Spectral Springs

Welcome to the sleepy little town of Spectral Springs, Arkansas. There really isn't much that meets the eye here. We're a mighty fine little town to raise your family in. We've got natural history and beauty that gives our humble little town it's quaint charm. In fact if you're lookin' to disconnect from all the hustle and bustle of that overwhelmin' city folk life then our town is ideal for you. Not to brag but we're not into that fancy new age mumbo jumbo the kid's are all about these days. We like to stick to our root and focus on our tight knit family friendly community.

Y'all should drop on buy we've got all sorts of nifty attractions like our many natural hot springs, our town's museum of history that follows our history from pioneer days till the present, a library perfect for educatin' the young-ins, schools for kids of all ages, our diner that boast the best lemon icebox pie this side of the mason dixon line and our natural phenomena that draw bus fulls of curious spectators to these parts.

We're lookin' forward to havin' ya!

Sincerely,
Mayor Nathaniel A. Prescott

Now you city folks might be unsure of how we do business here in Spectral Springs so let me give you some basic information so we can all get along here just fine and dandy.

1. Respect one another. No name callin', fightin', or bickerin'.
2. It's better to stay in a group so please make sure everyone feels included.
3. Don't take control or "possess" another person. That just ain't right y'all.
4. If yer gonna fight then make sure everyone has a chance to get a hit in. No what's it called? Auto hittin'.
4. As the "Mayor" I'm allowed to make more rules as I see fit.


Now these rules right here should be pretty simple to adhere to but if I see any breakin' of these rules then first off I'll give you a warning, after my second warning and you break a rule then yer out.

Now since some of you might be new to our charming little town I'm gonna introduce you to some of our locals.
Make sure to drop in and say hi once in awhile.

Sue Ellen Baker -- She runs the diner here in town called the "Grandma Susie's Kitchen"
Tobias "Toby" Reeves -- One of our local deputies. He's a real nice fella unless you cross him.
Mattias "Matt" Reeves -- Tobias' brother and our sheriff. He's a fair man but like Toby if you cross him then you'll understand why some of the youth call him "Mad Matt".
Sarah Drew King-- She runs the natural history museum. She went outta the city for college so she's a real bright young thing.
Colton Cotten -- Mr. Cotten runs the local newspaper called the Spectral Spectator.
Cassandra Carter -- News anchor with our local tv station
William "Billy" Wyatt -- The co anchor on the news station.
Grandpa McGraw -- One of our oldest residents. He's a bit "eccentric" but he's got a good heart.
James "Jamie" Dean -- Runs the library. He's a nice enough guy but he really needs to get outside once in awhile.

Here's where yer expected to fill out a little information sheet so we can get to know you a bit better.

Name:
Age:
Appearance:

Personality: (Keep it short sweet and to the point. No yammerin' on about any merit awards or good citizenship certificates you might've gotten in primary school.)

Biography: (Keep it brief. Just include relevant information that's molded you into the individual we're meetin' today. )

Likes: (bullet list form if you don't mind. Max of 6 likes. )
Dislikes: (same as likes )
Fears: (same as likes/dislikes)

Who's controllin' my strings? : (username here )

If you're reading this journal then one of two things has happened and both aren't good, well for me at least. Option one is that  I've been seperated from my journal by some strange freak anomoly. Second option is that someone has stolen this journal in attempts to steal my research about this town and the unsual occurances that happen here. Please tell me you don't think that these "events" that happen are "random", "uncommon" or just "allusions". There's something strange about this town. I know it. Everyone here acts so unaffected by it all but I know there's more to this town and these people than they're letting on. If you're still reading this then please help me. Find me. I'm not sure how you'll do it but I'm sure if you found this journal then you're a fairly bright individual and capable of solving the mysteries including the mystery I'm presenting you with now.  And last and most importantly please keep this journal safe. There's people in this town who'd do anything to get their hands on it. I'm sure you've encountered some people who seem like they're after bigger and better oppertunities than a small town like this can offer them. I'm not surprized if  the government has been watching this town. I just feel it that there's more here than meets the eye. Don't you agree!? Then let's solve this mystery together when we finally meet.

Sincerely,
A

My names Asher Grayson and my entire life got turned upside down on the eve of my thirteenth birthday. Before then you could argue that my life was pretty normal. I had a mom, a dad, a lazy fat cat named Caspar and lived in a great city. There was always something to do and it never was a dull moment with my mom around. She was probably the most unique person I've ever met (well so far I mean I'm only fifteen and a half). See she had the craziest job ever. My mom was a paranormal researcher and got paid to look into weird anomalies and freak occurrences. I found it all laughable because like my dad we never really took mom's job all that seriously. I mean have you SEEN those stupid Paranormal Activity movies? It's a bunch of shaky camera work, cheap jump scares, static, and creepy children. I mean aren't most people afraid of little children talking to nothing and saying things like, "I see dead people." Oh wait that's sixth sense? Whatever! Point is we never took her job seriously. We would poke fun at it and try startling her while she was "working".  It was all out of fun and not meanness. We both loved mom....we still do...wherever she is. I mean she can't be d---dead, right?

Sorry, um, back to how my life changed and I ended up in this bizarre little town called Spectral Springs.
It was the eve of my thirteenth birthday, liked I'd previously stated, when everything went to hell. Not literally just to clarify. So mom had been really busy working and I was up in my room playing some smash bros just to pass the time until I had to go to sleep when all of a sudden I heard mom shouting for me and dad. I threw my controller down and bolted down the stairs before making the descent into the basement where she worked. I saw this weird eerie green light, a lot of static electricity, weird pictures popped through my brain almost like I was looking into an apocalyptic hell, and mom just looked beside herself with joy. Not exactly reassuring when you mom is laughing like a lunatic and you're so scared you're about to pee your pants.  Any ways, so I asked her what was going on and she said she'd made "contact with the other side." The other side? Like the afterlife? What?! I could hear these whispers all around me that made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end and this cold feeling swept over me. I felt like I was in a bad dream. This couldn't be real. Ghosts weren't real! There was long existing scientific work that contradicted what she was trying to prove was real. These silly things just existed in scary movies or stories parents told their children to make them afraid to go out at night. But maybe she was right...maybe she had made contact with the other side? All I know is one minute there were two of us in the basement and  the next thing I recall was waking up in a hospital bed. Dad looked so worried when I finally came two. I looked around for mom but the look on dad's face said it all. Apparently the system she'd been using to "make contact" had meltdown due to some freak occurrence and literally blew up our basement. Dad said that firemen had to pull me out of the wreckage and when they were looking after putting out the fire there was no trace that any one other than me had been in that room. There was no physical evidence to tie mom to scene. Creepy right? Also the accident apparently caused me to have long term memory damage. Good by years one through eleven. Nice knowing ya...  So yeah that's how my life ended up becoming the bizarre mess it is today.

