The Observatory

Chapter Nine (Summer, 2000)

(7k words, 30-40min read)

Mariah Smith was coasting down a small, grassy hill behind someone’s house toward Beck’s Creek. On her left she spotted blackberries growing out in the wild like God intended. Her internal compass was telling her to head this way. And she planned to find it with this method no matter how long it took. The wind was chilly and the sun was warm against her skin as the wheels spun freely down the hill.

Marshall Baker was biking along Beck’s Creek trail on the bank. Nobody ever took this route when they were walking, but if he did happen to pass someone, he’d be sure to head off of the road. Courtesy of the bikers.

Mariah swerved onto the path in front of Marshall and she yelped in surprise. She didn’t see him coming. He gripped his handbrakes which took a significant pull to activate. 

“Shit!” He said as he flew off of his seat and straddled (much faster than comfortable) the metal body of his bike. He’d taken a shot to the balls before: a baseball that Jake Muntzen threw while Marshall was skipping off the mound. An unintentional but direct hit and that was how Marshall felt now.

“Oh, shit,” Marshall doubled over and put both forearms on his handlebars. It was just a girl so he couldn’t get too mad. She probably didn’t ride bikes much and that wasn’t sexist, it was just an observation: he didn’t see as many girls on bikes as boys.

The girl was decently graceful on her bike and braked to a stop. Then she walked her bike back. On her way, she called: “I’m so sorry! You okay?”

“Yeah.” Marshall lifted his head from his forearms and winced through the pain that was working its way up his stomach. It felt like the ultimate nutcracker just finished the job on him. “Ughhh.” He put his head down.

“Seriously, is everything alright?” He recognized her as Mariah Smith from school.

“Yeah,” He spoke. “Just busted my nuts in the wrong way.” He said, though it was embarrassing. He just wanted her to know how much pain he was in. Pain she’d never understand.

She had the audacity to smile. To laugh.

“It hurts,” Marshall said. He readjusted his backpack since it had started slipping off of his shoulder.

“Sorry,” She demoted her laugh to a smile. “I’m sorry I rode in front of you so fast.”

“What’re you doing here anyway?”

Mariah didn’t answer right away which made Marshall suspicious. She knew who he was too. Marshall Baker, the policeman’s kid, from school.

“Riding my bike…” She didn’t want to lie, but Marshall finished the truth for her.

“Looking for the House?” Marshall finished, putting his tiny cheeks onto his bicycle seat again. He didn’t know why he said this, but what if he wasn’t the only one looking for this House? He didn’t think she’d say ‘You’re correct! I’m looking for the house that a bunch of teenagers died at twenty years ago!’

But she did say, “Yeah,” like he knew all along that she was about to lie. He knew the greater purpose behind her early-morning bike ride. “Wait, how’d…?”

Then she knew. He was special. Like the dream had told her. She covered her mouth.

“Are you really?” He asked, amazed.

“Yeah, but are you too?” She asked.

“Yeah. But… Why are you looking for it? How do you even know about it?”

“Okay, if we find it, I’ll tell you,” She said.

“Okay. It’s along this path.”

“Yup, just about,” Mariah said as she led the way along Beck’s Creek. 

You know what? Marshall thought as they rode along. She’s alright for a sheltered kid.

They pedaled on, the pain fading slowly from Marshall’s balls. He remembered that Mariah was a Christian and made a mental note to try not swear around her.

The Astronomy Club spotted the bikers before the bikers saw them.

Langley said in a lowered voice, “Is that Mariah Smith?” Is that Pretty’s Holy Grail? Literally, since she’s a Christian?

Myles looked to where Langley’s hooded head was aimed. And on two bikes were the two other kids, one of them being Mariah Smith. The other looked like Marshall Baker, the cop’s kid. The cop that’d approached them in the Diner. “What the hell?”

Myles walked over to the two cyclists. What was their business here? “Mariah?”

“Hello, Myles,” She said, somehow only remembering their exchange at the lemonade stand all those months ago. He was rude to her.

“What’re you doing here?” Myles asked. “And Marshall? Are you guys like a thing?”

