The New Neighbor

About an hour after we left the hospital, my mom's car pulls up into our driveway. I look up at the house as a feeling of bliss sweeps through me. It feels good to be home.

In contrast to the houses surrounding it, our house is pitch black. Not a single sign of light could be seen through the windows. I am not surprised though. My mom is something of an energy-saving freak. She believes that anything not in use should be turned off. Especially lightbulbs. Even when we are at home, half of the lights in the house are usually turned off. She even has this crazy habit of waking up in the middle of the night to turn off each and every lightbulb. When we were younger she would even come into our rooms, that only stopped a few years ago after she had this big fight with Emily about privacy.

I briefly close my eyes as I get out of the car, relishing the feel of the cool natural air on my skin. The sound of an agitated voice reaches my ears, I look and see a man sitting on the doorstep of the house opposite ours, speaking animatedly to someone on his phone.

He has short dark hair, a slightly muscular physique, and a handsome face. If I were to place his age I would guess late-twenties. A look of annoyance is the main expression on his face as he speaks to the person on the other end of the phone. He is staring at a particular spot in front of him as if there is someone there. As I assess him, his eyes suddenly meet min. For a moment we stare at each other, then he looks away.

I shut the car door and walk to the house where Emily was unlocking the door.

"Who's that guy?" I ask her turning my head slightly.

She looks back for a second, notices the guy then pushes open the door. "Oh him. He moved here about some weeks ago when you were still in the hospital. He's hardly ever around though."

The sound of a car starting up reaches my ears as my mom leaves to get the pizza. Emily turns on the light before flopping down on the couch. I head for my room, turning on every lightbulb in my way as I do so. Mom would freak if she saw me right now.

As I enter my room I take a good look around. Everything looks the same, but for some reason, it feels new and a coldness I had not noticed before seems to permeate the entire room. Nonetheless, a smile spreads across my face. I missed this room.

I walk to my bed and lie on it, staring at the ceiling. This reminds me of my time in the hospital and some part of me involuntarily tenses up. What if that strange apparition from my hospital room was also here.

Time passes and when nothing happens I begin to relax, I probably hallucinated what I kept seeing in the hospital. With a slight smile on my face, I decide to close my eyes for a second.

* * * * * *

Emily

My eyes jumped between the television and the phone in my hand. The house was quiet, as usual, and the only noise came from the television.

Ian had gone up to his room, I would not be surprised if he was sleeping right now. Ever since he had gained consciousness he has been sleeping as if his life depended on it, to be fair, it probably did.

I let out a soft sigh as my stomach rumbled. I hope mom would be quick with the pizza, I am hungry.

My mind turns to the man outside, the one Ian had asked me about. I truly do not know what to think of him, he is hardly ever around after all. I was a bit surprised to see him when I got down from the car today. He is good-looking though, I think as I imagine his features.

I slap the side of my head to stop thinking about that. That man is a bit too good-looking for his own good. I stand up and go to the window beside the door. I sneakily look outside the window. The man is still sitting outside, but he is now talking to himself and looking upwards.

After some seconds I begin to feel silly. I mean I am creepily staring at a man I did not know all because he is good-looking. I shake my head, inwardly chiding myself as I go back to the couch.

As I sink back into the couch I am hit by another hunger pang. Inwardly I pray for my mom to be quick with the pizza.

* * * * * *

???

I stare at the boy's window as I sit on the doorstep. He had come back from the hospital not too long ago. "It seems he came back alright from his little trip to the hospital." 'Taur says from beside me, also looking up at the boy's room.

I chuckled softly at that. "A trip you were all too happy to send him on."

'Taur shoots me a displeased look. "You said it was the only way."

I shake my head. "And it is." At least it is the only way He could see. It was unfortunate though, I liked the boy. He had great potential, under His tutelage he could become one of the greatest men this world will ever see. Unfortunately, he had another path laid out for him. A dangerous path, yes, but a path that he needed to take.

"What does he remember?" I ask 'Taur.

"Nothing. The Laen have too much experience when it comes to that." He said the name Laen as if it had a bitter taste.

"Don't worry, you and your kind will be free to roam the earth once again. You just have to be patient for a bit more."

"I have been patient for too long. And those damned Laen just keep getting stronger."

I smile. "Don't worry, the time for action is almost here. We just have to show the boy his destiny."

A look of longing enters 'Taur's eyes as he stares at the boy's room. "Soon."

"Yes. Soon."

But despite my confident words, I felt a bit of unease. The Master still can not see far enough. But I did not worry, once the boy has done what he needs to do, He will be able to do so, then He will remove all dangers.

The feeling disappears and is replaced by another, excitement. After such a long time I will finally be free to do an act once more. Nothing could be better than that. At that moment I felt a profound connection to the universe.

Soon.