Jessica

Us Part Two

Everyone passing by would look at the Westside Church and judging by the ruined exterior they would think it was abandoned. Officially, it was but by textbook definition that wasn't entirely true.

In order to be called abandoned, a place must be devoid of all life but for the past few days someone had been inhabiting the church clandestinely. If you were to search the place you wouldn't even notice, not unless he wanted you to.

Tyrone had to spend a few hours alone in the church to stabilise. When he first ran away from his captors, he didn't even look human, he was more like a bundle of energy in human shape. Since then he regained his mortal features and discovered the ability to create clothes. Unfortunately for him he couldn't just conjure anything he wished, he was stuck with a black suit and a cloak which is not exactly the most inconspicuous attire, hence why Tandy went to look for normal clothes on her own.

He could feel her presence even when she wasn't with him inside the church. Apart from his sight he had gained a new form of vision through which all people took the form of lights of variable brightness. Of all these lights, Tandy's was the brightest, with both forms of vision.

He already knew she would walk in but only after she did he could see the plastic bag in her hand, which hosted no life of its own.

"Hi... I got these from the...what's it called?— the clothing bank. They smell a little..." she said, holding the bag away from her.

"Not like we had a place to shower."

"Ew."

"I know but it is what it is."

Tandy and Ty were similar to the church they inhabited, from a certain point of view. They were, officially speaking, abandoned: they searched for their families but the houses were empty and they were nowhere to be found. In actuality, though, they were not alone, not when they had each other.

So, Ty only head her to confide: "Hey, while you were gone I discovered this thing I can do. Watch."

So she took a seat as he approached one of the room's dark corners and looked at him carefully. Ty hid where not a single light ray could touch him and disappeared from her sight. Despite not seeing him, logic told her that he was still there, in the dark. Suddenly, though, some form of instinct challenged logic and made her doubt that, despite how impossible that was.

The girl followed her instinct and walked over to the shadow and, to her shock, he was nowhere to be found. Where her eyes didn't help her, she extended her hands to try and reach for him but he was truly gone and there seemed to be no secret passageway or anything along those lines. Then, right as she thought she was all alone, a hand grabbed her shoulder and she jumped.

She turned around to see that it was just the one he was looking for and calmed down.

"Hey now, no need to be scared."

"How did you—? Are you, like, one with the shadows or something?"

Ty thought about it for a while but in the end he replied: "I don't know. I can just go wherever I want to, whenever I want to. I feel better in the shadows, though."

"That's so—hey! That means you should have gone out instead! I tried my best not to get spotted while you wasted your time here!"

"But I just found out! I swear, if I had known..."

So the two took a seat one by the other, both with frowns on their faces and Tandy was looking away from her companion.

It took a while for Tandy to realise that she was being unfair and so she told him: "I know and I'm sorry... I'm just really..."