Amongst The Water-Fresh Waters

Chapter 34: Study Date! Part 1

       FIRST UPLOADED: JANUARY 15, 2021   UPDATED: AUGUST 2, 2021 11:27 AM                                                       

                                                            Monday, March 19, 2018

After the short stressful day at school; Kylie arrives at her house. Staring at the door, dreading how to ask her dad to go out before doing her homework. She can't tell him that she's seeing Finn. He'd probably forbid her from seeing him. She shakes her thought away and places her hand on the doorknob. She jolts back, hearing laughter inside. A man's voice. She looks at the door exhausted. "Who's here?" She says annoyed and confused. She stands there for a minute trying to use her Super Hearing. She sighs, frustrated, not able to figure out whose voice it is. "I don't recognize that voice." She shrugs. "But I guess I'll just go in." She sighs annoyed.

She rolls her eyes and braces to meet someone new. She doesn't have the energy to talk to a new friend of her dad's. As she walks inside, she hears a heavy sigh. She walks up to the island where her dad is whispering to his friend.  The unknown man has his back to her leaning over talking to her father. She swears she hears him say something about Mr. Rites. She shivers not wanting to think of her recently murdered teacher. 

Her dad puts his short whiskey glass down, suddenly noticing her. She smiles at her dad. "Kylie!" Kevin's expression changes when he sees her. "Bonjour, mon chéri." Her dad greats her in his native language. 

The tall unknown man turns around to face her and he smiles. She smiles back at him, somewhat recognizing his face. "Comment était l'école, ma chéri ?" Kevin asks how school was in French. Looking from her dad to the man, Kylie sighs saddened by the awful day. "Not good." She admits, not having the energy to answer in her rusty French.  "Worst school day ever." She taps her foot anxiously, not knowing how to ask her dad if she can go out.

The tall tanned man looks at her and shakes his head. "I'm sorry about your teacher dear." The man apologizes. Kylie flinches. She blinks. "How did you know." She nervously looks at her dad. "He's part of the Sooshanie Police Force." Kylie nods at her father. "Oh." Is all she can say, as she looks at the man. "He was almost everyone's favorite teacher. School was cut short today and is canceled for tomorrow because...." She looks at the mysterious man again. Suddenly having a feeling she shouldn't inform them what she knows what happened. Well, what Matt told her. "Because of Mr. Rites' murder." The tall man finishes for her. Kylie looks at him curiously. "Yeah. It shook everyone up and no one wants to have class at a crime scene." She says plainly, trying to keep herself together. She stares at the man's black beard, trying to remember him. People with beards are usually easy to remember. Especially someone who also has eyes that blue. She then remembers that Matt's eyes sometimes change colors. Which is bizarre to her. 

"When my partner and I found him, he was in terrible shape. It'd certainly best that you kids aren't having school tomorrow." He informs Kylie, snapping her out of her thoughts. Kevin shakes his head. He takes a small sip of the golden liquid in his glass. "I can't believe that he was drained of his blood. That's very strange." He unconsciously blurts out. "Then again, since we moved here, every other thing that has been happening is strange in this town." The man looks at him and doesn't say a word. Instead, he looks at him curiously. Kylie studies the mysterious man. "I understand dad. This place is full of strange things." She says looking at the man. Her anxiety starting to form. "Is there anything you can tell us about his murder?" She asks, trying to get more information out of the guy. He looks away from Kevin and focuses on Kylie.

"Unfortunately, there isn't any more information I can release yet." Kylie nods, studying him up. He doesn't blink or look away like a normal person. Instead, he studies her too. Kylie blinks and holds her head in pain. "Ouch!" She exclaims. Kevin looks at her startled. "My dear, are you okay?" Kevin asks his daughter, worried. Looking through the pieces of hair in her face; Kylie looks up at the stranger. "I just got a sudden headache." Kevin shakes his head. "Maybe you should lie down." She shakes her head. "No. I'm alright. I think it's just a stress or tension headache." She stands up straight and looks at her dad. "Kaylee's diagnosis has been worrying me and the play is going to be a lot of work. And keeping up with school also probably brought it on." She cleverly covers up the weird and unknown sudden headache that randomly hit her. 

"Matt gets stress headaches pretty often." The stranger says. "He likes to swim to ease the tension." He says. Kylie flinches. She studies his face and his long dark black hair. She notices that he is taller than her 6-foot dad. She gasps, causing her dad to look at her startled. The suddenly familiar man looks at Kylie and smiles. "I believe my son goes to school with you." He says. Kylie's heart drops to her feet. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Miles." She says, her smile tight and forced as her dad is staring at her smiling.