Normally, when Kayleigh was restless and out late, she chose to go to the waterfall. The waterfall always felt the most like home to Kayleigh, which was odd since her home had been nothing like that. Her home had been more like this–a bench outside a big building, in the middle of a town she’d never leave. She was here tonight, partly because the weather hadn’t been good for a flight, and she hadn’t wanted to walk, and partly because it was close and easy and she didn’t feel like she was bothering anyone else.
Still, Kayleigh never liked to be alone. Things in the night still freaked her out, even if she couldn’t put a name to those things. So she was relieved when another person approached. She knew Professor Gerard, though not well, so she didn’t exactly jump when he approached. Instead, she slid down the bench, leaving him plenty of room. “Of course,” she said with a friendly smile. One he probably couldn’t see in the dark, but the gesture still stood, she thought.
For about 30 seconds, they sat in silence. Silence, like being alone, wasn’t something Kayleigh particularly liked. “So. It’s kinda late for you to be teaching still, isn’t it? Unless you were doing other things. I guess teachers probably do lots of things besides teach, huh.” She stopped herself there, turning from the sky, where she’d been staring off into nothingness, back to the professor, who hopefully wasn’t too bothered by her chatter.
Mathieu took his seat, smiling back at the girl. He could see the whites of her teeth and eyes, even in the dark. He always did appreciate a good smile, especially now that things were different. Locked in a town with no where to go. That fact didn’t bother him though. He was actually fond of it. If anything were to happen to him he wouldn’t have to relocate. He could just tally his death and move on with his eternal life. Things were silent for a moment, until the brunette broke it. This quickly snapped him out of his thought. He took a sip of his coffee, and let out a sigh. “A professor’s work is never done. I was working on a new lesson plan and lost track of time. I’m normally home before the street lights turn on.” He joked, thinking back to when he would watch kids scramble to get home before their mothers began to worry.
This new plan he was working on had been tough. He wanted to incorporate a lot more of what he had seen, but was still weary it would be controversial. Especially in this day and age. My how things had changed. “And you? What brings you to this lovely bench?” He questioned.
