Present Day:
In the early morning before the break of the first light in the horizon, the sounds of vehicle engines starting, the opening of few shops and stores, the clomping footsteps of individuals, and the chirping of birds, is a reminder of the bustle and lively city outside, awakening.
In Chelstone, the melodies of birds as they sing their lungs out for the brand new day fill the neighborhood.
Outside the Klin Residence, a figure stands mere feets away from the house, back turned and hands tucked in their pockets. The light above the front door of the house seeming to reveal and identify little of their appearance- only a fair muscular body in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that hugs their perfectly turned back, their gaze fixed into the horizon. The rising and falling of the chest, the calmness, the precise practice of inhaling and holding it in for three minutes before releasing it, is a-must routine if not having to meditate because of certain circumstances.
The figure pull out their hands from their pockets and clench them into fists at their sides, their breathing quickening.
[CREAK...]
The soft sound of the door opening, followed by light footsteps before the closing of the door, Catherine, wrapped in a warm sweater and hands clasped in front, stands by the doorstep and stare at this unmistakable figure's back, before her eyes drift to their clenched fists- worry, empathy, and concern in her eyes.
Being aware of Catherine's presence, the figure makes no movement to interrupt their breathing session.
After a long moment of staring, she lowers her face to the ground and finally speaks, her voice soft and calm.
"I-I heard the unlocking and opening of the door minutes ago, and I noticed your slippers missing. You were gone for a while so I thought..." She pause for a moment, choosing her words carefully, then continue. "I'm sorry, I just... This is the third time since you got here, and the same time you step out here in the cold. I'm sorry, but, do you have to step out here so early? It's five in the morning Dave, and I'm... Worried about you. Please... If there's something that's bothering you, something that needs addressing, tell us, tell... Me. Please, what's going on? What's wrong? I'm here,"
Dave's breathing quickens- heavily.
"Please, Dave... I'm scared. For you." She says, her voice barely audible as she hears he's breathing quicken.
After what seemed like minutes, Dave's breathing starts to slow down, making Catherine to look back up.
"Catherine...?" Dave says.
At her name being said in a gentle and warm tone by someone she is drawn to, Catherine's heat skip a beat.
"Y-yes, Dave." She stutter.
"I'm sorry, Cathy. It wasn't my intention to have you worrying about me, really. But..." He pause for a minute, breathing in slowly, then let it out. "Do you still... Remember what used to happen to me whenever I got sick?" He asks, his voice gentle and light.
Catherine lowers her head to the ground, her mind thinking back to the times when they used not to know a care in the world, just free spirited hearts and minds that longed for love and peace. However, something about their childhood, something about the Wills' family, something about Dave's mother and himself, something about Dave's illness, seemed odd to her.
Tilting her head straight, Catherine begins.
"I... Don't really recall much, but, I remember one day, when the three of us were playing in the living room at my place, you... out of nowhere, you suddenly went quiet. You stood up without a word, walked to the couch, and lay on your stomach. Then, in minutes, you started turning, kicking, twisting, and curling in yourself uncomfortably. And then you started sweating, sweating like I've never seen before to today. Steam was actually coming out of you. You... You literary got drenched in minutes. Chriss and I didn't know what was going on with you, but it scared us. Someone had to go and call mom, but when I looked at him, he was frozen. It wasn't long before you bursted in tears. You began crying, screaming and hugging yourself tightly, and I had to just... Bolt out of there to find mom. She scooped you up in her arms and rushed out the front door to your house."
Dave breathes in heavily again, holding it in for a minute before releasing it slowly, trying to calm and relax his stiff body, his back still turned to her.
"But... that wasn't the first and last time witnessing it." She says.
"Go on." He encourage her on.
"This one time, Chriss wouldn't stop throwing a fit about these brand-new action figures that came out, and dad, without any other choice, he drove us to the store and got you guys your toys. Then, on the way back, something surprisingly strange happened, and dad almost lost his focus on the road. It left all of us confused and questioning, dad couldn't sleep that day, I kept hearing his conversation about it with mom all night. I still remember it like it was just yesterday. I believe Chriss do, too,"
For a long moment, Catherine just keeps staring at his clenched fists, before continuing.
