Ripple Like Water || ONC 2023

1 || Towards a Mystery

Arya loves living in the city. The never fading lights, all her favorite convenience stores, skate parks, and of course, her friends. However, after an exhausting last year of High School, she can't wait to spend the summer in the countryside.

She's sitting at the steps of her apartment building watching her father pack luggage into the trunk of their small gray SUV. He shoots her a look, but she just smiles, as she's preoccupied with talking to her friend Thomas on the phone.

"Will you have internet?" a little voice from the phone asks which makes Arya roll her eyes.

"It's still a normal town. I'm not going to be living in the woods." The young girl stretches her back and leans on the railings which are heated up by the summer sun. It's morning but without a single cloud in the sky, the sun is free to practice how it's going to boil everyone alive - someday.

Arya is watching birds jump between the branches of a young oak tree, singing their famous songs. With not a care in the world. How fun, she thinks. But they get quickly spooked by a group of teenage boys walking by, blasting loud rock music out of their phones.

When she notices all the luggage is packed, she stands up, throwing a small backpack that was waiting next to her feet over her shoulder. "Did you ask your mom if you can come?"

"Eh, still have to convince her."

"You better!" she smiles, "I don't wanna spend the whole summer alone. Go do the dishes, bribe her with manual labor." Both of them laugh.

"I still can't believe they're forcing you to go," Thomas complains and her face freezes for a second, "we were meant to spend the whole summer together. Before everyone leaves for college."

Arya drills her eyes into the ground between her feet. There's obviously something she didn't tell him, but she quickly smiles again.

"Yea, it's so annoying. I tried to get out of it." 

Lies.

"But don't worry, we will get a chance. You can come hang out for a bit with me in the countryside and I'm returning a week before college. It will be fine!" She starts coming down the stairs toward the car. In a good mood kicks off a few small pebbles that were in her way. Some of them bounce off the car's tire.

"Arya!" her father scolds her and she mouths 'sorry' to him.

"Everything packed?" A black woman comes out of the building in a flowy summer dress with daisies. When she steps into the sun, she disapprovingly squints and punts on the sunglasses she was already holding in her hand. "Did you put on sunscreen? I don't want you two getting burned before we even get there. Again."

"Don't worry," father dismisses her, but he can't hide the old burn lines on his otherwise white biceps. Funnily enough, Arya has similar ones on her thighs, visible even on her darker skin. 

"Gotta go, moms finally here," Arya says goodbye. 

The woman turns to Arya and smiles. "Is that Thomas? Say hi to him from me. And that we are excited for him to join us."

"Hi, miss Wilson!" Thomas yells back, obviously hearing her even without Arya needing to repeat her mother's message.

"See, now you have to come," Arya laughs and after a quick goodbye throws her phone into the backpack. Skipping the last few stairs, she jumps into the backseat of their car, and in no time, they're on the road.

Tall buildings are flashing their reflection on the window Arya is leaning her head against. With earphones already playing her favorite music she watches the people they pass, all rushing somewhere. Arya lets her black hair out of her ponytail and comfortably leans back. Smiling, excited for the summer and grandparents she hasn't visited in almost five years.

It takes almost an hour for the car to lose sight of the last skyscraper. Arya is glued to her phone, but surprisingly she's looking at maps and street views of a small town surrounded by a forest. Eastbrook Town - the place where her family is coming to spend the next two months.

At first, Arya was unsure. She really loves the city, and Eastbrook isn't exactly a place filled with young people. But after realizing this would be a great opportunity to get to know her father's family more, she was convinced. She was always the nosy kid that snooped behind the closed doors of anyone they visited. Trying to find out all their secrets. She always knows everything about everyone. But even after seventeen years of her life, the grandparents from her father's side were a mystery to her.

Sure, they visit for special occasions and spend some holidays with them, but Arya never had the opportunity to snoop around their house. They own a property with half the doors always locked. They are kind and loving people which intrigues her even more. And now, when she's going to spend weeks in their house, there's no way she's leaving without uncovering their secrets!

No matter where it takes her.