Ophelia stared at the moving van from between the shut tight blinds of her living room. The town had been buzzing about it already, and she could see the few bolder townsfolk sauntering down the sidewalk to greet this new neighbor. There was some humor to the fact that they walked in pairs, or groups. Refusing to face this newcomer alone. Children slowed on their bikes and scooters as they rushed past; once, twice, thrice just to get another look. She wondered if it was considered flattering or worrying the way that everyone seemed to fascinated by this new person. To her, it was another job. One last harvest before a feast. At least, that was what she'd been promised. Others had done the work before her, but now she was tasked with leading this one last lamb beyond the safety of the field and into the woods with the wolves. Or, perhaps, into the waves with the sharks. A more fitting metaphor. If it meant finally knowing some peace in her life, and being able to sleep at night, knowing she'd fulfilled her purpose- then it'd be worth it. No matter the cost. They were all just trying to fulfill their purpose. And who could blame them for that? xxxxxFor now, she'd been watching for long enough. She was learning nothing this way. She'd give herself one last glance, deciding to tie up her hair into a friendly messy bun- those were friendly right? - before finally stepping out of her house and into the sunlight. Neighbors would greet her on her way down the walkway, asking her if she'd met this new face. They'd coo and whisper their thoughts to her and she'd just smile and nod before wandering across the lawn stopping to lean against the fence that separated their front yards "You'd almost think you were famous with how much of a stir you've caused." She would call with a joking tone and an amused smile, to the woman who was simply trying to get another box of belongings inside her new home- and who'd probably been offered help one too many times to count by now.
After twenty-four years of her life, Arabella had become well acquainted with the feeling of being the odd-man out. From the time she was fifteen, Arabella bounced from home to home and from state to state. This however, the feeling of being a main attraction at a zoo, was a new and very unnerving experience. The towns-people, who she assumed to be her new neighbors, would flock to her home in groups or pairs to either stare or ask as many questions as socially acceptable before they continued on with their day. If she would have known that her moving would cause such a fuss, she would have chosen another sleepy town to settle down in for the year; but the intoxicating smell of the ocean that resided not too far away kept her right where she was. It would take a little bit more than nosy neighbors to ruin her excitement about living so close to the shore. With quick and calculated steps, Arabella found herself inside the back of her moving van once more before the sound of someone speaking to her pulled her out of her thoughts. Before she left the van to investigate, she grabbed another box with fragile written in large bold print and poked her head out of the van.
It was a woman. She looked to be about the same age, and the smile she wore worked like magic to alleviate some of the stress she felt piling up. Her words cause a soft chuckle to pass freely from her peach colored lips and a bright smile to replace her once resting grimace. "Well who knows, I might just be your super famous new neighbor that has never been heard off." she teased as she set the box she had resting on her hip down onto the grass and made her way over to the fence that divided them. This exchange was already going a million times better than what she had already experienced, and she was definitely appreciative since her tired mind couldn't handle anymore pointless questions. Arabella extended her hand out to the unknown person in an attempt to hopefully make a friend out of her new neighbor. She had no problem going at this year completely by herself, but if she could help it, she would much rather not have a repeat of last year.
"My name is Arabella and I guess we're neighbors. I would have much rather met you when I wasn't sweaty and had something to offer, but I promise I don't stink and I have some mints in the van's cup holder." she joked with a light laugh. Though she was curious and wondered exactly why everyone was so obsessed with her moving. Arabella figured it was a small town, but she hadn't figured it was that small of a town. "If you don't mind, I do have a question. Why does everyone keep staring over here? I don't have another head growing that I can't see do I?" she asked with a nervous chuckle as she caught a group of older women looking in their direction and whispering among themselves. She didn't quite know if she was ever going to get used to being the center of attention, but she hoped her neighbor would be different.
"I don't know about another head but I think you might have a second pair of ears coming in..." Ophelia rubbed at her chin in mock thought as she hummed, before chuckling "Ophelia Quinn, nice to meet you. Don't mind them too much. It's not often that we get new people here in town, people love living near the sea, and we're not a big enough town to get tourists so they don't see new faces often...I bet if you started barking at them, they'd scatter quick. People here are pretty flighty, I'd know." The woman winked, although whether that was coming from actual experience or just a joke was left unknown- At least until Ophelia turned towards the group and made an almost convincing bark and watched those older women gasp before scurry off "Works like a charm every time... They'll get used to you, promise. I've been here for about five years now, give it a month or so." She waved her hand as if to dismiss it all. Of course, she didn't care to go into detail on why people around here seemed as equally skittish as they did curious. xxxxx"What about you, what brings you to Port Isla? Other than the ocean of course. Perfect time of year for swimming." She noted, figuring that was a simple enough introduction, nothing suspicious but something telling enough. Perhaps Arabella had a past. That was important. Would people come looking for her when she disappeared? If not parents, friends? An old lover? They'd run into complications before... Ophelia wouldn't dig too much. Everyone else had likely already done enough of that. She'd have to set herself apart from the rest, make herself seem interesting enough to want to be befriended. Worst case scenario, she'd pry what the other townsfolk had learned out of them later.
