2As+5F2 -->2AsF5

he stood in front of the water tower, staring up, lost in thought. he was trying to see if he felt like climbing it to get a better view of the stars or if he’d instead just do his stargazing from the ground tonight. another part of him was also thinking about who he could possibly call up right now to join him for a late-night smoke and some stargazing. but no one really came to mind. “ah, fuck it,” he whispers, thinking out loud, making his way over to the ladder that leads up the side of the water tower. just as his hand reaches the second step, he hears the sound of leaves crunching, the footsteps of a stranger, and his attention turns towards the direction of the noise. the only thing he was nervous about was the possibility of now not being able to stargaze at all, which would sadden him; it was the only way he found some peace in his mind. 

“uh, hey. heh. you wouldn’t happen to be here because you’re also thinking of climbing the water tower to stargaze from up there, would you? because, you know, if you’re not and you’re up for an adventure with a scrub like me….” he trails off, laughing a little, “i promise to keep you safe, though, if that helps.

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His nightly visits to the lake had scared half the senior citizens of Claybourne into almost funding a neighborhood watch. And after that stupid lifeguard disappeared Vihaan knew he needed a different excursion destination if he wanted to stay not only sane but also out of police custody. The water tower was already on his list for samples, but the mills of Claybourne’s city council ground slowly. He was still waiting on a permit to access the water there. And frankly, he was running out of time and out of patience. So the only natural solution to all his problems was scouting out that place by himself, at night, to see if he could get any un-official samples or if this sleepy little town had better security when he excpected.  Aimed with a flashlight and his usual supplies he had hiked up until he reached the bushes around the tower, scolding himself for not having looked for an easy route during daylight. He was still stumbling about, trying his best to not get his favourite jacket ruined by dirt and thorns - after all he was still a vain person - when someone called out to him. Vihaan froze, his mind already trying to find a believable excuse. “Stargazing?”, he pointed his flashlight onto the ground between them as to not blind the young man in front of him. Vihaan blinked, taking a moment to consider. “No, no I am not here for stargazing. But I was thinking about climbing that tower. You’ve done it before? I mean, isn’t the ladder locked or something?” He had been her as a teenager but after one of his friends almost fell of the damned thing, very drunk admittedly, he had always thought the city reinforced those chains. “I am here to...ähm... catch some butterflies. You know moths and stuff.”

Astrid’s heart skipped a voice at the sound of the voice. She knew it well, a few months together in close quarters meant that they knew more about each other then most people knew about close friends. She shook her head, smiling slightly. A lack of passion was never the reason that they’d separated. “Vi…” Her eyes fell on the familiar face and although she wanted to question his reason for being back in Claybourne she couldn’t find the words. “It is good to see you.” Were the only words she managed to utter. “And yes…. you were never really into clothes.” 

„Ah thank you“, he smiled at her, stepping a little to the side so their shoulders bounced together. „It is very good to see you, too, Astrid. And if I may say so, you look splendid. This sleepy little town apparently does you some good.“ Vihaan tilted his head to the side and smiled. He had been nervous about this meeting but now that they were talking again it was almost as if no time had passed at all. “There is a lot of things I was never into, like this place to begin with. Yet I am here again. So”, he pointed towards the dress in the display window, “Will you get it?” There had been a time in their lives when he had considered to surprise her with a gift like this, but it was no longer his place to do so. And Vihaan kind of disliked that. 

“Good, ‘cause Amy is my name,” she laughed a little, taking his hand. “You too… though Vi? Is that your name? I think I remember you. And yes, I’m smart. Women can be smart,” she said, smiling back at his joke. “I can see that, science was cool. I was always more into law and politics and writing detailed essays. I loved or well love, a good argument,” she laughed at herself. “As long as everything is safe, the kids are and you have risk assessments then yes, it is fine. Children need to learn.”

“Ah, yes it is”, he continued to smile while they shook hands, “So I did leave an impression here in good old Claybourne.” At her next sentence he quickly started to shake his head though, “No, no. It was never my intention to say anything about women not being smart. Honestly, my ex-wife was so much smarter than me, I wonder why she ever put up with me in the first place.” He gave her an awkward laugh, hoping he had not pissed off the mayor during their first interaction. That was definitely not where he had planned for this to go. “Then please remind me to never pick a fight with you. I get all jumbled during arguments. Risk assessments, yes, I can do that. If you want me to? But pinky swear, nothing too dangerous and nothing too close to the kids. They will all be safe and hopefully kind of interested in chemistry afterwards.”

x

“Sometimes, when it’s clear out, and I look out the window at just the right angle, I think I see…well, but then again, maybe I don’t. Things that go bump in the night really only have as much power as you give them. What’s the monster in the bathroom hallway going to do if you don’t go look at it? Stand by the the toilet all night on the off chance you will? Eventually, unnoticed, they have to disappear.” Yousef sighed very deeply, shaking his head. “But I am afraid that tragedy has gripped the place again, yes. Terrible. But what can a person do?” He cocked his head to one side. “Tell me, when you’re collecting samples at night and see no one, have you ever looked behind you?”

