A.L.E.N - Between Shadows (Chapter 2)

Act 16

Finally, in the afternoon where it began to be dark, Aiden arrived at a house, knocking on the door, begging for someone to open the door, until someone did, and it was Robert, Julie's father, who asked, "Who are you and what are you doing here, outside so late?" as he looked closer at Aiden, as Aiden stuffed, "Ah, my name is... Aiden Whitt... sir. "I'm a friend of Ju; I meant Julie." Robert looks at him from up to down.

Aiden was so scared that he began to cry, begging Robert to let him in, and then Julie appeared, a little sleepy, asking, "Dad, what's going on?" And when she saw Aiden, Julie was so surprised and worried that she hugged him and said, "Aiden, I was so worried about you. I attempted to call you, but I lost my phone, and, uh,

Robert interrupted and looked at Julie. "Wait, you lost your phone?" says Robert, looking at Julie. "Since when..." and Aiden with only a t-shirt on some old jeans and a pair of white dirty ballet shoes, he started to feel more cold and asked both, "Can I come in, please?" He was trembling with cold, and Robert immediately let him in. "Sorry. Let's get you out of the cold; come on." I'll make you some tea to warm you up."

Robert said to Julie, "So, you lost your phone; how?"

Julie, embarrassed, said, "Dad, I'm sorry, but I can explain..." and Robert whispered to her, "We are going to talk about this." Julie simply nods and walks in, but Robert takes a quick look outside, and as he closes the door, thoughts enter his mind, and he becomes suspicious.

Everyone was inside; Julie and Aiden were sitting on the couch as she draped a smooth and warm winter blanket over Aiden to warm him up, and Robert handed him a hot mug of tea and said, "There we go."

Aiden simply thanked them for their kindness. "Thank you so much for everything, Mr. Rogers."

Robert accepted Aiden's gratitude, and Julie, who was sitting next to Aiden, was curious about what had happened to him since he had gone missing and hadn't shown up to school today, so she began to ask, "So, what happened, Aiden? You didn't come to school today," and Aiden drinks a little tea and begins to speak, trembling, "I have a cold; I didn't feel well enough to go to school today, so my mother said that he should stay home today until..."

Julie put her hand on his shoulder to calm him down and said, "It's okay, Fred. You are not afraid to speak to us."

Aiden nods and continues, "I was resting until I heard a door open. I thought it was my mother; maybe she forgot something, but then I went to the stairs and saw a large shadow figure leave some sort of letter on the table, and then she left."

Robert was suspicious. "Did you open the letter, Aiden?"

Robert wondered. "The letter had my mother's name 'Hannah' on it; I was curious, but I went after him."

Robert interrupted, "Him? A man..."

Aiden trembled in fear. "Yes, I saw that it was a man; he walked into the deep woods. His behavior was very strange, as if something was bothering him," said Aiden quickly. "But...there was something else..."

Robert had some doubts. It doesn't make any sense," said Robert. "He can't be alive after that accident nearly six years ago." and Robert questioned Aiden, "Did he wear a mask, like a sack over his head?" but Aiden said, "No, he was overdressed and wore a black cap; now I remember, he was holding something in his hand, like some sort of bag."

Aiden replied, "I'm not sure." Julie was surprised. "Wait? You followed him?"

Fred sights, "Yes, I did. It was a stupid idea," as he looks down. "I lost him when I realized it was a bad idea to leave my phone at home, so I went home. Until, all of a sudden, something grabbed me from behind, and everything went black."

Robert looks at him and says, "I think for tonight, Aiden, it's better that you get some rest." Robert decides, "I'll call your mother and let her know where you are," and Aiden thanks him again.

While Aiden slept in the guest room, Julie went to the kitchen and asked her father, who was looking thoughtful, "Dad, could it be...? It can't be."

Julie was considered, and Robert said, "I'm not sure about this."

Robert interrupted, shaking his head and changing the subject with, "C'mon. Let's go rest." and as Julie went to bed, Robert made a phone call.