Chapter 3

Forced to go to high school for the first time, Grey had to wake up exceptionally early. He leaned against the brick wall in front of the school, waiting for the girl. The other students laughed and talked as they pushed their ways inside. Wishing he could just go home and give up, he pulled his jacket closer around himself. It was almost winter, and the freshly-cut grass was covered in a sheet of frost. As more time passed, the more the number of people outside began to dwindle. When they had all entered the building, Grey wondered if she was even going to show up. She didn't seem like the type to skip school, he thought, though he knew judging people on their appearances often backfired.

The bell signalling the start of classes rang throughout the courtyard, and Grey got up to leave. Taking a final look down the street before he left, he was surprised when he saw someone. A girl was jogging down the street towards him, her red curls bouncing as she ran.

Realizing it was her, Grey stepped into the middle of the sidewalk so he could be easily spotted. He had no idea what he was supposed to do at that point.

She stopped a few meters away from him, and he saw the recognition flash in her eyes. "What are you doing here?" she asked, staying at a reasonable distance. "Are you going to pretend you don't remember me again?"

"Thought I'd see if you were alright," he said, crossing the space she had left between them. Her warm brown eyes swirled with uncertainty as she backed up the more he stepped forward.

"I'm fine thanks," Arder said. "How did you know what school I went to?"

Grey shrugged. With all the time he had on his hands while waiting for her, he hadn't thought about what he was going to say at all. He covered up his cluelessness with his signature dark smile, the one that never reached his eyes. "I told you I'd see you soon, didn't I?"

Arder stopped and stared at him. She didn't seem to look scared though-- just curious. "Who are you?" Arder questioned.

Grey leaned back against the wall, not wanting to intimidate her. It wasn't a part of the plan after all. "I thought it was obvious," he said. He looked into her eyes and watched as she tried to figure it out. When she continued to stare blankly, Grey spoke again. "I'm Cyrus's son."

The second he said his father's name, Arder's eyes widened. This had been the exact reaction he was expecting.

"What?" she gasped. She stopped moving away, walking over to stand in front of him instead.

Still leaning against the ice cold wall, Grey nodded. "I'm Grey Crawford," he said.

"You can't be, Cyrus left the city years ago. I haven't seen him in the longest time," Arder replied.

This Grey had already known, and now he had to spill the words he had been dreading since the moment he laid eyes on her. Tucking his hands into his coat pockets, he sighed. "That's because he's dead."

Arder stumbled backwards, catching herself before she could fall onto the concrete. It was as if the news had literally upturned her entire life. He was never sure of what she was thinking about though, because she quickly plastered a fake smile on her face before saying,"I'm sorry for your loss."

She was the first person to have said that to him, yet he felt that she wasn't the one who should be saying it. "I think that's what I'm supposed to be telling you."

The redhead's eyebrows furrowed together, and Grey knew he had said the wrong thing. "But he was your father," she exclaimed. "Why would you apologize to me?"

He saw through her facade like it was a glass wall-- she was obviously heart-broken. "I didn't know him very well. At least not as well as I assume you did," Grey stated. He glanced over at the school. Now that the girl was here, he knew that he would have to begin his day of sitting through classes. "I guess we should go inside," he said, still facing the building.

Arder nodded and walked past him through the schoolyard entrance, the jingle of her keys echoing back to him. Grey paused, an idea in mind. "Hey, you have the only pair of keys to the factory right?" he asked.

She stopped and looked back at him from her spot halfway up the sidewalk. "Yeah?" she answered hesitantly, the statement sounding more like a question than anything else.

"Can I borrow them?" Grey asked. She glanced back at the school, as if she was debating whether she should just run away or not.

"Why?" she asked, putting a hand in her pocket. The outline of her keys was quite obvious before she wrapped them protectively within her fist.

He shrugged, "I haven't been there in a while, and I'm supposed to get some of his stuff."

She pulled the key chain out, and the boy was surprised at its bulk; it must of had a hundred of the small pieces of metal on it. Flipping through them, she stopped at an old rusted key and spun it around the loop until it could be tugged free. She held it out to him, but then quickly retracted her arm.

"Do you know where it is?" Arder asked. "The factory, I mean."

Looking out onto the quiet street in front of the school, Grey pointed in the general direction of the building once owned by his father. "Just over there right?"

She looked at him like she was wondering if he was serious or not. Peering down at the key in her hand, he knew she wasn't just going to give it to him. It meant something to her.

"I'll just go with you," she said. "I know where it is."

Grey almost smiled; she had done exactly what he had wanted without even knowing it. Hiding his emotions, he kept a straight face and shrugged. "Sure, I don't mind," he confirmed.

She held the key tightly in her hand before shoving it back into her pocket. Grey walked back towards the exit, waiting for her, as she hesitated in her spot and glanced back at the building she had planned on spending her day in. Ultimately, she ran after him and followed him away from the safety of the school.