Wait wait wait! No I haven't told you the worst news yet. Apparently dad decided it'd  be better for me if I didn't live in the city after my "accident" and was looking into relocating us. Where you might ask? To none other than Spectral Springs. Joy. That's exactly the very last place on this earth I'd want to go to. No offense mom if you're out there somewhere. But yeah, the summer of my thirteenth birthday dad began looking into the "big move". Luckily for me his work wasn't so quick to let him go. That pushed off the move for two and a half glorious years. During those two years I managed to progress through the public school system without being too ridiculed. In fact I became something of a legend around my school. I was that kid who had no memories of his past, got pulled out of scientific-ish wreckage, had a "ghost mom", and managed to survive it all to be nothing more than a paranormal "freak". After the "accident" I began reading my mom's old work and questioning if anomalies that could possibly be tied to another reality existed. Needless to say it was an interesting two and a half years of trying to cram years worth of my mom's work in before dad eventually caught onto what I was reading and hid her work from me.  Oops..my bad. If I was more of a super spy than a dweeb than maybe I could've been more stealthy and not gotten all those documents taken away.

Well fast forward two years and half years and one day and I'm now in Spectral Springs.  Dad was getting annoyed of my constant whining and has sent me out to go "exploring". Wow nature so fun. NOT. I already miss the city. I hate hearing these annoying bugs, frogs, and country music. I just can't stand it. Everyone here seems so dimwitted and dull. There's nothing of any significant or cultural value here. Why do people even live here? Whatever. I guess I'd better keep "exploring". God I feel like I'm some five year old right now. Too bad I lost my memories of year five or I could share some lighthearted memory of little Ash off adventuring but no. Joys of long term memory loss I guess?

These woods go on freaking forever. Is anybody even out here? SNAP! Oh shit! What the hell is that sound? It sounds like I'm not alone here after all. BANG! Mother of God! Okay abort mission! I repeat abort mission! Legs don't fail me now! I began running as fast as my uncoordinated self could go in an attempt to escape whatever the hell it was  that might be chasing me.  OUCH! Ow ow ow! What did i just jam my toe in --- "WAHHHH!" I feel my entire body crumple up and begin tumbling as I start rolling down a hill? Wait when was there a hill here? "AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Thud. I crashed into something. Standing up I used a nearby tree to steady myself. What I saw before me was so bizarre. It looked like an abandoned bunker? Why would there be a bunker in the middle of the woods? Are these people doomsday prep-ers? Christ. Well might as well take a look? I pulled the lid off and noticed it wasn't as deep as I was expecting. Pulling out my cellphone I looked inside and noticed a book? Who'd leave a book in a bunker? I reached down and grabbed it. It looked beaten and worn. It was covered in dust too. Great let's have an asthma attack from inhaling ancient bunker dust. Upon opening the book I came across a message for help from an "A". Huh. My name starts with an A too. Small world. "Not sure if Asher Grayson can be of much help but I guess I could try? Might help me pass the time until school starts."

And that's how I acquired this weird book and why I'm desperate to find anyone who might believe all the nonsense written inside of it. Apparently according to "A" this town is basically one giant anomaly. Why do I feel like my life is one giant anomaly?  






OOC: Perspective will shift when Asher isn't the only character and has people to interact with.

Her heart pounded ferociously as ripped two back packs opened and filled one entirely with cash and the other with all the drugs she could find. She had already packed her clothes and had them waiting on the door step. Deep dark brown eyes flashed up to the clock she only had another half an hour and her father would be due to arrive home, wiping her brow with the back of her pale tattooed hand she ripped her back packs closed. “BEEP BEEP” The taxi blared at the front of her house and she snarled angrily. ‘I told him not to beep’ her mind growled as her heart seemed to beat quicker than before and she snatched the two back pack into the air.

Pulling a back pack over her shoulder she reached in her back pocket of her baggy jeans and pulled out a cigarette packet, taking one free she placed it between her lips as she arrived at the door of the taxi. Throwing the two backpacks at the feet of the passenger side she noticed the driver had already taken her bag of clothes and other stuff. Looking back at the place she called home for so long and raised her hand to pull the finger at the house giving a small giggle climbing inside the taxi cab, adjusting the black beanie that clung to her blonde hair.

The ride was long and tedious and looking at the cab meter price, she shook her head scoffed and looked away. Her brown eyes drifted around the country scenery that was slowly starting to take over and she sighed heavily. Her fingers reached down for her cigarette packet and she couldn’t care less any more it had been six hours and she was itching for one, it was showing her leg and it bounced erratically up and down. Sparking her lighter and rolling the window down she breathed in deeply, shooting the driver a dark glance before pulling the finger at him and finishing the smoke.

Drifting off to sleep for what only felt like 10 minutes turned out to be an her and her brown eyes fell upon a sign that read “Welcome ya’ll to Spectral Springs”. The small blonder couldn’t help the small giggle that escaped her lips as she heard the accent in her mind. ‘Seriously Mum?’ she asked with a massive sigh heaving her chest up before leaning out the open window. Taking a deep breath she squinted in the wind against her face, ‘It’ smells nice’ she noted as she continued to study her surroundings. Looking into the woods she saw what looked like a boy running in the distance but she couldn’t be sure, with a small shrug she looked forward the centre of town was ahead and her stomach screamed for food.

“Just drop me at the shop, please and thank you” she said to the male driving the car and her grunt hauling the car to a stop. “Miss Fletcher, You need to be nicer in this town” the driver said before he jumped out and took out her bags. Fletcher scoffed at him, “What ever dick head” she said roughly before pulling her back packs close to her body her eyes set on a bathroom. She needed to even this out. In a bathroom she quickly ripped half her clothes out filled the room with drugs and cash then added more clothes on top a pocket full of cash in her pocket and a cigarette behind her ear.

Leaving the bathroom she pulled he heavy pants up a little and she was on the hunt for food anything she could eat there on the spot, especially cake. Her eyes fell upon a bakery and she smiled greedily up to the sky. Pushing quickly across the road, her mouth watered at the food in front of her and she ordered 3 different things plus a slice of mud cake. Pleased with her purchase she sat down at a nearby table and began stuffing her face starting with the ham and cheese Danish.


OOC : Oh my I hope that is okay!

Following leads for weeks, Garfield Drake had ended up in the small town of Spectral Springs. (With a name like that there HAD to be something paranormal going on there. Or at least that's what message boards had lead him to believe. And those things had yet to be wrong...more than once.)

So far though, the only paranormal thing he had encountered in this one horse town was the supernaturally long waits at red lights. Seriously, he had never encountered a stop light that took as long as this one seemed to.

Getting fed up, the boy decided to disobey all known road laws and drove into the woods where there would be no traffic lights.

He drove over sticks and rocks, almost hit a few trees and narrowly avoided collisions with wildlife.
But he eventually found a good place to stop. It was a somewhat open space hidden within the forest.
It provided a clear view of the sky (perfect for his telescope so he could spy any incoming UFOs.) yet there were still enough trees near by to provide shelter from any odd weather occurrences.
This would do nicely.

With the base of operations now ready for action, the boy began to set up his tech, checking his wifi signals and making sure his radios were ready to pick up signals from local emergency and police channels.
If there was anything odd in this place, he was certain he'd be the first to find out.

