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His voice sounded strange. Calm, yet carrying an underlying weight. Mark watched Dan, noticing how he avoided looking him directly in the eye, as if the words were difficult to say. And that was... unusual. Not like the confident guy who always looked at everyone with a faint smirk.
— Why were you even here? — Emma heard her own voice. It sounded calm, almost genuinely curious. She had tried to keep a sarcastic tone, but something in Dan’s expression threw her off. It looked... almost familiar.
Dan took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair. His gaze wandered over the bleachers, the gates, the building, as if he was searching for something within the crumbling walls.
— It’s hard to explain. — He shrugged, his voice quieter than usual. — I guess it sounds stupid, but here... I felt free, — he finally said, his voice dropping even lower, as if he feared that speaking too loudly might shatter the place and his memories. — Free from everything: the house where no one ever waited for me, the school where everyone demanded something from me, telling me who I should be. Here, I could just... be myself. No one could tell me I was doing something wrong or expect me to be someone else.
Emma froze, unsure of what to say. Those words broke through her defenses. Something inside her responded to his confession, as if every note of his voice resonated with her own feelings. Mark didn’t even notice how his face softened, the usual sarcastic edge replaced by something more sincere.
— It’s not stupid, — Emma finally replied softly, looking into the distance. Her voice sounded unexpectedly gentle, even with a hint of care. She was surprised by how her words came out, as if it wasn’t her speaking but someone else. — Sometimes you just need... a place where you can breathe.
Dan turned to her, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment, as if searching for confirmation that her words were genuine. Then he nodded, his smile turning a bit sad but still sincere.
— You’re right. This was a place where I could breathe. — He paused for a moment, then looked down at the shiny key Casey had given him. His fingers tightened around it as his gaze shifted to the small administrative building at the edge of the field. It looked especially abandoned: the walls were peeling, and the door was covered in rust. — I want to show you something.
Mark felt the tension return, like an invisible spring tightening inside him. Just a moment ago, Dan had seemed so human, open, even vulnerable, that he hadn’t noticed how his voice had changed—too soft, almost trusting, as if forgetting who he really was. "Looks like I’ve gotten too into this schoolgirl role," Mark thought, though for some reason, the thought didn’t bring the usual annoyance. Instead, there was a quiet, dull tension that felt different than usual.
— Alright... lead the way, Mommy’s little schemer, — Emma snorted, unable to suppress a faint smirk. She crossed her arms over her chest, as if trying to hide her tension behind the gesture. Her voice sounded irritated, but there was still a hint of lightness, almost teasing. She gave Dan a slight squint, making it clear her trust was still fragile. Even as she spoke, she felt an odd sense of calm, as if she genuinely wanted to know what he wanted to show her.
Her hand unconsciously slid to the strap of her backpack, her palm feeling the familiar weight. Inside was that strange book with the jester on the cover. The image of the grinning face unexpectedly surfaced in her mind, sending an unpleasant chill down her spine. "Damn, what’s this about now?" she thought. Mark remembered how, just last night, flipping through the pages, he had come across the image of the jester again. Its smile had seemed mocking, as if it knew something he didn’t. And now, looking at Dan, he couldn’t shake the feeling that it was all connected.
"Why did I suddenly think of that book? And why now? It has nothing to do with this... or does it? What if that book really isn’t just a coincidence? What if all of this is part of something bigger? No, stop. That’s ridiculous..." Mark exhaled, forcing his thoughts back to reality.
Emma glanced at Dan again. His confident stride and easy movements seemed to draw her in, even as her mind still protested. "This is all so weird. Why me? Why is he so... focused on me? Or maybe I’m just overthinking?" she thought, but deep down, she couldn’t shake the feeling that the book in her backpack now felt heavier than ever before.