“What the, no.” Marshall realized how this looked.

“What are you guys playing out here?” Pretty asked.

“We weren’t playing anything; we just got here.”

Pretty, Langley and Blink, still shrouded in his blanket, silently joined the group. After they were all standing in the strange circle, two on bikes, four on foot, Myles knew the Astronomy Club was complete. They were all here and now something was going to happen next, but it wasn’t in his control which gave him a strange relief. Maybe Mariah knew what the next step was. Then again… why would she, of all of them, know? And it dawned on him like a small tickle deep in his brain: They were all special in that strange way, but they weren’t all alike. Mariah and he were alike because they knew things. And that, he realized, was why he thought she would know what would happen next.

“Well, we’re all here,” Mariah said, like it was a council that she had organized.

“Mariah, hi,” Pretty said and threw a wave in the air. That simple action thrilled him: Communicating normally with Mariah Smith.

“Hi, Lewis. Hi, Langley.”

Langley’s smile was automatic as he waved back.

“Hey, Marshall,” Pretty said.

“Hey, Pretty,” Marshall said. “Hey, Blink. What’re you guys doing? Is Blink part of your club now?”

Blink almost sneered, “Pfffnah, you kidding?”

“We pulled him out of the creek after he fell in. Then we heard about the… fffishing gear.” Langley almost said monster. 

“We came to get my fishing gear that stayed on the bank where I fell in,” Blink lied along with him, as smooth as ice.

“Oh,” Mariah said, not believing them for some reason. She again decided to tell the truth: “We came to see if there was a House here. The one from the Bushkill Massacre.” As she said this, Mariah Renee Smith realized she didn’t know a thing about the Bushkill Massacre. Never heard it before, but she now knew about it like walking up to one of the lecterns at the Bronx Zoo she and her family went to last year and reading about the animal in the cage. You weren’t an expert on the animal, you just knew what the lectern said. But here, there was only a… mental? Lectern? One that you could only feel in your mind. The lectern overlooking the clearing was saying something along the lines of: This is a desecrated ground; the Bushkill Massacre was where dozens of highschoolers were killed before you were born .

Myles shrugged it off since he knew she was special; he’d begrudgingly knew this since the lemonade stand. She had that same future-sight power.

Pretty did: “How do you know about that?”

Mariah shrugged. “Isn’t this where it happened?”

The six kids were all facing each other: Two bikes, one blanket over Blink’s shoulders, one hoodie, and the Leader with his right-hand man. They were all here.

“Hhhow…?” Was all Langley was able to ask.

“God’s doing?” Mariah suggested.

Myles didn’t say anything, but she was speaking the truth; he could tell. Maybe it was just what she believed, or maybe… maybe it really was God’s doing. “It’s just… too much of a coincidence,” He said. “There was no way we were the ones who just got lucky with all of this panning out.”

“What’s so crazy about us meeting some kids in the woods? I’ll bet a lot of kids roam around out here,” Pretty said, hoping maybe some logic and odds were with them.

“At eight in the morning? To the exact same spot in the woods? To see about the same House in the Woods? And we’re all spec-” Myles stopped again. That was made clear to him like windshield wipers swiping a mess of rain away to reveal the road. They were ALL special, not just himself and Mariah. It was just that Myles and Mariah were the ones who had these kinds of feelings. And the others were going to have their own different feelings or powers. Everyone was looking at the Sage now.

He needed to make sure they stayed together and he knew how to do it too… but it would mean taking on new members. And what if they didn’t like hanging out together? What if none of them were good at arcade games or bikes? What if they said ‘no’? They all needed to be together when the novis came back for them. It was like the six kids standing on the edge of the dirt clearing in the middle of the forest were a medium-rare steak dinner and the rest of the Winton kids were overcooked TV dinners with those horrible peas for vegetables: hardly an option. If the novis were to eat, Myles and Langley would be the first since they lived close. And the novis were, in their twisted way, luring all the best kids together to eat them up. All for the fraise. The little organ tucked next to the heart.

Myles knew how to get them to stay. He had to say the one thing that was sure to keep them together. All eyes were still on him, like it was his turn in a board game.

