Double Life: Early Morning

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“You shouldn´t leave your window open at night”

A whisper awoke Josh. He saw a silhouette shaped in the shadows of his room. He knew well who she was, he was sure no one else in the school liked climbing up windows or jumping out of them especially when dark.

“Roommate left it open. I warned him” he sat making his cover fall and revealing his bare chest.

“Meet you downstairs” she didn´t wait for an answer, she jumped out of the window. Josh grumbled but then he smiled as he got up.

“It´s five in the morning, Nichole” he complained when he got downstairs. She smiled a happy smile that he´d only seen a couple of times.

“Let´s go” she said extending her left hand and he took it, she walked swiftly all the way through the woods to the thick stone wall he knew she often visited. Once they got there she let go of his hand and jumped up the wall, he saw her, and motioned for him to walk along. She walked on the wall, him on the floor. At some point she stopped and motioned for him to come up.

“It´s ok” she extended her hand to him. They crossed the school grounds to the woods. She took out a flashlight from her pocket and gave it to him. They walked following a dirt road for ten minutes and then she lead the way through the woods, there was no trail.

“How do you know where to go?” Josh asked only looking the way they were walking with his flashlight, the mist was still thick in the woods despite that the sun was about to rise.

“Maybe I´m just walking” she turned to see him with a smile. He lifted an eyebrow

“If we´re just walking then I think we can stop and sleep for a while”

“We have no tents we´ll end up wet if we sleep here, besides, we´re almost on the road”

“I see no road” he said matter of fact

“Enjoy the view”

“All I see is trees and mist”

“I know, isn´t it beautiful?” she smiled again, he shook his head. “We´re walking diagonally from where we came, we´ll find the road in a few minutes” she explained. When they got to the road it was clearer, he put the flashlight in his pocket. They walked along the road.

“Sorry about that” she looked at his dirty shoes, he shrugged. “Here comes our carriage” she said tilting her head to a side.

“What?” He found it strange that she seemed so happy.

“The bus to the town, I hear it coming”

“I hear nothing”

Five minutes later they got in a bus that was empty but for a couple of people scattered around. Josh and Nichole sat in the seat before the last.

“So, you´re a morning person” Josh commented

“Not really” she seemed to ponder

“You seem happier now and it´s so early” he ventured to say glancing her way

“I´m sorry I woke you –she apologized- you are not a morning person for what I see”  

“I don´t mind –he smiled- I´m just intrigued”

“It´s best to leave Burgeoys when no one´s up, that´s either really early in the morning or late at night… this wouldn’t be that nice if it was night”

“And what is this?” he took advantage of her good mood

“The sunrise can only be seen in the morning” she said as if this was an obvious thing. Josh furrowed his eyebrows as she got up to get off the bus

They walked a block, the town was deserted. Josh perceived the smell of fresh baked bread.

“Bread here is amazing” she pushed a glass door. It was some kind of a café/bakery. They had breakfast there. She took him to a street market and to a clothing store.

“Here´s the plan” she broke the silence in which they´d been walking “we´ll be swimming today, so you´ll be shopping for whatever you need for that over there –she pointed to the man´s section- and I´ll be over there  and we´ll meet there –she pointed at the cashier leaving him no option but to do as she said but he wanted to protest, he didn´t like the swimming idea but he knew this was no usual behavior in her, she wanting to hang out with him and not the other way around.

“This too?” said the cashier to Nichole who was observing a pair of wool gloves, she only glanced at the cashier with an annoyed look.

“I´m paying this and whatever she got” Josh said firmed to the cashier. Nichole made as if she didn´t listen.

“I already paid for mine” she put the gloves back.

They took the bus back and walked over their steps, when they got to the dirt road they kept walking until they reached a wide river and then to a clearing where they sat to rest.