Friday July 21st, 2056 - II

The gate closes behind them, and the creaking stops. The small moving truck passes Andrew and Melissa, and drives down the long road, off into the distance. They walk in silence, next to one another, to the station.

"I assume you have a pass?" Melissa asks right before they arrive.

"I do."

They check in and enter the small station. Andrew sits down on the metal bench, but Melissa stays up right, and keeps her distance.

[Is everything okay? She seems so silent, absent. Where is that irritating personality I remember?]

The Forb capsule arrives, and Andrew gets up from the bench.

"Quick." Melissa says. "It doesn't wait long if there's little presence."

Andrew rushes over and sits down. Melissa pulls a safety bar over her head, and Andrew mimics her manoeuvres.

"So it can sense the amount of people?" Andrew asks.

"I don't know." Melissa responds. She doesn't follow it up with an explanation, which keeps Andrew silent for the remainder of the trip.

They arrive at the station in Clifftell, a large collection of arriving and departing Forbs to neighbouring cities and villages. Frigital is station 8F, and they proceed to station 12H, which connects to Perigowinkle. The letters are the floor that the station is settled on, and floor H, 7 stories above the ground floor, is the least populated of the entire station. While travelling up the stairs, Andrew looks at some of the signs. The entire B floor is dedicated to Clifftell High.

[Never expected Clifftell to jump up in popularity this much. It's so crowded, except… here I guess. Probably why no elevator leads here.]

Floor H is almost empty. Stations 1H through 7H and 10H are all disconnected. The others lead to smaller villages, even smaller than Frigital, thus including Perigowinkle.

"The next one should arrive in a quarter." Melissa says. "It was the closest I could find to the one from Frigital, that's why I wanted it this early."

"So you don't have to go to work?"

"I don't have to work on Fridays. I work as a maths teacher, Monday through Thursday."

[She's changed. She's changed way past my expectations. Her fury has turned into cold hard ice. That's a nice comparison.]

After a few minutes of silence, the Forb to Perigowinkle arrives. They step in, and it starts up.

"It's a lot faster than cycling." Andrew tries to start a conversation.

"It is."

[I didn't expect her to respond.]

"If you want, you can also take the bicycle instead of this capsule." Melissa continues. "The path is still there."

[But why would I need to go into the city?]

"Though it would look odd seeing someone your age cycling through the city, it's considered an old people's thing." She adds.

[She's suddenly a lot more talkative. Maybe she just had to warm up, or something.]

It is silent for the remainder of the trip. They arrive in Perigowinkle, on top of the hill. Andrew looks down into the town.

[It's the same. Nothing's changed. Nothing. The same houses, same shops, same docks, everything is just how I remembered it.]

"Let's go, I live a few houses past where we used to live." Melissa says.

"So you didn't inherit it?" Andrew asks.

"No. They sold it before I moved back here. I used to live in the city, while studying."

They walk down the hill, past the cemetery, a few houses and shops, and take the bridge over the river, where most of the smaller houses are. Finally, they stand before Melissa's house.

"We're here." She says as she opens the door. "I already set up the guest room for you."

When Andrew is about to close the door, the moving truck arrives. Two men deliver the packages inside, without greeting Andrew and Melissa at all. They exit as quick as they entered.

"Is everyone antisocial or something? The station in Clifftell was pretty silent too." He asks.

"Not necessarily" Melissa replies. "Talking to people is more often a bother, that's what most think like nowadays."

[That's a strangely depressing way of thinking.]

"I'll show you around. Let's carry the boxes up stairs while I do." Melissa says. "And take off your shoes, I'd appreciate it."

Andrew takes off his shoes as instructed, and he follows Melissa through the narrow hallway.

"Straight ahead is the kitchen, and the toilet is behind this door." She says as she grabs the knob of a door to her left. She opens the door opposite of the toilet. "This is the dining and living room. I never needed a lot of space."

There are a couch and two chairs with a wooden coffee table in front of them. Opposite of the couch resides a television.

[It looks expensive, but it's probably worth little in this age. Everything else looks like it's straight from our home as well. Or our time.]

Andrew takes a quick look around the room, but Melissa signals him she's going to the next room. They each pick up one of the boxes, and carry them up the wooden stairs. There is a small area with four doors.

"The utmost left door is my office, you're prohibited from entering." Melissa says firmly.

[She sounds like a boss showing a newbie around the workspace.]

