Chapter 1 (Part 2)

3.
Faith Callahan thought that her laptop computer was going to explode. She hadn’t turned it off for two days, as she hadn’t stopped working. The clock read that it was already 10PM. She had been working for seven hours straight on an essay she had to write for her literature class. She was studying Mass Communications in the Old Eagletown College. Her assignment was to write an essay, free topic. But she had to write it as professional as possible and typos would severely damage its grade. She couldn’t believe it, she was only three weeks into her third semester and she was already losing sleep over homework.
Faith had begun writing the essay about how she thought that the film industry was reaching a golden age, contrary to what every film geek in history believed. She loved movies, had seen them all, or as much as she could. But in spite of all the classic and underground movies she had seen, she considered herself part of the mainstream audience. Her favorite movies generally turned out to be big, modern, huge hits and not the ‘classic’ movies everyone seemed to like. From a very objective perspective, almost every ‘classic’ was not a technical achievement. She often got in heated discussions with the other Communications students at OEC. She loved those discussions; even if most of the time she had no one, except herself supporting her opinion. She just hoped they didn’t think she thought like that only to defy the majority of (other) film geeks.
She liked to place her laptop computer on a desk that Gabriel -her brother- had moved against the window. That way, she could look over the monitor and have a nice view of the city. She had been living in Old Eagletown with Gabriel for little over a year. Her parents were in New York, and were paying for their small apartment and the tuitition fees. Gabriel had dropped out a semester after they enrolled, college just wasn’t for him. Instead, he had been working in the post office, which wasn’t too far away from their apartment.
Their place in Riverside Apartments was nice enough. Faith had done most of the decorative arrangements during the course of the year they had been living there. They had a TV and cable (one of the few luxuries their parents let them have). It was very cheap, since it wasn’t placed in the best area of Old Eagletown and was so close to the airport. The only thing that was far away was the university, which was a fifteen minute drive away. It wasn’t really that far, but it was if you compared it to everything else (mall, bar, school), which was at walking distance.
Faith saved the essay –which was only halfway done- and closed the laptop. She needed a break. Looking through the window, Faith saw Merrit Park; the old abandoned St. Mark’s Church and Cady’s, which was still open. She figured that one of Cady’s sandwiches and a coke was exactly what she needed.
She didn’t dare to go out so late by herself, even if she only had to walk half a block to get to Cady’s. Good news was, Gabriel was in the living room and he wouldn’t mind escorting her there. She got up, stretched and slipped in a pair of sneakers. She was wearing a long skirt and a wool sweater. Faith didn’t much care about her image, eventhough she was aware that she wasn’t an ugly girl. Many people had told her with all honesty that she was very pretty. They had never used the word ‘hot’ to describe her; it was always ‘pretty’ or ‘attractive’. She didn’t care much, but it was good to know that she wasn’t unappealing to others. She had never had a boyfriend and she had never had sex. She wasn’t embarrassed of that, but she wasn’t particularly proud of it. She was twenty years old and most of her friends had lost their virginity at seventeen (one at sixteen). Still, Faith didn’t give it much thought, since most of the people around her just assumed that she wasn’t a virgin. They could think whatever they wanted to.
Gabriel was much more outgoing than she was, though. He had always been the popular kid, as he was in high school. He often brought his friends –who were also Faith’s friends- to the apartment to watch TV and have a few drinks. They were very different, not only personality-wise, but physically too. Since they had a very tight relationship, they spent a lot of time together. Many people thought that they were a couple. They had been born the same day, but they weren’t very alike. Faith had long, dark brown hair. Gabriel’s was dark blonde. His face was wide, wider than your average, it made him look strong. Faith’s face was perfectly proportioned, sharp. His eyes were arced to the sides and made her look like she was always sad. .Both were attractive, but each in a different way.
Without even checking herself in the mirror, she walked out of her room and into the living room. Just like she thought, Gabriel was sitting on a couch watching a movie. She couldn’t figure out which one it was. Gabriel was a well built man; he had muscular arms and a wide chest. He was wearing a tank top and holding a cigarette in his right hand. He had opened one of the windows, to allow the smoke to ventilate.
