“I thought you were dead.”

“Well, isn’t death really just a theory? An idea that has never been proven to be true?” 

It was 2:35am when I heard the doorbell ring, waking to my hands quivering, blood rushing, and sweat trickling from my forehead in the middle of a December night. It was the fifth nightmare that week. I yanked open my drawer and clutched the freshly sharpened knife, gently descending the stairs and towards the door. And there I stood in front of Kyle B. Weaver, behind me the bright red door of my white brick house in the middle of Mystic Lane.

***

Kyle had disappeared seven years ago. Along with the others. It was typical here in Ashmore. Our town was filled with mysteries and mysterious people. Go counting all the missing people that we have had and you would find yourself with heaps and heaps of stories. How many of them were answered? Zero. And that's just the way things were. And we were okay with it. 

Here in Ashmore, we pretend we are normal. A small town with small corner shops of the most absurd things. A cafe with a barista that knows everyone's daily orders by heart. The newly built city hall in which you volunteer literally every day until you are too old to get out of your own bed. And, of course, our town garden. The town garden that was built right in the center of Ashmore. The place where I would go every afternoon, beneath the white oak tree, and remember, just for a second, that matters in our town are not normal. We are not normal. 

***

My heartbeat faster as each second passed. Where was Kyle all these years? How could he just leave and never keep contact? Why is he back now? And how does he still look like the 18-year-old boy that vanished seven years back? 

Nothing made sense. But I let him into the house and offered a cup of coffee, trying to forget about how things had been the day before Kyle had disappeared. We were madly in love, ready to conquer the world, and overcome all our problems. We aspired to get married in the old town hall, which we liked to call our place. He had chosen me after many years of being conflicted between me and Jade. 

***

Jade. She’s another story altogether. The stuck up girl that just cares about herself. Yeah, that's basically her. I mean, I get it. She's the mayor’s daughter, she’s rich, and she is freaking gorgeous. But stealing my boyfriend and wrecking years of friendship with me? I guess that's just her priorities. 

But none of that mattered anymore. After Kyle had been missing for two weeks, we all accepted that he was dead. Jade couldn’t handle that he had chosen me, and so the two of us, who believe it or not were best friends all the way from second grade through sophomore year, became strangers in the town of Ashmore where everyone knew each other. 

***

Lost in my thoughts, I looked down at the coffee machine. Shoot. Why won’t it turn on? I swear to god nothing works in this house anymore. I opened the second drawer down from the stove and pulled out the rusted All-Clad saucepan, poured in a cup of water from the sink, measured two tablespoons of ground coffee, and turned the stove on. 

“It’s so nice to see you again, April. I missed you so much all these years,” Kyle broke the silence, sitting at the barstool across from me. He always enjoyed sitting there, used to say that it was the one place in the house where you could sit and observe everything; the backyard, kitchen, tv, and the stairs directing up to the second floor. 

I glanced over at him with a great deal of confusion. Was I just dreaming all of this? I mean how is this even possible?

“You missed me?! Kyle, where were you? Why didn’t you tell me anything?” I couldn’t keep pretending that everything was normal. He’s supposed to be dead. If he’s alive that means he left me. He betrayed me and he underestimated our love. 

His eyes gazed at me bleakly. “Answer me, Kyle! Where were you?!” I shrieked, not being able to handle the heat of everything going on. He said that it was complicated and that he was someplace that he couldn’t contact me, no matter how much he tried. He said that he is back now and that nothing can tear him away from me anymore. Everything he said was complete bs. 

I poured the coffee into two cups, the ones that Kyle and I had painted on our first date. We had gone to the town’s annual pottery painting event and decided to show our astounding painting skills to the world. He painted a frog and I painted the princess. We were happy, not knowing what the future held. 

Then back to the present, we sat there in complete silence, drank our coffee, and I offered Kyle to spend the night in the extra bedroom, not knowing if he had told anyone about his return. He kindly accepted the offer, putting up the facade that he hadn’t abandoned me for seven years. We each departed to our rooms, and that was that. 

***

Everything just seemed so surreal. Was I seeing ghosts? Is this all just a dream? But I couldn’t help but hope that everything was true, that Kyle had really returned, and that I wasn’t going to be a hopeless romantic any longer. 

Of course, I woke up to the same nightmare again. I thought that maybe it would go away now that Kyle was back. They had started the day he disappeared so shouldn't they have ended upon his arrival? That same nightmare of me being stranded and lonely in Ashmore with everyone missing. I couldn’t leave the town and I couldn’t call for help. I was just miserable and scared, and most importantly I was completely alone. 

I slipped out of bed and wore my Hopeless Lover sweatshirt, crept down the stairs trying not to walk Kyle up. That’s when I looked out the window. It was raining in Ashmore. It hadn’t rained in Ashmore in decades. It has always been a phenomenon to the town on how we have so much greenery and freshness without ever feeling a drop of rain. 

Looking closer, I saw a piece of yellow construction paper stuck on the window. I rushed over and read the note. 

Dear April, 

It was so wonderful to get to see you again last night and thank you so much for letting me crash at your place. For the past seven years, I have been trying to reach you, trying to escape the world that I had ventured into. April, during these seven years I have learned a lot about our town. We have dark secrets, darker than any we can imagine. I am in trouble, April, and I need your help. I couldn’t tell you last night because my every move is being watched. Meet me at our spot and I’ll tell you everything. 

Love, 

Kyle

***

Here I stood. At the front door of my house. Meeting my lost love after seven years, watching out in the rain for the first time ever, holding a note that said our town is more messed up than I had ever imagined.