Asher was so confused by everything that had literally just happened to him within a short span of probably no less than thirty minutes. One thing was painfully apparent and that was that this boy and nature didn't get along at all. Also the fact that this town had secrets but really who cares about secrets after rolling down a hill as nature tries to kill you? All Ash knew was that his neck hurt like hell, seriously he was lucky he didn't break his neck, and that he must look like a sight. Something in his hair felt like it was trying to stab through his skull and penetrate his brain. Good god why couldn't nature just calm down and quit trying to inflict more pain on him?! It was like Asher Grayson vs the forces of Nature.  "Seriously, what the hell did I ever do to you nature? Sorry if I stepped on a twig and hurt your feelings. I mean there's people in Brazil or somewhere freaking deforesting the rain forest but you wanna pick on me for taking a freaking walk in the woods. I see how this is." His green eyes narrowed in annoyance. "And what the hell is trying to stab me in the brain? Jesus! I'm so done with this shit." He reached up and dug around his "bird's nest" of a mess of hair until he found the culprit. It was a damn twig. SERIOUSLY?! Wow the irony in that. Angrily he threw the twig on the ground and stalked off away from the mysterious bunker.

The brunette held on tightly to the old leather journal as he made the exhausting trek up the hill he'd easily rolled down earlier. "If only it was physically possibly to roll up the hill." He bitterly muttered underneath his breath. If anyone had been around and heard the boy muttering to himself they might think he was one egg shy of a basket full. "At least nobody's actually out here. I can't believe dad." Ash hissed. "I'd like to see him try navigating his way through the woods. Psh, he'd so cheat and use some tech to help him out. I mean I do have a phone, well, unless it got wrecked in that damn chase." It really wasn't a chase. Ash was just trying to comfort himself by giving himself the benefit of the doubt. Though for all he knew a hungry wolf or coyote could have been trying to make him lunch. Not exactly like he paused to figure out what was making all that noise behind him. But he still believed he wouldn't have made an particularly appetizing meal for anything trying to kill him.

"Ughhhhhhhhh! Where is my freaking house?" He whined. It really was fortunate nobody was too close by. They likely would have gotten tired of all Asher's bitching and whining. So far his first day in a new town was pretty crappy. All he wanted was to get back home and read some more of this crazy weird journal he found. Just who exactly was A? How had A gotten separated from this journal? Who in this town could possibly want to steal it? "It's just some writings from an obviously delirious person who belongs in an asylum for nutcases." He said out loud. "Not to mention it's covered in dust and smells like a wet dog. Geesh just how long has this thing been in there? Since the beginning of time..." He rolled his eyes. No, he knew the journal wasn't that old. But it easily could've been ten years or older judging from the damage. Unfortunately it didn't seem like there were dates in it. "So weird." Ash muttered to himself as he continued wandering around the woods.

After awhile he could hear something that sounded like leaves trembling and the beeps of civilization! "Thank god!" He exclaimed as he ran towards the source of the sound. Ash, not being too coordinated, ended up once more tripping and landed into a big bush. Thankfully the journal kept certain bits from getting jabbed by not nice twigs and branches. "Owwwww." He groaned as he tried picking himself up off the ground. 'Maybe I need to get better shoes for 'exploring'?' He thought as he started to stand. To anybody close by it must have looked like the great pumpkin was emerging from the pumpkin patch as Asher stood up. He looked frightfully bad. Twigs were once again in his thick hair, his clothes were covered in dirt, and mud was on his face from high fiving the ground with his face. "Oww...shit." He swore underneath his breath. Asher tucked the book under his arm and wobbly stumbled forwards. "Anybody? H---Help..." He said pathetically. "H---Help?" Ash should have been more careful with his request for help because help was coming alright but not in the way he'd hoped. . .  .

Scanners: set
Wifi: signal strength holding steady
Mobile phone: Charged.
Back up phone: Charging.
Lights! Camera! Snacks!
Everything was up and running, and systems were looking A-OK. This was good.

Stuffing his face with corn chips, the blonde haired boy began monitoring the usual message boards he frequented when he began to hear the sounds of...a voice??
He took off the headphones he had been using to listen to the police radios and listened carefully.

There it was again..

Grabbing his phone and his bag prepacked with a few supplies, then headed out the door of the supped up RV.

Carefully, the lad looked for anything that might be suspicious be it tracks or claw marks or debree from fallen space ships.

Unfortunately, he did not find anything like that. Instead what he found was a humanoid creature with plant like appendages on it's head.
"Hm camouflage?"
Digging the camera out from his bag, the boy turned it on to record his 'encounter'.

"Log entry 15.
Today I arrived in Spectral Springs, a town that hides more than meets the eye. I thought it'd take me a bit longer to discover the truly bizarre, but it seems lady luck is on my side! For you see, dear viewers - I have discovered a strange creature already!" He turned the camera towards the passed out creature on the ground. "As you can see, it's humanoid in appearance, but these bizarre plant like appendages upon it's head leads me to believe it could come from a planet similar to ours where humanity evolved from trees! Can you believe it? I'll have to run a few tests to be sure. So keep watching my channel and I'll have more for you later." He turned off the camera and put it away.

Looking at the being on the ground, he quickly began to scan the area for any ship wreckage. Frowning when he didn't find any, his eye caught notice of a book under the creature's arm.
How peculiar...
Perhaps it held the creature's secret plans!
How exciting!

Carefully, he lightly kicked a rock that was near the being. It stopped right beside it. Not exactly what he intended to have happen. "Hey! Whatever you are. If you're alive then tell me what planet you're from."

Frowning at the fact the creature was taking too long to respond, the boy decided it would save him time to just carry it back to his base of operations.

Maybe he'd suffered a blow to the head or some nerve damage in his brain from tumbling down hill earlier? Though if anything he was betting it was when he headbutted the ground that he more or less knocked his brain around one time too many. Ash was wobbling for a few minutes before the next thing he knew everything went black and his legs gave way causing him to crash loudly onto the ground. Could this day possibly get any worse?

Was it possible he was floating? For some reason he clearly felt a disturbance in the force. A bright light was in his face that made the poor male feel as if he were about to go blind. "Ugh! Light! It burrrrrnnnnnnsss!" He hissed before swatting in the general direction of the blinding light. Just what the hell was going on? Hadn't he fallen on his face not his back? Maybe he'd rolled over and was staring up at the sun? No. He'd been wandering around so long in the woods it was starting to grow dim. Then where was he? "What planet are you from?" The words came out of nowhere and that voice certainly didn't belong to himself. "Pardon?" Asher tried opening his eyes only to quickly shut them again and turn away from the light. "What planet are you from?" He repeated back. Maybe he had bumped into something from the journal? THE JOURNAL! Oh shit! "My book!" He shouted. Asher was now squinting horribly as he began frantically feeling around for the journal. "Give me back my book! You wouldn't believe half of anything written in it. I---if you look into it...it'll um..burn your eyeballs out of your skull! No mere mortal can comprehend the ancient language and mysteries!" Utter bullshit and lies but Ash wasn't keen on having someone meddling in his top secret business. Hell to the no. "I'll use my uhhh twiggy nature powers to poke you many times until you give me back what's mine." Not a very threatening threat but he was half blind, his brain was scrambled from falling several times, and he just wanted to get home. "Besides, isn't this like kidnapping?" He asked. "Because my father won't be happy about this one bit. He's got sciencey machines that he can use to obliterate you with. Seriously... I wonder about half the inventions he's concocted." Ash muttered the last bit. "But just give me the book and nobody gets hurt." 'Not like I'm already possibly concussed but what does this person care?' He thought to himself.