"Utmost right is the bathroom, and the door next to my office is the bedroom." She opens the door next to the bathroom. "And this is your room for the time being."

Melissa enters and places down the box. Andrew follows and stacks his box on top. He takes a long look around the room. The planks of the wooden walls are still visible, and the ceiling is a triangular shape all the way down to about a metre above the floor. A rectangular window gives him a nice view across the ocean, and it has a desk in front. The door is on the left wall, if you are looking at the window. Behind the door is the bed, propped up against the back and left wall, under the slanted ceiling. Opposite of the door is a large closet, and the far half of the floor is carpeted.

"I'm going to buy groceries." Melissa says. "Since you're integrating here, you'll have to do with my lifestyle. If you want anything yourself, you need to buy it yourself."

[Integrating? I wouldn't use integrating for something like this.]

"You're giving off a confused look. To be clearer, it's my house, and my rules."

"Understood." Andrew replies.

"Unpack the boxes. Keep them too, I could use them sometime. And, don't make a mess."

Melissa gives a weak wave and goes down the stairs. Andrew looks out of the window and sees her leave, headed for the station.

[Not doing groceries here, I see. The stuff they have here is healthier, you know? Or maybe the supermarket changed in Clifftell. It probably did.]

Andrew falls down onto the bed.

[Everything changed. Except… the town of Periwinkle, I guess. Clifftell did, Melissa did. The transport system too. Though it isn't as advanced as I had expected for the 2050's. I should probably start unpacking before she returns.]

He opens the first box. It is full of clothes, packed in thin plastic bags. He packs his clothes tightly in the closet, separating the shirts, pants, underwear and socks from each other. The sweaters and jackets are hanged on the clothing hangers, in the top compartment of the closet.

[Everything fits nicely, I like it.]

He places the empty box to the left of the closet, and leaves the plastic bags in it. Everything that isn't clothing is in the other box. He places most of it on the desk and in the drawers. His old phone, an alarm clock which he plugs into the outlet, and a lot more random things. Afterwards, he places the second empty box on the first. He lets out a sigh.

[Phew, that was more work than I'd expected. Melissa isn't home yet, so I guess I'll check around the house. Except her office.]

He leaves his room and heads into the bathroom to his immediate right. It is a small, bright room with a round window above the sink. Left of the sink is the shower, and on the right wall resides a small cabinet. It is filled with shampoos, conditioners, toothpaste bottles and a lot more bathroom-related things. He exits and closes the door behind him.

[Going into her room would be disrespectful, and I doubt something of interest is in there.]

He heads down the stairs.

[The toilet is here to the right and the kitchen is behind this door.]

He takes a quick peek into the toilet room, but it isn't interesting in the slightest.

[I'll check out the living room first. I didn't remember anything from just that brief peek earlier today.]

Upon entering, Andrew notices the bland colours of the living room. The walls and ceiling are grey and white respectively, and the floor is a dull colour of wood. The couch's cloths are also a bleak, bland blue, which complements the boring atmosphere nicely in a way.

[I understand her personality change if she has lived like this for a while. Those paintings are odd too. Not my type.]

The paintings are of landscapes or buildings, but most of them are somber and lifeless.

The bell rings, and Andrew heads to the front door. He opens it, and Melissa is standing there with two filled, carton shopping bags.

"Thanks, now I don't have to drop the bags and get my keys every time." She says.

"Well, no problem."

She heads to the kitchen and Andrew closes the door behind her. She points out what the different drawers, cupboards and containers are for, and Andrew helps her sort out the groceries. Afterwards, they lay the table for lunch.

"Just so you know, I'll only be making dinner for you from now on. You can have breakfast and lunch whenever you want." Melissa decides.

"Okay." Andrew responds.

[Sorry Melissa, I couldn't think of any more words. But, that's a little harsh, don't you think? I'm still your brother, but let me guess, your house, your rules? I better not say that aloud.]

"In your room, you can do whatever you want. Play games, read books, do hobbies, masturbate, wo-" Melissa sums up. Andrew almost chokes while drinking water.

[What the fuck?]

"Wh-what?" Andrew stutters.

"No 'wh-what', I don't want you to do it in the bathroom or the toilet, and that response is unneeded, since I knew you-" Melissa explains.

"I get it, I get it." Andrew interrupts her. "No need to explain."

