“So will you please tell me where in the hell we are going?” Kat demanded, trotting to keep up with Kody as he strode down the street.

“You’ll see,” he replied, just as he had every other time she’d asked that question. Kat sighed irritably. They were on the far side of East Ariesville, where houses were more sporadic, and grass filled the empty lots and the cracks in the sidewalks. As promised, Kody had met her at the end of her street at five, and they had since been trekking across the small town.

Suddenly, Kody stopped, almost causing Kat to run face-first into him. “What? Why’d you stop?” she asked.

He turned, smiling playfully. “Come on. In here,” he said, walking into the parking lot of an abandoned building.

Kat remained where she was, staring at the building. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Not at all,” he replied. “I am completely serious.”

"What could you possibly have to show me in there?"

"Come with me and you'll see," he said simply, walking toward the building. Still unsure, Kat followed.

They entered the building through the front door, which was open, hanging from one hinge. It was empty inside, save for a few boards and what looked to have once been a table. Kat wrinkled her nose at the old, musty smell of the place. “Ugh, when was the last time someone opened a window in here?”

“No idea; you’ve lived around here longer than I have. How long has it been abandoned?”

Kat thought about it. “…The last time I remember seeing anybody use this place, I was in…second grade? Something like that.”

“Well then, that was probably the last time someone opened a window,” Kody said.

“I guess,” Kat grumbled. She followed Kody to the back of the large, empty room, to another door. He opened it to reveal a staircase leading up.

Kat eyed it warily. “We’re not going up there, are we?”

“Of course we are,” he replied, beginning to climb the stairs.

“But it’s falling apart! What if the stairs collapse or something?”

Kody looked back at her, brow furrowing. “It’s not that old. I’ve been up here plenty of times; it’s fine.”

Kat still regarded the staircase with some concern, but followed him up.

Upon arriving at the top, Kody made a sharp left, moving down a short hallway. At the end of it, he knelt down, running a hand over the wall.

“What are you doing?” Kat asked.

“Looking for something,” he replied. “It’s around here somewhere…aha!” He appeared to grab at part of the wall, prying it apart from the rest with his fingernails. The small square of plaster fell out, some dust scattering from it as it hit the worn wooden floor. Behind it, there was a rope. Getting to his feet, Kody grabbed it, and stepped backwards as he pulled. The wall swung open, hidden hinges creaking and revealing a curtain made of thick, purple velvet. Kody grabbed the edge, ready to push it aside. “You ready for this?” he asked, smiling back at her.

“Uh...I guess...” Kat replied, still trying to wrap her head around the fake wall.

“Good enough,” Kody said, and proceeded to shove the curtain aside.

Kat stepped inside the small room, mouth falling open slightly. There were books, lots of books, absolutely everywhere. All four walls of the room were covered by floor to ceiling shelves, every one filled with tomes of all sizes. In the center of the room were two armchairs with small tables next to them; also covered in miscellaneous volumes. Presently, the only light in the room came from a small skylight, but what appeared to be an old oil lantern sat on one of the tables

“What…what is this place?” Katarina asked as Kody turned the knob on the lantern to light it.

“Somebody’s personal library, I would think,” he replied. “I’m not sure why anyone would hide all these books in a place like this though. You grew up here; I was wondering if maybe you had some idea.”

“None at all,” Kat told him, still a bit awestruck. She walked to one of the shelves, running a finger along the spines of the books. They seemed to be in alphabetical order by title, but that was the only form of organization present. They were of all different genres and authors, this shelf containing everything from Paradise Lost to A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA. "This is crazy," she mumbled. "Who in the world do these belong to?"

"I really wish you'd stop asking me questions about things in your  hometown," Kody said wearily, plopping down on one of the armchairs. It released a small cloud of dust as he sat.

"Oh, shut up," she said half-heartedly, still skimming through the books. "That reminds me," she said after a moment, turning to him. "Where are you from, anyway?"

Kody looked up at her, a bit surprised. "West Virginia," he replied.

"Where in West Virginia?" Kat inquired, sitting down in the other armchair and picking up some of the books sitting on the table, looking at each of the titles.

"Winfield," Kody told her. "It's a little bit north of Charleston."

Katarina opened one of the books--an old copy of Wuthering Heights, flipping through it. "So...why did you move to Ariesville?"

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed him flinch, just a bit. He laughed nervously. "It's...kind of a long story."

"We've got time," Kat said simply.

Kody shifted uncomfortably. "That's not really the point," he said. Kat looked up at him, slowly closing the book and tilting her head in confusion. He scratched his head, offering an apologetic smile. "Would you take an I.O.U. on that explanation?"

Katarina frowned. "I don't suppose you'll tell me why."

He sat back in the chair, looking up at the skylight. "I guess it's just not something I'm up for discussing yet."

She watched him for a moment before turning back to the books. Now that she thought about it, she didn’t actually know much of anything about Kody Foster. In reality, there was no logical reason that she should think she knew him well enough to be sitting here, in this abandoned building, with only the new kid as a companion. But for some reason...Katarina trusted him. She couldn't put her finger on why, but there was something about the boy that she found...oddly comforting. It was strange.

On the other hand, she also couldn't quite shake the feeling that there was something very, very odd about Kody.

She picked up another book. Interview With A Vampire. She put it back down, never having cared for such fantastical creatures, and glanced at Kody, who was still staring at the skylight.

Yes, something very odd indeed.