Arabella smiled at the introduction as it was the first one she had been given all day, despite meeting so many passing faces. She listened to the advice her neighbor offered with a confused smile and a slightly raised eyebrow. Arabella used to bark at the future parents that would enter into the doors of the orphanage she lived in for at least five years of her life. It worked like a charm since she was never adopted, but she never thought she would be seeing her old tricks come into play. Though, just as her thoughts started to run wild, the sound of a very convincing bark pulled her out of her thoughts and elicited its own gasp from her. Arabella watched as the older women quickly began walking towards the next destination to whisper and gossip. She turned back to Ophelia with a chuckle, "Well I guess while I'm unpacking I'll have to practice my barking." she teased before the next question she got came as a shock.
What brought her to Port Isla?
She couldn't tell the woman she just met about her past of running and she definitely didn't want to kill the already bright mood with a slightly tragic backstory. So, she did what she always knew how to do best. She lied. Arabella offered a small shrug before going back to grab the box she had left stranded in the middle of her yard. "Nothing in particular brought me here. I've always loved small towns because of the close-knit community and the ocean is definitely plus. I've always been told I have a little bit of wanderlust." she finished before quickly running the fragile box into her home and re-emerging with two water bottles. She figured with all the barking her new neighbor would be a little parched.
"What about you? Why did you take the journey to Port Isla? Five years definitely isn't that long ago, especially when this looks like a town you take your first and last breath in." she took another look around the small and quaint town before her honey brown eyes fell upon Ophelia once again. "I actually have another question as well. Before you answer the previous one." she spit out quickly before the other had even gotten a chance to answer her first question.
"I'm actually almost finished with moving the rest of my boxes in, and I happened to find a nice bottle of wine I've been letting age since I got it on my twentieth birthday. I could make dinner, and you could let me know the ins and outs of this little ocean town. If you're interested of course." her voice was a little shaken with nervousness and her fingers automatically went to fidgeting. This was the first time she had invited someone over for dinner in a while and she only hoped she wasn't just embarrassing herself by starting now after all this time.
Wanderlust, was it.
It was believable. But it also meant that she didn't look to stay here. Who could be satisfied here when there was a world beyond the waves and outside of this sheltered little community? Although, that might've just been Ophelia's own intrusive thoughts crawling out of her subconscious again. Memories of the outside world seemed fogged now. Quickly pushed back into their cage, she opened her mouth to explain the same story she'd spoken timeless times to countless new faces in passing, before being cut off. It was Ophelia's turn to seem to be caught in a shock. Was it truly that easy? Did she really not have to put any work in, or perhaps she was that charming- or, maybe all vanity aside, the other woman was simply looking for a friend among all the weirdness that seemed to greet her first and foremost in this town.
"Oh I'd never say no to free food, or a good time." It was probably the most natural thing that had come out of Ophelia's mouth so far, something she didn't have to think twice about. In a matter of moments and with little effort she'd properly hopped the fence to land on the other side "I can help you move the rest of your stuff inside...Unless there's something I'm not supposed to see. Dead body, famous stolen painting, maybe a possessed doll, ancient cursed relic- you know, the classics." She offered, figuring she should at least give Arabella an out before she started handling some of the boxes. It seemed food was the quickest way to motivate Ophelia. She still held that confident smile, although now it seemed just a bit more genuine. Without the fence in the way it was probably easier to get a better look at her.
Ophelia Quinn stood at about five seven with an athletic build. Her facial features seemed sharp, with high cheekbones and a pointed nose. There were faint bags under her blue eyes that spoke untold stories of sleepless nights. Her arms folded as she spoke again, only reaching up to scratch along her jaw "Although, I should warn you Port Isla's got a pretty strict curfew- but you won't hear about it from any of the locals..." A warning couldn't of hurt. One way or the other, Arabella would come to face the plague of after hours. Some people would chalk it up to night terrors their first night. Some didn't make it at all, and the house would go back up within the week. Some tried to fight it off for as long as they could. Ophelia wondered which character Arabella would play in this chapter.
This had to be record breaking time for her to make a new friend in a new neighborhood. If she had to be honest with herself, Arabella half expected the woman to make up some excuse as to why she couldn't come or just outright tell her no. What she hadn't expected was for her new neighbor to effortlessly hop the fence that divided their homes and offer to help her with the rest of her boxes. "Ah you might not find any of those things, but don't be surprised if you happen to find bars of gold and a treasure chest." she teased as she moved towards the back of the van to pass her one of the lighter boxes she had. Arabella didn't want to burden her new friend and make her regret offering her assistance. There was a slight pause in her movements as she listened to Ophelia talk about a curfew. Arabella figured there would be uncommon traditions because it was a small town and small towns typically had their own town culture, but a strict curfew that everyone followed?
"Why is there a strict curfew? I'm not going to get in trouble with the town mother if I don't follow it will I?" Arabella jested but wondered if the townspeople being so easily spooked had anything to do with their curfew. Initially, when she saw the listing online she thought it was too good to be true. A recently renovated place with a more than affordable price that was a five minute wall to the beach. She figured the reason the price was so great was because the streets were riddled with crime or the house was built right on a cemetery. Much to her surprise it was a quaint and quiet neighborhood with no cemetery in sight.
