(7k words, 30-40min read)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mariah Smith was coasting down a small, grassy hill behind someone\u2019s house toward Beck\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marshall Baker was biking along Beck\u2019s Creek trail on the bank. Nobody ever took this route when they were walking, but if he did happen to pass someone, he\u2019d be sure to head off of the road. Courtesy of the bikers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mariah swerved onto the path in front of Marshall and she yelped in surprise. She didn\u2019t see him coming. He gripped his handbrakes which took a significant pull to activate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShit!\u201d He said as he flew off of his seat and straddled (much faster than comfortable) the metal body of his bike. He\u2019d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh, shit,\u201d Marshall doubled over and put both forearms on his handlebars. It was just a girl so he couldn\u2019t get too mad. She probably didn\u2019t ride bikes much and that wasn\u2019t sexist, it was just an observation: he didn\u2019t see as many girls on bikes as boys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The girl was decently graceful on her bike and braked to a stop. Then she walked her bike back. On her way, she called: \u201cI\u2019m so sorry! You okay?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYeah.\u201d 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. \u201cUghhh.\u201d He put his head down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSeriously, is everything alright?\u201d He recognized her as Mariah Smith from school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYeah,\u201d He spoke. \u201cJust busted my nuts in the wrong way.\u201d He said, though it was embarrassing. He just wanted her to know how much pain he was in. Pain she\u2019d never understand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She had the audacity to smile. To laugh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt hurts,\u201d Marshall said. He readjusted his backpack since it had started slipping off of his shoulder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSorry,\u201d She demoted her laugh to a smile. \u201cI\u2019m sorry I rode in front of you so fast.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat\u2019re you doing here anyway?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mariah didn\u2019t answer right away which made Marshall suspicious. She knew who he was too. Marshall Baker, the policeman\u2019s kid, from school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRiding my bike…\u201d She didn\u2019t want to lie, but Marshall finished the truth for her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLooking for the House?\u201d Marshall finished, putting his tiny cheeks onto his bicycle seat again. He didn\u2019t know why he said this, but what if he wasn\u2019t the only one looking for this House? He didn\u2019t think she\u2019d say \u2018You\u2019re correct! I\u2019m looking for the house that a bunch of teenagers died at twenty years ago!\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But she did say, \u201cYeah,\u201d like he knew all along that she was about to lie. He knew the greater purpose behind her early-morning bike ride. \u201cWait, how\u2019d\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then she knew. He was special. Like the dream had told her. She covered her mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAre you really?\u201d He asked, amazed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYeah, but are you too?\u201d She asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYeah. But\u2026 Why are you looking for it? How do you even know about it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOkay, if we find it, I\u2019ll tell you,\u201d She said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOkay. It\u2019s along this path.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYup, just about,\u201d Mariah said as she led the way along Beck\u2019s Creek.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You know what? Marshall thought as they rode along. She\u2019s alright for a sheltered kid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They pedaled on, the pain fading slowly from Marshall\u2019s balls. He remembered that Mariah was a Christian and made a mental note to try not swear around her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Astronomy Club spotted the bikers before the bikers saw them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Langley said in a lowered voice, \u201cIs that Mariah Smith?\u201d Is that Pretty\u2019s Holy Grail? Literally, since she\u2019s a Christian?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n 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\u2019s kid. The cop that\u2019d approached them in the Diner. \u201cWhat the hell?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Myles walked over to the two cyclists. What was their business here? \u201cMariah?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHello, Myles,\u201d She said, somehow only remembering their exchange at the lemonade stand all those months ago. He was rude to her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat\u2019re you doing here?\u201d Myles asked. \u201cAnd Marshall? Are you guys like a thing?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat the, no<\/em>.\u201d Marshall realized how this looked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat are you guys playing out here?\u201d Pretty asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe weren\u2019t playing anything; we just got here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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\u2019t in his control which gave him a strange relief. Maybe Mariah knew what the next step was. Then again\u2026 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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, we\u2019re all here,\u201d Mariah said, like it was a council that she had organized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMariah, hi,\u201d Pretty said and threw a wave in the air. That simple action thrilled him: Communicating normally with Mariah Smith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHi, Lewis. Hi, Langley.