“What’s up, you done?”
“No,” she said, shaking his head. “Hey, would you kindly escort me to Cady’s?”
He hit the cigarette. “What, right now?” He puffed out a cloud of smoke. “Is it even open?”
“Yeah . . . I need a break. Please? Pretty please?”
He took a deep breath and got on his feet. “All right, let’s go.” Gabriel didn’t mind going there right now; the movie he was watching was terrible anyway. He hit the cigarette one more time and grabbed an old black leather jacket, which was resting on the couch. Faith looked exhausted, baggies had formed under her eyes and her hair looked like a badly tangled Christmas light cord.
“Thanks.” She walked towards the door, checked her pockets for the apartment keys –which, she was sure, Gabriel didn’t have on him- and walked outside. Still with the cigarette in his mouth, he followed her.
“You’re not supposed to smoke here, you know?”
“Yeah, but I can’t waste no ciggy.” he said, smiling. “Let’s take the stairs,” he said, leading the way to the door that took them to the flight of stairs where the smoke could dissipate better. If he smoked in the elevator, the janitor would know. Faith didn’t say anything, just followed him. “So what, you’re in the mood for a drink?” None of them was old enough to buy drinks, but Cady –the owner of the bar they went often- wouldn’t mind giving her best clients a couple of beers without the need to show an ID.
“Not a drink. Just some fresh air. Maybe a sandwich or a burger.”
“God bless Cady’s huh?” he said, opening the door for her.
“Yeah.” She walked through, followed by Gabriel. The door swung closed behind them.

Mr. Nell, the security guard was sitting on his chair in the lobby. Gabriel hid his cigarette from him, hoping he would see or smell it. Once outside, Faith looked at Merrit Park. It was a dangerous place, she knew. Many people who just crossed by had been mugged many times before. She knew that a lot of bums and criminals slept inside the abandoned church, so that was the place she was most scared of. The security officer that covered nights in the lobby was one old man. Mr. Nell had been working in the building for over 30 years. He was way too old to work, let alone a security guard. All he did was smile at the tenants that walked into the building. She felt much safer if she was with someone other than Mr. Nell, someone like Gabriel. With a quickening pace, they turned right and walked past the park’s main gate, crossed the street that cornered East 6th and Merrit Streets. They stopped in front of Cady’s, which was quite empty for a Saturday night. She didn’t mind, she wasn’t there to socialize.
“Hey, Cady,” she said to the woman behind the counter.
“Hi Faith, Gabriel. Come in.”
Gabriel smiled and sat at one of the tables in front of the bigger TV. Faith went to the counter.
“What do you want tonight?” Cady asked her, smiling.
“Just a coke. And a cheese burger.”
Cady nodded and tipped her a wink. “It’ll be right with you.”
Faith smiled and sat down in front of Gabriel, who was finishing the last touches of his cigarette. Then, he put it out with an ashtray. Faith thanked him for coming with her to Cady’s so late on a Saturday morning, and then asked him why he hadn’t gone out. Gabriel rarely stayed home Saturday nights. He was almost always invited to go to some club or some bar Downtown. And if he wasn’t invited, it was because there was no plan. And if there was no plan, he’d create one. Gabriel was a natural born leader. It was easy for him to make friends and adapt in new groups of people. Most of his friends had stayed in college when he dropped out, and by now, they were starting the laborious part of college, which meant sleepless nights.
“Everyone had homework,” he said. “No one could spare a few hours to go somewhere. Whatever though, they wanted to stay in college.”
Faith firmly thought that his dropping out of college had been a bad move. But she knew that Gabriel thought otherwise. He honestly thought of college as a big waste of time and believed that he had done the right thing when he started working. Faith was all up for work, but not if it meant leaving school.
“Thanks for coming here.”
“Not a problem.” He turned to Cady and asked her for a cheeseburger and a beer.
An hour later, they had finished. Faith was ready to go back to her essay. She had been thinking what else she could add to it as she ate the delicious cheeseburger. She didn’t have a clue. They thanked Cady, tipped her with a dollar bill and walked to the door.
