The Wandering.

Chapter 10

Dear sister, can you help me lie?
I've told the truth so many years
No one seems to want to hear that
I'm not someone else inside

I've been along this lonely road
Looks like I'm not coming home
But I don't mind
Please don't cry

- The Pretty Reckless

1

Shari Davenport stood at the balcony, breathing in the fresh morning air, inhaling the cool breeze in deeply and exhaling it out with a sigh of satisfaction. The sun had recently begun to reveal itself over the horizon, slowly rising, shy but promising. She took a sip of the coffee she had in her hands and admired the Sunday morning - they were her favourites. After the major array of events on Friday, Shari spent most of Saturday with Diana and Logan, reading through Lorelei's collection of books on Sachem Bay.

In the books, they discovered a cult had been in operation within Sachem Bay in the 1940s, lead by a notorious man named Garrett Chilton. The cult believed in fundamentalist traditional values, of extreme communism and divine leadership of Garret Chilton. They believed killing off the children would stop the social change and therefore maintain their core beliefs. The cult killed children, bringing them in from the city, until they were eventually discovered in the 1960s with the death of Sachem Bay children Annalise Bridge and Connor Kateson. After they survived 2 decades, the cult collectively performed a ritual, in which their sacrifice would birth a malevolent darkness which would grow and grow and grow, until it was powerful enough to return to the living world in a vessel, to continue their slaughter.

Shari took photos of the texts and forwarded them to her brother, Scott. It was the first lead they had had in days.

Today, however, marked one week since Shari's return to Sachem Bay, which was surprising as she didn't believe she'd survive one day.

When the sun was shining sure and bright, Shari finally retreated into her room and showered, changed and refreshed herself. She pulled on an old pair of jeans, a half creased T-shirt and a loose jacket. She pulled on her boots and escaped from her room and into the corridor, almost crashing into somebody.

Just missing her accidental target, Shari almost jumped out of her skin.

"You scared me to bloody death!" The guy half laughed, sounding shaken and exasperated, his voice cracking through his British London accent.

Shari smiled. "Sorry 'bout that. Nice to meet you, I'm Shari."

He shook her hand and grinned. "Tobias Loren."

"Well, nice to meet you, Tobias Loren." Shari said, enunciating his name with emphasis.

He chuckled at her humour, which Shari appreciated.

"Yo, we're living in the same boarding house... how about we make the most of it and go get coffee?" Tobias suggested.

"Yo?" Shari repeated, laughing at his choice of words. "Yo? What next? Dude?"

Tobias rolled his eyes, trying to hide his grin. Shari studied his ear length brown hair and sharp brows, defined jaw and perky lips. She blinked and distracted herself, turning to head down the staircase.