Blacken Read online

  She looked at census reports next to them on the table, reading over the fact that, more or less, people seemed to be coming in and leaving at a level pace—keeping Blacken at a steady population.

  “I’ve been looking for any information,” Owen started, “something that might distribute a pattern, something to give an idea on what’s been going on, why only some people are affected. I know it’s not a lot, but I’ve only been working here a few weeks, so, it’s a start at least. There is a ton of information on the town archived and I have hardly managed to scratch the surface.”

  “It’s incredible! You’ve found a good number of data to go off of. People affected like me, they come in and just leave. I want to find out the reason.”

  He scoffed in a laughing manner, “I wish it were as simple as that… Nobody hears from those people ever again. They don’t leave, they go missing.”

  Avie’s hands gripped the papers tighter, flinching, “What do you mean they go missing? They go missing and no one bothers to find out what happens to them? How many people?”

  “Oh, I mean they are technically missing; they all have missing persons reports filled out, but it’s just normal in Blacken. Everyone seems to believe if they had come in so suddenly, who is to say they didn’t have the same feeling to go somewhere else? Or even back home? I’d bet a good couple of weeks or even a month spans over until someone disappears, only going by these charts at least.”

  “That’s terrible! Nobody wants to know what happened to them...? What kind of town is this?” The papers slammed into the table, disrupting a few at rest there with the gust of wind.

  “Hey now, missing could mean anything, but not once have they been found dead. People don’t die here because of this, if they did, then everyone coming in would fight the urge to stay and get the hell outta dodge. We don’t know what happens, that’s what I’m trying to figure out here.”

  Avie calmed her breathing, her rapid heartbeat falling to a slow murmur after processing Owen’s words. He was right, it was a mystery, and nothing was concrete. But she was also one of the ones affected, she didn’t care to find out the hard way what happens to people involved.

  “Can I help in any way?”

  His eyes widened, “Really? You mean it? You don’t find it… too much?”

  She smiled, “No, I mean it. It feels like there could be some actual answers in here, somewhere. I want to help find them; it could be really exciting! And, well, I need all the help I can get. Could you imagine actually solving the phenomenon? What Blacken—what the world might actually do with the info?”

  He sighed content, readjusting his glasses, “It’s my dream. Avie, would you be willing to hang out later and go through some archives?”

  “I would love to, but is that even allowed?”

  He laughed, “Nobody has touched them in decades. As long as they don’t go missing permanently, we should be fine. Besides, I work here, it’s not like we are stealing them. Just… borrowing for the greater good.”

  The woman echoed his laugh, she found the librarian to be blunt, but a fun character, and someone she would be happy to spend days with trying to solve the unknown. His enthusiastic energy and passion matched her curious wonder and infatuation.

  A match made in heaven.

  “For the greater good then,” she held out her pinky, him almost immediately locking his own together with it.

  “Our secret, for the greater good… Avie, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

  They shared a smile, “I couldn’t agree more.”

  CHAPTER 3

  It has been a very long time since Avie felt a connection with anyone. Being completely alone for the better part of five years, she moved away from her immediate family and into the city with high hopes of finding an escape. Throughout the years, however, the young woman struggled exceptionally to make friends or even break out of being seen as anything except ‘the new girl’ by her co-workers—constantly being brushed off despite her best efforts.

  She and Owen just clicked, an out of the blue connection bringing them together over a common interest, the compatibility further strengthening the relationship the longer they spent time together. After years of trying, Avie finally was able to call someone her friend. Her first friend.

  Owen was honoured with the title, not really having friends of his own either. The blond jokingly calling them two peas in a pod, separated from the town with their interests and even age. He happily called her his friend in return.

  “I’m falling asleep; we need to take a break,” the librarian complained while leaning back in the office chair.

  They worked in the basement, combing through file cabinets filled with information for what could have possibly been hours. Since there were no windows, the passage of time was iffy; the only way of knowing would be to head back upstairs where the grand clock hung in the reception area. Both young adults too wrapped up in searching to think about moving from the collections.

  Avie rubbed at her eyes, “I’m pretty sure I’ve gone cross-eyed… A break sounds amazing.”

  She turned to watch him stretch awkwardly in his seat, before grunting in satisfaction from the relieved muscles. “Hungry?” He smiled, locking her eyes from across the room.

  “Oh my god, yes.” The redhead started walking over to him, stomach rumbling from the thought of food, too enveloped in the task of searching; the sensation of hunger did not register until now.

  “We’ll have to go upstairs, so save your place!” He gestured to the disarray Avie collected, emphasizing his point.

  She looked at the muddled piles searched through and future piles to further scrutinize, cringing at her mess. Avie turned back to see Owen starting up the stairs, jogging to catch up with him.

  At the top of the staircase, she saw the blond in the foyer dialing on the house phone at his desk. Owen caught sight of her and waved her over, his ear to the receiver.

  “What kind of pizza?” he mouthed to her once she was close enough, starting an order for delivery.