As the two of them finished moving the rest of the boxes she had left Arabella asked a few questions about the town to the other woman. Nothing too interesting as she wanted to ask the rest in a more comfortable setting. Once Ophelia set the last box she had down in the already slightly cluttered living room, Arabella went on a hunt in her kitchen for two glasses and her bottle of wine. "Thank you again for your help." she said with a bright smile as she emerged from the kitchen and handed the other a half-filled glass. "You made my two day job into a one day job and now I will thank you with food, but I would love the story of how you ended up here in return." she revisited her previous question since she had cut the woman off before she got the chance to answer. There seemed to be few mysteries in this town, but she was content with just starting on the mystery of her next door neighbor first.
"Honestly, it's been in effect before even I moved here. I never asked about it too much, I like being in bed by ten," Ophelia chuckled, as unlike most people her age she liked her sleep and less enjoyed staying up on late nights "I guess you could say this place turns into a ghost town at night, maybe literally." She shrugged, before going on "Weird stuff goes on at night. I've haven't had too much trouble with it all, but some people around here will swear up and down that the devil comes out at night. No one will talk much about it, superstition, all that good stuff- but I could tell you some chilling stories I've heard and seen over the years. I'm a sucker for horror, always have been. I guess that's why I've stayed in Port Isla, it's kind of thrilling..." Ophelia trailed off. That love for horror might've explained a lot of her questioning life choices up until this point, but she left that out and continued to help Arabella finish off what few boxes she'd had left. Ophelia seemed quite capable of carrying a good chunk of weight despite her size.
"Oh, I don't think my story is very interesting. I used to be a real nerd, actually. When I was younger, I was a lot further down the rabbit hole of that love of supernatural. When I first moved out, I packed everything I could fit into a van and traveled around for a bit to different states, visiting the most 'haunted' places, or going cryptid hunting. My parents hated the idea, always thought I was going nowhere, so I lived off every penny I saved from freshmen year to graduation. Of course, eventually money ran out, and I never kept a job at the time because I was always on the move...never went to college, either. I guess it was more like a 'do it while you're young' kind of deal. I didn't really mean to end up in Port Isla, but it's where my van died down. Traded my house for my old van. Yeah, I know. Everyone else gave me that same look. The old owner- He was a weird guy...I told him it had no gas, but he didn't care. Said the place was nuts, cursed. It took us about fifteen minutes to clean my stuff out, and suddenly I was on the side of the road with a jumble of belongings and keys to a house that I didn't even know how to get to. Honestly, talking about it now, it almost seems downright ludicrous- insane actually. But I really felt like I'd been onto something at the time, like my van had run out in just the right place, as if I was supposed to find something here...And then I realized there was still rent to pay, that I needed a new job, and that I probably should've taken it up with the landlord that I was their new tenant. It was a whirlwind of a month that one."
"Well you definitely don't give yourself all the credit you deserve. A real life Mystery Incorporated Van. If you're ever looking for a Velma I've been known to drop my glasses a few times." Arabella teased with a soft smile, but was quite surprised how similar their stories were. Well minus the hunt for horror on her end. Arabella had always been the type of person that appreciates a good scare, but never actively seeks a good scare. What surprised Arabella the most about Ophelia's journey to Port Isla was how a sane human being would trade a van that wouldn't get them very far for a house. It almost mirrored how she was able to find such a nice house for such an amazing deal. A small pit formed in her stomach and a dreadful thought decided to plant its seed in the back of her mind. What if this place was truly haunted. Arabella had never been one to believe ghosts behaved the way they were depicted in horror movies, but she definitely had believed in their existence.
"Did you ever find the something you were supposed to find?" Arabella questioned curiously as she began to boil some water for her pasta and cut up some vegetables she purchased on her way in. As she began to meticulously chop, her bottom lip found its way trapped between her teeth. She wanted to tell the other the true reason why she found herself in the small town of Port Isla. Although wanderlust was the reason she found herself bouncing from state to state, there was a stronger force that brought her to the tiny port town. "Because if you had, maybe you can make a little sense out of my situation-" she started as she turned to the other with a smile that held a lot of different emotions behind it. "About a year ago I started having dreams about a town called Port Isla. I could never get much from a dream because I would always wake up right as I started talking to someone. After weeks of having the same dream I finally decided to do some research, and much to my surprise the town actually existed. After my lease ended I decided to pack everything up and come here." a deep sigh passed through her lips as she added her ingredients to a pan and added her noodles to bubbling water. Arabella turned to look at the other, to gauge how Ophelia responded to her confession, before an awkward laugh slipped from her lips and she quickly turned to avoid eye contact.
"O-or I could just be psychic. Or crazy. Anyways, you mentioned some horror stories earlier about what happens after curfew." she said in an attempt to change the conversation, but part of her hoped Ophelia—the horror buff—would have some explanation.
