The countryside was quiet; there was no suburban clattering, no ruckuses, only the soft rustling of the trees. The birds refused to be taciturn, whistling their sweet song among the woods, which went along the calm billowing grass-- all was calm.
Then, along a small dirt road, a car came over a hill, interrupting the peace. A young male was sitting in shotgun next to the driver, staring out along the clusters of trees that were splotched along the roadside.
"... So are you excited Ty?" The teenager tilted his head to the driver.
"Maybe." He shrugged, his voice low and baritone-- husky almost. "As much as I'd love to see the rural and lush part of Arizona... Remind me why you talked me into this Jason?"
"Because you need a break from being a Youtuber-- we all do," Jason replied, keeping his eyes on the road. "The others are meeting up with us."
"But not...?" Ty trailed off and turned his head, leaving the sentence hanging. Jason glanced at Ty with sympathy.
"No," he said softly. "I'm sorry pal." Ty sighed and looked out the window again.
"... It's just... He was my best friend," he sighed. "Then he just left, without a word." Jason averted his gaze to the road ahead, not sure what he could say to assure his depressed friend.
"I miss him too," was all he said. Then he quickly added, "Hey, we're here," making Ty look at the approaching horizon. Their road led to a little house right beside a forest, lush and green due to the river it stood alongside. There were already a few cars parked next to the driveway, allowing passage in and out still, so Jason parked the corvette next to a royal blue vehicle, where a 24 year old male was collecting some baggage.
"Hey! Ian!" Ty called out, tapping on the window. The male looked up, then smiled and waved as the two newcomers got out.
"Hey doods!" He greeted, promptly high fiving them both. "You came!"
"Yeah why wouldn't we?" Jason chuckled. "Wouldn't miss it for the world!" Ty ducked back into his car and grabbed his green duffle bag, slinging it over his shoulder before following the other two up the road to the cabin.
"So Mitch and Jerome here yet?"
"Yeah, and Quentin! Oh yeah, and Tyler said he and his grandmother are at the store right now to-- and I quote-- 'Stock up for an angry mob of couch potatoes.' "
"Yeah I'll apologize for that ahead of time," Jason giggled. Ty kept silent, checking out the house as they entered the front yard. It was very calm and lonesome, with the yard being a complimentary green-- his kind of color-- with a little fountain pouring sparkling water gracefully splashing down.
A flash of grey caught his eye, and his gaze snapped on a bush, seeing nothing. 'Hmm... Must be mice here.' He wrinkled his nose. 'Terrific.' No one else seemed to notice, so Ty turned away as the front door was open, and two men rushed out of it, glomping Jason and Ian.
"You made it!" One shouted in a Canadian accent. Jason laughed and clapped him on the back.
"Good to see you too Mitch!" He greeted, parting from the eager brunette. Mitch gave a goofy grin and fixed the wrinkles out of his red and black checkered hoodie.
"How long has it been-- 3 years?" He asked as the other male-- Jerome-- patted Jason on the shoulder.
"Yeah just about," he laughed. "It's been too long doods!" Mitch nodded as Jason and Ian headed into the house, then gave Ty a friendly smile before following. A flicker of anger ran through Ty's mind, and he gritted his teeth behind his lips as he too hesitantly followed, shutting the door behind them.
Inside the house a man with frizzy brown hair was sipping on a cup of tea, who looked up and smiled at the newcomers.
"Hey you guys made it!" He greeted in a husky voice.
"Hey Quentin!" Ian greeted as Jason nodded.
"We're all officially here," the latter pointed out. "Now all we need is Tyler, and we can start exploring!"
"You don't have to wait very long." The group turned around to see a young male with fluffy brunette hair standing next to an old woman.
"Tyler!" Jason grinned at the male, then nodded respectfully to the aged woman. "Hello Aunty Janet. Thanks again for letting us crash here for the break."
"Spring break," Ty breathed, smiling to himself. Spring was such a nice time of the year...
"No problem kiddo," Janet rasped. "It's about time I had someone other than Tyler to take care of me. My boy is getting too careless." Tyler reddened a little and cleared his throat awkwardly, but Ian came to the rescue.
"Mrs. Brotato, why don't I escort you to your rocking chair in the living room?" He offered his arm out with a warm smile.
"Such a nice boy." Janet complied, and Tyler's shoulders sagged in relief as he sighed.
"Man am I glad to see you guys!" He informed the rest. "She has me running up and down the stairs like a Stairmaster!"
"We'll pitch in," Jason offered, grinning. "Right guys?" Sadly, that was the cost of their stay, so they all nodded in agreement.
"Thanks guys," Tyler sighed. Then he perked up and offered eagerly, "Why don't I show you guys to your rooms?" They all murmured in agreement, tired from their trip, and collected their bags before following Tyler up the stairs. He led them through the hallway, stopping at the first bedroom. "We don't have very many, so you'll have to pair up; Mitch and Jerome can take this one." The two named best friends didn't mind, stepping into their new room for their stay as Tyler continued. "Ian and Quentin can take this one, and that one's mine... Jason, Ty, you wanna have your own rooms? We have enough space-"
"Yes please," Ty interrupted. Jason nodded, giving Ty a look of understanding.
"Alright then dood, you can take the one at the far end of the hall. It's next to my room if you need anything." Ty nodded and headed down the hallway, closing the door behind him and looking around. He had a single bed, not very much decorations since it was a spare room, but at least he got a nice big window showing him the whole yard.
He sat down on the bed and set his duffle bag beside him, the springs squeaking as it sagged under his weight. He sighed and put his head in his hands, taking a deep breath.
'Come on Ty... Deep breaths man... You can do this...' He slowly inhaled and looked out the window, seeing that the sun was starting to set, reflecting his eyes to look more red and fiery than their normal brown. He blinked, staring at his faint reflection, then looked away, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. 'They wanted to do this... Just go through with it... Then you can be by yourself again.' However, Ty's thoughts were shortly interrupted by someone knocking on the door and opening it.
"Hey Ty, dinner's gonna be ready soon," Tyler offered cheerfully. "Ian's a really fast and good cook!" Ty smiled and nodded.
"Yeah... Thanks." He got up and followed Tyler, looking back into his empty room before shutting it behind him with a soft click.
YOU ARE READING
Recondite (Novella)
Fanfiction(cover by me! •3•) A group of friends who haven't hung out in a long while decide to get together again and go into the country, spending spring break in a cabin. To them, it's a fun hang out, but to Ty, this is their chance to escape the past. He d...
