Its past midnight in the midst of summer yet anytime soon the warmth of the sun would then take over everything like it always does every day of the season. The stillness of the eventide stretched across the inlet of the sea and after everything seemed motionless and quiet, Kenley sneaked out of the window and silently lifts up the shaft that locked the wooden gate. He can't open the creaky door without waking up his mom and he can't shut the window down because it locks automatically from the inside but Kenley hid a stick below the hearthstone of the fireplace which they no longer use since they only gather here in this old house every summer break . He used that stick and pinned it against the window case then slowly shirks outside.
He left his slippers on top of the porch and went to the sandy beach with his barefoot. After a few steps farther from their house he stopped as he felt an unforeseen emptiness, he heard a whisper within him, and it was a soft gentle voice with a warm touch of ember. Kenley knew that it was Astral just a memory of his past. He didn't let that bother him; he didn't take the trouble to ponder Astral in his thoughts. Kenley simply kept on walking and walking until he reached a small pile of warm sand. He sat on the ridge where a sand castle was built and wrecked. Staring as far as his eyes could see and rested with the soft melody of waves drifting ashore. He dipped his hand under the crisp of white sand and grips firmly, his fist clamped down and his arms shaking. Kenley's complexion is hard to make out but it takes one to know one. You'll need to have a widely open mind to derive his unreadable character.
"Astral?" he whispers "Where the hell are you?" An awful look on his face turned everything as miserable as him.
The cold breeze sails through the dark, gloomy night. Silence swallowed the streets and it somewhat reached to a point where everything sounds so quietly defeaning.
Kenley laid his back gently and stares at the stars that float in space like fireflies. Their house stood a few yards away from him and some cars glared their lights as they passed by but nothing could bother Kenley from this deep state, not even the freezing flow of air that took over the entire field nor the plane's noise as it hovers over him not long ago, Kenley stayed still and quiet, not a single joint turned.
A week ago
It's been a month since the Pages went to St. Pittsburgh. The travel was too tiring and exhausting; it would probably take about 16 hours sitting on the bus even if we'd wipe out all traffic from the cities that stands through the express way, a quarter more faster than the usual fare not to mention that it still stops at every bus stop of every avenue. Kenley is going back to prepare everything for college although it's till two months away he thought maybe he should spend the rest of the summer there so he could be acquainted with the place, Claire and Mrs. Page went along with him but stayed on the bus to lessen their expenses on the long way trip. You could say they brought tons of bags filled with clothes and shoes but it was mostly everything from can openers to the smallest needle, all that Kenley ever needed to live by his own and for school. As like as not Mrs. Page would likely redecorate everything in his apartment and would probably buy more stuffs to fill every corner some of which Kenley doesn't really need, like every worried mom would do, well who doesn't and who does? Kenley is quite the opposite of her mother, he often thought of how people needed less and not more than they could use to thrive, if only he could stop her.
"Does anyone need to go to the bathroom or buy something before we leave?" The bus attendant asks loudly. "The next stop is within four hours away." She paused but still didn't get a response. Everyone on board must've readied themselves before taking a seat long before the driver ate his meal. Kenley and Claire is seated in the middle, he stood by the window and left a small span of opening for air. Mrs. Page took the seat far at the back because they got on a little late and somehow a lot of people took the early fare today.
"We'll be leaving in less than a minute." The husky attendant told everyone as she went up on the bus and started collecting tickets.
"Mom, can you hand me my bag over?" Kenley asked while rubbing his hands against one other. "I need my sweater."
"You know Kenny, you could just shut the pane down." Mrs. Page resounded as she hands over the large traveling bag. "It's freezing." She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. Mrs. Page calls her son a lot of names besides Kenley, there's Ken, Keno, Kendell, Kenopy and more probably anything that starts with Ken but she likes to call him Kenny for most of times because it sounds much easier to pronounce.
"I just need something to cover myself with, I kinda like it that way." Kenley uttered while trying to find something inside that would keep him warm just as the bus ignite its engines.
"Okay well, just tell me if it gets too cold for you." His mom grabbed the bag back and pulled out her purse. "I'm getting a little chilly myself."
Kenley was talking about the cold gust of wind when the bus hits the highway, he left a small opening on the window for it to break through while he snuggles with his sweater and that thick blanket that his grandma had bought for him last Christmas, feeling the warmth that soothes below his neck and all over his arms, if only her grandmother could see him from above. Most people would think that the whole point is stupid when you could just close down the chaff to shut the cold out but for Kenley, it's actually a memory that takes him far back when his father was still alive, the moment that defined him for most of who he is. It reminded him about nine years ago when he and his dad went up on a hike over the Arctic mountains far to the north and straight to their cabin. They'll always spend the entire winter together with his family until it passes, but this time he and his dad came in before his mom. Mrs. Page had to pick up her mother along the way and she'll probably stop on the drugstore for her daily pills. The snow is still soft as it covers the outpost over the glacial pass with clear skies and not a single cloud on sight that day was like a glimpse of heaven itself. Kenley and his father made their way to the top where the air is slightly thinner than it is on the ground, the cabin was just a few feet away but they just threw their bags aside and plunged into the cotton snow forming angels out of it as they catch their breath. Kenley could still hear the laughter, he could still remember the smiles they once had but most of all, everything that happened from that moment on reminds him of his father. "Come on Keno!" Under influenced by his wife, Mr. Page also calls Kenley by those names. "Race me to the cabin!" He sprints through the white bray with little Kenley chasing him towards the shack. He slowed down and gave way for the little guy, lifting him up as he got close to the doorsteps. The clouds seemed a bit unfriendly right now and other than that a strange thick haze slowly takes over the road. Kenley leaned his head against the window and peered at the storm clouds up ahead. What ever happened to the perfectly good weather? Diet pills attendant
