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The Arrival - Part 3

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THE ARRIVAL: PART 3

Bethany yawned as she slowly sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes.  It was morning already, and she wished it wasn’t.  The previous day had been a long one, and she still felt like sleeping some more.  Groaning, she fell back and pulled the covers up over her face.

Her first day in Wind City had not ended as well as she had hoped.  As she soon realized, Aunt Sarah’s house was as poorly maintained on the inside as it was on the outside.  Large pieces of furniture cluttered every room, and old woven carpets and tapestries covered the floors and walls.  Piles of books and dying plants could be found where furniture wasn’t, and expensive-looking lamps and chandeliers lit the house up at night.  Bethany had noticed that the lamps and chandeliers seemed to be powered by the same strange glyphs that moved Mr. Carter’s vehicle.  Bethany had wondered what other household items are powered by these glyphs.  However, Bethany didn’t have time to ask.  Aunt Sarah had immediately served dinner after everyone settled in and spent the entire time rambling on about the days of her youth in Wind City.  

Sam’s cheerful disposition hadn’t made it any better.  Her shrill laughter echoed throughout the house, turning even the most comical joke sour for Bethany.  Ethan didn’t seem to mind, though, as he welcomed the company of others after being friendless for some time.  After dinner, Mr. Carter and Sam bid them good night and Aunt Sarah took Bethany and Ethan to the rooms that they would be staying in.  With nothing left to do, Bethany had simply crawled into bed and wished that things would be better in the morning.

The light coming in from the window kept Bethany awake, so she sat up again and looked around her new bedroom, unsure of how to feel about it.  Her bed was large enough, covered with thick colorful blankets, sheets and pillows too numerous to bother counting.  Various pieces of furniture filled this room as well, including a large closet and a mirror.  Two chairs sat on either side of a single window that was adjacent to the doorway on the far side of the room.  The last thing Bethany’s eyes focused on was the large doll that sat in the chair closest to the door, a large grin on its face.  It almost seemed like it was staring at her intently.  

As Bethany’s eyes adjusted to the light, she realized that the doll wasn’t a doll.

“What—how did you get in here?” Bethany exclaimed as Sam jumped out of her seat and walked over to the bed, “And how long were you watching me sleep?”  “Your Aunt let me in,” Sam replied with a cheerful smirk, “and I just came in a few minutes ago.  I saw you sleeping and decided not to wake you.  Did you know that you snore a little bit while you sleep?”  

Bethany couldn’t help but scowl as Sam pranced about the room, taking in the details as she went on and on about her morning.  “Sam, is this something that’s going to happen often?” Bethany muttered as Sam dropped back into her seat and stared out the window.  “Of course not,” Sam replied, “I only came early today so that I could show you guys around Estherwood.  Isn’t that what you wanted?”  A look of realization crossed Bethany’s face as she remembered that she had asked Sam to come early to show them around the neighborhood.  

Still, Sam could’ve at least knocked before entering the room.

“I’d better wake up Ethan, then,” Bethany thought aloud as she slid out of bed, “I’m sure he wouldn’t want to miss the tour.”  “Oh, he’s already awake,” Sam added, still gazing out the window, “I woke him up 30 minutes ago.”  

“Wait.  You woke him up, but decided to wait for me to get up on my own?”

“Yeah,” Sam replied finally turning away from the window to look at Bethany, “Ethan told me that you got cranky whenever he woke you up too early in the morning, so I just waited for you to wake up on your own.”  

“So…how is staring at me while I’m sleeping any better?” Bethany thought as she stood up, “What’s wrong with this girl?”

“Okay…fine,” Bethany said quickly as she turned to fix her bed, “Just wait downstairs so I can get ready.”  Bethany sighed heavily as Sam nodded and quickly left the room.  Bethany was really getting tired of this girl’s strange behavior, but since they still needed Sam, she decided that it was still a necessary evil.  Bethany sighed again and continued fixing the bed in silence.

**********************************

“Be careful, kids,” Aunt Sarah said as the three of them left the house, “Just make sure you’re back by dinner.”  “Yes ma’am,” Bethany said as she closed the front door and paused to look around.  The sun floated in the sky above them, signifying that it was almost noon, and a gentle breeze flowed through the entire neighborhood, filling every breath.  Even though the sun shone directly on them, the wind worked to keep them cool.  “I could get used to living here,” Bethany thought aloud.  She took a deep breath and followed Sam and Ethan onto the road.

“Welcome to Wind City,” Sam said with another grin as she led her new friends down the stone road.  “You already said that,” Bethany pointed out bluntly, “Yesterday, on the airship.  You said that before.”  “Oh, I did?” Sam replied with a confused expression, “I don’t even remember saying that.”  “So, where are you going to take us, first?” Ethan said cupping his hands over his eyes as he tried to see farther down the road, “Are we going to the Estherwood Laboratory, today?”  “Sure, if you want,” Sam replied quickly, “But I want to introduce you guys to my other friends first!  Follow me!”  Sam jogged further down the road, leaving Bethany and Ethan behind.  “Ethan,” Bethany whispered quickly when Sam was out of hearing range, “Be careful.  I think she’s a lunatic.”  Ethan, not knowing if she was serious or just joking, could only smile as they continued after Sam.

