Grey and Gold Eyes

Eight: Lucas

Prim's mother arrived to pick her up in a short while. I wish I had more time with her, but I know I just should be happy about the great progress that I've made. I got to know both her and Katy. I've earned their trust. At least I think so.

As soon as I see Prim's car disappear around the corner, I get up. I have a long walk to make going home. It would be quicker if we had a car, but we don't.

I leave the parking lot of the school and turn onto the main road. Not many buildings are in this area. It's good, really, so that nothing will disturb us when we're studying. Leafy green trees planted beside the edge of the road sway in the wind as I pass.

Soon I get to a point where more buildings can be seen. My house is only a few more minutes away. The surroundings turn from green to a dull gray. Tall buildings surround me and the familiar buzz of traffic can be heard. I stop in front of my house.

All the houses on our street look the same−or at least they used to before anyone moved in. The same yellow walls and green roof can be seen, but once people moved in they would make the front of their house somehow look different from the others. Ours is an exception. We didn't bother to beautify our lawn or paint the walls. The outside house is the exactly the same as when we first moved in.

I knock on our front door then turn the doorknob. As I expected, it turns and I push the door open. Nobody in the house except me seems to bother locking the doors.

The hallway is dark but I can see the faint glow of the television in the living room. I do not want to see my family right now, so I hurry down the hallway and climb the stairs to my room.

I lock myself in my room and drop my backpack on the floor. My room is surprisingly neat today. The floor is clear of any stray books or clothes and I actually made my bed this morning. Seeing as I have nothing else to do, I take out my notebook and start on the Math homework.

I'm putting the finishing touches on my paragraph when I hear someone whispering my name. Well, I say whisper, but it's more of a soft shout seeing as the person talking is sitting at the window of the house next to us.

Katy is sitting on the windowsill directly across from mine, swinging her legs. I can't be more surprised. "Kitkat? What are you doing there?"

"I live here," she says. "This is my room. What are you doing there?"

"I live here," I answer, and get up from my chair to sit on my windowsill. Katy is not in her uniform anymore; she has on a white t-shirt with colorful messy handprints all over it and a pair of pink shorts. Her feet are bare as she swings her legs, almost but not quite reaching the top of the window below her. Her sooty black hair is held up messily by a hairclip, but even now her highlight is clearly visible. She still has on her big pink glasses that she had on earlier, which until now I find cute.

She smiles. "You done with the homework?" she asks.

"Yep," I reply, looking down at my pathetic, empty yard several feet down. On my side, the grass is yellowing and slowly dying. On her side, flower beds with bright yellow flowers bloom. "You?"

"Done," she says. "What are you up to now?"

"Nothing really." If I reach for it, I can touch the tip of my sneakers to the top of the window below me.

"Come, then." Katy pulls her feet up and steps back into her room. "I'm going to show you something."

"Where?" I ask, looking at her questioningly.

"Not far from here," she says, tilting her head in the direction of the end of our street. "Over in that direction."

She steps back and yanks her curtains closed. "Kitkat!" I call, but I can already hear footsteps going down the stairs in her house. I pull my feet up and rush down the stairs myself.

I meet Katy at the end of our street, where the road ends and the trees form a dense forest. We're lucky enough to live near the edge of the city, where some greenery can be seen. Katy is sitting on an old oak tree stump when I get there.

"What are you going to show me, Kitkat?" I ask.

She gets up and motions for me to follow her silently. I do, without hesitating. Katy walks through the forest, with me trailing after her. I can see the path she has made from walking the same way for so long. What she doesn't know is that I've walked here as well, and know every turn and tree.

We end up in a small clearing surrounded by trees. In the middle of this clearing is a beautiful pond, sparkling in the setting sun's light.

What Katy doesn't know is that I've been here too many times to count.

I feel sort of angry at her. I've always felt as if this was my place, a place only I knew about. But I have a feeling that that's what she thought too.

She sits on a large, flat rock by the pond's edge. It's big enough for the both of us. She pats the space beside her and motions for me to come. It's strange, her being this quiet. I've always thought of her as the lively, bubbly type. Not the silent, contemplative type.

I sit down. The rock's surface is surprisingly smooth. We stare watch the sky get darker and the sun disappear over the horizon that we can just about see through the trees. The chirping of crickets can be heard loud and clear.

Finally Katy speaks. "I don't really know why I brought you here," she says. "I guess I just wanted to share with you this beautiful place."

"You didn't have to," I reply. "I've been going here every night for three years."