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Langley\u2019s smile was automatic as he waved back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHey, Marshall,\u201d Pretty said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHey, Pretty,\u201d Marshall said. \u201cHey, Blink. What\u2019re you guys doing? Is Blink part of your club now?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Blink almost sneered, \u201cPfffnah, you kidding?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe pulled him out of the creek after he fell in. Then we heard about the\u2026 fffishing gear.\u201d Langley almost said monster<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe came to get my fishing gear that stayed on the bank where I fell in,\u201d Blink lied along with him, as smooth as ice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh,\u201d Mariah said, not believing them for some reason. She again decided to tell the truth: \u201cWe came to see if there was a House here. The one from the Bushkill Massacre.\u201d As she said this, Mariah Renee Smith realized she didn\u2019t 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\u2019t an expert on the animal, you just knew what the lectern said. But here, there was only a\u2026 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 .<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Myles shrugged it off since he knew she was special; he\u2019d begrudgingly knew this since the lemonade stand. She had that same future-sight power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pretty did: \u201cHow do you know about that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mariah shrugged. \u201cIsn\u2019t this where it happened?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The six kids were all facing each other: Two bikes, one blanket over Blink\u2019s shoulders, one hoodie, and the Leader with his right-hand man. They were all here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHhhow\u2026?\u201d Was all Langley was able to ask.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGod\u2019s doing?\u201d Mariah suggested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Myles didn\u2019t say anything, but she was speaking the truth; he could tell. Maybe it was just what she believed, or maybe\u2026 maybe it really was God\u2019s doing. \u201cIt\u2019s just\u2026 too much of a coincidence,\u201d He said. \u201cThere was no way we were the ones who just got lucky with all of this panning out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat\u2019s so crazy about us meeting some kids in the woods? I\u2019ll bet a lot of kids roam around out here,\u201d Pretty said, hoping maybe some logic and odds were with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAt eight in the morning? To the exact same spot in the woods? To see about the same House in the Woods? And we\u2019re all spec-\u201d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He needed to make sure they stayed together and he knew how to do it too\u2026 but it would mean taking on new members. And what if they didn\u2019t like hanging out together? What if none of them were good at arcade games or bikes? What if they said \u2018no\u2019? 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOn behalf of the Astronomy Club of Winton, Pennsylvania, I, the Sage, offer you, Marshall, and you Blink, and You\u2026 Mariah, a chance to join the Astronomy Club by initiation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes!\u201d Marshall said quickly. Initiation! At last! Then he realized how excited he\u2019d sounded and let the fleeting embarrassment pass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Blink smiled and nodded. \u201cYes.\u201d He never thought he\u2019d have the opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mariah just looked at Myles as if he was trying to trick her. She had reasons for it as well. He hadn\u2019t always been the kindest to her and had made their club so exclusive. Why was he offering this so openly now? She didn\u2019t know what Myles knew. She didn\u2019t know yet that this group was supposed to stay together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMariah?\u201d Myles said. She looked into his desperate eyes. With uncertainty she said: \u2018yes.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pretty\u2019s large exhalation was only heard by Langley and Myles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo what do we need to do to get in?\u201d Marshall asked. He was great at taking tests. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell\u2026\u201d 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. \u201cWe gotta go finish building the Observatory. And if you do that, you get two extra lives in the arcade challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBoomerang Arcade is part of the initiation?\u201d Blink asked. \u201cI\u2019m going to kick all of your asses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mariah smiled. She wasn\u2019t exceptional at video games, but she could beat Robert consistently at any of them. Not her dad. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s on, Blink.\u201d Marshall said. \u201cAnd,\u201d He looked at Mariah. \u201cI don\u2019t hit girls, but I show no mercy when it comes to video games.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mariah smiled. These boys were alright. She found she was\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Very happy. So happy she was almost sad; she didn\u2019t 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\u2019d say bad words, or maybe they wouldn\u2019t when she was around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe good news is you\u2019ll only be playing us for that half of the initiation.\u201d Langley said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWait, \u2018that half\u2019? What\u2019s the other side?\u201d Blink said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBiking curbs.\u201d Langley said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Marshall was a great biker. He\u2019d ridden lots of curbs, but wasn\u2019t 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: \u201cI\u2019ll do better on that half.