All About Blues

Chapter 09

The cold breeze of the night getting into Azul's skin seems to be making her drowsy but she managed to stay awake until they arrived in the mountainous part of the city. In the Lila Heights the village where the Nepomucino's house was located, the same house where that party was held. They weren't heading there though, Klay knew a perfect place in that village where she could bring Azul.

"We're getting quite distant from the houses" said Azul, noticing how they've been surrounded by towering trees already. The lamp posts in the sidewalk is no longer working in that side.

"Yeah" calmly,

"Where are you taking me?"

"In the farthest part of the woods where I can easily hide a body— your body" He sternly stated, but he did not got Azul. He didn't intend to do so.

"Ooh, I like that" and they both grinned.

Klay halted the car in the dead end, where there were barricades already. Behind the barricades is already the woods, the concreted road ends there. Klay hopped out the car and Azul followed.

"We're gonna get inside the woods" Klay started "Are you cool with it?"

"In that dark dangerous woods?" she questioned in that taut voice.

"Yes"

Then her mood altered and enthusiastically exclaimed "Of course I'd love that!" Klay could only shake his head.

Like what Klay said they went inside the woods, they both used the torches from their phones and trod their unpaved way through the inside of the woods. Klay was uncertain if they're trodding the right path as it's been years since he last visited the place, Azul on the other hand felt Klay's uncertainty but she did not bother to question or to even wonder where are they really heading. She did not feel any danger around, or that she isn't even worried. She was all comfortable, again complacent. She has always been complacent— when she's with him.

"We're heading into an abandoned park, there was a skating rink along our way so we better just get there" Klay finally opened up.

"You have rollers?"

"Well I used to leave them in a certain place in the rink, that was enclosed so there were cabinets around— but I didn't really put it in the cabinets it's just under the bleacher" Azul just smiled hearing that "I don't know if it's still there though or that if i still could use it."

"You haven't gone here for awhile?"

"For years, maybe 3 or 4 years already."

"Oh" Azul could only respond.

Sooner they got out the woods and found an empty bushy lot, in the middle of it was an establishment. An old worn out wooden establishment, the glass windows are smudged and fortunately not broken. And there was a rusty steel double door.

"It's indeed looking old" Azul mumbled.

"Not haunted though, don't worry"

"I would love it more if it's haunted" she grinned.

They headed inside after they pulled the rusty big chains that was wrapped around the door holder. Azul remained in the doorway, scanning the whole place while Klay headed into the generator. Right beside Azul was a counter, there were few bleachers that sparsely stood in the corners of the wide empty hall. The barricades in the side of the rinks are already broken or was removed that there were only few that remained standing still. In the roofs there were different kinds of things that was hung from the pillars including the broken bulbs. The whole place was empty and indeed looking deserted, there were also broken roller skates that was gathered in a certain corner.

Along being mesmerized by the dreadful state of the place she was astonished when the generated lights from the certain corner of the hall was turned on. She was dazzled that she had her hands cover her very eyes yet sooner she managed to open them up and looked around ones again.

"I'm sorry" Klay's voice echoed from the other side of the hall where he found the generator. "Can you please close the door?"

Azul went to close the door before yelling "Can I go there?!"

"Sure!" enthusiastically "I'd just search for the roller skates"

"I can help you"

"The surrounding's pretty dusty and there were keen rusty stuffs around"

"That's fine"

"No it isn't, this place hasn't been cleaned for years and there might be some other stuffs that would appear around. You can sit in the bleacher though, just let me find them"

"O-Okay"

Azul went to the bleacher and sat in the 3rd level silently, watching Klay who started rummaging the cabinets and boxes in the corners of the whole place.

"How was this place before?" Azul wondered.

"This rink?" Klay gasp "Well it was only open in public for 3 years, that was when I am still on 6th grade until 8th grade. It was free for everyone in our village even the outsiders could enter but they have to undergo deep interrogations" he chuckled.

"Free?"

"Yeah, this was a private property owned by the captain of the village and that his wife decided to open a rink for the public, she used to be a skater before and she's pretty good at it. It has been a great and mellifluous project, unfortunately everything went— well everything was halted after she died"

"Wouldn't it be better to keep what she established?"

"Yes of course— but there were rumors. That she committed suicide here, that she died here that's why people apparently kids stopped coming here."

"Did she?"

"No she didn't" he turned to look at Azul from not so distant "She was already sick, she was heading here when she collapsed along her way. When the rescuer arrived they restrict to get into the scene, when she was took out she's already covered with a white cloth— she's dead. Her family did not release any public statement to elucidate the incident that's why there were rumors that circulated all around the village."

"Then how did you know about it?"

"My parents are great friends with the sibling of the deceased."

Azul did not say further and just turned to look outside the windows, to the void. Klay just then watched her. The side of her face was illuminated by the light and half of it hid in the darkness, but even though her face was partly seen it still could not hide the detail of beauty that every inch of her face possessed.

