WHEN THE SEA CALLS

They did not seem to have noticed her presence because Reece spoke up.

"Alan? Do you like this place?"

Rhea blinked. The handsome guy she just admired is Alan?!

"Alan!" She blurted out, and the two boys turned.

Rhea opened the door quickly and dashed into the house. There was no way she was going to let them know she lives here. Alan was quick to see her face despite closing the door quickly, but Reece saw nothing.

"Who was that? Why did she close the door so quickly?" Reece asked no one in particular.

"The nerd girl," Alan mumbled. "She lives here."

Reece furrowed his brows, not sure of what Alan was talking about. "Which nerd girl?"

"The one from the class," Alan answered picking his words.

He wasn't the type to talk much and Reece knows that.

Reece blinked. "Rhea from our class?". Alan nodded. "The one with the glasses who gets bullied all the time?" Alan nodded again and Reece furrowed his brows. "Why would she live here? I made sure to confirm that none of our classmates or schoolmates live here."

"Your research isn't enough," Alan answered.

If he did make sure to confirm that. Why did he not find that out?

"That girl and her sister live here, and she saw my face," Alan said, and Reece blinked.

Alan was talking for a long time now, which was very strange. He has always spoken not more than twenty words in a row, after which he doesn't say any more words until about two to three hours later.

"You just spoke over twenty words," Reece said in excitement. "This is good news."

"You should be worried about the girl who saw my face and not the number of words I was able to speak." Alan's words were clearer now, and that surprised him too, but he concealed it.

That must be the work of the bluestone. He thought.

He shrugged off the thought quickly. He should worry more about Rhea, who always causes trouble; he can't let her cause any trouble that would disrupt their mission.

Reece groaned. He had always known that Rhea would cause trouble and seeing Alan's face is already trouble in itself.

"What are we going to do? Should I get a new house?" He asked. "Maybe a street away from here. We can't be too far from the sea."

Alan smiled. "That would not be necessary."

"Are you sure? She might...."

"There is something about her that makes her different from the rest."

Reece furrowed his brows. "What do you mean by that?"

"When I walked out of the house, I could sense a bit of the bluestone around here."

"Do you think she has it on her?"

Alan shook his head. "I do not think so. Or I would have had a stronger sense of it."

"Is that the reason you could speak for long?"

Alan nodded. "I think so."

"But if she doesn't have it. Why do you think she is different."

"She must have held the bluestone before. The little sense I felt of the bluestone came from her. If she doesn't possess it, then she can lead us to it."

"But why did you not sense it in school? She has always been a few desks away from us."

"A stronger scent of the bluestone can only be sensed when it is activated. If it is not, you can feel it when you are closer to the sea. Our school is..." He coughed.

"Are you okay?"

"I-I can't sense the bluestone anymore. I think it has..." Alan coughed again. "It has faded. I can't speak for too long."

Reece smiled. "It's good to hear you speak for this long. My research wasn't a waste. Was it?"

Alan shook his head. "Maybe it wasn't," he mumbled. "I...". He tried to clear his throat. "I am going on a stroll."

"With your face opened? What if she sees you again?"

"I do not..."

"You should not speak, Alan. We don't know what will happen if you keep forcing yourself to speak when you can't sense the bluestone."

Alan nodded and brought out a jotter and a pen.

"She should be too afraid to leave the house." He wrote down and Reece nodded.

She should be. She always has fear in her eyes whenever she sees them.

Alan brought out a mask and covered his face. He won't be risking her seeing his face again.

"When you see her in school tomorrow, make sure to erase every memory of her seeing my face," He wrote down again.

Reece nodded and bowed. "As your lordship please."

"I am leaving. I will be back before nightfall." Alan wrote down.

"Be careful out there," Reece said and Alan nodded.

Alan left and Reece waved at him. He stared at Rhea's house for a while.

Could she be the chosen one? He wondered but shook off the thought immediately.

Rhea is just an ordinary girl who is not fortunate enough and gets bullied every time. There hasn't been anything special about her, except for now that Alan could sense the bluestone around her which doesn't indicate that she is the chosen one.

She could just be the bearer of the bluestone. He thought. Or she is only a way to the bluestone.

He had a last look at the house before heading into his.

Rhea, who had been peeping through the window to see if she could get a glimpse of Alan's face once more, but saw nothing, grunted and stepped down from the couch after seeing Reece leave. She knew Reece and Alan had a long conversation before Alan left but she couldn't hear a thing.

"Rhea?" Celia called, which made Rhea jump up in fright.

"Hey! You scared the living hell out of me. Why did you call my name?" Rhea asked.

"What were you doing by the window?"

"Do you know that the weird boys...". She sighed. "Never mind."

Celia furrowed her brows. "Alan and Reece? What happened to them?"

"Nothing. I was just..." She smiled. "You do not have to worry about anything. I am heading to my room."

She had decided to keep Celia in the dark. She wasn't going to tell her that Alan and Reece were their new neighbors. She will have to find out herself.

"Speak to me," Celia said, going after Rhea.

"Can you stop following me? I was only trying to pull your legs."

"Are you sure? You ain't hiding anything from me. Are you?"

"I am not, Celia. Are you done with the cookies?"

"No, I am not. I was just about to go to the kitchen when I saw you lingering on the window."

Rhea sighed. "Do you still need me to help you in the kitchen?"

"No. You should get some rest."

Rhea nodded. "Then I will take my bath and get some rest while I wait for the cookies."

Celia nodded and turned to leave but stopped. "Dad called. He won't be coming home tonight."

"Did he say why?"

"Work," Celia answered and Rhea sighed.

"Fine."

She headed to her room and dropped her bag on her bed. Her mind drifted back to Alan and Reece. She had so many thoughts running through her mind.

What are they doing here? Why do they have to be her new neighbors? Why isn't Alan dressed in black? Why isn't his face covered? Who are they?