“On behalf of the Astronomy Club of Winton, Pennsylvania, I, the Sage, offer you, Marshall, and you Blink, and You… Mariah, a chance to join the Astronomy Club by initiation.”

“Yes!” Marshall said quickly. Initiation! At last! Then he realized how excited he’d sounded and let the fleeting embarrassment pass.

Blink smiled and nodded. “Yes.” He never thought he’d have the opportunity.

Mariah just looked at Myles as if he was trying to trick her. She had reasons for it as well. He hadn’t always been the kindest to her and had made their club so exclusive. Why was he offering this so openly now? She didn’t know what Myles knew. She didn’t know yet that this group was supposed to stay together.

“Mariah?” Myles said. She looked into his desperate eyes. With uncertainty she said: ‘yes.’

Pretty’s large exhalation was only heard by Langley and Myles.

“So what do we need to do to get in?” Marshall asked. He was great at taking tests. 

“Well…” Myles knew the arcade and the bike-riding. He hoped it was easy enough. But right now, now that all of them were together, his priority task fell back to his mind. “We gotta go finish building the Observatory. And if you do that, you get two extra lives in the arcade challenge.”

“Boomerang Arcade is part of the initiation?” Blink asked. “I’m going to kick all of your asses.”

Mariah smiled. She wasn’t exceptional at video games, but she could beat Robert consistently at any of them. Not her dad. 

“It’s on, Blink.” Marshall said. “And,” He looked at Mariah. “I don’t hit girls, but I show no mercy when it comes to video games.”

Mariah smiled. These boys were alright. She found she was…

Very happy. So happy she was almost sad; she didn’t realize just how happy she could be with friends. What had she been missing all these years? She thought this must be what it is like to have older brothers. Ones she could joke around with and do older-kid stuff. Maybe they’d say bad words, or maybe they wouldn’t when she was around.

“The good news is you’ll only be playing us for that half of the initiation.” Langley said.

“Wait, ‘that half’? What’s the other side?” Blink said.

“Biking curbs.” Langley said.

Marshall was a great biker. He’d ridden lots of curbs, but wasn’t astoundingly good. Blink could drive cars, tractors, a motorcycle once, and every lawn mower on the planet (those skills would contribute to his nickname): this would be no problem. Mariah grinned and said: “I’ll do better on that half.”

Pretty smiled, unleashing his adorableness. “Alright, let’s head to the Observatory and build it.”

The six of them walked away from the clearing, letting trees slowly obscure it more and more as they distanced themselves. The Observatory became apparent soon enough and they stepped over the tools, planks, and hardware they were using to fasten the walls. Mr. Willis had already woodburned The Observatory into the beam above the entrance. There was one door in and two windows: One on the right so they could see when people were approaching from Bushkill, and one on the far side, for the telescope they’d probably never get. But it was for observing stars from inside all the same.

Pretty led them to the entrance and looked up at the name burned black into the wood above him. He gave it a slap on the way in. Langley, trailing directly behind him, liked that idea and also slapped it. Myles followed suit, crisply high-fiving the letters. Mariah tapped it lightly with four fingers right before Marshall gave it a firm slap and Blink did the same.

The day the Astronomy Club was so determined to finish, they did it while the Pennsylvania skies dumped buckets of water on them. At least the concrete foundation under the wooden floor was dry. The concrete had been poured from leftovers from Mr. Inges’ new deck as well. The boys helped as best they could to pour and set it before carefully propping tarp over it just in case it got wet. The beams firmly set next to the concrete slab were solid four-by-fours that stuck up six feet, six inches taller than Langley even with his Jordans on.

The walls were constructed out of plywood that only reached four feet high. All of the boys were granted significant privacy, but there was still a large gap that they wanted to fill. That was the last touch and they were about to do it together.

“Whoa, who’re these guys.” Marshall asked, pointing to the defaced photos on the one completed wall.

“Nega Segan and Frownileo,” Langley answered with a grin. It sounded funny to introduce them.

