The train screeched to a halt at the lone platform of Blackthorn station, a cloud of steam engulfing the boy as he stepped onto the cracked and weathered planks. Luggage in hand and wide-eyed, Caius observed the quaint town he had heard so much about but never seen. The sun dipped low, casting a golden hue across the rooftops and cobblestone streets that seemed frozen in time.
"Well, here we are," his father, Trevor, muttered, more to himself than to Caius, as he adjusted his old leather satchel. It was the same bag he had carried when he left this town over two decades ago. But fate has a peculiar way of drawing us back to our roots.
Caius tried to match his father's strides as they walked towards the center of town. Each step was a step into the past, through streets, Trevor once knew intimately. The bakery with its inviting aroma of freshly baked bread, the library with its tall wooden shelves, and the small park where a fountain gurgled merrily – all of it held stories that now belonged to Caius's father but had shaped him too, in ways he couldn't yet understand.
Trevor pointed out landmarks with a mix of nostalgia and melancholy. "That used to be Mrs. Parker's candy shop," he said, smiling wistfully. "She made the best toffee. I wonder if it's still there." Caius could see his father's eyes glaze over as they passed the shuttered storefronts, ghosts of memories drifting in the evening air.
They reached the house—an old, ivy-covered building at the edge of town, bordered by a dense forest that looked abandoned. It was their new home, but it was a long-lost haven to Trevor. The house had stood empty for years, waiting for Its owner to come back one day.
Inside, the dust danced in the fading sunlight streaming through the windows. Caius wasn't bothered by the dust of the decayed house. He felt a strange connection to this place, as if he belonged here even though it was entirely new to him. As far as his dad had told him, he was born here but due to 'some issues' that his dad refused to elaborate they moved across the country.
"Let's get settled," Trevor said, snapping Caius out of his reverie. They began unpacking.
"Excited for school?" Trevor asked.
"Wow yeah, dying from excitement" Caius replied with sarcasm. 'I was not liked in my old school for being poor but now I am in a poor area. In others eyes I should be able to get along with them but I for sure know I won't'
"Don't be negative. Look I am excited too. New job and all." Trevor said. 'His new job is being a trash man.' Caius thought. Was his thoughts cruel? Yes. Did he care? No. In the end It was his dad's fault that his mom wasn't here with them.
Seeing Caius's uncaring face Trevor contuined " Anyway you go and sleep, you have school in the morning."
Caius quietly but steadily went upstairs hoping tomorrow would never happen.