  “Veggie!” whispering back, leaning across him on the desk. She watched him frown, sticking his tongue out while he mimed puking with a soft gag.

  “Yes, I need a large Can·a·di·an pizza for delivery please,” Owen spoke, enouncing each syllable while playfully staring at Avie.

  Rolling her green eyes, Avie retaliated, playing dirty. She gave a soft, dramatic gasp before pulling out her best pouty face, bottom lip jutting out and quivering, the split healing over the week to a soft scratch while her eyes shimmered with false sadness.

  He chuckled, trying to block the look with his hand, “And a medium veggie as well.”

  Avie dropped the look and grasped at the hand in her face, mouthing a “Thank you” back as Owen finished on the phone with the local pizza joint.

  “That’s not fair, and you know it,” he returned the receiver to its cradle, “you have to get us something to drink to make up for it.”

  She laughed, “Oh I do, do I? Anything your majesty requests?”

  Owen scrunched his nose, “I wasn’t actually serious, you don’t have to!”

  “It’s too late, I’m already on my way out the door!” Avie turned and began walking out, “If you don’t say what you want, you’re going to get nothing.”

  “Get me a fruit punch,” he shouted.

  The woman only chuckled in response, a bounce in her step as she walked over to the corner store.

  A violet jacket wrapped comfortably around her, keeping her much warmer than the last time she navigated out in a nippy wind, thankful for the ability to stretch her legs after being in the library’s basement all day.

  In the short walk, Avie thought about the money she had left over, counting out some spare change she still held onto. She applied to several different jobs in town, trying to get something, anything that could provide a steady income. The Rare Bird Inn she stayed at was draining her savings, she couldn’t stay there forever either,
the redhead wanted to rent out an apartment too if she could at least get a call back.

  It was late, the evening hours setting in with the sunset while she walked, the town coming to a close with people going home to family and friends. It was her favourite time of day, the bustling busy hours finally swelling to a close and allowing the streets of Blacken to breathe.

  The small bell fixated atop the shop door rang gently, signalling her arrival. The old woman at the register lowered her newspaper to greet her new customer.

  “Ahh, Miss. Conrad,” she greeted happily, “you look better and better each day I see you!”

  Avie indeed noticed a dramatic change in her eyes and lip during the past ten days, the cut at the top of her nose being the only stubborn thing to heal.

  “Good evening, Mrs. Harris, how’s business been today?” Avie chatted back, continuing to the beverage section in the small store.

  “Same as usual, dear. The handful of school kids seem to be my only patrons.”

  “That’s a shame, have you thought about bringing in something more than snacks?”

  She reached the register, the short and plump woman on the other side started to ring up the few bottles Avie placed down.

  “Oh, I could, I just don’t know where I would put anything. Hardly room in the store as it is.”

  “You’ll figure something, if you can come across the country by hopping train cars, you can figure anything out.”

  Mrs. Harris laughed loudly, “That was a long time ago, dear. I have been meaning to ask, have you found a job yet?”

  Avie shook her head, “No, still looking.”

  “A young lady like you should get lots of offers, you’re great with old folks like me. Gerald at the flower shop was looking for someone’s help, how about I put in a good word?”

  She blinked at the offer, stunned at the suggestion, “Would you really? That would mean the world! Thank you!”

  “Just make sure he doesn’t push you around! He’s used to doing everything his way and can get a little unbearable.”

  “You would know best.”

  They laughed together, having fun with the exchange of goods and currency.

  Mrs. Harris patted her hand, “But you let me know if my son crosses a line, we need more people like you helping us out in town.”

  “I will. Thank you again, I hope you have a good night.”

  “You too, dear. Take care.”

  The young woman collected her items and headed back into the brisk night.

  As soon as she could, Avie would go and bring her résumé into Flora Adora, jumping at the chance for work, even though it would be working under Gerald Harris.

  She experienced firsthand the extent of how strict and demanding he could be. Watching him press further demands upon a woman running ragged to keep up with customers, upset that his worker did not do a certain task within his time constraints as he only gave out criticisms. He was a perfectionist, and while that probably helped keep his store in business for so long, it also hurt his employee rate.

  Many only stayed so long before moving on, but Avie was desperate, wanting so bad to secure a job and an income, anything to get her on her feet. She didn’t get a call back for any position applied to as of yet, and she hoped that this may be her break.

  “Thank god you’re back, I was about to run out to try and find you!” Owen was in her face as soon as she walked through the threshold, grabbing at her arm in an attempt to lead her.

  “Whoa, what’s going on?” She set the bag down on a table as she passed it, allowing the librarian to pull her back towards the archives deeper into the building.

  “I couldn’t help it, I wanted to look and see if I could find anything while we waited on food, I think I’ve got something.”

  “You did?! Why didn’t you say so?” The initial confusion was replaced by determination, her legs working extra hard to keep up with Owen’s long strides.

  She was led to a newspaper article from the town on the microfilm viewer. Sitting her down, he enhanced the image, “I was just messing around with these, figured I’d jump back a ways. It isn’t much, but I thought it must be one of the first cases reported.”

