The Book of the Quiet

Chapter 1

There was a statue in the middle of Gladestump David did not like at all. It was big and clearly uncanny valley. It was human, but something was definitely wrong with it. It had too many arms, all raised up towards the sky. Its empty eyes stared at David. David stared back and had to eventually shake his head to get the statue's empty stare out of his head.

He heard footsteps from behind him. He turned around and saw his friend Maya walking her bicycle. Maya had short red hair and a pretty white summer dress. Maybe too pretty, considering where the party was going to be held. It would get dirty.

David smiled at her. "You really went all out, didn't you?" he asked.

Maya frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I don't think I've seen you in a dress since you were six years old and had a princess phase."

Maya rolled her eyes. "I wore the same dress when school ended. It's not my fault you really don't pay attention to me, unless we're going to a party," she said.

"Speaking of, we should really start going."

They took their bicycles and started pedaling until they got out of town. They reached the edge of the forest and got off their bicycles. They locked them and walked towards the music and sounds of merriment they could hear coming from that clearing where all the forest parties were held. They hadn't been to a forest party, but they had seen that clearing after one, and it was always a mess with bottles everywhere and even a few socks and underwear in a bush somewhere. This was their first forest party, and both of their palms got sweaty just thinking about how this was the social stepping-stone they had always dreamed of. Now they had the chance to become one of the cool kids of Gladestump.

They reached the clearing. There was a campfire and a lot of teenagers around it, sitting on logs. Few of them were standing around, leaning on trees The music was coming from a boombox, that was sitting on a stump near where David and Maya were standing. A lot of plastic cups and beer bottles were lying on the ground, and in his mind David couldn't help but think about how no one would clean them up. He didn't want to say that out loud however. He didn't want to be the bummer of the party.

One of the cooler kids named Brian approached them with two beer cups in his hands. "Hey, Maya and David," he said, but was mostly talking straight to Maya, ignoring David almost completely. "Glad to see you two could make it. Here's some beer for you." He gave the other cup to Maya, but held on to the other one himself.

David raised his eyebrows, but didn't say anything. He had to get the beer by himself?

"I'm glad you invited us for once," Maya said and laughed awkwardly. "I assumed you just... never would!"

"Nonsense," Brian said. "Of course we'd invite you. You kids are coo. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

Brian left, leaving Maya and David standing by themselves with only one cup of beer.

Maya looked at David. "I feel so weird being here," she said quietly, "like we don't actually belong here. Like there was some kind of a mistake with the invitations."

"Well clearly there wasn't," David said. "Brian seemed genuinely stoked to see you here."

"Really? You think so?" Maya said, and David pretended he didn't see her blushing.

"Can't say the same about me. I didn't even get a welcoming beer like you did."

"If you'd like to have it, go ahead." Maya gave him the beer "I don't feel like drinking tonight."

"You've never been drunk before, have you?"

"No, no really. That's why I don't want to get wasted and then... I don't know, embarrass myself by being weird. Well, weirder than usual."