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pretty smiled, unleashing his adorableness. \u201cAlright, let\u2019s head to the Observatory and build it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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\u2019d probably never get. But it was for observing stars from inside all the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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\u2019 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhoa, who\u2019re these guys.\u201d Marshall asked, pointing to the defaced photos on the one completed wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNega Segan and Frownileo,\u201d Langley answered with a grin. It sounded funny to introduce them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Shrine, huh.\u201d Blink hadn\u2019t really noticed the shrine. \u201cThese famous astronomers or something?\u201d It made sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey are the. Famous astronomers.\u201d Myles emphasized their reverence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pretty hadn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019re gonna finish these walls.\u201d The Leader said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Marshall and Mariah spotted the names carved into the wall near the door as they looked around at the incomplete structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Astronomers started nodding. Sounds good, Pretty<\/em>. Do something that\u2019ll 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\u2019 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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\u2019t mention his tumble into the creek.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n They\u2019d 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\u2019s with apple cider and water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As they ate on Myles\u2019 driveway, Blink brought up a question: \u201cWhy don\u2019t we just tell the cops?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Myles, Langley and Pretty looked at each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Myles looked about to make sure his mom wasn\u2019t nearby. \u201cI don\u2019t think we\u2019re supposed to know about it. It\u2019ll make our parents ask questions. And you really think the police will believe you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Marshall was listening in. \u201cThey won\u2019t. It\u2019s too crazy a story. And my dad was there that night. He might believe you, but probably not. And he\u2019d wonder why I knew about it and I\u2019d 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?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Myles knew that the novis were cunning. They\u2019d fight the police with strategy if the police did attack. It was the novis\u2019 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\u2019d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And in the meantime? They didn\u2019t want to enjoy themselves. They just wanted to be safe. They couldn\u2019t fight back, but they could outwit. At least, in theory. They knew the novis\u2019 weakness and strength were the same thing: themselves. Well, kids. But not many of the kids in Winton lived way out here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo, what can we do to prepare?\u201d 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDoes anyone know where we\u2019re even going?\u201d Blink said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All of the Astronomers exchanged glances. Nope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, that\u2019s 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?\u201d Blink said. \u201cHow do we even know there\u2019s a mirror? And if that\u2019s our only way out, why haven\u2019t they broken it yet?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere\u2019s a mirror.\u201d Myles said. There wasn\u2019t a question about that. \u201cAnd all I know is we\u2019ll all be safe. But I think Mariah\u2019s onto something; I do think there\u2019s a chance we might have to use some survival skills at some point. Terrible as they might be. As for why they haven\u2019t broken it, I think they use its power to travel. So once we use it, they can\u2019t travel anymore and they\u2019ll starve here or get wiped out by the police.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cImpressive that you and Mariah know all of this.\u201d Langley said. \u201cIt\u2019d be insane to hear and believe, but after I saw the\u2026 novis. And after it attacked me, I believe it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI still find it crazy that Mariah wasn\u2019t just Pretty\u2019s crush, she was also going to be the key part to us surviving the novis.\u201d Myles said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Shit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Astronomers were looking at Myles and Pretty, Mariah took an absent glance at Myles and then an embarrassed look at the driveway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pretty\u2019s best friend had spilled it to the last person he\u2019d wanted to know about it. Not even Mariah\u2019s future sight could have predicted that. Then again, she wasn\u2019t dying to know either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pretty was turning redder as the seconds passed. He stood up and walked inside with his plate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPretty\u2026\u201d Myles stood up with his own plate and walked after him. \u201cI\u2026\u201d There wasn\u2019t much to do now that the damage had just been dealt. \u201cShit\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Leader and the Sage walked inside and let the door shut behind them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell\u2026\u201d Langley said. \u201cThat\u2019s\u2026\u201d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Blink and Marshall were looking around awkwardly and their eyes met. Marshall\u2019s 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!