Stuck On Here
Chapter 1: Lucas's

The young man walked over. His hands were put in cloth pants pockets, his coat was left unbuttoned and slightly fluttered by the wind. He slightly raised his head up, the clear sky with thick white clouds blocking some of the sunlight so that the air was not too hot.

The young man stopped his steps to climb up the saru tree, before the sound of someone thwarting his intentions. He saw a girl walking towards him.

"Lucas!"

Lucas turned his head to the right trying to catch something strange from the girl, but nothing. He climbed up the Saru tree and sat on his favorite branch. Letting the girl below poke around in annoyance.

"Lucas!"

The girl lifted up a bit of the dress she was wearing, kicking the tree trunk with her left leg covered in a smooth black pantofel shoe. But not giving any meaningful movement. He looked up, towards Lucas who was sitting leaning against one of the branches.

"What's wrong?" Lucas asked looking down, at the girl who was tidying up the folds of her slightly messy dress. Lucas immediately jumped down producing a thudding sound that sounded quite loud in his ears.

"Lucas, can you stop jumping like that? It made me startle" the girl grumbled, who was directly sitting on Lucas' side facing the clear lake of Almaty.

Lucas and Valerie, the girl just sat down to enjoy the breeze on the edge of the leaf. On top of the yellow-flowered green grass. A few moments later Lucas laid himself on the grass, just under the grass of Saru leaves, making his eyes not glare because of the sunlight.

"I guess you're avoiding Mr Louis again?"

Lucas turned his back on his stomach with his left hand propping up his chest, his right hand busy tidying up his black hair that was dirty due to the dry grass. Then observe Valerie's face that was hit by a little sunlight, because it was blocked by the wide hat she was wearing.

"I'm not avoiding, I'm lazy, maybe"

"Can't be so Lucas, you'll be Mr. Louis' replacement, you're not a member of the Felman family, you don't know?"

Lucas snorted in annoyance, "Can't you not call Uncle Louis with the word 'Master', that sounds ridiculous" Lucas said as he tidied up his still slightly messy hair.

"It would be strange if I called him Uncle like you, sounding disrespectful"

"You can call him Uncle, if you want, but you have to be part of the Felman family" Lucas said, "By getting married to me," lucas said again with a loud laugh that upset Valerie and hit the young man's shoulder playfully.

"Don't talk shit!" Valerie throbbed annoyed. Then he turned his face the other way. His wide hat moved by the afternoon breeze.

Silent.

Silent.

No one's talking. Each of them enjoys their own preoccupation. No one has a topic to chat with, making silence natural. Lucas was busy plucking the grass around him and throwing it forward, sometimes he threw it away almost close to the lake.

Valerie let what Lucas did, she herself was busy researching the edges of her dress, which was a bone-colored lace matching her wide hat.

Vale.

"What's Lucas?" Valerie turned towards Lucas who was still weaving the grass. Making Lucas stop his activities and then turn to Valerie with a confused look.

"Why?"

"Ah, did you call me? I heard, really" Valerie said, then turned to the right and left to confirm the whereabouts of others there. But there was no one but the two of them. Lake Almaty is also quiet. Making Valerie's nape bristle with fear.

"I, don't call you, if anyone calls you I'll hear you, are you wrong?" Lucas asked as he tidied the buttons and tightened his coat as he felt the air suddenly cool, piercing to the bone.

"Eh, someone called me that was your voice, right? Her voice also does not scream, there can be no one else here" Valerie said softly because she felt she was being watched. His eyes were wide, but there was no one else but the two of them.

"We'd better go home, it's late in the afternoon" Lucas said as he went to clean his clothes that were stuck in the dry grass here and there. Close up his coat, "I don't think the air was too cold, why did it suddenly come down like this" Lucas murmured softly as he helped Valerie stand up.

"Come, "Valerie is walking with Lucas, Sometimes she looks to the right and left, because she feels watched— followed.

***

Louis sat in his office chair. His hands clutched on the table propped up his chin. Look at the pile of paper on the table. He would occasionally put his finger on the table, thinking.

Clamps.

The door opened and Louis turned to see who was coming, Lucas. The young man walked in and sat down on the sofa that was on the edge of the room. Louis stared at him intensely, making Lucas feel puffed up.

"Sorry Uncle, next time I'll knock on the door first" Lucas said, grabbing a packet of candy on the table.