“No, I don’t think I have”, Vihaan raised an eyebrow, still thinking about the things the other had said. About that monster standing beside a toilet. What a strange thing to say, but then again half the things he said were more than strange to normal ears, too. “Look behind me, I mean. I was not aware that it was a necessary thing. When I was a kid here in Claybourne”, he shrugged his shoudlers, “There was nothing truly dangerous. A few ghost stories about long gone pirates, but we mostly told them to scare one another off.” He smiled, remembering a time when he had scared that Evans kid to pieces down by the lagoon. “I was not here for the first girl going missing, you know. And I thought that was something that already passed. So nope, I did not expect it happening again and I surely paid no attention when I was down there at night. Why? Do you think there is truly someone sulking around the shore? Snatching up lifeguards?”

“Hmm, I have only been back a few years myself. I left this place as soon as I could. And yeah, it never changes,” he nodded. “That goes over my head. I haven’t done science experiments since high school. Do the kids need real water? Couldn’t have just showed them a YouTube video, is that not how it’s done now?” he joked a little. 

“I get that, leaving as soon as possible, I really do. Where have you stayed before you returned?”, it was true curiosity that led to his question but as soon as he heard the rest of the others words Vihaan laughed. “No way am I using youtube videos over real experiments.” He shook his head. “I mean, where is the fun in that? School is already boring enough, but chemistry can be interesting if you make things... well, explode. Or burn. I would not be surprised if I am chased out of town for making the entire school building smell like rotten eggs. Things like that stay in the memory of these kids better than any video tutorial could.” 

Settling his business with the older Evans brother had taken much of Vihaan’s attention, so now he was running low on both, emotional fuel as well as time. Heading towards the school on his free day to pick up the stuff he had forgotten there, his attention was on anything but his own two feet. He rushed over walkway, his mind already preoccupied with the next steps. He needed to catch up with his boss back in New York and also approach the major about the samples he had taken from the lake the other day. And there was also the question of - his thougths were cut short as Vihaan felt his body connect with someone else. He ran right into that person, sending them sprawling to the floor. Vihaan stopped, cursing under his breath. This was the last thing he had needed today. “Shit, sorry man. I did not see you there. Are you all right?”

Pat laughed for a moment, shaking his head. “You could may have just… talked to her. Sorry, I know that’s a crazy idea.” He smiled gently to himself for a moment, picking up stock and stacking the shelves of his store. “I think the lake is the perfect place to waste it, who would ever check Claybourne for a sea monster?”

Both his eyebrows shot up as Vihaan looked at the other in played shock for a moment. “Talked to her? Like... an adult? Excuse me, we are talking about my ex-wife here. No thank you” He shook his head, but the smile quickly returned to his face. “No, in all honesty. I should have told her about returning. And now I kind of feel bad about not doing it.” He stood there for a moment, burrying his hands in his pockets. “Let me see, who could search for a monster? Maybe one of those crazy Evans brothers? I hear they have been asking around after that lifeguard decided to skip town. What’s up with that? Before I left they weren’t really neighborhood watch material.” Vihaan moved his hands to underline that point. 

“You’re asking the wrong person. I ignored all of that. I thought it was nothing but spreading gossip and panic that wasn’t needed. People talk too much about other people’s business around here,” he nodded at the other. “Samples of what?” he asked.

“You know, I have only just returned to Claybourne”, Vihaan crossed his arms in front of his chest and leaned back a little, “But it does seem like un-needed panic and gossip has always been part of this town and at least that never changed.” He wasn’t allowed to speak about the full extent of his work at the lake, Vihaan knew that. But he had already told the mayor a half-truth, so why not stick with that? “Samples of the water. For some school experiments, nothing too fancy.”, a small shrug of his shoulders, “I could have taken any water but I thought it would be cool for the kids for it to be somehow town related. I did not realise it could be such a dramatic and big deal. I underestimated Claybourne, I think.”