When Bethany and Ethan finally caught up with Sam, she was surrounded by several other kids.  They were looking in the opposite direction, their backs to Bethany and Ethan.  “Over here!” Sam yelled as she turned and waved at them, “Come meet my friends!”  Ethan went ahead of Bethany, smiling as he ran towards Sam and her other friends.  As he got closer, he noticed what they had been looking at, and his smile faded.  

“What happened here?” Ethan said he took in the scene.  Several police officers were walking into a building, apparently a store.   The front door had been knocked off its hinges, and several windows were broken.  Broken glass covered the ground outside the store around a large lumpy object that was completely covered by a large cloth.  Ethan didn’t have to imagine what was under that cloth.  “It looks like someone died,” Bethany said as she walked up behind Ethan.  “Yeah, it was a murder,” a boy said as he pushed up his thick glasses, “Someone attacked Mr. Garner’s store last night and…”  “…he was killed,” a tall girl said quickly, “I still can’t believe that it really happened.”  “Ethan, Bethany, these are my friends,” Sam said beaming, “Alec, Emily, and Noah.”  And with that, Sam introduced her old friends to her new friends, and vice versa.  Alec was a young boy shorter than Ethan with thick glasses, while Emily was the tall girl with black hair.  Bethany was surprised to find that a girl like Emily, who was the same age as her, could be so much taller than her.  Sam introduced Noah last, although he didn’t seem to care.  When Sam introduced him, he responded by simply nodding.  His nonchalant attitude was somewhat refreshing to Bethany, a huge contrast to Sam’s bubbly manner.

“Bethany, there’s Mr. Carter,” Ethan said pointing, “Mr. Carter!  Over here!”  Bethany looked, and sure enough, Mr. Carter was standing with two police officers, apparently in a conversation.  Mr. Carter responded when Ethan called out and looked around until his eyes finally rested on Ethan.  He motioned Ethan and Bethany over.  “Good morning, children,” he said calmly, “I’m sorry that you had to visit Wind City during such hard times.”  “What’s happened?” Ethan asked, his eyes fixed on the dead body covered by the cloth.  “From what these officers told me, apparently, a thief broke in and tried to rob Mr. Garner last night.  Mr. Garner fought back, but was overpowered and killed by his intruder.”  “Hmm,” Bethany said looking at the body, “It looks like it was a pretty loud fight.  I wonder why no one in the area responded?”  “That is what confuses me,” Mr. Carter said fixing his gaze on the broken door hinges, “None of the residents in this area that were questioned by the police claim to have heard anything last night.  It’s very peculiar.”

“Well, that’s that,” another officer said as he walked up to Mr. Carter, “We can’t find any worthwhile evidence.  We’ll just have to talk to some of the residents in this neighborhood again.”  “It’s truly strange,” Mr. Carter replied thoughtfully, “but something tells me that you won’t get any information from these people, Aaron.”  “Aaron?” Bethany said looking at the officer’s face, “It couldn’t be…”  “You should recognize him,” Mr. Carter said looking at her, “after all, he is your cousin.”  “Cousin?” Ethan said finally pulling his eyes away from the dead body, “Wait, is that—?”  “It’s Aaron!” Bethany said hugging him, “Aaron!  It’s us!”  Aaron removed his hat, and smiled.  “It’s great to see you guys, again,” he said hugging Ethan next, “You guys have really grown up.”  “Don’t act like you’re that much older than us,” Bethany said nudging him in the arm, “You’re only a few years above me.”  “I’m 25,” he replied brushing his hair back with his hand, “I’m old enough.  And I’m a police officer, too!”  They laughed as Sam walked up to them and smiled.  “Good Morning, Miss Sam,” Aaron said looking at her.  “Good Morning, Officer Baker,” Sam replied, “Come on, Bethany!  I want to take you guys to the Laboratory, now!”  And with that, Sam skipped back to her other friends, and continued down the stone road with them.

“I have a question,” Bethany said looking from Aaron to Mr. Carter, “What’s the problem with Sam?”  “Oh, she’s always like that,” Mr. Carter said chuckling, “She’s a very energetic girl, and she’s always making new friends.  I’m sure you’ve realized that pretty quickly.”  “How do you know about her, Aaron?” Ethan said slowly.  “Everyone knows about her,” Aaron said without looking at Ethan, “After all, her mother is one of the greatest scientists in Estherwood.”  Ethan and Bethany froze and stared at each other.  “Come on!” Sam called out from further down the road, “Let’s go to the Laboratory!”  “You guys should go ahead,” Aaron said smiling, “I’ll meet you at Aunt Sarah’s house later.”  

Dumbfounded, Bethany and Ethan followed Sam and her friends quickly down the road towards the Estherwood Laboratory, and whatever surprises awaited them there.

And the Wind City floated along above the land, on towards what lay ahead.
Tales from the Wind City :iconwind-city:

Wind City is Copyright(c) 2008 Stephen Winterflood
“The Arrival - Part 3” is Copyright 2009 “TBPow”

Welcome to the Wind City and the stories of the people that live there; tales that don't always follow each other over time.

[I give ~Winterflood the right to reproduce this story in ~Wind-City, if he should so wish!]
© 2009 - 2024 TBPow
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Winterflood's avatar
Ah the arrival is over and you have done a great job of introducing your group of characters into the city.

Thank you for the work you have done on the project and I look forward to seeing the next part of this story.

Maybe Sam has been the subject of one too many experiments by her mother in the past