Dragging the creature back to the base was more tricky than he had expected. It was heavier than he thought it would be, or maybe he just needed to work out more...or at all.
B-but he did succeed! And when he got the alien there, he tied it to a chair and turned on the overhead light.

Sitting across from it, the boy stared intently, waiting for it to wake up.
Which...felt like a small eternity.
While he waited, he was half tempted to peek at that book the creature had been holding onto for dear life.
But held out for the time being.
It might be a good bargaining chip after all.

After what felt like forever, the creature finally started to come to. "So, the alien finally wakes up! Tell me creature, scientific minds need to know - What planet are you from?"

The creature sounded confused when it responded so the boy repeated his question. "Wh-at plan-et are you from!" He enunciated his words clearly, only to get the question redirected at him.

Nice try alien, but he wasn't going to fall for tricks like that.
No sirree.

Suddenly, the creature began to shout about the book.
Grabbing it off the table, Garfield held it up so the being could see it. "You mean this book? Why what's in it? Your plans for world conquest?"
The alien grew hostile in it's corner position and began to toss threats at him.

Now thoroughly curious about the book, the boy opened it and flipped through it. Interesting...interesting. This wasn't about world domination plans at all..

"It's not kidnapping if the subject held in captivity is an alien." He said absently, his eyes still glued to the pages as he looked through the book.

Closing it, he put it back on the table. "So, tell me alien... why do you want that book so badly? Trying to summon the monsters in it so they can join your horrible army? Are you trying to conquer the earth? Tell me your diabolical plans and I might just be willing to cut you a deal."

Anna Molly was just your average girl, born and raised in the tiny town of Spectral Springs. Her parents had been born here, and both sets of her grandparents, and probably generations before them. The Knight family had always been a big part of the community, and though Molly was modest, she was proud (for the most part) of her family's role. They were the chicken farmers, and raised other animals, as well. Everyone in the family played a role, and Molly's job was mainly tending to the laying hens and delivering eggs to the market and Grandma Susie's before school. She had her own pick-up truck to deliver the cartons and get to the other side of town for school, where she was an average student despite being a bookworm. Her main goal was to get out of there, and today, she had finished yet another installment of such.

On her way home, she saw from a distance a city taxi leaving after a small girl (around her age, presumably) exiting with a couple of bags. She moved quickly into a restaurant and disappeared from Molly's line of sight. It was different to have anyone new to pass through Spectral Springs despite all of Mayor Prescott's warm welcoming signs and small advertisements outside of town to produce visitors, though it wasn't as if they had much. Even the historical museum they had was a bit hokey and in disrepair since it was run mostly by youth.

Just as much as Molly was rather introverted, she was more curious than timid and wouldn't let an opportunity to meet someone new pass her by. She approached Susie's Diner with some caution; she obviously didn't want to be much of a stalker, but if she wanted to be the first to meet the newcomer, then why not? She stepped into the diner and was blasted with the smell of hot food being cooked in the kitchen. A few men who worked outside of town sat at the counter, sitting idly or reading day-old newspapers--Spectral Springs Press was never very good at delivering new news; most of the paper was rubbish, anyways.

To act a tad bit more casual, she ordered her own food from the pastry window (she rather liked bear claws), and made amicable eye contact with the girl who sat alone in her booth eating a mess of pastries. A wry smile pulled at one side of her mouth as she asked, "Mind if I were to take a seat? Not every day you see someone from out of town 'round here." She paused for an answer, hopeful and a bit nervous about the encounter.

"If it was my plans for world conquest you'd already be dead you idiot." Asher said. The longer he sat in this chair the more hostile and annoyed he began to grow. Seriously, what the hell was up with this freaking town! Was he seriously being held hostage and accused of being an alien? Maybe this guy needed to get a freaking hair cut and some contact or stylish thick rimmed glasses.

Ash made an almost inaudibly high pitched sound as the other male opened the book. He jumped in the chair and managed to scoot himself forward. Success! Now just to some how bust out of this chair, knock this idiot out, and haul ass home before anyone else decided to add onto the worst possible first day in a new town like ever. "Do you really think an alien would be dumb enough to keep all their plans in a book, lose the book, and let a human read it? COME ON!" He practically shouted. "And bro you need to get some damn glasses because I'm a freaking human you moron!" Angsty teenage insults at its finest. "My name is Asher Grayson and I literally just moved into this town today. My dad is Arthur Grayson and he's an engineer. Don't believe me look for the house with the weird metal work out front. He couldn't fit all of his inventions in our new house." He sighed. "Now will you untie me? I'm not some space invader sent here from a galaxy far far away to blow up the earth or enslave the human race. I'm just a fifteen year old guy who wants to get back home and get all this dirt off of his face. I mean yeah.. I probably look like Groot from Guardian's of the Galaxy." Ash added. Maybe throwing in some human references would make this basket case believe he was a "real boy" to quote Pinocchio. "And turn the damn light off are you trying to blind someone? I'm sure even an alien invader wouldn't put up with being treated so horribly. Maybe work on your hospitality skills if you want to befriend little green space men." Ash added. "As for that book it's none of your business. Like I said nobody would believe half of what I've read in it anyways. It sounds like uber scifi. I should know because my mom was paranormal researcher and we never believed in her work until she well... " Ash paused and look slightly upset. "Whatever. It's not important just give me the book. Seriously. I'm done playing intergalactic cops and robbers with you. I'm in some real discomfort after tumbling down a hill and might have a concussion because I have no idea how I even got in here or who you are. But my memory is shit any ways so .." He muttered the last part underneath his breath. No need telling his kidnapper he was involved in a scientific explosion then the other might really think he was an alien. "Book now." He stared at the other with an annoyed look on his young face.

Garfield shook his head. Were the book plans for domination he would not necessarily be dead where he stood.

Watching the other being through his peripheral vision as he flipped through the book, the boy climbed onto the table, just out of the way.
And that was when the other began to give him information.
It wasn't exactly what he had hoped for, but it was still rather interesting. "Grayson huh..." hm
The name sounded familiar.
If the other's story were true then there was probably a reason it sounded familiar.

Keeping the book with him, he climbed off the table and over to his bookshelf. Looking through it he pulled out a binder labeled "G-I"
and flipped through it. That was why the surname sounded familiar, there were papers in this binder that had been published by the Grayson boy's mother. (all information and research papers he had were printed off the internet from sites like 7ch or Readem, and stuff found on scientific archives of course so the papers could have been fabricated but any leads on anything were better than none.)

"Who said I wanted to befriend the extra terrestrials? and if this book is so unbelievable then why would you want it back so badly?"
He laughed, shelving the binder and keeping hold of the journal. "No, I want to study them, find out their secrets and then I'll figure out where to go from there afterwards."

Hearing the other boy demand the book back so adamantly trying to make it sound like the dullest thing in existence, the blonde just smirked "I think I'm going to keep this book and study the contents. After all, if it's all science fiction like you claim it to be, then I'm sure the internet would love to hear the tales contained within."

