New neighbors

It was early evening, the sun was just above the horizon and the skyline was a mix of yellows and oranges. Anya was driving down the road, heading back to the hotel. She had been out looking for a better place to stay, maybe an apartment, but had no luck. All the places here seemed to be taken by people who have been here their whole lives. With no luck finding what she was looking for, Anya had decided to go to the store instead. She had found a few books on Chance Harbor's history, which she wanted to find out more about. She knows her parents had been there before. Along with the books, she had also bought a basket she could keep things in and a small pot planted with white and red carnations. She felt like she needed something to liven up the hotel room she was in. She sighed as she reached the hotel, parking her car and getting out. She went to the other side and opened the door, taking out the basket filled with everything she had just bought. Anya shut the door and turned, walking onto the sidewalk. A car in the parking lot caught her eye, a Ford Probe GT to be specific. She hadn't seen it there before, must be new. She was almost at her door when she looked down to her pocket to try to get her key out, when she ran into a guy. The things she was carrying fell to the ground, and as well as the person she had just bumped into. "Oh, I'm sorry!"

Cody had just came back from a walk around the block to try and clear his head, and to try and forget the thoughts he had racing through his head. but it didn't seem to do any good, he continued to glance over his shoulder, hoping that nobody was following him when he accidentally bumped into a girl on the sidewalk, and landed flat on his butt. He looked up and quickly shot his hand out to try and grab one of the things that fell out of her hands, but was unsuccessful. "It is alright, it isn't like I have been paying much attention ahead of me lately." He sighed as he put his right hand down on the walk and pushed himself back up. "I'm sorry about your plant. I'd do something if I could" He said, trying to keep a low profile.

Anya tried to help Cody up, but he had already gotten himself up. She knelt down on the ground and grabbed the books, tossing them back into the basket. The pot had shattered and the dirt scattered along the sidewalk, but the flowers were still okay. "That's okay." Anya replied to Cody,"It was my fault, really." She slightly smiled, picking the flowers up and placing them into the basket as well. She stood up to face Cody, seeing that he seemed a bit cautious, but she didn't blame him. She had a weird vibe about this town. "Are you new here?" Anya asked him, trying to be friendly.

He attempted to look at the books she was picking up, but moved too quickly to get a good glance at them. She seemed nice, and gentle. Kind of reminded him of himself before the hunters had come. "Yea, but I am not sure how long I will be staying for." He replied to her, sliding one of his hands into his jean pocket as he took another quick glance over his shoulder. 'I don't like being out like this for too long' he thought to himself, seemingly getting more and more paranoid that the hunters would find him again, but not wanting to be rude to the nice girl in front of him.

Anya nodded to Cody,"Yeah, same here." She replied with a small smile. It was nice to have an actual conversation with someone. Beside meeting Adam, she hadn't really talked to many people in town. And the fact that he was new as well as her made her feel a bit more comfortable. She looked down for a moment, feeling a bit shy as she usually did. Finally Anya looked back to Cody"I'm Anya, by the way." She held out her hand, hoping he would accept it. It would be nice if she could make some friends, or even allies while she was here in town. Though, she had to try to keep her magic a secret which meant she had to be sneaky with practicing.

His face began twitching by his left eye, sometimes happened when he was nervous. He didn't like staying on one place for too long, and this for him, was too long. He needed to get inside somewhere so they wouldn't know where he was. He could somehow sense that they were walking around, tracking him. Hunters. He took another quick glance over his shoulder before replying. "I'm Cody, nice to meet you" He said, smiling. Then, too, held out his hand, shaking hers before retracting it back to the pocket it was just in. "Hey, mind if we talk inside?" He asked her, hoping he would not come off as being intrusive.