“The Shrine, huh.” Blink hadn’t really noticed the shrine. “These famous astronomers or something?” It made sense.

“They are the. Famous astronomers.” Myles emphasized their reverence.

Pretty hadn’t said anything and looked around, trying to avoid the faces. He was clearly thinking hard, but needed some time. The walls were only up to his chest. There was much work to do to make the Observatory a solid structure. One with maximum privacy.

“We’re gonna finish these walls.” The Leader said.

Marshall and Mariah spotted the names carved into the wall near the door as they looked around at the incomplete structure.

The Astronomers started nodding. Sounds good, Pretty. Do something that’ll help gather the thoughts. It was a wise decision. The six kids exited the Observatory and got to work. Myles and Marshall started working together; they were fastening two large hinges onto a board that could cover the entire window on the right of the building facing Myles’ house. Langley and Mariah began putting up the boards that would be the solid wall on the left. The one facing toward The House in the Woods. Pretty and Blink were fastening hinges onto the door and made sure it was slanted slightly down so the door would swing inward at all times and discourage animals.

After the functioning parts of the Observatory, crude as they were, were assembled, all of the manpower was put toward building the walls. It was the activity that drew them into a unit. The final construction of the clubhouse sealed their relationship and formed them. It was official. They were in this together. If they were going to escape monsters together, they may as well build a clubhouse together.

Mariah, Blink, and Marshall, despite never hanging out with or playing with the Astronomy Club before and only knowing them through school, felt perfectly normal working with them now. It was something they felt was just dormant deep inside them and was finally surfacing. But only Mariah felt that it was only the beginning to something much bigger than a friendship. That they were to experience much more than just an escape from the novis. And that would come later, no need to think about it now.

When they finished the Observatory, it was almost lunchtime. Marshall, Mariah, and Blink took turns to make calls from the landline to their parents to let them know where they were and all of them were told to be home soon. They were all in trouble (aside from Blink whose father sort of grunted and just asked that he be home in time to mow later than afternoon; Blink didn’t mention his tumble into the creek.)

They’d worked all morning for almost three hours and it was now privatized. They even had mostly-functioning windows. They ate lunch on Willis’ driveway. Cheese on Ritz crackers and PB&J’s with apple cider and water.

As they ate on Myles’ driveway, Blink brought up a question: “Why don’t we just tell the cops?”

Myles, Langley and Pretty looked at each other.

Myles looked about to make sure his mom wasn’t nearby. “I don’t think we’re supposed to know about it. It’ll make our parents ask questions. And you really think the police will believe you?”

Marshall was listening in. “They won’t. It’s too crazy a story. And my dad was there that night. He might believe you, but probably not. And he’d wonder why I knew about it and I’d get in trouble. But he might go out to the woods just to check. And if that did happen, would guns be able to kill the novis?”

Myles knew that the novis were cunning. They’d fight the police with strategy if the police did attack. It was the novis’ home-turf. That was dangerous. And it was just the Astronomy Club that the novis were after. If they made it to the mirror, they’d live and help to starve the novis. Other kids might be in danger, but not many. Adults were mostly safe from the novis unless they interfered.

And in the meantime? They didn’t want to enjoy themselves. They just wanted to be safe. They couldn’t fight back, but they could outwit. At least, in theory. They knew the novis’ weakness and strength were the same thing: themselves. Well, kids. But not many of the kids in Winton lived way out here.

“So, what can we do to prepare?” Marshall asked. He wanted to be caught the least off-guard. He wanted to be ready. Maybe it was something passed down from his father, an officer of order. 

“Does anyone know where we’re even going?” Blink said.

All of the Astronomers exchanged glances. Nope.

“Well, that’s just great. What if we get dumped in the middle of the ocean? Or just locked in a little box together? Or better yet, what if the novis want us to jump into the mirror?” Blink said. “How do we even know there’s a mirror? And if that’s our only way out, why haven’t they broken it yet?”

“There’s a mirror.” Myles said. There wasn’t a question about that. “And all I know is we’ll all be safe. But I think Mariah’s onto something; I do think there’s a chance we might have to use some survival skills at some point. Terrible as they might be. As for why they haven’t broken it, I think they use its power to travel. So once we use it, they can’t travel anymore and they’ll starve here or get wiped out by the police.”