At this point, he was merely just trying to see at what lengths the other would go to in order to obtain the tome. It was rather interesting that for someone who seemed to go on about how unbelievable the contents were would go to obtain the very thing they were trying to make sound uninteresting. (Of course his claims that it was all sci-fi just made Garfield want to keep the tome.)

OOC:Shit post is shit.

"I swear to God when I get out of this fucking chair I'll beat that smug ass look off your face you little bitch!" Asher snarled. He was just so over this damn town, this bastard who'd more or less kidnapped him, and now he was being taunted by a dipstick who believed he was an alien. The corner of his lip was twitching as he though of many nasty threats to make like how he'd disembowel this jerk and play jump rope with his intestines. Most days Ash was a sensible lad but this guy was pissing him off so bad. Like most people Asher had endured bullying at school but they'd never tied him to a chair, blinded him, and then threatened to keep some dumb book he might've been reading hostage or post it's contents all over the net. This guy was an ass. His green orbs narrowed into a vicious glare. For some reason Asher felt like the book belonged to him, that he was meant to find this book, and if this jerk published it's contents online things would get really really bad. "But fine. You wanna be an ass and post it all online then go right ahead. Not like anyone would believe you any ways. You're not exactly a credible source and I bet you get all of your information about the little green men off of the internet. In case you were born under a fucking rock the internet isn't the source of all knowledge. It LIES. More than you would think. There's jerks online who live and love to troll stupid pricks like you who go around posting that they actually believe in aliens. At least I'll get a good laugh at people mocking you and ridiculing your "findings", more like what you stole from me." His tone was getting very dark and malicious.

As he was distracting the blonde with his condescending talks he was actually managing to squirm out of the rope he'd been tied up in. Once his hands were free he just held them behind his back and kept up the act like he was helplessly tied to the chair. Boy was this jerk in for it. So what if his feet weren't free yet they would be soon enough. Ash felt like Houdini as he managed to get one foot loose and then the other. A wicked grin spread across his face once he was finally free. "But you know what I think I'll have more fun doing?" Ash lunged at the other male and the two went sprawling onto the floor. The brunette was sitting on top of the other and drove his fist into the others' face. "Watching you squirm like this spineless worm you are!" His gaze shifted to where the journal had slid off to when he had lunged at the other. It was so close yet so far. He needed to get his journal back and keep it safe like A wanted. Asher tried to quickly get off of the other and crawl towards the book. "It's jerks like you that A warned me about! People who would exploit the findings in this journal and use them for their own selfish gain! I'm not going to let anyone else keep me from finding A and solving the mysteries of Spectral Springs. You'll have to pry the journal from my cold dead hands!" Ash reached out and grabbed the book. Right now he felt like Golumn from Lord of the Rings. This journal was his "precious" and nobody else could have it. NOBODY! He'd never gotten so animalistic over any bit of property he'd ever owned. This was so out of character for the normally passive teen. A low growl escaped his lip as he brought the book toward his chest. His eyes looked like a ravenous animal as he stared at his kidnapper. "I fucking dare you to try and take this journal away from me again." He hissed.

Of course Ash wasn't out of this RV quite yet. The blonde male still had the upper hand here seeing as this was his vehicle. He felt anxious as he wondered if the other would let him out of the RV peacefully or keep him captive. Either way Ash refused to be separated from this journal. "N---Now let me and the journal go. You'll never have to see me again and can go about your fruitless task of finding aliens."

Seemed like Asher was quite the feisty on. Seeing this kind of fiery spirit made the blonde chuckle.
Oh how desperate was the brunette if he was grasping at straws in terms of insults.
"Oh, I would never claim them as my own findings. More just post the stories. After all, you're the one who claimed they were not real anyway so what's the harm in posting them on an anonymous image board?"

He was trying to sound so cool and calculating, taunting, whatever that he wasn't really fully paying attention to the big picture and the next thing he knew he was being attacked. A+ Job there kid.

Sure, being hit in the face hurt like hell, but he wasn't actually squirming. He wouldn't give his assailant that much enjoyment.
Instead, he just listened as the other spoke, mentioning things about someone named A and gaining things. "What gain would anybody get from posting shit on an anonymous message board. It's anonymous... there's no name in which to attribute anything to and the threads get pruned daily." He said this very dryly, totally forgetting the point.

One he was quickly reminded of when Asher tried to crawl away. Simply, the blonde just grabbed the boy's ankles to prevent him from getting far. "Kal, Alpha protocol."

Letting the brunette go, he climbed to his feet as a white and grey ferret came scurrying out of hiding carrying what looked like...a pink seal keychain? Weird.

The animal climbed up to the blonde's arm, thus delivering the item. "Thanks buddy."
With the overly cute object in hand, the alien obsessed boy locked the door to the RV, and blocked the exit.
"Your move, tiny."

"Why the hell should I believe anything you say? You're just some creep who can't tell the difference between a human and and alien." Asher stated. It was the truth. How could anyone possibly think that he was an alien? The twigs in his hair didn't look THAT much like eye stalks. "For all I know you're just as desperate to gain some sort of credibility and would stoop down to stealing any sort of finding related to paranormal research. For all I know you copy and pasted some of my mother's works and posted them on these message boards and claimed her work as your own. A was right...people here really are trying to find bigger and better opportunities than this dull town can give them." He muttered underneath his breath. Ash still had the journal clutched tightly against his chest. He had it so close that the corners of it were digging into his torso but the pain was worth keeping A's work safe. By finding this journal he more or less made a promise to help this A person be reunited with their work and find out the mysteries of this town together. It was a promise that Asher Grayson intended to keep and nobody was going to stand in his way. For all he knew maybe this A character had information on his mother's whereabouts? Poor Ash was desperate for any information about what happened to her after the explosion in the basement. To recapture those lost memories and fill the emptiness that was consuming his heart. Nobody understood these feelings. Nobody shared his pain. They didn't feel the burden of not knowing or remembering years of their lives. The guilt of not taking someone seriously until it was too late. His whole body was trembling as he fought back the emotions building up inside of him.

"Tiny? Judging from your busted lip it seems like David could easily down Goliath. Don't patronize me you jackass." Asher hated people thinking less of him. It wasn't like he didn't loathe himself enough but to add on belittling comments from "friends", strangers, and even his own dad..it was enough to make anyone feel severely inadequate.

With shaky legs Asher stood up. He glanced over his kidnapper and noticed a pink seal key chain in his hand and a ferret on his arm. What the hell? The corners of his lips curled as laughter soon followed. "Wh--what the hell man? You're gonna take me down with some girly accessory? Looks like something daddy's give their little girls to keep in case some creep tries to grope them. Are you afraid I'll try and inappropriately touch you~" He teased. Ash walked over to the other and sighed. "Listen, I'm just having a really bad day and wanna go home. Sorry I wasn't your martian but really if I don't get home in time for dinner my dad will call the cops. I don't think either one of us want to even attempt what happened here to the authorities. So what do you say? Let bygones be bygones? And m--maybe if you swear on your life you won't p--publish the contents of this journal I might um..could use some help figuring out all this mumbo jumbo. Unfortunately I'm not as brilliant as my mother so I could use an extra couple of brain cells around to help crack this mystery." Ash tucked the book under one arm and extended a hand out toward the other to shake. The poor boy looked so battered, bruised, and pathetic. Not to mention he was starting to smell and could really use a shower right about now. Could anyone really think Asher was capable of disemboweling someone? Nah. Not today at least. So long as the book was safe within his grasp. "We ok?" He asked. Ash seemed to be calming down and his sincerity was showing through. The brunette gave a weak half smile. "S--sorry..too..about the uh me punching your face thing. I guess when you feel like a caged animal you'll fight like one too." He shrugged.

