Neighbourhood Novels & Stories

Ten minutes later, Wilbur arrived at the foot of a shabby, worn apartment building. "Block thirty-five… this is it." The neighborhood was named Ediran, and it looked to be at least thirty years old. All the buildings here were six floors tall at most, and it looked to be the poorest place in all of Wendis. Wilbur could hardly believe that Judith and her grandmother lived in a place like this. With the special talent they both had, they were more than capable of digging up the most unthinkable treasures from underwater.

The particular impulse of a Sunday that wanted something specific. The street where his grandmother's house had been. The houses along the street with their gardens, the old trees, the particular proportion of a neighbourhood that had been built in a different era and had aged into something that was neither grand nor ordinary but somewhere between, the quiet inhabited quality of a street that had been lived on for a long time. I parked and walked.

Leo said bluntly from the doorway. Martinez didn’t flinch. “So is watching kids with glow sticks wander too close to a tree line that smells like fresh blood,” she said. “You have your world.” She spread her hands as if indicating the house, the woods, all of it. “I have mine. They overlap whether we like it or not. I’d rather we be… neighbors than ticking bombs.” Naomi mouthed neighbors with a faintly hysterical grin. I thought about the charter pages still on the council table. About Article twelve. About all the times, our worlds had brushed edges and nearly drawn blood.

The taxi stopped at the park in a small, underdeveloped community in Ashwood called Victoria City. Cars could only go as far as the park; the roads beyond were too rough for vehicles. Bella Claire got out, paid the fare, and started down the noisy streets toward home. She arrived at the three-story building at the center of the community. Their apartment was on the second floor, sandwiched between neighbors who were always arguing. “Hey, Bella! Why are you back late? Your sister came back from school and kept crying at the door,” yelled a neighbor from the top floor balcony.

He told me he would take me car shopping with him. Then he went on to talk about the kind of neighbors I have in the community, 'Boris Heights.' He glances at me a few times when he explains, "the families are nice, very kind, making for a tranquil and wonderful area to live in." "Cool, I can't wait to start meeting them." I had said out loud in my excitement at meeting new friendly people. This was nice. I do not know anyone here and am still finding my way around. Well, except for Daniel, and I just met him yesterday. I was new here, after all.

I was just glad he wasn't pushing this. We turned down the familiar road toward our neighborhood. Will and I, along with some of the guys on the team, lived in Kingmoore Court. It wasn't just any neighborhood—it was an enclave, a place where every house looked like it had been ripped straight from a magazine. The place oozed exclusivity—the kind of wealth that people in St. Jose only dreamed of. It was the face of affluence, the neighborhood everyone measured themselves against, the subtle battlefield of status where reputation mattered as much as talent or hard work.

"Aah good morning beautiful ladies. Natalia care to enlighten me who is this beautiful woman?"While his eyes were trained on me. "Uh..h M..My bestfriend Zita.Zita this is my neighbour Etienne Martin." "Nice to meet you " Zita said "The pleasure is all mine." "Need any help ladies?" "Uh..no,we can manage".I stuttered. "Sure...Have a good day both of you." "That hot piece of ass is your neighbour?"exclaimed Zita.I sighed.

Nikolai parked his car in front of a small home in the sub-urb, which has seen better days. The paint is peeling and the front lawn is filled with overgrown plants and weeds. The roof is sunken at one corner. The front door looks as if it will collapse with just one hard gust of wind. The neighborhood is decent and children are seen playing in a park nearby. People are walking with their pets. A few are seen carrying their grocery bags from a nearby supermarket. Overall, this neighborhood looked lovely and suited for a middle class family.

It was still early, and no one was outside. This entire neighborhood can suck it. Why is everything so generic? Red brick, fences, the same people in every house, the only difference their age. I’m sure they all love the fact that the boy next door is a freak of nature. It’s a wonder they haven’t run my family out because of me. I suppose they figure I’ll graduate soon enough, and then it’ll only be my upstanding parents. Better than a foreigner moving in, right? The Loft’s moved in a few years prior, but before the deal closed, each time the house showed, the neighbors peered from their windows as if on the lookout for the Four Horsemen. Jeff now understood why. It’s ridiculous how long it

Across the street, a family was returning from church, and another neighbor who probably never went to church was working on his yard. This was a great neighborhood. A place to really live, not just a building to sleep in and play video games, which is how he saw his condo. He could picture himself here, sitting with Ace on that big front porch while Lola patrolled the yard in front of their crayon-crazy funky house.