“Impressive that you and Mariah know all of this.” Langley said. “It’d be insane to hear and believe, but after I saw the… novis. And after it attacked me, I believe it.”

“I still find it crazy that Mariah wasn’t just Pretty’s crush, she was also going to be the key part to us surviving the novis.” Myles said. 

Shit.

The Astronomers were looking at Myles and Pretty, Mariah took an absent glance at Myles and then an embarrassed look at the driveway.

Pretty’s best friend had spilled it to the last person he’d wanted to know about it. Not even Mariah’s future sight could have predicted that. Then again, she wasn’t dying to know either.

Pretty was turning redder as the seconds passed. He stood up and walked inside with his plate.

“Pretty…” Myles stood up with his own plate and walked after him. “I…” There wasn’t much to do now that the damage had just been dealt. “Shit…”

The Leader and the Sage walked inside and let the door shut behind them.

“Well…” Langley said. “That’s…” And he realized he probably should have kept his mouth shut. He grabbed the cords on his hoodie and swished them to close the hood. His nose stuck out of the tiny hole.

Blink and Marshall were looking around awkwardly and their eyes met. Marshall’s mouth began to smile and that was all it took for both boys to burst out laughing. What a couple of suckers! What a boneheaded thing to say!

Mariah was almost smiling, but she was too embarrassed to come close to laughing. Langley’s body-language revealed that he too was laughing silently.

“What a dummy,” Langley said what the others wanted to say.

That just made Marshall and Blink start laughing anew.

“Well, do you like him back, Mariah? We won’t tell. We’re men of our word.” Marshall said. Blink stopped laughing and all three boys stared intently at her.

She shook her head. She wasn’t afraid of telling the truth. “No. He’s cute, but I don’t like him back.” But he wasn’t just cute, he was far more manlier than any other boys she’d known. He liked to have a good time, yes, but he was the Leader.

Pretty and Myles came back as the three boys were nodding in understandment. It was hard to believe there was someone who wasn’t crushing on Pretty, but he couldn’t win ‘em all.

“She doesn’t like you back.” Langley announced.

“Hey!” Mariah said. “You just promised…”

“I promised him I’d tell him if I knew you liked him or not a long time ago.” Langley explained. “And really, it was Marshall who promised. Sorry. And I was just too gosh darned curious.”

“Mariah,” Pretty said, putting his shoulders back and steeling his face.

“Yes?”

“Can we talk alone?”

That shut everyone up, down to their thoughts. Their mouths’ closed and all eyes fell to either Pretty, in shock and admiration, or at Mariah, searching for a reaction.

Pretty’s eyes hovered over Mariah with care and respect. Mariah seemed nonplussed as she rose, nodding.

They walked away to the side yard.

Damn, Myles thought, impressed the Pretty manned up and took the blow, I thought for sure this would be awkward as hell. I guess it still kind of is.

Pretty and Mariah continued past Myles’ house and into the clearing, silent all the way. They made it to the Observatory and let themselves in.

“I don’t know,” Pretty said finally as he sat down.

“Don’t know what?”

“I think… I just happen to find you pretty. But I don’t think…”

Mariah, like all girls, was instinctively smart when it came to boys and their feelings: let themselves dig a hole and watch them flounder around. She tilted her head toward him, keep talking.

“I don’t think we are supposed to be together.”

Somehow, Mariah felt loss. She thought she didn’t like him one bit, but now that it was certain he didn’t share anything deeper than attraction to her looks, Mariah felt hurt somehow. Like the excitement that could potentially come from a boyfriend had been snuffed out. She didn’t know there was a spark there, but in the few seconds it took for Pretty to say that, it was smothered.

“I agree,” Mariah said without a flinch.

“But I think the whole club is supposed to be together. All six of us.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Myles. His prophesying has been saying this ever since we started the club. He distinctly mentioned three other members and I think that’s all of you.”

“Pretty?”

“Yeah?”

