LEGACY | OBX NEXT GENERATION

3 | Cayden Heyward

I sat at the kitchen table, munching on my toast as my parents, talked with me about my summer school classes. My parents didn't understand why I had started to struggle in school. They didn't know about the depression that had consumed me after my friend's suicide last year.

"How's school going, Cayd?" my mom asked, sipping her coffee.

"It's going good," I replied, trying to sound more enthusiastic about it than I felt.

My dad raised an eyebrow. "You're smart, just like your old man," he said with a smile. "You wouldn't be taking summer school if you had just focused."

I nodded, he was right.

"It's just...last year was tough, okay?" I said, trying to explain. "I went through a rough patch after...after what happened to Jake."

My parents exchanged a glance, and my mom reached out to put a hand on my arm. "We know, sweetie," she said. "We're just glad you're getting back on track."

I nodded, it was hard to talk about Jake, even though it had been over a year since he died. The pain still felt raw, and it was hard to put into words how his death had affected me.

"I'm better now," I said, trying to sound convincing. "I just need to focus and I'll be fine."

My parents nodded, smiling at me. I knew they wanted to believe that I was okay, that I was just going through a phase. But the truth was, I was still struggling. I was still trying to find my way back to the person I used to be before Jake died.

I finished my breakfast in silence, lost in my thoughts. I knew my parents didn't understand, and I didn't blame them. They had never lost a friend to suicide.

But I was determined to get better. I was determined to make my parents proud, and to make Jake proud too.

I quickly finished my breakfast, I had been thinking about the old paper JJ found all morning, and I couldn't wait to discuss it further with him.

"Hey, Mom, Dad, I've got to go," I said, grabbing my backpack and heading for the door.

"Where are you off to?" my mom asked, looking up from her coffee.

"I'm meeting up with JJ," I replied. "We've got some stuff to talk about."

My dad nodded, "Be careful, Cayden."

"Don't worry, Dad," I said. "I'll be fine. I'll see you guys later." I headed out the door, and climbed into JJ's truck. I didn't know what I was getting myself into, and I wasn't sure I wanted to know. "Don't make me regret this," I said, as I buckled my seatbelt.

JJ grinned at me, "I won't. Just don't tell my sister we're doing this."

I raised an eyebrow, but didn't push the issue. I was already in this deep, might as well see it through.

JJ handed me the transcript paper, and I examined it for a moment before looking up at him. "Alright, this is the first marking," I said, pointing to a small X on the paper. "It looks like it's a house."

JJ nodded, "An abandoned one, from the looks of it." We decided to head out to the location. We pulled up to the house, it was old and worn, with broken windows and a broken front door. It looked like it had been vacant for years.