The blonde snickered. "Fair enough, but by that same question why shouldn't you? For all you know I could be telling the truth. There's nothing here to prove otherwise."

He listened to the brunette prattle on making rather dull accusations. "I'm not even from here." He stated bluntly as the other boy went on about whatever that A person said regarding this town. "I literally just arrived yesterday. You..you don't honestly believe that I'd be setting up camp in a rad RV if I had a house in this town, do you?" He laughed. As cool as the base was, it was no replacement for a proper home. Great for travelling? Yes. Perfect for hunting down clues on all sorts of paranormal mysteries? Totally! But good for long term living? Not really.

The other boy's retort to his thrown together at the last minute insult just made the blonde smile. It wouldn't have been the first time someone had bested him in combat, and surely wouldn't have been the last.
But at least the battle seemed to be over, that was good. Because honestly, Garfield had no idea what he would've done had Asher decided to strike again.

"In truth this thing isn't even good enough for that. It packs about as much sting as a joy buzzer. I just wanted to see how'd you react." He tossed the seal keychain onto the small sofa, it bounced and buzzed a little but nothing overly intimidating or dangerous.

"I suppose that would be a fair deal. Truthfully, I wasn't going to post the contents on 7ch until I was able to provide some proof into the claims. I just wanted to read the book and maybe take photographs of the contents for my own libraries so I could look into the things at my own leisure." He looked over at a clock on the wall. "And really, I haven't posted any of your mom's stuff, I have downloaded some of her writings from national scientific archives and some university libraries where they post graduate thesis papers and what not. But that's about it. But anyway if you wanna get back in time so your old man doesn't throw a fit I'd be willing to drive you. Think of it as my way of apologizing for this whole...mix up."
He shrugged off the minor pain when Asher apologized for the hit. "No problem dude."

He told Ash to grab a seat anywhere as he headed to the driver's seat. Turning the key, the monster of a vehicle roared to life, ready to hit the road once again.
It didn't take long to get out of the woods, but they were not on the road for long when the vehicle ran out of gas in front of a quaint little diner. So much for that then.

(shitty post ahoy!)

"Conditions regarding the book I found." Asher put a strong emphasis on the word I before continuing on. "If I'm agreeing to let you help me solve the mystery about who or better yet where A is then we've gotta establish ground rules about the journal. First off it's mine. I found it so you know the saying finders keepers, well yeah that's how this deal works. Secondly, no photographs of the contents of this journal will be taken without permission from me. Let's be real the likelihood of that is slim to none. I made a promise when I found this journal and I'm not going to break that by letting you snap pictures of the contents of A's journal." He explained. "We're going to be partners so there's not going to be leisurely looking of the book. We'll meet up and formulate plans on what we're going to explore and who we're going to mention this journal to. This is like top secret information from what I've gathered from the author's message and I don't want this information falling into the wrong hands." Asher sounded so serious for someone so young. "So yeah, if you wanna help me look into clues of A's whereabouts then we'll I dunno exchange numbers and have meet up locations. Yeah location but with an s meaning more than one. I feel like people will get too suspicious if we frequent the same spot too often." He explained. "So location one is obviously my house, two could be the library, and three um....I dunno maybe that run down diner in town?" Ash suggested. "If one of our locations gains too much attention then we'll add more places when necessary. I mean nobody would wanna come into this RV so maybe this will serve as our mobile base when the leads reach out farther from the town? Sound good?" Ash wanted to make sure this person understood just how serious he was and was as serious about their quest too.

"Well it's good to know there's others out there who actually took mom's work seriously. I regret being such an immature brat about it. It all just seemed so far fetched and unbelievable." He muttered. "So does the net have any rumors about what happened to her?" Ash curiously asked. Obviously he knew the truth and was rather surprised that mister blondie didn't ask. "H--Hey, sorry I keep calling you bro but like what is your name any ways? I mean you know mine so can I at least know who my research partner is?" The brunette asked.

As the were riding Asher realized that Garfield, well Drake as he seemed to rather be called; wasn't all that great or safe of a driver. Red lights seemed to mean go to the other male. Poor Ash's knuckles were turning white from gripping on the seat as he tried to keep his composure and not look fearful for his life. "H---Hey! RED MEANS STOP!" He shouted once as they raced through a red light. "D---Drake brake braaaakkkke!" The car lurched to a halt and caused Asher's head to bobble like a silly dog bobble head that some people put on their dashboards. "Wh---what's wrong? What happened to the car?" Green eyes looked to the driver's side and noticed the fuel light was blinking. "Are you kidding me?" He groaned before getting out the RV. "Let's check in here and see if any of the local's have a canister to put some gas in for the RV." With that the odd duo walked into the small diner.

Asher gained several stares for his unusual appearance. Apparently leaves in your hair wasn't a fashion trend even in Spectral Springs. He just rolled his green orbs in annoyance as he looked around for someone to ask for help. "Drake now you owe me twice." He muttered as the duo approached a table with two girls around their age. Ash froze and went wide eyed before inching back a few steps. "A---Ah...Hi. Um do either of you know where we could find a um...container to put some gas i--in. I mean obviously not gas gas but gas for a c---car..." His voice trailed off as his cheeks turned bright red with a blush. Ugh! Why girls? Why why why? He could feel himself starting to nervously shake as he awaited a reply. His gaze shifted over to Drake as if desperately asking for back up. His confidence was shattering and he felt like he was beginning to sweat. As if he didn't already smell like a gym sock from his adventures earlier today. This was just a nightmare for the awkward teen.

The clicking of silverware and plates echoed in the small diner. A small rumble of conversation continued in small doses. Other than herself and the girl in front of her, there were only a few men on break from work. Even those noises stopped for a moment, leaving the diner almost silent, as two boys approached, the tinkle of the bells on the door jingling in their wake. Her attention turned from the young blonde girl in front of her, to the newcomers that tottered on in and she saw that, like the girl she was attempting to greet, the boys were also unfamiliar faces. Molly noticed that the men, who had stopped talking, had gone back to grumbling after the two stepped in.

Molly was surprised to see that the shorter male was quite disheveled, with leaves in his curly brown hair and all that-- dirt and dust, too! Looked like he needed a nice bath, wherever he was coming from. However, his friend, the taller one with long-ish blonde hair, wasn't quite as unkempt. He did look a little raggedy and his face a little reddish in one spot (was he smacked?), but otherwise, he looked almost... Okay, so neither of them could be classified as "normal." That was just a fact of the matter. Like, who the in the heck walks into Grandma Susie's Diner like that! Even the workers, who often worked on construction and got grimy and sweaty, cleaned up a bit before walking in.

Molly was approached by the two, and although she didn't think she was gawking, she was gawking plenty, perhaps just not outright. Her pinkish lips were touching and refused to spread until she had her mouth moving with words coming out. Her blue eyes continued to scan them before the smaller one actually attempted to make eye contact and acknowledge her with a question.