“Are we safe?”

Pretty gave a slow blink and looked at the ground. He started nodding, a mannerism better suited for an old man and not a middle-schooler, and looked up at her. “Yeah, I think so.”

“Because I’m really scared that I’m going to die,” her voice broke on that last word.

The Leader and the Clairvoyant rose and embraced without a word, but with a great many sobs. The Leader shhhhed and patted the Clairvoyant’s back and shoulders; it was all the physical comfort she could ask for.

They stood embracing for a full minute before simultaneously releasing and walking back to the driveway.

The Leader stepped onto the driveway and said, “This is a good time to ask you the initiation questions.” 

Marshall, Mariah, and Blink fixed their attention on the Leader, wondering what he’d say next.

Langley and Myles grinned and exchanged a look. They’d been looking forward to this part that they’d written on paper in Deedle-Dee Diner all those weeks ago.

Pretty was trying to remember the questions. “Langley, what’s the first question?”

“Do you like the stars, dummy.” Langley said.

“Right.” Pretty said, and thanked the Bug. Then he gestured to the three newcomers. “Do you like the stars?”

All three nodded, and Marshall even added a ‘yes.’

Mariah’s dad used to drive them around to look at christmas lights and then way west to look at God’s christmas lights in the sky. She loved those moments.

Marshall used to keep his upstairs bedroom window open so he could see the faint stars drowned by the lights of Downtown Winton.

The stars were Blink’s friends. They kept him company when he wanted to be alone because his dad and older brother were drunk. They kept him company while he mowed.

“Well, excellent.” Pretty said. “Now, why? We’ll start with Marshall.”

Marshall didn’t even shrug: he knew why. “I used to get really scared at night. My mom used to make us watch documentaries when I was little and some of them really scared me. So I used to stay up and read. But since I shared a room with Tyler back then and he only sleeps in the dark, I had to use the light from the street to read comics. But I’d also sometimes look up at the stars. And Tyler and I used to bike around a lot more at night. If you go up enough along the Cinder Trail biking trail behind the baseball fields, you can see all the lights of Winton and the stars really well. We used to just stand on our bikes and watch the stars. They’re just incredible.”

Myles, Langley and Pretty looked at each other, nodding. Good.

“Mariah?” Pretty gestured to her as well. 

She didn’t flinch either, like she couldn’t wait to answer. “They’re like God’s glitter. But not as bad for the environment.”

Myles and Marshall snickered. That was humorous. She smiled, it was funny now that she said it.

“Well, anyway, my dad used to drive us up past the baseball fields after looking at the christmas lights. I like them because they’re huge, but to us they’re small. They’ll never change and haven’t changed in all the time God put them there. And…” She didn’t mention that she’d always wanted to stargaze for real. With people she cared about and wanted to be around.

All of the others stayed quiet.

“Whenever I look at them, I feel sad. And I don’t feel sad a lot, so, it’s good to feel something like that sometimes.” She said.

Langley knew what she was talking about. “Wow,” he said, truly awestruck. “You said it.”

Pretty wasn’t nodding, he was thinking about those words. He himself seemed sad.

Myles nodded, feeling a little sad himself. He’d felt the same way, but that was before he met Pretty. It struck him that Mariah may not have had any close friends… ever. This was her chance at some friends, at a little family.

“Mariah, I’m sorry.” Myles said quickly.

Langley was already looking at Myles, but then everyone but Pretty shifted their gaze to the Sage.

“No, I don’t think it’s that bad anymore-”

“About not wanting you in the club.”

Mariah closed her mouth. She knew what he was talking about. She let him finish what he was saying.

Myles took his cue. “I didn’t want you in the club, and I haven’t for a long time. And that’s different now. And I wanted to say I’m sorry.”

Mariah nodded with a smile that was close to tears. She didn’t realize just how strong Myles’ repelling force was pushing her away even today while they were all together. And finally, finally. She felt welcome. “Thanks.” She whispered, but she didn’t look down. She looked the Sage right in the eyes. Her dream come true: a group to call her own at last.