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mariah was almost smiling, but she was too embarrassed to come close to laughing. Langley\u2019s body-language revealed that he too was laughing silently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat a dummy,\u201d Langley said what the others wanted to say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That just made Marshall and Blink start laughing anew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, do you like him back, Mariah? We won\u2019t tell. We\u2019re men of our word.\u201d Marshall said. Blink stopped laughing and all three boys stared intently at her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She shook her head. She wasn\u2019t afraid of telling the truth. \u201cNo. He\u2019s cute, but I don\u2019t like him back.\u201d But he wasn\u2019t just cute, he was far more manlier than any other boys she\u2019d known. He liked to have a good time, yes, but he was the Leader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pretty and Myles came back as the three boys were nodding in understandment. It was hard to believe there was someone who wasn\u2019t crushing on Pretty, but he couldn\u2019t win \u2018em all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe doesn\u2019t like you back.\u201d Langley announced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHey!\u201d Mariah said. \u201cYou just promised\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI promised him I\u2019d tell him if I knew you liked him or not a long time ago.\u201d Langley explained. \u201cAnd really, it was Marshall who promised. Sorry. And I was just too gosh darned curious.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMariah,\u201d Pretty said, putting his shoulders back and steeling his face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCan we talk alone?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That shut everyone up, down to their thoughts. Their mouths\u2019 closed and all eyes fell to either Pretty, in shock and admiration, or at Mariah, searching for a reaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pretty\u2019s eyes hovered over Mariah with care and respect. Mariah seemed nonplussed as she rose, nodding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They walked away to the side yard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pretty and Mariah continued past Myles\u2019 house and into the clearing, silent all the way. They made it to the Observatory and let themselves in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Pretty said finally as he sat down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDon\u2019t know what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think\u2026 I just happen to find you pretty. But I don\u2019t think\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t think we are supposed to be together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Somehow, Mariah felt loss. She thought she didn\u2019t like him one bit, but now that it was certain he didn\u2019t 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\u2019t know there was a spark there, but in the few seconds it took for Pretty to say that, it was smothered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI agree,\u201d Mariah said without a flinch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut I think the whole club is supposed to be together. All six of us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat makes you say that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMyles. His prophesying has been saying this ever since we started the club. He distinctly mentioned three other members and I think that\u2019s all of you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPretty?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAre we safe?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. \u201cYeah, I think so.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBecause I\u2019m really scared that I\u2019m going to die,\u201d her voice broke on that last word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Leader and the Clairvoyant rose and embraced without a word, but with a great many sobs. The Leader shhhhed and patted the Clairvoyant\u2019s back and shoulders; it was all the physical comfort she could ask for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They stood embracing for a full minute before simultaneously releasing and walking back to the driveway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Leader stepped onto the driveway and said, \u201cThis is a good time to ask you the initiation questions.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Marshall, Mariah, and Blink fixed their attention on the Leader, wondering what he\u2019d say next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Langley and Myles grinned and exchanged a look. They\u2019d been looking forward to this part that they\u2019d written on paper in Deedle-Dee Diner all those weeks ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pretty was trying to remember the questions. \u201cLangley, what\u2019s the first question?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDo you like the stars, dummy.\u201d Langley said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRight.\u201d Pretty said, and thanked the Bug. Then he gestured to the three newcomers. \u201cDo you like the stars?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n All three nodded, and Marshall even added a \u2018yes.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mariah\u2019s dad used to drive them around to look at christmas lights and then way west to look at God\u2019s christmas lights in the sky. She loved those moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Marshall used to keep his upstairs bedroom window open so he could see the faint stars drowned by the lights of Downtown Winton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The stars were Blink\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, excellent.\u201d Pretty said. \u201cNow, why? We\u2019ll start with Marshall.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Marshall didn\u2019t even shrug: he knew why. \u201cI 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\u2019d 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\u2019re just incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Myles, Langley and Pretty looked at each other, nodding. Good<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMariah?\u201d Pretty gestured to her as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n She didn\u2019t flinch either, like she couldn\u2019t wait to answer. \u201cThey\u2019re like God\u2019s glitter. But not as bad for the environment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Myles and Marshall snickered. That was humorous. She smiled, it was funny now that she said it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, anyway, my dad used to drive us up past the baseball fields after looking at the christmas lights. I like them because they\u2019re huge, but to us they\u2019re small. They\u2019ll never change and haven\u2019t changed in all the time God put them there. And…\u201d She didn\u2019t mention that she\u2019d always wanted to stargaze for real. With people she cared about and wanted to be around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All of the others stayed quiet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhenever I look at them, I feel sad. And I don\u2019t feel sad a lot, so, it\u2019s good to feel something like that sometimes.\u201d She said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Langley knew what she was talking about. \u201cWow,\u201d he said, truly awestruck. \u201cYou said it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pretty wasn\u2019t nodding, he was thinking about those words. He himself seemed sad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Myles nodded, feeling a little sad himself. He\u2019d felt the same way, but that was before he met Pretty. It struck him that Mariah may not have had any close friends\u2026 ever. This was her chance at some friends, at a little family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMariah, I\u2019m sorry.\u201d Myles said quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Langley was already looking at Myles, but then everyone but Pretty shifted their gaze to the Sage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, I don\u2019t think it\u2019s that bad anymore-\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAbout not wanting you in the club.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mariah closed her mouth. She knew what he was talking about. She let him finish what he was saying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Myles took his cue. \u201cI didn\u2019t want you in the club, and I haven\u2019t for a long time. And that\u2019s different now. And I wanted to say I\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mariah nodded with a smile that was close to tears. She didn\u2019t realize just how strong Myles\u2019 repelling force was pushing her away even today while they were all together. And finally, finally. She felt welcome. \u201cThanks.\u201d She whispered, but she didn\u2019t look down. She looked the Sage right in the eyes. Her dream come true: a group to call her own at last.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s hard to segway from that to Blink.\u201d Pretty said. \u201cBut I\u2019ll do it. Blink?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Blink had lost his train of thought when Myles apologized and he regained his mental stance before answering. \u201cI 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\u2019s up there with them. If you\u2019re outside alone or even inside, and I\u2019m out there a lot at night. They\u2019re like my friends. I always get a comforted feeling when the stars are out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The three Astronomers looked at each other, affirming the answers were satisfactory and then looked back to the interviewees. Pretty asked the last question: \u201cHow well can all of you ride a bike? On a scale of one to ten.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEight.\u201d Marshall said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mariah shrugged. \u201cSeven? Eight?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTen.\u201d Blink said without a tremble of doubt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pretty nodded once more. \u201cNice. Well, those were all of the questions. Now, let\u2019s finish the clubhouse.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n They put any of the dishes back into Myles\u2019 house and then headed back to the Observatory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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?<\/p>\n\n\n\n To be safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t get it. Explain something really quick.\u201d Blink said. He\u2019d shed his blanket before they\u2019d started constructing the walls and now timidly wore his HUNTIN\u2019 shirt with a wolf on the front.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The other kids waited for his question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy did we all meet? And why did you want all of us in your club all of a sudden? And don\u2019t tell me it\u2019s the weird feeling that the clearing gives me or something that I already know. There\u2019s something going on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s the Bushkill Massacre.\u201d Myles was tense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe novis killed all of those teenagers.\u201d Mariah took a deep breath. It was time to tell the truth. Keep her word to Marshall even if they didn\u2019t find the House, they\u2019d found something. \u201cAnd they\u2019re back for us. I\u2019ve been having dreams. Ever since I was a kid. That was how I lost my finger.\u201d She held up her four fingers. Langley looked at them for the second time and he saw them as something curious rather than surprising. \u201cI had a dream about\u2026 about these black monsters with huge teeth. They\u2019re called novis. Like clovis, novis\u2026 You already might know about them. They came from the House, like Myles was saying.\u201d 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\u2019s harder to describe feelings in a dream than to feel. But she didn\u2019t need to keep talking just yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNovis, clovis… lotus\u2026 why is it called that?