"Even if I'm only the third son? If I'm the first son I don't want Uncle either, it's boring" Lucas exclaimed as he leaned his back against the couch, "These rules are shackled, they don't give freedom and I don't like it,"

"Then, what if people don't have rules? All will be chaotic, robbery, violence will all continue to happen because there are no rules that bind them. Everyone feels free to do whatever they want," pauses the sentence for a moment, "Rules are made for all of us Lucas, no one feels shackled if you want to live it. Everything has to have rules"

Lucas snorted angrily letting Louis talk about his own opinions. Lucas got a little bored, even very bored. He turned to the window, excited by his desire to jump out the window moving on the roofs of the house.

"Never think of jumping out the window, Luke."

Lucas turned his head, took another packet of candy in a jar and ate it. He likes to be in Louis's office. But he did not like to listen to all Louis' arguments and words about things.

"Uncle, I think lately, the nights in Lourch are weird, or is this just my feeling?" lucas said while watching his uncle who was busy tidying up the workbench, placing the pen in the drawer and stacking the files into one.

"That's what happened, Lucas."

Lucas just sat there. Thinking of Valerie's words in the lake about her Summoning voice and similar to Lucas's. That scared Lucas a little.

He looked at the window every now and then, it was a little dark. Louis's workroom window was facing west, making it easy to see the sunset at the far end. The birds one by one began to fly towards the nest causing a little noise flapping wings.

"Never go out the night Lucas, the city of Lourch is insecure. Uncle also did not know the exact circumstances. But the atmosphere of the night is getting different every day. Not actually every day. Exactly these last few days, since last full moon."

Lucas rubbed his nape as he felt a little scared. He looked towards the window. There was no one, his curtains were partially opened, making him see how the night crept quickly. Slightly fine clouds flew high with a gray color.

Lucas got up and walked to the door. Before that he turned to Louis and said, Excuse me, "I went out Uncle, happy work,"

"It should have been the way it was when I came in, it was Luke's ethics, remember? Has a young man your age been declining his memory?" Louis asked sarcastically.

"I remember, but I did it on purpose, was uncle satisfied? At least I didn't forget excuse me for coming out, did I?" Lucas said his hand was holding the door handle and opening it slowly.

He went out and closed the door to Louis's office. He himself walked towards his room which was far away at the end. Near her brother's second room who had set up her own business abroad and no longer lived in the Felman family mansion. He opened the door and closed it slowly. His bed was sealed by a tall bookshelf.

He laid his body on the bed. Feel the night air that is down drastically than usual. Whether he was the one who had just realized it or indeed only he felt, the air was even piercing through to the bone. He was still wearing his coat, taking off his coat and coat. Then it was thrown in any direction, replacing it with a thick blanket.

"the air is indeed like winter, even very piercing. What's wrong?" Lucas mumbled. The air outside knocked on the window of his room. Make his nape crumble.

"It's just the wind,"

***

For Lucas there is nothing special, his days are just spent looking for a way to escape Louis. Sometimes he would go for a walk around the Small town of Lourch. Observe every activity of the people there. The ice cream dealers and all sorts of food and grocery stores in the corner of the city.

This time he was in Louis's office. Sitting on his favorite sofa while eating candy on a jar. His eyes watched Louis who was busy researching the file on the table, tapping his fingers.

"Uncle, what did you mean yesterday about the strange, urban atmosphere?" Lucas asked while opening the candy wrapper.

Louis looked at his nephew intensely before opening his voice, "I just said not to go out at night, no more and no need to know more,"

Lucas snorted in annoyance at his uncle's attitude. He rested his back on the couch. Glancing towards the open glass window let the wind in.

Just now Lucas opened his mouth to talk someone knocking on the door from the outside made Lucas undo his intentions.

"Come in" cried Louis from his seat. The door opened, Jake came in greeting and then closed the door again. He walked over to Louis who was still sitting in his great chair.

As if understanding the situation Lucas immediately stood up, set foot towards the door. Not wanting to interfere with the affairs of the two people inside.

"Don't leave the mansion, Luke"

Lucas just nodded and then closed the door. He walked down the corridor, turning south towards the balcony. He noticed every decoration of the mansion's walls, nothing changed only some parts were renovated and then repainted with the same color, making this building look new even though it has stood for many years.

The large brown doors became the boundary between the vast rooms behind them and the corridor where Lucas stands now. He arrived at the balcony a fresh breeze greeted him as he set foot on the edge.

His silver eyes explored the desolate path of the mansion. Several vehicles passed by on the paving road. The clouds do not cover much of the sun's sky nor is it too hot to sting.

"It's boring, it's always boring" Lucas murmured.

"But am I the only one who thinks this is boring? Think this rule is shackling, like Uncle Louis said?" mumbling again.