“It’s hard to segway from that to Blink.” Pretty said. “But I’ll do it. Blink?”

Blink had lost his train of thought when Myles apologized and he regained his mental stance before answering. “I like the stars because they feel like the only not scary thing about being at night alone. The moon counts too, but not really. It’s up there with them. If you’re outside alone or even inside, and I’m out there a lot at night. They’re like my friends. I always get a comforted feeling when the stars are out.”

The three Astronomers looked at each other, affirming the answers were satisfactory and then looked back to the interviewees. Pretty asked the last question: “How well can all of you ride a bike? On a scale of one to ten.”

“Eight.” Marshall said.

Mariah shrugged. “Seven? Eight?”

“Ten.” Blink said without a tremble of doubt.

Pretty nodded once more. “Nice. Well, those were all of the questions. Now, let’s finish the clubhouse.”

They put any of the dishes back into Myles’ house and then headed back to the Observatory.

Pretty and Langley offered the four chairs up to the rest of the kids. It was a new experience: the Astronomy Club allowing all of these newcomers into the Observatory without a second thought. But it just seemed so…right. This was how it needed to be, but for what? Why did it need to be?

To be safe.

“I don’t get it. Explain something really quick.” Blink said. He’d shed his blanket before they’d started constructing the walls and now timidly wore his HUNTIN’ shirt with a wolf on the front.

The other kids waited for his question.

“Why did we all meet? And why did you want all of us in your club all of a sudden? And don’t tell me it’s the weird feeling that the clearing gives me or something that I already know. There’s something going on.”

“It’s the Bushkill Massacre.” Myles was tense.

“The novis killed all of those teenagers.” Mariah took a deep breath. It was time to tell the truth. Keep her word to Marshall even if they didn’t find the House, they’d found something. “And they’re back for us. I’ve been having dreams. Ever since I was a kid. That was how I lost my finger.” She held up her four fingers. Langley looked at them for the second time and he saw them as something curious rather than surprising. “I had a dream about… about these black monsters with huge teeth. They’re called novis. Like clovis, novis… You already might know about them. They came from the House, like Myles was saying.” Mariah said. She was thinking about how to continue the thought. Now that she was talking about it, she wished she could portray feelings better. It’s harder to describe feelings in a dream than to feel. But she didn’t need to keep talking just yet.

“Novis, clovis… lotus… why is it called that?” Blink said, repeating the word.

“We don’t know. But it has a way of rounding up its victims and eating them. But I’ll bet they didn’t count on us banding together to outsmart them.” Myles said.

“This is just sounding more and more like IT. Some creature leaves for a certain amount of years and then comes back and only kills kids and never thinks they’re gonna fight back.” Marshall said. He read all 1,000-something pages at the library over a very very long time. His parents wouldn’t ever let him check it out and several times the only copy at the Winton Library would be checked out and he’d have to wait several weeks before acquiring it again. The book gave him nightmares about the sewers and Ricky O’neil.

“I don’t care,” Myles said. “The novis are coming back for us. I don’t know how they’re here without the House, but there’s gotta be a reason. Mariah? Any idea?” It was a strange feeling, addressing Mariah like a friend and acquaintance.

“No. But We’ll probably know soon.”

“But do you feel we’re in danger before the House even appeared?”

“No.” Mariah was sure of it. She wouldn’t have gone to the woods if she thought that. So what was she looking for this morning? It wasn’t the House! She was looking for her friends. The friends she didn’t even know yet. “I think we’re safe.”

“I do too.” Myles felt better. Peaceful even. Their danger wasn’t truly here yet. The novis were scouting… that’s what they were doing. “The novis were scouting.” He said. And since they were only scouting, that meant there was time. Time for the Astronomers to plan. To brace themselves for the dark night that was to come. Myles already knew that the event with the Astronomy Club and the novis was going to happen at night and both parties were going to be ready.

“Scouting for us,” Pretty muttered. “Sneaky bastards.”

“What do we do to prepare?”

“Nothing much,” Myles said. “Pack an overnight bag. We might be gone for a while.”

“Gone?” Langley said.

“Yeah, the mirror.”

