~Untouchable~

Untouchable~ Three

Chapter Three

1998

Springdale, Utah

Nicholas peered out his window into the endless blanket of darkness that hovered over his small town. The sun had descended from the sky a few hours ago, disappearing into the horizon along with its majestic orange and pink streaks that painted the sky. And now, the streets were vacant, illuminated by the few streetlights on the sidewalks. The corners of Nicholas' lips curled up into a devious smirk as he secured the straps of his backpack close to his body. His fingers wrapped itself around the circumference of the small flashlight as he stealthily opened his bedroom door and into the hallway. He held his breath, not wanting to cause the slight ruckus that could alarm his parents.

Nicholas tiptoed down the stairs quietly, stopping every now and then to reassure the silence his parents might have been skeptical about. Barely, Nicholas made it out of the house and onto the empty sidewalks of his neighborhood. The autumn breeze whisked past his cheeks gently, his curls swaying back along with the wind. He looked around to make sure he was alone, his heart beating faster as the excitement in him grew. Nicholas sneaked up to the front doors of Mr. Cyrus and peered inside the window into the dimmed room where a disgruntled Mr. Cyrus was flicking through the channels of the television. Nervous, Nick sneaked behind the house and toward their backyard where he met his hindrance, the big cedar fence.

"Psst, are you there?" Nicholas whispered quietly, hoping someone would answer. No one answered. Skillfully, Nicholas climbed over the fence and landed on his two feet, dusting his jeans off. Then, he turned on his flash light, scanning the backyard. However, the ray of light from his flashlight fixed on a doghouseNick's mocha orbs became wide as he suddenly heard a low growl, a pair of two menacing eyes approaching him. Startled, Nicholas stumbled backwards toward the fence, terrified as the ferocious Rottweiler began to bark. Frozen in fear, Nick's eyes averted toward the back door. He could hear Mr. Cyrus' voice calling out, "Maxwell? Boy, what's wrong with you?"

Nicholas swallowed the lump of panic in his throat and quickly climbed over the fence and onto the other side while the Rottweiler was distracted by the sound of his owner's voice. His small chest heaved up and down as he lied on the grass, trying to gain composure. That night, Nicholas realized that his heart at the age of five was not as brave as he thought.

"Maxwell, what's wrong, boy? Is someone out here?" Mr. Cyrus paused, scanning his backyard for any intruders. "Whoever the hell you are, don't come back, you hear?" He said with his southern accent as he headed back inside.

Relieved, Nicholas peered into the backyard once more through the fence and caught his breath. "That was a close one,"

But, he still had failed to find the girl he was looking for.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

2010

His two dark coffee spheres swirled with curiosity and wistfulness as he continued to stare into their backyard, hoping the mysterious girl would come back. However, he snapped back into reality with a sharp exhale, walking toward the garage. He pulled the garage door down behind him and creaked up the few wooden steps into his house. Immediately, Nick was greeted by the awful silence that had engulfed his house and hastened toward the stairs, wanting to avoid a confrontation with his father. However, half way up, his father called out, "Nicholas, come here,"

Nick sighed in frustration and shuffled his feet into the living room where his father was typing vigorously on the computer, his eyes glued to the screen. Nick watched him in silence for three minutes, then finally said, irritated, "Are you going to talk or what? I have things to do,"

Nick's father removed his glasses and ran a hand down his weary face. He turned his face to Nick with his dull, yet piercing eyes, "Why don't you bother saying hi to your old man anymore? "

Nick shrugged, "I didn't think it was that big of a deal,"

"It is a big deal, Nicholas. Whenever you come back into the house or whenever you're leaving, you should tell me face to face. It's showing respect, son."

"Well, dad..." Nick breathed, frustrated, "You have to give respect to earn it," He finished with resentment, turning on his heels.