"Dave," she start. "I know we were young, kids, running around laughing, eating together at school and everything. But, there's no way something like that wasn't... Real. And since that day, I kept seeing them here and there, and I remember, they were blue, light-blue, sometimes dark-blue. And yes, I was in over my head, my little brain couldn't comprehend it. They could turn blue. What I didn't get is why only when it got dark? Why only at full moon?"
Catherine pauses, hesitating, her voice shaking now.
"Dave... Please, face me. Is it the reason why you can't turn around and look at me? The reason why you can't turn because I'll see your eyes? The reason why you're always out here in the cold at five?"
Yet, Dave just stands there, unresponsive.
Catherine, noticing the first light start to appear in the horizon, snaps her attention back to Dave.
"Fine, I'm coming over to you then." She snaps, her voice stern.
Hesitantly, yet gracefully, she walks over and stand before him. But now, she can't bring herself to look up at his face, her head down, and hands clasped in front.
"Y-you, you left me no c-choice." She stutter, suddenly feeling self-conscious by their proximity.
"I thought you wanted to see my eyes, what happened?" Dave teases.
"D-Dave, not funny," She says, I voice low and light. "It's dawn..."
"Yeah. It is." He replies, his voice calm.
As she says that, Dave's stiff body and fists starts to loosen and relax.
Catherine tilts her head up, and look at his face, before into his eyes.
"They're... Normal?" She asks, slightly confused.
"You were correct about full moon, not just when the moon is out." He corrects, a warm small smile forming on his lips.
"Dave. Does the moon have something to do with this? Is it the reason you were suffering back then? The reason you come out here? Is it the cause of your distress? I don't get any of this. I don't get... You?" She asks, her pupils dilated.
Dave look at her confused face for a moment, then into her expecting eyes.
"I, don't really know much about it either, and of what I know, I can't really tell you, at least not now. I'm sorry. But, what I can tell you is that, yes, the moon has its part in it. Has something to do with how... I came into the world. And, I have to meditate. I have to meditate to prevent from going into Manifestation State, I have to do that to keep my body calm from reacting. And no, its not an illness, its not something one can take to the hospital and recover from. My family used that term to protect me from any potential suspicion. For me and the family's sake." He says.
"Your birth? Meditation? Manifestation?" She repeat.
"Yes. For now that's all I can tell you, Catherine" He replies.
"I, I understand. But you promise?"
"Yeah." he assures her.
"I saw and heard how you were breathing minutes ago. Do, do you still go through that pain? Do you still swea, sweat like back then? I was so scared, really scared when I first witnessed you in such agony. And when it suddenly hit you, and you start crying and screaming, and your mom would take you in her arms and inside the house you would disapear for two or three days. It was tearing me apart to see you in that state so much, Dave. I couldn't do anything, the only thing I would do is run to mom and cry into her arms, so did your bestfriend. He used to put up a strong front for you, but he wept in secret. He would run to his room and cry under the bed. Mom thought it was cute."
As the first ray of light illuminated their skin, the city, and the neighborhood, Catherine turned, and together watched as the sun rises in the horizon.
"Whenever you're comfortable and ready to talk about it, I'll be ready, and I'll be waiting," she turns and face him, and for a moment, neither of them utter a word. She breathes in heavily, then release it. "This was hard for me, but I had to, I had to know If you were okay. You have a long day ahead of you with Chriss today, and I got to get started with the house cleaning, then breakfast. Have a great day out there, he will show you off."
Dave just stands there for moments before repling, his heart filled with gratitude.
"Thank you. Thank you so much, Catherine.I thank you and your brother for everything. For this." Dave appreciate.
"It's fine. And have fun. I'll call you when breakfast is ready."
"Right." He replies.
A simple reply, is enough to put a warm smile on her face as she turns and disapear into the house, leaving him standing there feeling content.