A gorgeous redhead who didn’t look much older than her walked in as they walked out. Faith stared at her with interest. This redhead looked bizarrely familiar, like she had seen her before. She glared back at Faith but never stopped. Faith followed her with her eyes as she sat on the counter and said something to Cady. Both walked out.
“Did you see that redhead?” Faith said.
Gabriel turned around and looked at her through the glass window. The redhead was incredibly attractive. She had beautiful hair, a perfect looking body and a great taste in clothing. If he was in a cartoon, he’d be drooling like a dog right about now. “Not too bad,” he said, still looking at her.
“Does she look familiar?” Faith asked him. She had had this happen to her before, seeing someone she was sure she had seen before. But never like this. This girl she knew or had met before, she was sure. Somehow, she didn’t want to wave it past, she began trying to think in every redhead she had ever met. None spring to mind.
“I don’t think so. Have we ever known a redhead?”
“I’m not sure . . . I don’t think so.”
Gabriel gave one last lusty glare and turned around, shrugging it off. “Whatever, let’s go.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her across the street and towards the Riverside Apartments main entrance. He glared at St. Mark’s Church and saw that one of the lights was turned on. It wasn’t when they left the apartment. Someone was there. Gabriel felt a sudden rush of fear, of being exposed. Gabriel opened the lobby’s door, pushed Faith inside and walked in with a rush.
“You’re back so early?” Mr. Nell said.
“Yes, Mr. Nell, we’re back. Thanks.” Mr. Nell wasn’t as old as he looked. He was only seventy two years old, but he didn’t look a day under ninety. Mr. Nell closed the door and called the elevator for them.
Faith opened the door to the apartment, thanked Gabriel one more time and went back to his essay. She wrote two more pages when she realized that she was creatively dry. Sitting there, looking at the monitor and hoping that something else could pop up, she began thinking in the redhead again. She knew that she had seen her before.
Suddenly, the image of a little girl with red hair, tied in two small tails and wearing a cute pink dress came to her mind. Her eyes widened. She remembered her, she had met her before but long ago, when she was a kid, when they were kids. It had been over fifteen years ago. She remember talking to her and playing tag with her. She distinctly remembered someone else, a boy with brown hair. But it was the redhead she remembered best.
I remember she had a boy’s name. I used to tell her she had a boy’s name, Faith thought, trying to remember her name. What was it?
Elliot.
They called her Elly, her name was Elliot.
Faith gasped loudly, she didn’t even notice she had. She felt a sudden rush of satisfaction, something she had never felt before. A friend, a friend she hadn’t seen in at least fifteen years had just crossed paths with her. She tried to remember details, where she played with her, from where she knew her. She remembered a garden too, and a fountain, but as hard as she tried to squeeze out another memory of Elliot.
Oh my god, Elly! She’s Elly! She was my friend!
She couldn’t. Maybe Gabriel remembered something. He said he didn’t but if she described the garden and the fountain, maybe something would spring in his head. She walked outside and found him just like she had found him before. He was holding a cigarette and watching another movie in HBO.
“Does the name Elliot sound familiar?”
Gabriel looked at her with a weird smile, as if ready to laugh at the randomness of her question. “No, I don’t think so. Who is he?”
“She, the girl at Cady’s. I knew her years ago.”
“When?”
“Not sure when . . . I just remember her face, I’m sure it was her.”
“Probably wasn’t.”
“No, I’m sure. Please. I want to go talk to her; I won’t be able to sleep if I’m not sure. She’s probably still there.” She didn’t think Gabriel would want to go down there again just because Faith thought she knew the girl they saw. But he didn’t object much. He got up again and turned the TV off.
They were off again to Cady’s.