"A---Ah...Hi. Um do either of you know where we could find a um...container to put some gas i--in. I mean obviously not gas gas but gas for a c---car..."

He stumbled over his own words, nervous and visibly upset. Her eyebrows raised with concern and questioning. She rubbed her arm a bit, giving a soft, if a little wry, smile. "Well, I have my own pick-up and a few gas cans sitting in the back... What kind of vehicle are you driving?"

She quickly found out that they came in an RV. "Oh..." It'd need a lot more gas, for sure, since regular RVs could take up to 80 gallons, but it could probably make it on the two cans she had in her truck. She gave an apologetic smile to the girl whom she attempted to initiate conversation with, and excused herself. Molly looked at the boys, "Well, I'll lead you to the bit I have and you can take them out to your RV." They got to her pick-up fairly quickly and when she climbed into the back, she heaved out a sigh with closer inspection to the gas cans. "Stuff like this doesn't normally happen 'round here," she explained, slight embarrassed in her own respect, "But I can drive you to the gas station that's a couple of blocks down and help you get this situation fixed. Got room for two." She motioned to her vehicle's inside. It was just one big bench-like cushion with seat belts for three. She then realized she forgot something, "Oh, jeez, sorry... I never mentioned my name." The blonde stuck out her hand, "My name's Anna Molly Knight, but you can just call me Molly. I live in town with my family." She neglected to mention that her family farmed mainly chickens or that she often put Peepers, her personal hen, in a topless backpack and walked her around. That would be too weird, even for them.

Geez this guy was so strict.
"Look, while I understand your rules I've never once had any success solving paranormal mysteries without being able to access the information at my leisure. So the no photographs rule being 100% strict might make things difficult.
Tell ya what, I'll sign a contract saying that any photos taken of the information at hand remains confidential. No blogging, no message board posts, it'll stay secret in an unlabeled file which will be contained within a locked drawer." He wasn't trying to sound mean or anything, it was just truthful that he worked better when he was able to look over information or problems as many times as he might need to. But the way this kid was so determined to make that impossible, he had to resign to his demands.

Sighing, Garfield agreed to the conditions, hoping that perhaps once they knew each other better Ash would let up on the strictness.
"Yeah, ok those meeting places seem fair. Although if you want to keep things top secret then I don't think public locales would be a good idea. Anybody could be listening in. At least with this rig, I can guarantee that there would be nobody snooping or spying. I've made very certain of that."
He hit the wall with his fist, as if trying to show off how impenetrable the RV was. Lights began to blink a bit thanks to the contact.

"Oh, right. My name's Garfield Drake...please fight all temptation to make cat, monday and lasagna jokes and just call me Drake. As for your mom...Open the blue filing cabinet drawer labeled F-I, and open the binder labeled G. You should be able to find all my documents pertaining to the theories surrounding your mother's disappearance. It's pretty normal stuff like murder, alien abduction, suicide, living under an assumed identity, and my least favourite - sucked into a wormhole. Feel free to keep copies of whatever one you think is closest but most of the comments and messages about those things are a lot of bullshit. So much so the mysterious vanishing general threads have started pruning mentions of her because it spawns too many debates."

As he drove the RV, hearing Asher complain and freak out was rather annoying. He wasn't that bad of a driver and honestly the traffic was way too slow for his liking.
The one good thing to come out of the RV running out of fuel, was that Ash stopped freaking out.
The downside was that now they had to mingle with the locals. Great...

Walking into the diner, he couldn't help but notice the knick knacks on the wall. It was...something. The place smelled of homemade pie and coffee, and the place was rather busy but it was close to dinner time so that was probably to be expected.

He leaned against the wall, watching Ash fumble with his words as he tried to speak to a girl who must've worked there. Whatever he had said seemed to have worked because the girl seemed more than happy to help.
Well that was good.

Following the two of them outside, Garfield locked the RV with the key fob. He really didn't want to leave it there for anybody to take, in fact he was worried about the possibility of someone stealing it.
But, he didn't really have much of a choice in the matter, the thing needed gas and the only way to get some was to go with the girl and Ash in that pick-up.

He really disliked those vehicles, always seemed really rural and just not his kind of thing.
But he really didn't have place to argue because he drove around in basically a mobile apartment, and frankly it wasn't overly good for sharing the road. Or gas mileage.

Climbing into the back of the truck's cab, the boy introduced himself to Molly. Well he didn't give his first name but still gave her a name in which she could call him.

"Yeah, well I just moved here so I've honestly got no clue where anything is." Ash commented as the trio walked to where Anna Molly's pick up truck was parked. Was it mean to have an "I knew it" feeling about the girl driving a pick up truck? It just fit the cliche of this tiny little town amazingly well. What would be even more stereotypical is if she had a dog or pet pig in her pick up truck waiting on her. Molly didn't strike him as a cat person. Oh well. Caspar was a pretty chill cat and lovable in his own weird way. It was weird how at times he felt like Caspar was the only one he could really be himself around and share his inner most secrets with. Not like a cat could tell the whole town that you secretly like watching girly kid cartoons or that you hadn't even had your first kiss yet. Those were secrets Ash was planning on taking to the grave, if he happened to die in some freak accident in this crazy bizarro town.

Once they got to the car the young male just watched as Molly got into the back of the pick up to examine the gas cans. Did she really think those small cans would hold enough fuel for the RV? That thing was a behemoth who took no prisoners! It guzzles gas as it devours asphalt like a hungry predator on the hunt. Who dare would challenge the RV? Molly's tiny pick up truck was no match to the massive monster that Drake called his "car". How could a kid like Drake even afford a tricked out mobile fortress anyways? Green orbs curiously traveled from Molly to Drake. What other secrets was this guy hiding? Was he like Bruce Wayne and was orphaned after his parents untimely demise and was actually traveling around in this mobile fortress to find the perps who killed his parents? I mean it wasn't exactly like most parents would allow a young teen to rove the open roads in an RV. Weird.. Maybe it was a good thing he was so strict about letting Drake look at the journal. When Molly spoke up again it caused Asher to laugh. "You got that right. Stuff like this wasn't even common in the big city I grew up in and we had plenty of weird shit happen there. Well, not really weird more like probably drug induced. Though to be fair the people dressed up like comic book heroes and tv characters were just mostly panhandling to get some extra cash. Elmo got really pushy with me one time and I thought he and Cookie Monster were going to gang up on me." Ash had 'interesting' encounters in the big city to put it mildly. He wasn't exactly a stranger to freak shows and unusual people acting different. One of his neighbor collected taxidermy. The little old lady who watched him when he was growing up, or so he read in his 'diary'; apparently was quite saucy when watching her soaps and smoking cigarettes like a freight train. Then there was his own mother who mysteriously disappeared in some freak ghost dimension like accident. Asher knew he wasn't exactly normal himself. Having no memories of the first eleven to twelve years of your life wasn't too common. Or the fact he was pulled out of an explosion that he was the only one found in the wreckage. Who knew what else he was exposed to as a child? It sure wasn't his mother's side of the family. In fact... she never really spoke about them much. Ash didn't even know his maternal grandparents just his paternal ones. He'd never met any cousins, aunts, or uncles from his mother's side. I mean she obviously had to have some form of a family? So weird.