Mariah remembered from her dream what he meant. “The escape.”

None of the members seemed to know anything else, but they trusted the two seers, Myles and Mariah.

“It’s the thing that will bring us to safety.” Mariah said. “I don’t know anything aside from that. Oh, wait, and that it’s in the House, guarded by the novis unless they go out looking for us.”

Inside of the house?

“Shit.” Langley said. That was just great. Their only means of escape was in the deadly mansion in the woods and they didn’t even know what the mirror did. Was it a portal or what?

“So we can’t plan, can’t know what to expect, but we know we might be there for a while,” Pretty said. “So it seems like there’s only initiation left.”

“Really?” Myles said. “All that and you’re ready for the initiation?”

“Yes, O Sage, I am,” Pretty said. “Fuck that house, let’s quit being the victims here. Let’s live a bit and have some fun. Get some new members into the club. Gain some new Astronomers. I want to forget about that fuckin’ House for a while; Anyway, the novis should be just as scared of us as we are of them.”

Marshall liked that idea. He was sick of being stressed and scared about the House and having to think about it so much. “Why don’t you guys just spend the night in town when the novis come?”

“The novis wait,” Myles said and changed the subject. “What’re you guys doing Saturday?”

“Hell, I’m not doing anything tomorrow. It’s summer, Myles.”

“You’re right. Everyone free tomorrow?” Pretty took charge. When he saw Mariah, Marshall, and Blink nod, he said “We’ll meet at Boomerang Arcade at two in the afternoon. Bring five bucks to get in and however many quarters you need.”

“Don’t forget you owe me for the lemonade. I get like two games of pinball.” Myles said.

“Two? The lemonade was only a quarter!”

“It was my favorite quarter.”

“Fuck you,” Pretty gave Myles a shove. Then he saw Mariah unimpressed at that language and straightened his face. 

Marshall and Blink were smiling. All three of the newer kids had to go back home. They all lived in town closer to Pretty’s house. Blink was going to take the pegs on Marshall’s bike all the way home. Fortunately, it was all downhill. It was an excellent way to end a morning knowing there was a club initiation the next day with some kids you thought you’d genuinely like.

That night, Pretty couldn’t sleep at first because he was thinking about the initiation tomorrow and getting to see Mariah again. She was getting more beautiful the more he was getting to know her.

Langley and Myles were surprised that they fell asleep easily that night.

Marshall was in good spirits for the rest of the day and went to bed thinking about all of the games that he’d play and beat the Astronomy Club in tomorrow. But he also knew he should be humble about his victories: his dad knew he was competitive and should always leave his pride at the door. Either way, Marshall was excited to become an Astronomer. He never thought he’d be able to join a club, especially one as cool as the Astronomers. He didn’t even know why they were called that! But they named their clubhouse after a real thing that astronomers use. Who was that one famous real astronomer? Sagan. Carl Sagan. Marshall had read about him in the Peanuts comics. That name had a nice, easy ring to it. Carl Sagan. Didn’t he have a picture of him too? It was soon after that that Marshall fell asleep.

Blink was worried that his dad would disapprove of him being in a club and having friends that he’d spend time with. But when he thought about the night that Myles talked about, the one that they’d all have to run for their lives because the novis only eat kids, his situation became ridiculous and it made him bold. He was going to be running for his life and somehow he just knew it was true. So why should he worry about his father?

Mariah Smith was happy to finally have found some friends. Some people she was stuck with because of a common…something. She wished it could be something maybe more docile than some deadly monsters, but that couldn’t be helped now. She found it strange that they were all just waiting around. After thinking about it, all they really could do was wait. She knew that shared trauma was something that would bring them all that much closer. It was like Jess and Leslie in Bridge to Terabithia. That was the sort of adventure she wished she could have had with someone. But having several close friends was fine by her. She didn’t think she’d marry any of these boys, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t be their friend. They’re your brothers was how her mom said to imagine all boys. But secretly, Mariah thought that thinking of all boys like that took a lot of the fun out of it.

And they slept, all six, in their respective houses, as they knowingly awaited the Dark Night.