HUES OF A MURDER

Chapter 4: Blueberry Muffins

Cyan dreamt of crashing waves and cloudy skies. His parents were on the seashore oblivious to the brewing storm. He called them out from a hill beyond the shore, but his voice was drowned by the whistling winds and the roaring sea. A massive wave, like a small mountain, edged towards the shore opening its huge mouth to swallow everyone on the shore...

Cyan opened his eyes. He was breathing hard. He could hear his heart thumping. His shirt was drenched despite the chill in the air. He looked out of the window. It was morning. He didn't feel like getting up. He stared at the blue skies, thinking about his town. He missed Blue Cove - the pearly sands of the beach, the turquoise waters, the screaming of the gulls, the salty smell of the sea, the coolness of the sea breeze. Maplewood felt different. Different colors, different sounds, different smells, different feel. After what felt like an eternity, Cyan got ready for the day. Jay was leaving for Blue Cove the next day. Jay and Skye had promised their grandma to do some repairs around the house before he left.

Even before he reached the kitchen, the laughter and chatter reached Cyan. He heard an unfamiliar voice in the kitchen. A red – haired guy was helping his grandma cook while she laughed at his jokes. "There you are", Skye beckoned him to join the table. "Had a good sleep, kiddo?", Jay ruffled his hair. "Yes", Cyan filled a mug with coffee and sipped.

"Hey, Cyan, I am Rusty", the red – haired guy held out his hand.

Cyan shook his hand clumsily, "Hi".

"Hey, he is the friend I talked about yesterday. His mother owns the bookshop opposite grandma's shop. He has a sister your age, remember?", Skye nodded towards Rusty. "Cy doesn't have any friends here. May be your sis can help him out?", Skye asked.

"Oh! Sure! I will tell her. Mind you, she is a little shy, though", Rusty turned over the bacon pieces sizzling in the pan. He put some of them in a plate and handed it to Cyan.

Cyan took a seat between his brothers. His grandma gave him toasts which he buttered. Rusty joined them with a plate full of scrambled eggs some of which he put in Cyan's plate. Their grandma also joined them with more toasts. And everyone started digging in. Cyan had a pleasant morning despite the horrid dream he had. He then remembered about the party. He asked Rusty about it. Rusty assured him it would be OK and talked about the previous parties. Cyan didn't feel very reassured. He didn't comment on it. Soon the discussion moved on to the repairs the boys had to do around the house. Cyan slipped away from the kitchen only to be accosted by his grandma who reminded him to get ready to go with her to The Bluebells.

The day at The Bluebells didn't improve Cyan's mood. The day dragged on slowly. Most people ordered coffee and some pastry. Blueberry muffins, which were the day's special on the menu, were over before noon. A few people ordered chocolate truffles and eclairs. By noon, the customers dwindled to zero. His grandma went to her Friday book club meeting organized at the local library. Cyan played with his phone savoring the smooth buttery sweetness of a chocolate brownie when the doorbell chimed. Two girls came to the store and went and sat on the corner table for two. Cyan went to them asked for their order. "You are not Daisy", the raven-haired girl scrutinized him. She had grey eyes which, against her honey-colored skin, made her look like a fey. The other girl, red – haired with freckles across her cute button nose, peered at him with deep brown eyes. He recognized her as the sister of Rusty. He wondered whether he should say something but decided against it.

"Ahem", the raven-haired girl raised her eyebrows at him. Cyan cast down his eyes in embarrassment realizing he had been staring at Rusty's sister. "Yeah, I am not Daisy. What would you like to have?", he charmed her with a smile. Grandma told him to always smile at the customers, however annoying they were. The red-haired girl gave him a shy smile. After taking their order for sugary death, he played on his phone, throwing furtive glances at the girls now and then. The girls seemed to talk about some guy, the party and other non-sensical matters. After three to four hours of incessant murmurings and giggling, the girls bade him goodbye. Cyan pretended to ignore them out of awkwardness. He immediately regretted not acknowledging them. The red- haired girl seemed shy and timid to him. He felt that the other girl was a little bossy and know it all. He might talk to them when he met them at the party. Rusty did say his sister would be at the party, didn't he? He pondered over the girls for a while before returning to his phone. No other customers visited, and Cyan was feeling lonely before his brothers came and whisked him away.