same layout as Yami's, with a front foyer leading into the living room, the far side of the living room adjacent to the dining room, which looped around into the kitchen, which had two doors, one accessible from the living room as well.

"I'll put the water on," Mark hummed, bidding Yami to sit at the kitchen table.

"Nice place," Yami said, taking a seat on a white stool.

The kitchen was oddly cheerful, it was painted a pleasing a yellow and the cabinets looked like they had recently been redone. The sink had a south-facing window above it, and the sill was decorated with mini flower pots and bits of stained glass works.