The Sight (bxb)

Chapter 32 - Nowhere - Part 2

In the end, Nowhere turned out to be a dilapidated building on the last street near the forest. Practically all that remained of it was the structure, from which it was clear that it once had two floors and a flat roof. Where the windows used to be, only large, square-shaped holes remained, and in some places, the branches of nearby trees even found their way through them. The grass around the entire facility was tall, indicating that no one had taken care of it for a long time. Just like the surrounding houses.

"Fire," Michael answered Evan's unspoken question. With the new knowledge, his view of the surroundings also changed. The two houses adjacent to Nowhere were in even worse condition, as more or less only piles of burnt wood remained, which could hardly be seen through the grass and bushes. And every time the autumn sunlight fell on certain places, Evan saw something glinting among the debris, probably the remains of windows. Everything around him was immersed in black, standing out among the colourful nature.

Just as someone once left it, so it remains to this day. All the remains of the buildings, all the destroyed furniture, and Evan could have sworn he saw something that looked like a teddy bear in the distance.

It was quite poetic, calling this place Nowhere.

"How did you find it?" This time, Evan managed to say the question before one of them guessed it. The three of them stood in front of what used to be the door, taking in the surroundings. Well, Evan watched the surroundings while the other two watched his reaction.

"We were curious children," Michael answered him again. His answer was blunt, but Evan didn't expect anything else as he watched him frantically search his pocket for a lighter with a cig in his mouth.

Brown eyes turned their attention to the second cousin, waiting for further explanation. Their eyes met almost immediately as Ryan's eyes were already following him. The ink-haired boy gave him a smile, and Evan's wolf echoed inside him, warming his soul. He had no choice but to lower his head so that Ryan wouldn't see the blush that appeared on his cheeks.

"Our favourite game was the adventure hunt. We explored all the places behind our yard, and behind Michael's, so we wanted to see something new. So, we decided to make a treasure map. Of course, we didn't know anything about making maps, so we drew Michael's house, the pack house, Matilda's shop, and Rock Pop Diner on it. Then we connected everything with lines and created others that went around these points. One of the paths led to the treasure. At that time, we had no idea what our treasure would be. And as you can see, in the end, this came out of it." Ryan opened his arms as if to grab both corners of the demolished house.

"Once we stuck a flag up there, but apparently lightning struck it." Michael shrugged, pulling the cigarette from his mouth to exhale the smoke. The lightness of his tone made Evan laugh. Only Michael could make the lightning strike seem like a small thing.

"No one else knows we come here, so you have to swear to keep our secret." Conversely, Ryan's tone was serious, and Evan wasn't sure if he was being genuine or joking.

"Like pinky promise?" The corners of his mouth twitched in a hint of a smile, but he immediately masked it with an overly serious expression. Ryan stepped closer to him and held out his hand with his little finger cocked.

Evan knew exactly what was coming when he touched him, but despite the alarm going off in his head, he hooked his own into his little finger. His heart immediately raced, and his soul (or maybe it was his wolf) screamed for him to come closer. His mate's touch was something Evan thought he would never get used to. His hand was on soft fire, trembling with pleasure, and he quickly pulled his hand away and held it to his chest as if he had just injured himself.

Fortunately, before Ryan could comment on that, Michael moved to Evan's side to hand him a lit cigarette. He didn't hesitate and put it straight to his mouth, ignoring Ryan's disapproving look. He took a deep breath of nicotine and turned his head to exhale the smoke. He narrowed his eyes in pleasure as he savoured the bitter taste on his tongue. He never thought he would smoke and although he had no plans to buy a pack, he did enjoy a puff from Michael every now and then. Maybe being friends with him wasn't such a bad idea.