Anya could see that he looked very nervous, which made her feel the same. Was he running from someone? She didn't know, but she wasn't going to judge. He seemed nice. After hearing his question she nodded."Yeah, that's fine." Anya shifted the basket into one arm, grabbing her key and unlocking her hotel door. This must of been an older hotel, since they still used keys and not a card. She opened the door and waited for him to follow, heading in and placing the basket on the table. The room was made up of a small kitchen with a table and two chairs, and on the other side of the room was a couch and a tv stand, holding a small flat screen tv. There was a door, that led to the bedroom and a door that led to the bathroom, as well as a closet. It was a standard hotel room, though she had tried to make it look nicer with some plants and photos. Anya took the flowers out of the basket, trimming the ends and placing them into a vase. "So, Cody. Why'd you come to Chance Harbor?" Anya asked him, while filling the vase with water and throwing in a dash of sugar.

As she said 'yes' there seemed to be weight lifted off of his shoulders, his twitch by his left eye seemed to slow down to a near stop as he walked through the door, before closing it behind him and locking it. He then proceeded to look around the room, general size, almost the same layout as his except for it being opposite sides. The bed was on the other side in his room, as well as a lot of the other things. Cody then took a walk by the windows and slowly moved the curtains enough so that he could fit one of his eyes through to look around, once he had done that he seemed more calm. He wasn't sure if he wanted to answer that question or not, there was some darkness in his past that he did not really enjoy talking about, let alone think about, but decided to anyway. "Well, I've been traveling from town to town and this looked like a nice little place to settle down at for a few days without any surprises" He told her, as his glance went to the vase that had water being poured in. He wasn't sure if he could tell her about why he was traveling, or who he was traveling from, so he decided to keep his mouth shut. "What about you, how did you end up here?"

Anya positioned the flowers in the vase a few times before she was pleased with how it looked, then moved the vase to the center of the table. She looked to Cody, he definitely seemed a lot calmer now. She glanced to the door, noticing he had locked it so she kept her guard up. "Just needed a new start really, my parents had been here and it seemed like a nice place to get away." Anya stood there in front of Cody, slipping her thumb into her front pocket in her jeans and letting her hand hang. She shifted, not quite sure how she should stand. Her nerves were getting to her, again. "Had been staying with my parents, but finally left since they weren't to pleased with my ma.." Anya paused, the words continuing in her head 'magic practicing'. She was glad she caught herself before she finished. "They just wanted me out" Anya lied, sort of smiling.

After he had checked all entrances into the hotel parking area cautiously through the window a second time, he looked back to Anya. "When were they here, and wouldn't it not really be a new start if your parents had been here before?" He asked her, the twitch was now gone completely from his eye as he made his way over to the couch, hand still in his pocket. He could tell that she was nervous as he had locked the door and continued to check outside, probably thought he was a killer or something like that. "Don't worry, I'm not a killer, or a rapist or anything of the sort" He smiled, first smile that day actually. "Let's just say, I like to be on the lookout for... People." He didn't want to scare her away by saying Witch Hunters, so he had to keep it non-specific. They had caught up with him once before, and he wanted to make sure they never found him again.

Anya followed him to the couch, and sat down. She smiled"Oh good, sorry. I can be a bit shy sometimes." Anya chuckled, looking up to him. She nodded, he made a good point."True, they didn't live here though. All I know is they were here for a while. For..reasons." She couldn't really be specific, not wanting to say anything, or almost say anything again. "And I understand, 'people' can be bad." She said sarcastically with a laugh, then shook her head."Sorry, ha. I understand though, you don't have to tell me who. If being inside makes you feel sager than I don't mind!" Anya smile wide at him, after having seen him smile. Was she actually making a friend? It felt good, since throughout her whole life she would never try since she never stayed in a place too long.

He looked up at her as he sat down on the couch, and she followed, sitting beside him. "It is alright, I know the feeling. I'm not usually the conversing type, been running all my life, hiding out at different hotels and motels, trying to move at night. Don't really like being tracked" He told her, just realizing now that that sentence would probably freak her out and kick him out of her room. After he heard about her parents having reasons, he began to think about what those reasons might be. He had met another witch before, but no way there could be any here in Chance Harbor, he went so long without running into another one, he decided to dismiss it. "Yea, I don't know. I guess I've just been hiding for so long that I don't actually feel safe until I am inside where there is cover and a door. You probably think that I am nuts, talking like this" Cody said, laughing then looking toward the door again, making sure it was indeed locked.