Faith ran down the staircase like a boy who was going to meet Santa. She had a strange childish excitement. She was sure that the redhead was Elly; she only hoped Elly remembered her. Gabriel was walking behind her, still smoking the cigarette (his thirteenth that day). They bursted through the lobby, Mr. Nell got on his feet slowly and went to open the door for them. But Faith was faster than him. She opened the door and walked outside. A grey car that wasn’t there before was parked in front of the building. Faith began walking towards Cady’s when she saw the redhead in the corner of her left eye. She turned around and saw with dismay that she was walking across the gate that led to St. Mark’s. She crossed the street and ran towards the gate.
“Stop! Don’t go in there!” she yelled. The redhead turned around. There was someone else in there with her, a man with brown hair. Both of them stared at her, confused.

4.
Ryuhei Devon was finally sobering up. It wasn’t even that late; almost midnight according to his watch, but Ryu had been drinking hard since seven in the afternoon. He stopped at ten thirty and was finally feeling the dizziness going away. He was standing on the sidewalk of “E 6th St”, outside a bar called “Leon’s”, where he had spent the afternoon. Something wrong with the alcohol there, it had probably been cheap ass Vodka he had been drinking. It not only tasted funny, but it also hit harder than usual. That was probably why he had been forced to stop drinking so early.
He thought of his mother, who was probably crying her eyes out in their hotel room. She had told him to leave her alone for a while, gave him money and called him a taxi so he could go wherever he wished. He knew why she wanted to be alone. One year ago tonight, his father died of a fatal heart attack. His father had been working when his heart suddenly stopped. Hours later, Ryu had been sitting in the hospital waiting room reading a Stephen King novel, waiting for his mother to walk out of his father’s room and telling her that everyone had taken a good scare, but that he was all right. His mother didn’t come, but his uncle, Edmund Devon. Ryu immediately knew Ed didn’t come bearing good news. Ryu got on his feet immediately when he saw Edmund walking towards him. He told him the bad news, his father had died minutes before, and that the doctors couldn’t do anything. He also said that he didn’t suffer, that it was quick and painless.
His book fell from his hand. Every thought in his head faded away and turned black when he realized that his father was dead. He had feared that moment ever since he was a kid. He looked at Edmund, whose eyes were verging tears. He looked at the door Ed had walked out from and saw a Doctor walking in.
Ignoring his uncle, he walked towards his father’s room, holding back every wish to cry. He opened the door, and the first thing he saw was his mother, who had collapsed on the floor. She was crying desperately, her hands were balled in fists. She was screaming and crying. She was cursing Ryu’s father for leaving her so early. She said that Ryu wasn’t ready to live without a father. She turned around and saw Ryu looking at her. Immediately, he threw himself to the floor and hugged her. She squeezed him with all her strength. That’s when his tears began falling, when he realized how alone his mother felt. After that, he only glanced at his father one time, before the doctors invited him to leave the room.
Ryu and his mother, Paula, lived in Carmel, California, but his father had been born in Old Eagletown and he wanted to be buried there. Every year, this being the first, Ryu and his mother would take a trip to South Dakota to go to Mass and visit his father’s grave.
Steve Devon had been a proud American who had met a girl called Paula Stark in college. They got married at the age of twenty. No one would have thought that their marriage was going to last so long. Steve and Paula stayed together for twenty years, when death did them apart.
He fished his cell phone from his pocket and called the hotel. His mother answered. She didn’t sound too sad, but she could hear her snorting. She had been crying, had probably just stopped.
“I’m on my way,” he said quickly, trying to mask the fact that he had been drinking in some bar.
“I’m waiting for you,” she said. “Be careful. Please be careful.” She hung up. She had emphasized the ‘please’. Like if she was scared that something could happen to him. He was planning to walk to the hotel, which was only a few blocks away, but changed his plans when he saw an empty taxi coming his way. He raised his hand and saw it pulling over. The driver rolled down the window of the passenger’s seat and looked at Ryu.
“To the airport?” the huge driver with a baseball cap asked.
“No . . . Holiday Inn.”
“Sorry kid, this is only an airport to-from.”
Ryu nodded and licked his lips. “All right,” he said, and began walking towards the hotel. He crossed the street and crossed his arms, trying to cover himself from the cold. He heard the taxi backing up. He stopped and the taxi stopped in front of him.
