the first occasion

[deepest_magic]

The house just northeast of Forks proper is very big, quite abandoned, and really easy to just walk right in if you're of a mind to. There are signs that people have been camping in it while hiking, but currently it is unoccupied by visitors, squatters, or any animals larger than a squirrel. There's been a fair amount of furniture but fewer small possessions left behind: couch, piano, dining table, wardrobe, armchair, kingsized bed. It's in extremely variable states of repair.

Comments

[neverbeatme]

"What happened?"

[sundayfish]

"Well, nobody knows. If you want the whole story - kid's name was Delaney Hammond, had some unfortunate middle names I can't quite remember, he was a year behind me in school but may've been he was held back. Family moved in, he vanished, ugly rumors started flying around - parents took a while to report it, could've been because he was the sort you'd expect to wander off without permission. May have done, anyway, but he didn't come back. Family and their chauffeur were inconsistent about where he'd been the last time they saw him or whether he'd have gone anyplace in particular, mother seemed sort of relieved for some reason - but there was no physical evidence to speak of, case is long cold."

[neverbeatme]

"It's even spookier with the details," Elizabeth observes. "But thanks. What kinds of ugly rumours were they?"

[sundayfish]

"That he'd been driven away by bad treatment or that one of the parents had done him in or that he'd been kidnapped for ransom - they were rich, they could afford that eyesore of a house - and they hadn't paid and didn't want to admit it."

[neverbeatme]

"I wouldn't guess one of the parents did it," she says thoughtfully. "Because that wouldn't explain why the mom was relieved, even if she really, really didn't like him or something, she would've had to have been worried they'd get caught unless it was the dad that did it and she didn't even know, but that seems unlikely. The ransom theory has the same problem, but less of it. Driven away by bad treatment explains why the mom was relieved, though, if she wasn't the one treating him badly but wasn't brave enough to do anything about it herself."

[sundayfish]

"I do think he ran. Wouldn't care very much to guess why with nothing solid to go on based on things happened when I was scarcely older than you."

[neverbeatme]

"And he's probably not going to show up now, any which way."

[sundayfish]

"Wouldn't expect it. No."

[neverbeatme]

"Yeah."

Now she's contemplative.

"So what happened afterward? Did they all just move away?"

[sundayfish]

"Yeah, soon enough they packed up and went to - can't remember where."

[neverbeatme]

"Huh."

[sundayfish]

Charlie shrugs. His lemon square is gone. "I don't think you ought to worry. Very safe town, kid probably ran away of his own accord for whatever reason."

[neverbeatme]

"Yeah, I know how safe the town is," she says. "Filed under: reasons my aunt moved here."

[sundayfish]

"There you go, then." Charlie puts his dish in the sink and meanders into the room with the television. He turns on some manner of sport, volume low.

[neverbeatme]

Well.

This has been informative.

[deepest_magic]

"You haven't been over here before," observes Bella. "Want to see my room?"

[neverbeatme]

"Sure."

[deepest_magic]

Up to Bella's room! It contains many books and a bed and a chair and a handful of apparently little-used stuffed animals and other toys occupying a basket at the foot of the bed.

[neverbeatme]

"Ooh, books."

[deepest_magic]

"Mm-hm. Don't read the notebooks please."

[neverbeatme]

"Yeah, I wasn't planning on it. How about the book books? Any good ones?"

[deepest_magic]

"Most of my books are at Renée's house, mostly because that's where I am birthdays and Christmas and that's when I get most of my books, but the ones that are here are the ones that I've read and liked enough that I want them handy when I'm here and there isn't a really good bookstore around."

[neverbeatme]

"I'll take that as a yes. Which ones are your favourites?"

[deepest_magic]

Bella starts pointing out books, ranging from Watership Down to Christmas Carol to Pinnochio to Heidi to Pippi Longstocking to a fairly complete set of Roald Dahl.

[neverbeatme]

"You know, I've never read Watership Down. Worth it?"