Anya nodded, as crazy as what he said sounded, she understood. Being a witch, she knew there were bad things out there, but who could he possibly be hiding from? "No, I get it! Well I mean, I know what its like to be so used to something like that. We moved a lot when I was a kid, my parents wanted to..keep me safe." She smiled and looked down. She hated that her parents didn't want her practicing magic, and that its the reason why she had to leave, but she knew learning how to control her magic was her best option. Anya stood up, heading over to the fridge. As she walked past the couch, she had kicked a book onto the floor from the tv stand without realizing. "Want anything to drink?" She asked, taking out a carton of pink lemonade out of the fridge. The book that was now on the floor was a bit beaten up, the edges teared a bit like it had been used quite a lot. There was a symbol on the front, and the words 'Valentine' written in a fancy script.

He looked happy that he found someone who knew the types of things he was going through, she was being vague, but somehow he thought he knew what she was doing, running from something. He finally looked back from the door in time for him to see her glancing down at the floor before getting up. "Yea, please. Glass of water is fine. Keeps my strength up" He replied to her question about a drink before glancing down to the floor where Anya's view had been moments before. There was a ragged old book lying there. He took a quick glance up to make sure she wasn't looking, then looked back down to the book and saw a strange symbol on the front. That looks somewhat like my book, he thought as he stuck his hand out and quickly drew the book to him using his Telekinesis that he mastered to a point from his book. He then was about to open it when he glanced back up, wondering if she was done pouring the water yet.

Anya nodded and reached to the cabinet, taking out two clear glass cups. She took out the water and poured him a cup, and then poured the lemonade for herself. The water pitcher she had was now empty, so she put it into the sink and used her magic to turn the water on. The pitcher filled and she shut it off. She opened the fridge using her foot, putting the water and lemonade back in the fridge. For a moment she could feel the energy from him using his magic, but she wasn't quite sure what it was from. She shook it off, it was probably just from her having just used her magic. Anya took her time getting the drinks, She grabbed the cups and headed back to the couch. Anya smiled and placed the water on the side table next to the couch, looking to Cody"Here you go.". At first she didn't even notice he had the book, and she sat back down next to him sipping her lemonade. She looked down and noticed the book, then looked to him. The room was now silent, she wasn't sure if he had looked through it or not. If he had, he probably thought she was crazy or something.

As his glance finished, he saw that she was still getting water and decided to open the book and just skim the pages. He was curious to see whether or not it was like his book or just one from a dusty old library. He couldn't make out what was written, but he continued to see strange symbols that almost matched ones that were in his book, but he wasn't exactly sure. Cody then heard footsteps coming over in his direction and shut the book as he was handed his glass of water. "Thanks Anya, water is the best thing for the body" He said, smiling as she sat back down beside him. He continued to hold onto the book, not sure whether or not she would hit him. "Is this your book here? Found it on the floor" He asked her, as he took a sip of his water, curious as to what her answer would be.

A sigh of relief came from Anya and she nodded "Yes, it's..an old family book, nothing important.." Anya gave a weak smile, she didn't like having to lie about things and wasn't always the greatest at it, but she didn't really have a choice. He would think she was some psycho if she told him that she was a witch and used magic. Even her saying it in her head made her feel crazy. She took the book from him gently, standing up and putting it in the basket she had just bought. She looked to the window, and could see that the sky had gotten darker through the crack in the curtains that Cody had made. Anya went back to sit next to Cody "So.." Anya started to feel nervous again, but tried to forget it. She went to pick her drink up but had tipped it, and as the glass fell and the lemonade started to spill, she used her magic to cause the lemonade to go back in the glass and made it stand upright again. She used her magic without even realizing it, since usually when these things happened when she was alone.