The taxi driver pointed towards Leon’s and asked: “You been drinking, kid?”
Ryu smiled and nodded. “Yeah.”
The driver nodded and got off his cab. A sudden rush of fear flooded Ryu’s stomach. For a moment, he thought the driver was going to mug him, kidnap him, something worse. He reached for his wallet and prepared to run. He only thought of his mother, who would lose everything if something happened to Ryu.
His fear faded as quickly as it had come when he saw the driver opening the door of the back seat for him. “Get in; I’ll take you to your hotel.” Ryu stood there, looking at the driver with uncertainty. “Come on, kid.” Ryu nodded and got inside the taxi. The driver closed his door and got behind the wheel. “Holiday Inn, you say?”
Ryu nodded. “Yes. Please.”
“All right,” the driver said and turned the wheel to the right, made a U turn and rolled down the dark street. “You were planning on walking, kid? Holiday Inn’s not that near, y’know?”
“I didn’t know where to call for a taxi.”
“Well thank god I passed by.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
The driver chuckled when he saw the kid’s eyes, which looked heavy on alcohol. Ryu only looked drunk, though. His hair was sweaty and falling in front of his face, and his eyes were bloodshot. But the worst part of his drunkenness had already passed by. He was slowly starting to feel better.

Three blocks later, the driver slowed down to let some guy in a tank top cross the street, following a girl with long black hair. The guy waved a “thanks” at the driver. The guy’s eyes moved from the taxi driver and met Ryu’s eyes. Ryu’s stomach pitted immediately when he saw this man’s face, lit by the golden light the lampposts poured. The taxi began moving again.
“Stop, stop!” Ryu told the driver, his eyes still fixed on the stranger who was crossing the street. He looked familiar, and Ryu was good with faces. The driver stopped the car abruptly, if they had been going faster, the tires would have screeched.
“Holiday Inn’s still a few blocks away.”
“Please, I need to get off.”
“Okay,” the driver said. “If you don’t have any money, that’s all righ-” the driver said, but stopped when Ryu dropped a ten on his lap. “Whoa, kid.” Ryu got off the taxi and closed the door, but not before thanking the driver a thousand times. He was in front of some kind of forest or a park. It was fenced with black iron pickets. There was a huge gate and a plaque that said “Merrit Park”. Ryu walked towards the guy in the tank top. The taxi was already gone, driven by one confused pilot.
“Who are you?” the guy said.
“Do I . . . know you from somewhere?” Ryu said and stopped in front of him.
“No, I don’t think so,” he said and turned around, giving his back to Ryu. He was walking towards another gate, a smaller one on the other corner of Merrit Park.
“Wait.”
The guy in the tank top sped up and reached the gate, Ryu followed him. He entered a small gate. Ryu stopped in front of it and looked up. The gate led to a scary-ass church with broken windows and chipped walls. As he walked in, he saw four others standing on a small stone walkway that led to the church’s entrance. They were two pretty girls, one with dark hair and one redhead, the blonde guy in the tank top and another fellow with dark hair.
“Who the hell are you people?” the guy with dark hair said, looking at the blonde and Ryu. The two girls turned around, the one with dark hair took a step back, startled when she saw Ryu. He blinked and focused, trying to use the scarce light to look at the group of four strangers more clearly. The strangest feeling of déjà vu swarmed Ryu. He thought that this had happened before; he had met up with these total strangers before.
“Do I know you?” Ryu repeated, this time looking at the girl with the black hair. “I’ve seen you before.” The girl looked at everyone around her, her right hand was holding a golden cross she hung from her neck.
“I don’t know . . . maybe,” she said. “I’m Faith.” The guy in the tank top walked and stopped next to Faith, as if ready to protect her. But his eyes weren’t defiant; they were confused, like everyone else’s.
Both Ryu’s and the brown haired man’s eyes broadened. “Faith? I know you . . . I know you!” Ryu said. “I don’t know where I’ve seen you. But I know you.” It probably was the shock or the sudden rush of memories, but Ryu didn’t feel drunk anymore.