The Woods At Night

Chapter 13

It's been a week since Vivian left and she won't stop talking about how nice Nate has been to her, apparently he keeps getting her gifts and I see that they never leave each others side on Instagram. I get they're a happy couple and all, but why do they have to keep talking and showing off about it constantly? When I get off the phone from texting her I get out of my bed and go to the kitchen. I find a note.
I had to work early today, there's pancakes in the fridge. Xoxo, Mom.
I microwave the pancakes and eat them. I leave once I'm finished, I look around the town I've spent half my summer in already wondering what to do. As I walk around town I look at the houses, similar to mine. I stop when I hear someone calling me.
"Hey! You there! Pheonix right?" An old lady shouts to me from her porch.
"How do you know my name?" I ask her, she smiles.
"I know all kinds of things, come on over here baby." She says gesturing for me to come sit next to her.
"Why?" I ask.
"Because, I ain't got nobody to talk to nowadays, and I know you ain't got nothing to do either." She tells me, my curiosity gets the better of me, so I sit in the rocking chair next to hers.
"My name's Hope." She tells me.
"What do you want to talk about?" I ask her, wondering why I'm even over here.
"We can talk about anything baby. I noticed you've been hanging out with those nice artist girls, do you like art?" She asks.
"Jen and Amy are artists?" I ask back, they never talked about art around me.
"Yeah, Amy paints and Jen does poetry and makes music. I'm happy for them, I knew those two belonged together." She says.
"They told you?" I ask back.
"No honey, I told them." She tells me, I'm starting to get confused now.
"How?" I ask.
"I helped them, just like I can help you." She tells me.
"Help me how? I know who I am, I'm fine on my own." I reply.
"Give me your hand Pheonix." I do as she says silently. She takes my hand and closes her eyes, then quickly opens them again.
"Of two boys, neither are perfect. One loves you and the other is a threat. Don't believe everything they say, don't jump to conclusions. Your anger will burn you until you are reborn from the ash of your own happiness. Things are not what you think, be ready to run at all times." She says, her voice serious and her eyes are darker than they were. She then let's go of my arm and goes back to normal.
"What does that mean?" I ask her, she looks at me tiredly.
"It mean be careful who you trust baby." She tells me, then she goes inside. That can't be right, Nate loves Vivian now and Kai isn't dangerous. Her prediction must be wrong, she's probably just some crazy old lady.
I get up and walk away to the pond and sit alone with my shoes off and feet in the water. I sit and think and wait. I watch as it gets dark and everybody goes home, I lay in the dark and silent town and watch the stars shining in the sky, and I think. My feet are still in the pond.