Cody was pretty sure he knew what the book was, but did not want to say anything in case he was mistaken and looked like a crazy fool. He took another drink of water out of his glass as she took the book back and placed it in her basket. "So, an old family book huh?" He asked her, wondering if he could tell her about his, decided it was too big of a risk to trust her with it if he had been wrong, or she could run off and tell the Hunters about him, then he'd be in trouble and would have to leave again. He looked up as Anya stood and began looking through the window, his glance too was turned to outside and noticed how dark it was. He must have been inside for at least a half hour or so, maybe more. He looked at her, and could tell that she was nervous. He spent half, if not 3/4 of his life like that, he could tell when someone was nervous. He looked to her. But decided not to say anything, she may have gotten even more worried if he had. Again, he glanced to the door, then to the window making sure there was nobody outside as he turned his attention back to Anya when she knocked her drink off of the table, and was prepared to use his magic to fix it, if it meant exposing himself. But he didn't hear any liquid splash onto the ground, he didn't even hear the glass fall and hit the floor. He looked at her, confused. "Are you a- a witch?" He asked her, knowing that only a witch would be able to stop a spill like that.

Anya knew there was no turning back now. She had exposed herself, and now had to explain it to him. She hadn't been very careful since she had gotten here, even though she should have been. Usually she was alone, she didn't have to worry about using her magic anymore so she would use it automatically. Hearing him ask her if she was a witch though, she was surprised. He knew about witches? This had to be some crazy coincidence. Or he was a witch hunter, which would be very bad for her. Anya stayed silent for a moment, not quite sure whether she should risk saying anything to him. She had already used her magic though, so she had to say something."Uh..yes. I am." Anya bit her lip, something she did often when she became really nervous. She quickly stood up though, watching Cody closely. "You..aren't a witch hunter, right?" She asked the question with fear in her voice, but figured if he had been a hunter he would of went after her right when she had used her magic. Anya waited, watching Cody and wanting to hear his answer.

Cody sat there on the couch, he knew that she was a witch, but he didn't think about what consequences would come with asking that question. Would she automatically know that he was a witch as well? Or maybe even a witch hunter, which could mean an all out duke between the two of them. He wasn't sure how he should respond as he stood up and walked over to the sink and set his glass down, and stood there for a moment, facing the cupboards. Thinking 'If I tell her what I am, we could both be in danger. But if I don't, she might think I am a hunter and immediately go right to using her magic against him.' He then turned back around and looked at her right in the eyes. "That is quite a coincidence, meeting one in a small town like this" He smirked, then walked back over to the window and looked out of it, again, before turning back to face her. "No, heh" He laughed at her comment. "Who do you think I've been running away from this whole time? Why I am so nervous being outside. They can track me." He told her, hoping she wouldn't blurt it out to strangers. "I am a witch, also. Been running from the Hunters my entire life." He said, looking down at the floor.

It felt like a weight had been lifted off of Anya's shoulders, and she listened to Cody. Thank god he was a witch and not something else. She felt more comfortable now, she never knew any other witch before so it was nice. This meant there was a chance he had brought witch hunters into town though, if they had been following him. But that really wasn't his fault. "Well this is interesting." Anya said with a small smile, but noticed he had looked to the ground. She could only imagine how stressful it was to have to move around to get away from witch hunters. She had only run into a witch hunter once, around when she had first learnt she was a witch. But since her parents moved her away, she never really was in any danger. "I'm sorry..how did they first find you?" She asked him curiously. Anya was now standing next to Cody, close to him. When she moved here she had expected to have to keep her magic hidden from anyone, and also expected this town to be more of a quiet town.