\u201d Blink said, repeating the word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe don\u2019t know. But it has a way of rounding up its victims and eating them. But I\u2019ll bet they didn\u2019t count on us banding together to outsmart them.\u201d Myles said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis 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\u2019re gonna fight back.\u201d Marshall said. He read all 1,000-something pages at the library over a very very long time. His parents wouldn\u2019t ever let him check it out and several times the only copy at the Winton Library would be checked out and he\u2019d have to wait several weeks before acquiring it again. The book gave him nightmares about the sewers and Ricky O\u2019neil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t care,\u201d Myles said. \u201cThe novis are coming back for us. I don\u2019t know how they\u2019re here without the House, but there\u2019s gotta be a reason. Mariah? Any idea?\u201d It was a strange feeling, addressing Mariah like a friend and acquaintance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo. But We\u2019ll probably know soon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut do you feel we\u2019re in danger before the House even appeared?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo.\u201d Mariah was sure of it. She wouldn\u2019t have gone to the woods if she thought that. So what was she looking for this morning? It wasn\u2019t the House! She was looking for her friends. The friends she didn\u2019t even know yet. \u201cI think we\u2019re safe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI do too.\u201d Myles felt better. Peaceful even. Their danger wasn\u2019t truly here yet. The novis were scouting\u2026 that\u2019s what they were doing. \u201cThe novis were scouting.\u201d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cScouting for us,\u201d Pretty muttered. \u201cSneaky bastards.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat do we do to prepare?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNothing much,\u201d Myles said. \u201cPack an overnight bag. We might be gone for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGone?\u201d Langley said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah, the mirror.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mariah remembered from her dream what he meant. \u201cThe escape.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n None of the members seemed to know anything else, but they trusted the two seers, Myles and Mariah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s the thing that will bring us to safety.\u201d Mariah said. \u201cI don\u2019t know anything aside from that. Oh, wait, and that it\u2019s in the House, guarded by the novis unless they go out looking for us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Inside of the house?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShit.\u201d Langley said. That was just great. Their only means of escape was in the deadly mansion in the woods and they didn\u2019t even know what the mirror did. Was it a portal or what?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo we can\u2019t plan, can\u2019t know what to expect, but we know we might be there for a while,\u201d Pretty said. \u201cSo it seems like there\u2019s only initiation left.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cReally?\u201d Myles said. \u201cAll that and you\u2019re ready for the initiation?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes, O Sage, I am,\u201d Pretty said. \u201cFuck that house, let\u2019s quit being the victims here. Let\u2019s 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\u2019 House for a while; Anyway, the novis should be just as scared of us as we are of them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Marshall liked that idea. He was sick of being stressed and scared about the House and having to think about it so much. \u201cWhy don\u2019t you guys just spend the night in town when the novis come?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe novis wait,\u201d Myles said and changed the subject. \u201cWhat\u2019re you guys doing Saturday?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHell, I\u2019m not doing anything tomorrow. It\u2019s summer, Myles.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re right. Everyone free tomorrow?\u201d Pretty took charge. When he saw Mariah, Marshall, and Blink nod, he said \u201cWe\u2019ll meet at Boomerang Arcade at two in the afternoon. Bring five bucks to get in and however many quarters you need.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDon\u2019t forget you owe me for the lemonade. I get like two games of pinball.\u201d Myles said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTwo? The lemonade was only a quarter!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt was my favorite quarter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFuck you,\u201d Pretty gave Myles a shove. Then he saw Mariah unimpressed at that language and straightened his face.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Marshall and Blink were smiling. All three of the newer kids had to go back home. They all lived in town closer to Pretty\u2019s house. Blink was going to take the pegs on Marshall\u2019s 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\u2019d genuinely like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That night, Pretty couldn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Langley and Myles were surprised that they fell asleep easily that night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Marshall was in good spirits for the rest of the day and went to bed thinking about all of the games that he\u2019d 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\u2019d be able to join a club, especially one as cool as the Astronomers. He didn\u2019t 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\u2019t he have a picture of him too? It was soon after that that Marshall fell asleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Blink was worried that his dad would disapprove of him being in a club and having friends that he\u2019d spend time with. But when he thought about the night that Myles talked about, the one that they\u2019d 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?<\/p>\n\n\n\n