“Hmm,” she nodded, eyes looking back at the other. “Yes, Amalia, Amy. And I don’t go around calling myself Mayor Brooke just on a daily basis. I just like Amy, but yes,” she nodded, rambling slightly. “I mean, a little. Yeah. It’s been a while since I’ve done chemistry but I never used to be bad at it. I was an A student back in high school. Nothing dangerous for the kids though?”

“Well then, Amy it is”, he reached out a hand in greeting, “It is nice to meet you, Amy. I’m Vihaan. And really? Only straight As?” One of his eyebrows rose but his tone was still friendly and jokingly. “Gotta admit, I never was. Too busy with other things while in school. But I have always been fascinated by the possibilities of science, got stuck with chemistry though.” His own time in High School had been a minor catastrophe so the irony of him returning now as a teacher was surely not lost to Vihaan, “Definitely not too dangerous, no. I would not dare do anything that could harm the kids. But maybe a tiny explosion here and there or a small fire... Would you allow that? No?”

“That’s what I’m here for, I make people smile… and drunk. Maybe the two things are linked,” he laughed at himself. “Sweet little Boosters? I feel like I missed something,” he said, leaning on the bar. “Thank you, I do like to think I’m good at what I do. I enjoy working at the bar. But yeah, things are always steady.”

It seemed like the man in front of him had no idea that Vihaan’s words were referring to the latest Booster Club announcement considering the Spring Festival and the disappereance of that lifeguard. And if this bar was actually located under a rock he was surely not going to change that fact. “You know, forget what I am saying. No reason to rain on anyone’s parade. And I am glad to hear that, I think what makes the charm of this city are the small businesses, there’s no big cooperations ruining street after street.” Vihaan sat down at the bar. “I drink alcohol only on special occassions but can you give me something to keep me awake? Preferably stronger than coke.”

Kai was always glad for the spring nights, the last of the sun shining through the bar window and his days always felt longer. He smiled as the door opened, leaning his elbows on the bar. “Hello, stranger,” he replied. “I’m doing my job, keeping up town spirits. Literally and figuratively or something like that,” he said with a shrug.

“Well than it seems I came to the right place”, with a light step Vihaan walked into the bar, a smile playing over his lips. “The spirits of Claybourne are one of my top priorities. After all the sweet little Boosters want us to wave that flag happily.” After returning to town from New York Vihaan had not been too keen on mingling with the locals again. He had left this place behind, in mind and in heart, but with everyone so on edge lately he knew that being an outsider would only make him suspicious. “And I hear this is the place to go to, like it has always been. Business still going good?”

“I don’t know about the figure on the beach, that I think is weird gossip. But not people. One lifeguard and no one has confirmed anything. The police are doing their job,” she said, leaning on the counter. “Samples?” she asked. “I’m not following.”

“Well that’s good to know”, he said with a hint of a sarcastic undertone. Vihaan tilted his head to the side, trying to place her face after years of not being in this city. “Amy, right? Or should I say Mayor Brooke?”, he smiled at her and then was quick to reply: “Ah yes, sorry. Maybe I should have been more clear about that. I am filling in as a chemistry teacher here and I needed different water samples for a few small experiments with pH levels and measuring, contamination, acid-base titrations and indicators... You know, the usual stuff.”

Astrid smiled, holding her shopping bags in both hands. Spring Break meant that she finally got a little time off. She tilted her head, looking at a rather glamorously dressed mannequin. “Do you think i could pull that off? Would i ever need to pull that off? Does it even matter?” 

The moment the decision had been made that he would return to Claybourne Vihaan knew that it meant facing Astrid again. And he had wondered, what that would do to his heart. There was no use in running from it any longer, was there? “You know”, he stopped beside her, eyes turned towards the mannequin, “I never cared if you could pull something off - you are a beautiful woman no matter what you wear - I only cared if I could take it off.” And then he flashed a smile at her. “Nice to see you again, chavi”

Pat paused for a moment, piecing things together slowly in his mind as his old friend spoke. “You… saw news about a stranger figure down by the beach and didn’t think for a second that you were the strange figure down by the beach.” He paused again clicking his tongue. “Either that or you created a sea monster that people have been seeing.”

“What are you expecting? I lived in a cave for the last two weeks, trying to avoid a possibly awkward run in with my ex. Took me a hot minute to register the news.” And besides, Vihaan had stopped listening to Claybourne gossip and the Boosters years ago. He did his best to act shoked at Pat’s accusation. “Me? Creating a sea monster? I would never do that, my science is compeltely ethical. And besides, if I had that kind of knowledge, do you think I would waste it on the lake?”

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