And Klay could not help but to be mesmerized by her silent beauty. The intricacy and gracefulness of every of her motion. Her slender and frail posture together with her pale complexion, she screams tenderness only if not reckoning her dark humor, morbid fascinations and ridiculous experiences— and that recalling it all out, Klay ended up chuckling to himself.

"Klay" she snapped, Klay was pulled out from his reverie. Surprised, hearing her say his name— for the first time, as he could remember— if he wasn't mistaken.

"Why?"

She turned at him and smiled— the same smile she showed her the last time they went into Consuelo's book shop.

"What's the matter, A-Azul?" He almost whispered her name.

"Have you found the rollers?"

Klay lowered his gazes down the cabinet where there were 2 pairs of roller skates. The other one was his and the other one was owned by someone— he used to roller skate with back then. He then closed the cabinet and lifted his head to look at her ones again and said "No, I didn't"

"Is that so?" She sighed "That's fine, I don't know how to skate anyways" she leaned her back in the other level of the of the bleacher behind her and looked above the ceiling "I am a kind of tired, can I sleep here?"

"I can still drive you, or you can also stay in our house in this village. No one's there, Azul."

"No" she sat erect and darted him her gaze "I want to stay here"

"Why?"

"I don't know"

"This place isn't secured" he strode in the other side where Azul was seated. Moments after he arrived near her. "Also aren't you afraid—"

"About what?" She chuckled.

"That this place is haunted and someone died here"

"You just said that she did not die here" she laughed "But aren't we trespassing?"

"Well..."

"Well we better just leave this place then."

Klay went up to her and sat beside her "You want to go back in your dorm already?" He slouched, resting his elbows over his knees while looking up to her who sooner met his eyes.

"It's not like I don't want to but I still want to go somewhere else" she chuckled and lowered her gazes down "somewhere I really don't know or just stay here"

"I knew a lot of place but I don't think it's better for us to wander this late all around the city. I knew few places around this village though."

"I want you to take me there" she frankly said "But you must be tired"

"Going back to those places would have me rest"

"What do you mean?"

"This is home, Azul" he looked away, smiling "Regardless of how tired I could get this place would always be my rest." Azul chuckled at him "W-Why?"

"That's just cringe"

"Oh come on!" He groaned and they ended up laughing together.

"But I'm happy for you— for having such, for viewing things that way— you know what I mean?"

"Kinda" he chuckled "How about you?"

"What about me?"

"Why do you seem to be hating where you came from?"

"Do I?"

"Well— I feel like you don't consider it as home"

"I do consider it as home" she simply said "But unlike you, there's no place that I really could rest. Everything makes me worn out, instantly, and that it could not even be withdrawn. It's just piling up day by day and nothing or no one has ever relieved me from it"

Klay sensed her sorrow, her sadness her melancholy. He believed that what she said was rooting from elsewhere profound. It seems Azul has a great story to tell, her mind is immense and profound and her emotions seems seized. She indeed was seizing something. And Klay is obviously curious about it but he chose to remain silent not wanting to seem intrusive.

The silence prevailed for moments not until when the harsh collision of a dripping water successively hitting the steel roof that it made an tumultuous sound, surprising and worrying the both of them.

"We could have left earlier" Azul told Klay.

"Y-Yeah" he conceded while roaming his eyes around and seen from the windows how the drizzles turns into a rain.

"What should we do now?"

"Don't wo—" He hasn't had to finish as his phone rang, he immediately pulled it out from the pocket of his slacks and when he saw the registered cell he immediately swiped to answer the call. "Hey Drew!"

"Are you in the rink?" his friend, Andrew Baggins the son of the owner of the abandoned rink who also happened to be his childhood friend "The patrol roamed and the authorities called me, informing me that someone might be in the rink. The lights are on and a car was found in the road, I've called the rest already but they are all in the downtown"

"Yeah I am" he admitted "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you firsthand—"

"No...no... it's fine. But it's raining right now, and that I guess you're still there. Do you want me to send a rescue or what?"

"No, I'm fine. Can I stay here until morning?"

"Sure, but there might be defects around, the cold might get in or—"

"No it's fine, it's fine. Everything seems on good state."

"I assume you're with Yngrid"

"Oh... no, I'm not with her or anyone" he looked at her as of saying that she just smiled to him, assuring that he has nothing to worry.

"Oh, I have to interrogate you with lots of matter then but I better be rummaging them tomorrow. Drop by in my house you moron"

"Oh sure!"

"I'll hang up, I will tell the authorities about you. Bye" then he ended the call.

"Who is that?" Azul just then asked.

"The son of the owner of the rink— well he already owned this place so.... He assured me that it's fine for us to stay here"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, don't worry everything in this establishment is yet on good state and would certainly still survive even in thunders. Flood on the other hand— well I'm not quite certain with that" he explained "So yeah nothing to worry and yes you can now sleep here"