"Embarrassed?" Melissa says, with a slight tone of cynicism in her voice.

[I'm not breaking my promise with May, so I won't do it, but, still, to mention it so casually, while we're having lunch? This truly is a different Melissa. A stranger.]

"Don't mention it, I wont do it in the bathroom or on the toilet." Andrew responds.

"Thanks."

For ten more minutes, they continue to have lunch in silence. Melissa is the first to get up and she takes her plate, glass and cutlery to the kitchen. Andrew follows her shortly after.

"I have a dishwasher, so after your done, put your dishes in there. I run it after dinner most of the time, but if it's full you can start it up too." Melissa explains. "The tablets are in there." She points at a drawer under the sink. Andrew places his dishes in the dishwasher, and Melissa starts it up.

"That's all." Melissa says. "I'm going to my office, you can spend your time doing whatever, as long as you don't disturb me."

Andrew nods, and Melissa walks past him and heads up stairs. He notices something on her neck. They're scars. Her hair covers them shortly after.

[Stitches. I could see them clearly. She definitely has stitches, or leftovers of them, on the left side of her neck. She told me not to disturb, so I'll heed that request, but I have to ask her about it some time. Though it might be a trauma. It's possible. I have to be wary when I ask.]

He returns to the living room, and sits down on the couch.

[So, what do I do now? I don't have anything to do. I don't have school anymore, no one to contact or hang out with. Everyone probably got a new phone while I was gone, so calling their old numbers wont do any good.]

Andrew looks up at the ceiling, and he stares at it for a long minute.

[While I was gone… to them, I was gone for a long time.I should go read a book before I drift off too much. Yeah, let's do that.]

He heads up stairs and sits down behind his desk with a book. A fictional novel, from 2039.

As the hours pass, Andrew starts smelling something, coming from downstairs.

[Dinner? Though, I don't know what this could be. She told me I she wouldn't address my tastes, so maybe it's something I never even had before. It smells interesting, and good.]

He heads downstairs, and meets Melissa in the kitchen, cooking.

"Could you lay the table?" She asks.

"Huh, oh, sure." Andrew responds, a little startled. He heads over to the cabinets where the plates are.

[Good thing I remembered them. Let's see, plates, glasses and cutlery. A coaster too. She had a large can of lemon-tinged water on the table during lunch, so I'll move the glasses there too.]

Andrew finishes laying the table and heads back to the kitchen. "Anything else?" He asks.

Melissa stays silent for a bit before responding. "I don't think so, it'll be done in five minutes, be on time." She says.

Andrew nods and goes to the living room. He sits down at the table.

[Handy, a living room and dining room in the same space.]

A few minutes pass, and Melissa calls Andrew from the kitchen. He takes a plate and scoops up rice and curry.

[We never had this curry at home, that's why I didn't recognize the smell.]

They settle down at the table in the living room, and both start on their curry. In silence. Melissa takes a sip from her water, and signals to Andrew that she wants to say something to him. Andrew looks up from his plate.

"I'm sending you to school in August." Melissa says. "And before you decline, I've already registered you, still awaiting a response."

[Without telling me anything, that's still Melissa.]

"So, why exactly?" Andrew asks.

"Because you're not doing anything. You don't have anything to do, to be more precise."

Andrew doesn't respond.

[That's… fair enough.]

"I take your lack of a response as compliancy." Melissa states. "It starts in week 35, Monday, August 28th. I read the dorms open a few weeks earlier, but I'm still contemplating."

"On what?" Andrew replies.

"Nothing, don't mind it."

[Okay, I guess. Asking any further probably won't help anyway.]

"The curry is good!" Andrew exclaims.

"Thanks."

Andrew finishes his dinner, and heads up stairs. He showers, puts on his pyjamas and falls onto his bed.

[Today was a long day, I can feel it. So much to think about.]

He pulls his blanket over himself and faces the wall.

[The upcoming week is going to be eventful too, I can feel it. I want to see if anything's changed in town. I'll note it in the notebook I got from Chris.]

He closes his eyes.

[School. I don't want to go to school. Though, I don't know what else to do, so it might be a good choice. Melissa feels so empty. All the fury and passion I knew is gone. Did something happen? Wait, did she even tell me where mom and dad are? Connor was studying, but I don't think she told me about mom and dad. I could just not have heard it, but I digress. I'm going to sleep, I don't want to think anymore. Too tired.]