"Anna Molly Knight? Wow I guess your rents were trying to fit in as many family member's names as possible, huh? I'm just Asher Grayson. My name sounds rather boring in comparison." He commented, mostly to himself. When Molly invited them into her truck the brunette curiously looked over to his friend. Apparently it seemed like Drake had no qualms with hopping into the truck of a strange girl they'd just met. Was everyone's stranger danger radar broken? This just didn't seem safe. Ash sighed before climbing into the cab of the truck. "Second time today I've gotten in the vehicle of someone I've just met. This has got to be a new personal record...or a bad lapse in judgement on my part." He muttered underneath his breath as the truck roared to life.

Meeting the two boys was going to be the second of the anomalies today provided for her. Boredom wore her down quite frequently in town, so meddling with the chickens and doing other chores, as well as taking walks and hikes around the town was about as close as she got to any freedom or fun. On occasion, with permission from her parents, she could spend an afternoon out of town, but that was a rarity, like chocolate in 1942. Kids' parents tried to let them loose, but there were always chores to be done, homework, and after-school employment at the neighbor's pig farm, or something equally as uninteresting. The fact of the matter was mainly that the big city life didn't often shine into that of the small town children's lives. It was a light that ricocheted off of whatever sort of mythical force field that surrounded the town, driving out those who were unlike the townies (because who wants to travel to Spectral Springs in the first place?), and keeping the residents placated and busy on the inside. Few stopped by, few left. If that wasn't a horror story by itself, she didn't know what was.

The younger male mentioned the big city and she let out a nostalgic sigh as she reminisced of a trip she took to the neighboring city many months ago, "The city sure is a nice break from this place." She smiled a little wryly, "Even if that means you get ganged up on by drugged-up Sesame Street characters." Her laugh was small, and it might've been bolder or louder had she been more familiar with them, but she didn't want to give them an odd impression of herself; she didn't like her real laugh, anyways. Not like she'd be seeing them long. They'd be out of her life lickety-split, and she'd be back to her boring routine. Heck, by the time she got back to Susie's, that other new girl would have probably already jet on out, too. No one stays in Spectral Springs for long. How depressing! The blonde girl could already feel the suffocating town crouching back into place, wracking her with a sickening claustrophobic feeling... Back to the woods it was for her!

She pat the side of the pick-up, "It's sort of old relic of the family's, but it's never broken down on me yet... Not that I expect you to instill much trust in a rust bucket like this, but if just for a little reassurance. It'll make it to the station and back, and you'll have enough gas in those cans to at least get you to get more gas yourselves, and then outta here if that's your aim." Her features became sort of wistful-- just when things were starting to get interesting around here...

The shorter male introduced himself as Asher Grayson. Asher made a comment on her name, and she grinned, "Not even all of it, mister. My folks had multiple things they had in mind, but I'll spare you the details."

She hopped on in the driver's seat, the boys following suit on the other side. After she put her keys in the ignition, the engine gave its usual little sputter before coming to life. She pulled away from the curb and sent them rumbling off in the direction of the station which was only a short three-minute drive despite it being many blocks away. Molly was no crazy driver, but she didn't necessarily follow all the traffic signs while in town. She knew where there was never any pedestrians, or if there were, what times they were there. Her turns and stops were fluid and gentle as if she were an experienced driver, and in some sense, she was. (But that's what happens when one drives a tractor from the time you're seven.)

As they drove, the taller male introduced himself as Drake. Her gray irises scanned them in her peripheral vision. She wasn't sure of their relationship with one another, but they seemed a little on the edge past her first place. Ash did mention that this was the second time he'd been in a stranger's vehicle... She decided she wouldn't speculate on it too much, and help them out of their predicament instead. Wasn't her place, after all, to judge strangers! (No one's, honestly.)

After the short trip, she pulled up next to the station's single pump out front. Molly turned off the engine and hopped on out with a smile. "Let's fill 'em up so we can send you guys on your way." Her mainly cheery demeanor was perky enough to perhaps be a little annoying, but in this situation, I guess it didn't matter: she was giving them help, and that's what they wanted. She had Drake help her bring the cans over and they filled them up together, the three of them moving the red containers back into the bed of the truck. She was lucky to have some cash on her, so she told them to wait while she paid up front. After all was said and done, the blonde drove the boys back to the RV, the radio playing softly in the background. She let them out and asked them if they needed any more help. She wanted to help, to do something, so badly.

"Trust me I dealt with a lot more than just possibly drugged up freaks wearing Sesame Street costumes. The city is really a bizarre place full of all sorts of characters. Not like you really get to know too many people unlike how it must be here."Asher commented. Drake didn't seem too much of a conversationalist around girls. Ash understood that awkward feeling.Though to be honest it would be far more awkward if there wasn't a light conversation going on. So he sacrificed himself and threw himself into the role of attempting to keep up some form of a conversation during the short drive to the single pump gas station.

It was rather quaint and rustic looking compared to them multi pump gas stations on practically every street
corner of the big city he used to call home. He hopped out of the cab of the truck and decided to make himself useful and assist Anna Molly with the gas cans. "I really owe you big time for this. I mean I'm still late for dinner but then if you hadn't helped us get gas well then I'd have Drake to worry about." He muttered. Asher had this thing about being in a person's debt. It was a situation he disliked very much and so he tried to be prompt on returning favors. "Since I'm going to be living here I'm sure I'll have plenty of time to make it up to you." The brunette added. Well at least on the bright side he met someone he'd likely be seeing around town and more than likely going to school with. Molly seemed like a helpful soul so maybe she wouldn't be too embarrassed about helping the new guy.

Once the gas was paid for and the cans all loaded back up in the pick up, it was time to hit the road again (and by road well it was basically the only road in this tiny town). Asher scooted back in the cab and managed to fit in the middle seat. He decided to be nice and not hog the window seat. Letting out a deep breath the young brunette allowed himself to zone out. Sure he had a head full of leaves but right now he could care a less if he looked like some forest creature that had wandered into the city. Asher's mind drifted back to the journal that he had clutched like his very existence depended upon it. Who was A? What all about Spectral Springs had A uncovered that was so top secret that people would want to steal A's journal? Was the quirky
Mayor Nathaniel aware of this? I mean that guy really tried to make the welcome message of this town seem like Spectral Springs was a really dull town minus a few "natural wonders". Maybe these wonders were connected to what A was studying? Ash looked down to the journal he was tightly gripping and bit down on his lip. His gaze stayed fixed on the journal even when they'd arrived back at the RV. Molly was speaking and asking if she could help them with anything else. Ash hesitated before asking, "You know how the Mayor in the pamphlet about the town mentioned some "wonders". Do you happen to know if these are just like natural wonders or maybe um.. well...supernaturally related?" Wow way to look like a freak in front of a cute girl. Now she'd probably laugh at him and be like, "Oh do you believe in ghosts? Pshh how childish. You're such a little boy." Asher nervously chewed on the inside of his cheek as he awaited an answer.




OOC: Sorry for the lousy post guys.. but I figured I'd have Ash ask Molly if she knew about the "wonders" and if weird stuff was going on so we can kinda progress the story more : ]