In his head, he kept going over that day that he had first met the Witch Hunters: Cold, calculating, not afraid to die. He only hoped that the screams he had heard when he ran away from his childhood home were that of the hunters, and not his father's. He was too terrified to go back in to see, he thought they would immediately snatch him and cut his throat like they were planning on doing to Cody's dad. He looked up and saw Anya walk closer to him, she seemed calmer now that she new he wasn't a witch hunter. But he could still see her concern in her eyes. As he saw that gleam, he began thinking about the next time they had caught up with him. It was in a small town, a lot similar to Chance Harbor, he had run into another girl like Anya, witch with abilities that she knew how to somewhat control them, they bonded and began practicing together, before the witch hunters had shown up right after she had left, he barely got out of there alive if it hadn't been for his book of shadows. After the memories finished coming back to him, he answered Anya's question. "They first found me when I was about 15 or 16, I was digging around in my father's study and came upon a book, same book that you have there actually. He caught me, gave me some lecture but was interrupted when Witch Hunters broke in and held a knife to his throat. I was too scared to react, to do anything, so I ran, on his orders. My fathers. I just can't help thinking those were the last moments with him" He told her, as he looked up, trying to look strong and impenetrable, when in reality, he was holding back tears from pouring out.

Just listening to Cody, Anya was starting to feel upset. She could only imagine how he felt. Just the thought of that having happened to either of her parents almost brought tears to her eyes. She was lucky to have had her parents growing up, despite that they were trying to keep her powers a secret from her. "Cody, I'm so sorry.." Anya wasn't sure what to say so she apologized, she had a habit of always apologizing even if it wasn't her fault. Anya's hand moved onto Cody's shoulder, trying to comfort him but not sure what exactly she should do. Obviously she knew there wasn't much she could do, but she wanted to show that she actually cared. He was the first person she had really started to befriend, pretty much ever, and the fact that he was a witch too made it even stronger. "Don't worry, i'll keep this to myself. I haven't really met anyone other than you, and another kid in town." She wanted to make sure he knew she was on his side, and wasn't going to risk him having to leave because of witch hunters again.

He then looked away, toward the window as he couldn't hold the tears out anymore and let a few slip through. He stared out of the window for a few seconds before turning back around and wiping the tears away with his sleeve. He couldn't even believe he made it this far without his parents, it was tough going, always staying in abandoned buildings or scraping by for cash to stay in a hotel room, at times he had just thought of handing himself over for it to be over. But was pulled back from the edge by an unknown force, he couldn't explain what it was. Whether it was his mother, speaking to him or his father yanking him away from it. He heard Anya say sorry to him, but it didn't really make him feel any better. But it helped a little bit to know that someone cared about him, last time that happened she left right before the witch hunters had shown up for both of them. "Thanks, Anya. I mean it" He said, attempting to get a smile out before another tear dropped onto his cheek. He heard her then say that she would keep his secret, and he was grateful. He wouldn't want that knowledge to end up in the hands of the witch hunters that are still after him, nor some strangers that could use it to their advantage. "Wait, you said you befriended another kid in town. What was his name?" Cody was then sparked with curiosity. Who was this kid she befriended, and then the paranoia seemed to take over again, what if he was working with the witch hunters.

Anya had now let go of Cody's shoulder, not wanting to be too personal incase he didn't like it. Although she was the shy type, she liked to help people out the best she could. She hated seeing people upset, and she could obviously tell he was a lot more upset than he made it seem. Anya saw the tears and bit her lip, feeling like she should say something but what was there to say. She didn't want to bring up his parents, knowing that would just make things worse, and her apologizing for something not even involving her wasn't going to do much either. She heard him ask the question, and she nodded and replied "His name is Adam. He works at the Boathouse Grill, his father owns it." Anya could see that this new information was started to make Cody the way he was before, a bit paranoid. "Don't worry, I think he's fine. He seemed nice when I met him, but I definitely get a weird vibe from this town. I'm not quite sure though. I mean, my parents were here before for a brief time, and i'm assuming it had something to do with magic." Anya had been trying to figure out why her parents might of been here, but hadn't found much out yet. It was before she had been born, and they hadn't said anything to her when she left. "If the witch hunters show up, I have you back, I promise." Anya now was just watching Cody, she never broke a promise.