Hollow Point

Noire gently stepped on the breaks in preparation to turn into her new driveway. Her house was fairly big and made of bricks. Parking her car, she got out and examined her new place. Unlike the road, the landscape was covered with grass and a few flowers that had been planted around the sidewalk. Peeking around the house, Noire saw that there was a stunning lake behind her house. Welling up with excitement, she grabbed a couple of her suitcases and headed inside. The opening was stunning: dark red hardwood floors ran throughout, a staircase leading to the second floor, and a very open layout.

"Wow, what a beautiful house," Noire said to herself quietly. She walked further into the house and saw what she considered the most important part of a house; the kitchen. The counters were a dark granite with specks of a lighter color. All the appliances were stainless steel and there was a gas stove. She looked to her right and saw a very modern living room: a nice gas fireplace, brown walls, and dark furniture. Her heart raced and she ran up the stairs to find the master suite. When she did, she stopped dead in her tracks. The furniture was all black, the bed with white and black sheets. The bathroom had the same style; black tile flooring, black granite counter tops, and pure white bath, shower, and toilet.

After checking out the other rooms, she went back downstairs and spread out on the couch. "Thank God this place came fully furnished," she thought. She felt her eyelids become heavy and soon fell fast asleep.

What seemed like two hours later, there was a loud knock on the front door. Rubbing her eyes, Noire lazily walked over to the door and opened it quickly, revealing an elderly couple and who she assumed was their grandson.

"Well, hello there," the old woman piped up, giving her a friendly smile. "My name is Mrs. Cummings. This is my husband, Mr. Cummings, and our grandson, Vilhelmas." She put her hands on the kid's shoulders, who just winked and let out a small moan, unheard by his grandparents.

Noire's face twisted up in disgust, but she tried her best to hide it. "Hi, my name's Noire. I've just moved here from Japan." She backed away a bit, noticing that Vilhelmas had started to move closer to her.

"What a nice name, Noire," Mr. Cummings said quietly. "We just came over here to welcome you and invite you over to dinner."

"Oh, that would be very nice. Thank you."

Mrs. Cummings flashed her a friendly wink. "You'll fit in just fine here. We're all very quiet, generous folk, so don't be afraid to ask for help." She smiled again and held out a plate of fresh baked cookies.

Noire took the plate graciously and nodded. "Thank you once again. It's very kind of you to welcome me to Batakiai. What time am I expected for dinner?"

Mr. Cummings looked at his watch, then back at her. "I think 6:30 will do just fine. We live right across the street in the house almost identical to yours."

Noire smiled and nodded again. "Okay, I'll be there at that time. Goodbye."

With a wave the neighbors turned and left, the grandson looking back to smirk at her one more time with an added air kiss.

Noire trembled and turned back to the house, trying to erase the picture of Vilhelmas from her mind. She walked into the kitchen and placed the plate of cookies on the counter before heading upstairs to find decent clothes to wear.
---
Noire rang the doorbell, waiting for someone to open the door. She was welcomed by Mrs. Cummings, who was dressed in a white dress and black high heels.

"Oh hello, Noire!" her neighbor greeted warmly. She gave her a brief hug. "Come inside, we have a nice warm meal for you. I hope you'll tell us all about yourself!" She led Noire to a small round table where Vilhelmas and Mr. Cummings sat.

"Hello, Mr. Cummings. Vilhelmas." Noire gave Vilhelmas a curt nod, before taking her place across from him.

"So, Noire, what brought you to Lithuania?" Mr. Cummings picked up his fork, stabbing a piece of lettuce before placing it in his mouth.

"Well, I'm very interested in learning different languages. Lithuanian appealed to me, so after I learned it, I thought, 'Hey, why not go live there?' That's really all that brought me here."

"And do you like it so far?" Mrs. Cummings asked, sipping her milk.

"It's stunning here. I'm really excited to start my life, even if it is a quiet town. I'm not particularly used to that, but I'm sure I will be over time." Noire gave the old woman a smile before eating a piece of steak.

"What do you plan on doing in your life?" Mr. Cummings asked.

Noire finished chewing before answering. "I've studied in one of the best technology colleges in Japan. Not the best, but very close. I really just want to do something with technology: computer programming, graphic design. Things of that sort."

Mrs. Cummings chuckled. "You sound like a smart girl. Surely you don't wish to stay in this town for the rest of your life? It must be a nice reprieve from the city life, but even I grow bored of Batakiai every once in awhile."

Noire smiled before taking a small sip of the champagne Mr. Cummings had poured for her. "It really depends on how my opinion of this place is in the next few months. City life gets boring after awhile; a bit too crowded for my taste." She took another sip of her drink before taking a small bite of salad.

Vilhelmas let his mouth pull up into a smirk, speaking for the first time. "So. How old are you, Noire?" His voice had a chilling quality to it.

Noire gave an icy glare. "I'm 22. Obviously too old for you." She sent another glare towards Vilhelmas as she saw his face suddenly fall.

Vilhelmas frowned, obviously losing confidence. Mrs. Cummings cleared her throat, trying to lighten the mood. "Don't you miss your family, Noire? You should keep in contact with them, no matter what. Family's important." She nodded, almost as if she was trying to reassure herself.

Noire shook her head. "No, not really. They're proud of me for doing well in school and living my dream. That's all I could ever really wish for." She wiped her mouth with the napkin and stood up. "This has been really nice, Mr. and Mrs. Cummings. I appreciate you inviting me over for dinner. It was delicious. I think I should head on home now."

"Thank you for coming." Mrs. Cummings led her to the door. "I hope that you have a nice night. Come visit us once in awhile, will you?"

"And thank you for inviting me. I hope you have a nice night as well. I'll come visit you as much as possible." She sent Mrs. Cummings a small smile. "Bye." She walked out the door and across the street into her own house.

After getting changed into her pajamas, she settled into her new bed and turned off the lights. Looking out the window, she just barely noticed a deserted looking building high up on the hill. Curious, she got out of bed and sat in front of her window, trying to get a better look of it. She smiled, excited that she had now found a new adventure.

"First thing tomorrow morning I'm going to find out what that building is," Noire said to herself with confidence. She climbed back into bed, falling asleep with a smile on her face.
---
It was dark. Too dark for some, but he was used to it. He leaned into the wall, drawing no comfort from the hard, cold stone under his back. He closed his eyes, knowing he'd get no more light than if they were wide open, searching in vain. He stopped looking for light a long time ago. The only beam he saw now came from the lanterns when they arrived three times a day to give him just enough food to survive. It was ridiculous. Pathetic. This was not a life he wished to live. Tears would have come streaming down, if it was six years earlier. But he was used to it. And that was not something he liked to admit.