The Banished One

Chapter 2: The Stranger

Her eyes darted to her brother. Holding his hand out to calm her, "He never knocks, I am not sure who it might be, but it is not them." She tucked herself in beside the refrigerator as he walked toward the front door. A tall figure could be seen standing in front of the door, obscured by the plastic covering the glass.

Unlocking the door, he placed his worn shoe against the base of the door and opened it slightly, peering out the crack. "Can I help you?" he asked loudly. The man stared at the crack, his strange, tired eyes peering down into his own. He looked middle aged, with ratty black hair and a beard that was bedraggled due to the wind. Slight scaring adorned the man's face.

"Is your father home?" the man asked in a gravely yet kind voice.

He hesitated before looking back into the empty house, "Is he expecting you?"

A strained smile split the man's rough features. "No. I will return later, thank you." Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked off the porch and began heading down the driveway.

The door closed slowly as he watched the man walk away. A loud click followed as he engaged the deadbolt before taking the chain off and letting it hang.

The top of Jaycee's head was sticking out from the door frame to the kitchen, her eyes wide. "Who was it?" she asked timidly.

He shrugged, walking back toward the kitchen. "No clue, but he is gone now. Let's finish up the mac and cheese."

Jaycee sat her school bag on the table and began taking out her books. She placed a math workbook in the center and opened it to a page she had previously marked.

"You didn't finish that on the bus today?" he asked her as he mixed milk into the pasta and cheese powder.

She vigorously shook her head. "Stella Turner was talking to me pretty much the whole way home. She is becoming very friendly lately."

"That's nice," he told her with a smile, thinking it was likely Stella's parents telling her to befriend Jaycee. The Turner's felt bad for them due to their situation, which was also why they allowed him to do odd jobs for them around their property. Finished mixing the food, he put it all into a bowl and sat it in front of his sister, before turning and walking over to the sink.

She grabbed the fork and began eating without looking at the bowl. A few bites later as well as a few math problems and she spun around to look at her brother. "You were supposed to eat some of this!" she yelled at him.

"Don't worry about me," he said, drying the pan and placing it back on the shelf it belonged on. "I can eat later; besides, you will not eat all that."

Scowling at him, she turned back to finish her homework. He moved back into the living room, pulling up a corner of the plastic covering the window, looking down the driveway. The trees were dancing in the wind, leaves blowing across the ground. A figure stood in the tree line, across the field. Was it the man who had walked up to the house earlier? A sudden thought formed in his head; he was what had caught his eye when he had been walking. Watching him for a few moments, the man did not move. He was standing as still as a statue, his hair barely visible blowing in the gust of wind.

Jaycee got up from the table, the sound of her bowl hitting the counter pulled his attention away from the man. She placed her things back into her bag and slung it over her shoulder as he walked up beside her. "All set for this evening?" he asked, pain in his voice.

She nodded. "I just need to use the restroom and then I will go to my room."

"Sounds good," he replied. "I will keep an eye out and let you know as soon as I see anything." Leading her out of the kitchen, he took her to the stairs, using his hand to dishevel the hair on top of her head. She flashed him a quick smile before heading up to the bathroom. The stairs creaked sorrowfully as she stepped on each of them, their pathetic whine echoing through the drafty house.

When she had disappeared from view, he went back to staring out the window, pulling the plastic slightly back. The strange man was gone from view, but he felt like he knew he was still out there, watching and waiting. Snow had begun falling, making his range of view much shorter than it had been previously. Darkness slowly fell, leaving only the snow falling in range of the dim porch light visible.

He had begun to doze by the window, a line of drool dripping down his chin. A flash of light reflected off the glass as a pair of bright headlamps lit up the house. Waking with a start, he quickly fastened the plastic down and ran up the stairs, two at a time. Rushing into Jaycee's room, he grabbed her dresser and lifted the end, rotating it away from the wall. After the first time his father's friends had come over, he had decided to look for a way to protect her from them and in his attempts, he had found a small area behind the chimney that had been closed off. The space was between Jaycee's room and his, so it was the perfect spot to hide her. He had taken the boards out and fastened them together so they could be removed in one piece to let her in and when it was placed back it would not be easy to detect. Without a word and eyes full of fear, Jaycee ran over and crawled into the space. Unlike most of the house, this area stayed warm due to being right against the chimney but he had fashioned her a sort of bed so she would be comfortable, and he had fixed a light on the inside with a pull chain. He quickly placed the piece of wall back in place and lifted the dresser back into place.