Chapter 7: Chapter 7: Melody’s Watch

They tried the door.  It didn’t budge.

They tried the alley window.  It was closed.

Will was worried.  Melody wasn’t a common name on Luna.  It was one of the first things he’d noticed when he met the Mathews.  Mrs. Mathews and Chleo had unique names, beautiful but unique.

It wasn’t unusual for the shop to close at twilight, but it wasn’t unusual for it to stay open either.  They needed to get to the roof.  The board would fly them to the Shack quicker than walking, and if someone… if Mrs. Mathews was gone, Mr. Mathews needed as much time as they could give him to bring her back.

He would know what to do.  He always did.

Will stared at the alley wall.  Climbing through the second story window was one thing.  Scaling three stories to the roof was another.  

He glanced at Chleo.  She stared down the street, eyes glazed, arms wrapped loosely around herself.  Words tumbled from her mouth as she thought, disjointed and incoherent.  If it weren’t a normal occurrence, he would have worried. 

All it would take to break her out of it was a word or a tap on the shoulder.  She was worried and distracted, but she could still climb.  Will debated. He sighed.  He’d try first. 

Heights, why was it always heights? He closed his eyes.  Gathering as much courage as he could, he approached the wall.  His hand grabbed the first brick, a stubby little thing he always had to wrap his whole hand around. Chleo could hold it with two fingers.  

Will ground his teeth.  On second thought, why not have her do the climbing?  She was the one who liked it.  It might even help her forget about her mom.  He shook his head and put his foot on the wall, preparing to reach for the next hold.

“Wait,” Chleo said softly.

“Oh, thank the Star.” He stepped away, moving in her direction.  He stuck his hands in his pockets as if to hide them from the holds.

“I forgot.” She shot him a sheepish smile.  It was smaller than usual, but it was there.

She undid her belt and started fiddling with the buckle.  It produced two small metal pieces, one straight and flat, the other with a small hook at the end.  Chleo held them out in triumph.  Will stared.

“I don’t get it.”

You are reading story Neon Chronicles at novel35.com

She let out a small laugh and grabbed his hand, leading him to the front door.  It was quick work.  One second she was rattling the metal pieces inside the lock and the next it turned.  Picking a lock shouldn’t be that easy.

They were in.  Chleo closed the door behind them and turned the latch.  It clicked with finality.

Will scanned the room.  There was something different.  He couldn’t place it.  Chleo stood next to him fidgeting like she could sense it, too.

Mrs. Mathews’s art filled the room, the same as always, scattered over the concrete walls and mahogany floors.  Shelves stood in the gaps displaying useful knickknacks and tools.  Will had no idea what most of them were, but Mrs. Mathews assured him they all had their uses.

The showcase sat in the center, the surrounding art subtly guiding customers straight to it.  The glass case was small but demanded attention.  Even without the lamps lit, the pieces inside seemed to glitter in the dark.

Everything was still.

Will went rigid.  That was it.  Everything was still.  Everything was quiet.  It was a clock shop.  Where were the ticks, the tocks?

Everything Mrs. Mathews built had a gear involved, even her art lived in constant hissing, whirring motion.  Not there.  Not then.

He heard Chleo gasp.  She rushed to the case, side stepping the lifeless statues with ease.  He followed.

She froze staring at the clear lid, mouth hanging half open.  Will’s brow furrowed before turning to follow her gaze.  He felt his own jaw drop.

“That can’t be…” He let the sentence trail.

Chleo took a step forward reaching out slowly, reverently, grasping the chain coiled atop the glass.  She lifted it.  The watch dangled at eye level.  The engraving done by her dad’s amateur hand, What makes them tick, slipped in and out of view as it spun.

“It’s Mom’s,” Chleo’s voice filled the room.  Her gaze met his, worry crinkling the edges.  It was the one watch made at Timekeepers that her mother had no hand in.  Her father had spent hours on it to surprise her on her birthday.  “She never leaves without it.”

You can find story with these keywords: Neon Chronicles, Read Neon Chronicles, Neon Chronicles novel, Neon Chronicles book, Neon Chronicles story, Neon Chronicles full, Neon Chronicles Latest Chapter