Dollhouse

Chapter 2: The Move II

Xander didn't see the figure for the rest of the trip, but he still kept a lookout just in case. He had fallen asleep at one point but when he woke up he was greeted by a Welcome to Rydal sign outside his window. He sat up and looked around a bit more, realizing the lines of the trees that used to be surrounding them as been replaced with small businesses and homes.

"You awake now?" Xander recognized his mother's voice and glanced over at her. She was staring at him smiling slightly. He nodded before looking out the window again.

"Rydal, I never heard of this place before," Xander said, trying to make some sort of conversation to fill the silence.

"Rydal was a place where my parents grew up," His father spoke up, pausing to glance through the rearview mirror," They never spoke much about it in the past come to think of it." his father just shrugged it off before turning a corner, stopping for people crossing the road as they went by.

Xander happened to lock eyes with one of the men that we were crossing, and safe to say that the man had a look in his eyes that Xander couldn't determine. Xander broke eye contact when the car started moving again, but he felt the man's gaze on the back of his head, weird, he thought.

A few more instances occurred where even his parents started to feel uneasy.

"Now I know why my parents never talked about this place," his father mumbled as he caught another person staring. Xander smothered rubbed his father's arm in a soothing motion.

"It's probably because they saw us before, this is a town where everybody knows everybody after all." she reasoned. His father muttered a quick maybe before continuing to drive in complete silence.

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.

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They pulled into the driveway of the new home, the car bouncing slightly as it drive over dozens of rocks. Xander glances out the window and saw the moving truck was already parked in the driveway. Once parked, his father quickly got out of the car and slammed the door, heading over to the truck. his mother took a bit more time, she was already out of the car when she asked him something h didn't catch.

"Hmm?" Xander asked glancing up at his mother.

"I said could you please bring up the boxes to your room, your father and I can handle the rest," she repeated. Xander nodded and started unbuckling as his mother closed the door, walking to go join his father who was talking to a mover. He quickly got out of the car and closes the door, stretching as he glanced towards the street. Xander saw a couple of kids who looked to be between the ages of eight and ten staring at him. He gave them a small wave, and they both wave back.

Then they proceeded to look at each other and run off down the street. Xander smiled slightly, Maybe this won't be so bad after all,
he thought, walking to join his parents by truck. Failing to notice the figure from earlier watching him from just behind the treeline of the forest.