  Avie stared intent at the screen, watching the letters become readable.

  “Strange occurrences point to magnetic fields in small town,” she glanced at the date, “February 1919. Oh my gosh you weren’t kidding.”

  “Keep reading…”

  She read over the article, and as old as it may have been, they raised valid questions about the logic of the town’s phenomenon. But the more she read, the more she didn’t understand. The science was outdated, saying the cause was due to the iron in people’s blood that caused them to travel to a magnetic field inside the town of Blacken. That couldn’t be possible with the makeups of blood or Earth’s magnetism.

  “Owen, this is incredibly dated. None of what they printed scientifically holds up.”

  “But what if the answer was as simple as a scientific reaction? Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction and do you think anyone here had thought to try?”

  “Do you think it’s magnets?”

  She had been serious, but Owen cackled as though she was having a laugh, “It’s gotta be something, it would rule out any easy answers. Besides, there’s a million things we could test, magnets could hold a small part in the overall phenomenon.”

  Avie looked at him, the passion sparkled in his blue eyes, she could see a possible answer somewhere in the future, having it backed up by science could get them on the map.

  “Let’s fucking do it then.”

  Owen broke into joyous laughter, picking up Avie and spinning her around, “I couldn’t have asked for a better mystery partner! We have to have a name for our team, make it official.”

  “Isn’t that what kids do?” she laughed from his actions, eventually being set back down onto her feet.

  “You don’t think it’s fun?” Avie plainly looked at him, reading his expression as sincere. He wanted to have fun for fun’s sake, not to be judgmental…

  Giving in, she smirked with a terrible suggestion, “What about… The Dewey Decimals?”

  He scoffed, “I’m mad I didn’t think of that. It’s perfect for us!” They laughed together at the cliché team name, walking back up to the main sitting area as their laughter died down. “Alright, just in time!” Owen spotted the pizza delivery man walking into the foyer and approaching the desk, meeting them adjacent instead once they were in his sightlines.

  They toasted their pizza slices once they had settled, tapping the triangles in the air, “Here’s to the start of, well, something!”

  For the next two days, Avie and Owen investigated magnetic poles and fields, as well as solar energy and if it had any effect or correlations. So far nothing had been conclusive, much to their dismay, but they only started to dip their toes into a plethora of trials and questions.

  Avie strolled over to the library once again, a spring in her step. It was now her usual spot, frequenting the place to meet up with Owen and work on finding a possible solution to the town’s unknown. What initially started off seemingly paranormal, started to be peeled back as explainable with simple science. It was just a matter of finding the direct cause.

  Owen’s dishevelled locks caught her eye as soon as she entered, her mentally noting how he needed a haircut before she greeted him, “Guess who got the job?” She triumphantly raised her arms into the air, catching cerulean attention.

  Maybe Vivian Harris already got her good word in. When Avie walked into Flora Adora, résumé in hand and anxiety gripping her bones, she was almost sure Gerald would turn her away at the inquiry.

  To her pleasant surprise, he stated he needed someone right away, reluctantly. Albeit, she had to work odd hours to make up for some lost profit in the past few months. Avie was over the moon to be getting hours to begin with. She was sure if she dedicated herself to helping, that the hours of work would steady out to a normal schedul
e soon enough.

  “You did? Hell-yeah you did!” He rose to meet her, Avie’s raised arms wrapped around the back of Owen’s neck, while his slid around her, embracing tight in a celebration. The taller of them rocked their bodies from side to side, squeezing tighter once before letting go, “So when is the first day?”

  “I start early tomorrow, I’m so ready to get out of that motel!” Avie uttered, relieved.

  “I don’t doubt it, we should celebrate when you can. I know Gerald might keep you busy as much as possible. God, he’s such a hard ass…”

  “Absolutely, I wouldn’t mind the extra hours though, it would help a lot. He couldn’t be that bad overall,” she sat down, stretching out her left leg, massaging the flesh.

  Owen took notice, “I hope you won’t push it, or he won’t push you, I’ll kick his ass if he does. Is your knee still giving you trouble?”

  Avie heard the worry in his voice, “It’s really not that bad, I think the weather is affecting it, if I’m honest.”

  He chuckled quietly, voice hardly over a whisper despite the empty building, “Oh no, now you’re sounding like one of them.”

  She snorted, imitating an older voice as she leaned forward and cupped her ear, “What’s that, dearie? You’ll have to speak up!”

  “I knew it, you are older than me, after all. It was only a matter of time before the change took over.” Owen gently slammed a fist on the table in an inflated manner, smirking at his friend across the painted wood with false horror in his voice.

  “Oh, as if! I’m gonna be young forever,” she broke out in giggles, enjoying the playful back and forth her and Owen often did.

  Eventually, the pair made their way into the geology section, picking up where they had left off. They didn’t have much luck with the topics picked to start with. What began with magnetic fields led to research about wind and light pollution, along with starlight and the sun. The information just didn’t line up consistently or couldn’t get past speculation and theory to begin experiments on.