Chapter 5 Five.

ISLA.

The black dart shot through the air, piercing the bark of the Birch tree in the neighbor's compound and a portion of it crashed to the ground. My arms fell right beside me as i squinted at the narrow target.

"Shit!"

Throwing darts and swinging arrows was a weird hobby i picked up on from my meaningless yet haunting nightmares. It was something that sort of calmed me or maybe kept me busy besides drawing my monsters across a blank canvas.

I leaned forward in that moment to reach for another dart but when i was just about to aim, my father's voice called me from behind.

"Isla!" He sent a ravaging echo that halted me in my steps and i caught an exhausting breath leave my lips. My eyes gazed to the skies as i turned around. It was my first morning in Marquette and although i had stayed awake to watch the sun rise, it never came.

There was nothing-Marquette wasn't a blossoming city like Cali i realized, filled with flowers and refreshing winds, pollen and orange-red skies. The day just brightened in gloom and the atmosphere remained an ashy haze.

I picked my pace up the shrubby hill where i was met with my father but he wasn't alone. There was a middle aged man with a hair full a grey right beside him and his eyes gleamed once they saw me threading close.

"Isla, this is Gregory" Tom patted his shoulders to the man whom he directed lived across from us. "She took your face eh" Gregory noted with an innocent smile and my father just rolled his eyes. "Hope not so much his personality" He teased and i muffled a light chuckle.

"Shut up" My father muttered.

My toes pressed into the lawn as i looked around to the house and it was exactly where i'd seen that person watching me from the windows. "Do you live alone?" I asked Gregory and by the wrinkle that formed above his eyes, i could tell he was surprised by my question.

"Why do you ask?" He had a distinct Irish accent or maybe Canadian-i wasn't really that bright to distinguish between the both. "It's just that..." I stuttered. "It's just that yesterday i saw someone peeking from those windows" I added, very specific to where my fingers pointed.

Gregory laughed.

"Oh it was probably Darien" He looked to Tom who scoffed and i arched my brows. "Darien?" I echoed.

"Darien!" He called his much louder than before and it took a moment for me to realize he was probably behind me. "Speak of the devil himself" Tom gritted through his teeth and i watched as a six foot tall giant emerged from my back.

"Darien" I whispered, lifting my eyes to him in shock.

"And you must be Isla?" He took my hands by surprise and i recognized those icy eyes from a distance. "She said you were lurking from your windowsill yesterday" Gregory, who i assumed was his dad struck the accusing finger and i was immediately flustered.

"It was probably-"

"I just wanted to see who had moved in yesterday. There was so much noise" He pulled away from me and faced his dad. "I am, Isla" Somehow, i was just replying his question of a few seconds ago. Yesterday i was speculating whether or not it was a ghost i'd seen but looking at him right next to me, Darien was gorgeous.

He seemed nothing less than twenty which was just a few years older than i was.

He then took off his jockey cap to reveal his glistening dark hair, a clearer glimpse of his blue eyes too. He wore a checkered jacket that clasped around his broad shoulders and biceps and his face had an earnest look to it. His voice was decadent, coming from dark pursed lips.

And i only realized after some time that he was staring at me with an outstretched hand.

"Here" His deep voice drew me back and i looked to see the single dart in his wide callous palms. "I think you dropped this earlier" He said and i embarrassingly reached for it, slipping into my pocket. "Thank you" A lump moistened my dry mouth and then slid down my throat.

"Darien, i was just talking to Tom about how you could drive her to the new school tomorrow" Gregory suggested and he threw a narrow look back at him. I couldn't tell if he was that displeased but i was more interested in the fact that he was still in school.

I maintained a plaid expression even after he nodded. "Of course i would" His tone was dry and he was very unenthusiastic but for whatever reason, he agreed. "He doesn't go to Aces but i figured you might need a familiar face to show you around here" Gregory's eyes turned to me once he had pulled away and i smiled, i could already tell that i liked him.

"Familiar face?" He was literally someone i just met.

But turning around to watch him walk away, i realized Darien was the type of the person who seemed like someone you always knew. Like that troubling elder brother or a distant cousin at the very least.

He threw one more look back at me and when our eyes met, he flashed a smirk that i just knew we were going to be friends.