Chapter 5

I’m standing outside 27th Standard St.  Although it's only Autumn the air is especially chilly. Relaxing but unnerving. This is it. This is the house that Ma’s friend said Rachel lived in. The house is old, worn down. With chipped white painted walls, overgrown plants and a fence barley being held together.  Like the owners are just waiting to disintegrate and watch as the world carries on without them. It probably already has.  All the windows are shut, curtains drawn. At 4:30 in the afternoon.  It’s all a bit of American gothic horror if you ask me. 

I walk up out the door and ring the doorbell. On the other side I hear whispered screaming, shuffling, a pair of footsteps running up the stairs. Eventually two people answer the door. A tall man, with frameless glasses and a dull white buttoned down shirt. And a shorter lady who’s hair was put loosley in a plait. I assume these are Mr. and Mrs. Young  “Can we help you”.  Mrs.Young said with a faint chinese accent. 

“Um yes, Hi my name is Roxanne Myers. I wanted to ask you some questions about your daughter”. 

Their faces turn stone cold pale. Like I just sucked the living essence out of them  with just those words. 

“Excuse me”. Mr.Young says. 

“Well I understand if this reopens an old wound but your daughter Rachel Young. I was wondering if you could answer some questions for me”.  

Before, I barely have time to finish my sentences. Mrs Young  Screams. 

“Reopen an old wound, this wound never closed. We lost our daughter, we lost our baby and we got stuck with”. But she never finished her sentence, she just crashes into her husband sobbing. 

Mr Myers glares at me and  says “Please leave us alone, don’t come back here”.  The door slams in my face. 

As I walk onto the driveway I hear a voice. “Did you honestly think you’d get anything out of them”. I turn to see a boy. About my age, tall, chocolate brown curls and pale skin.  He was wearing a flannel jacket, dark jeans and a grey beanie. “Sorry, who are you?”. I ask puzzled.  

“Blade. Blade Apollo”. He says. “And yourself”. 

“Roxanne, but you can call me Rocks”. 

“Ok. Well why were you knocking on the Young's house Rocks”.  He asks. 

“Well I made a Bet with this girl in school that I could find the story of their daughter Rachel. She’s kind of a legend at my school you see and now I'm here I guess”.  I don’t know why I’m telling a perfect stranger this stuff. But maybe the unnerving attitude will help me in the long run. In any case, it seems trustworthy. 

When I finish I see Blade's face crumple. “You’re a Redwood girl”. The way he said it I wasn't sure if it was a good thing. 

“Yeah” I say. “Why” 

“I’m not really supposed to talk to you”. He says scratching the back of his head. 

“What ,why?”. I ask confusedly 

“Does it really matter?”. He turns around  “Good luck with your Bet”. Blade calls as he walks away.

Well that’s not gonna fly. I’ve never been one innocent from unfair judgement but for being a Redwood girl. It festers and irritates me. “Wait”. I call chasing him down the road. “Wait” I called again. This time he stops and turns to face me. 

“Why can’t you talk to me”. I ask to catch up. 

“Cause you're a Redwood girl. Blade replies, shoving his hands into his pocket like it was a notion completely out of his control. 

“Well I know that but why”. 

“Cause. In the local parks, the plaza, the train station, pretty much this whole godforsaken town, Redwood girls treat us public school kids like crap. We know that we aren’t all rich. But that isn’t even your money, it's your parents. But even then you act all high and mighty. So we got bored of it. The Kids at my school agreed to never have anything to do with you guys. I mean we get treated like outsiders when most of you don’t even live in this town. Acting like it's your turf we’re stepping on when it’s not. So there”. 

I process what he’s saying. It’s no secret that Redwood girls are a bit of snobs. But I didn't realise we were actually rude to other kids. That's so messed up. Yet so unsurprising. 

“Look, I'm really sorry. I’m not that surprised that Redwood girls are kind of uptight like that. But I promise I'm not like that. A lot of us aren’t actually. Can we start fresh”.
Blade sighs “Fine”. 

I smile. 

“You know my grandad knew the Young family since they moved here. Maybe that could help.” 

I beam. “That's great”. 

As we walk towards Blades house. The chilly air and falling autumn leaves create a strange but cosy atmosphere. The houses here don’t look much like some of the other neighbourhoods my friends live in. Most of the houses are redbrick, or run down. Paint chipped fences and yellow grass. Yet it seems so beautiful. Like I've stepped into someone else's corner of home. 

“So tell me”. Blade says looking ahead as we walk. “What do you know so far about Rachel Young”. 

I go into telling him the original legend. When I get to the part of the drug ring. He pauses me shocked. “Wait so Redwood has its own drug ring”. 
“Well the kids who deal it don't make it. So whether the supplier only sells to the Snake charmers or has multiple rings across schools I'm not sure”.  I  explain. 

“Huh. You know I got to say I figured you would have ratted out those girls the second you found out. I’m impressed”. Blade says 

“They use that money to pay their fees. Besides, I'm not that different from them. I may rat them out in the end but for now i’ll keep it under wraps till i know more”. 

“Really”. He says smugly “and may I ask how you aren’t so different from them”. 

“Well not that it’s any of your business but. My ma was 16 when she had me and my grandmother was a teen mum too. My mother wasn’t really cut out for the whole mum thing so I was raised by my grandmother. My grandpa was a gambling addict so my grandmother and I are in debt. I work two jobs on top of school to help out.” 

Silence fills the air as we turn into a street. “Wow, you're really not like those other girls at Redwood”. Blade says 

“Yeah” I say. 

“I wish the women in my family were like that”. Blade says, sighing. “My grandfather likes to say the Apollo men are cursed. Every girl that’s married into our family just has kids then leaves them with us. My grandmother ditched my grandfather and my mum did the same to my dad.  Then my brother who got stuck with twins. Kind of turns me off anything romantic at all. To know that whoever I end up with will just dump a kid on me then leave”. 

Before I can reply  Blade runs a hand down his face. “Sorry I just dumped that on you. We hardly know each other. There just aren’t many people who know the feeling of not having half your family”.  

I smile. “It’s fine. Really I get that. Pretty much everyone at Redwood has two perfectly married parents in a nice house. At best you get a kid whose parents have shared custody or something”. 

Blade chuckles. It's a relaxing sound, but still weird. It reminds me of ice melting in some weird way.