Midnight sun

11

I got home by 5pm. I could have stayed outside longer but I didn't tell my mom where I was going and even though a smile from Theodore would magically erase her anger, I'm not sure I could push my luck much further. She could get a hold of herself any moment and it was going to be chaotic for me. Not just because I don't want anything tampering with my freedom. My training was also at risk. Theodore and I didn't say much to each other after our confession. I'm glad we didn't because I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to say. I know I was just prolonging the inevitable and eventually, we were going to be forced to have 'the talk' but I was going to enjoy my time right now and live in the moment. In a moment, everything could just disappear and I'd find myself back to my first step. I liked Theodore, a lots. Granted, I admitted it to him before I admitted it to myself but it was still the truth. I do like him a lot. I do want to spend all day with him looking at fake and real stars. I want to go skating even if I fell down so many my ass had gone numb. I still wanted him. In all his moodiness and darkness. I wanted him so much and I think I was going way ahead of myself. But it didn't matter to me in that moment. I was going to fantasize until it actually happened, and if it doesn't, I might keep it up.

I let myself in through the front door, all the lights in the house were turned on so I knew that my mom and brother were back home from wherever they went to without me. I couldn't help worrying about my stalker as well as my less than normal dreams. I just seemed to forget that I had something to tell Selena and Theodore any time we were together. I took out my phone and sent them both texts saying I had something to tell them when we saw each other the next day. That way, they would just ask me at school tomorrow and I could tell them. I went in to see my mom and Cole in the living room watching titanic. Monday night was sometimes movie night I guess but titanic?. I'm sure my mom went through every single movie in there to find the perfect one for Cole's adolescent eyes. Poor guy. When I was his age, I could watch any movie I wanted to watch without my mom throwing a fit. I guess those were the perks of my mother having an office job. Now that she could work from home, she was all up in every body else's business. Most of the time, Cole was her regular victim.

"I'm back!" I called out before heading to the kitchen to grab a tub of ice cream. I joined the quite late though, they were already halfway through the movie.

"Hey honey, did you just get back?" My mom asked, she must not have been listening earlier, who knows who else could have gone inside and out of the house while she was engrossed in her movie.

"Yeah, I just did. I was out with Theodore." I said, then began stuffing my face with ice cream to avoid an attack of questions. To my surprise, my mother let it go but by little brother though,

"Teddy and Didi sitting on a three,K–I–S–S,"—

"Mom!" I complained to my mother, plus what was up with the nicknames anyway? Cole had not called me DiDi in the last four years. I have even forgotten what made him stop.

"Leave your sister alone Cole." My mother said.

"Yes Cole, leave your sister alone." He wagged his tongue at me and made a face. What was he, five. I wagged my tongue back at him. I just can't help myself it seems.

"Since you are back, let me start with dinner," my mother said getting up from the couch. She never leaves a movie when she had not finished it but I assume that since she'd watched this one like a thousand times, She could afford to leave it. "Come help me in the kitchen Cole."

"But."— My mother cut him a look that killed any argument he wanted to started with her. They headed for the kitchen and I made myself comfortable with a bag of chips and my tub of ice cream. Perfect endurance for a perfect day. My mother never let Cole eat before dinner because it always ruined his dinner. He was easily satisfied. I on the other do not have a care in the world. My mother was not bug with eating before dinner because I was always hungry. I could eat anything I wanted to.

"Diana, come take out the trash!" My mom called me from the kitchen.

I guess I am going to have to come back for you later." I said to my ice cream before returning it back to the freezer. When my mother begins with her errands, I never know when she was going to stop.

I took the black plastic bag outside through the front door. My mom had already rolled the bin to the front of the house for the garbage trucks to empty it tomorrow. I added my bundle to the half empty garbage can then I raised my face to check out the pole from this afternoon. I'll be damned. He was standing there. I made a mental calculation to see the distance between my house and him and how soon I could reach our front door before he got to me.

"Hello." A chilly voice said to me. I raised my head. It was him. His face was hooded. But those eyes. I couldn't forget those eyes anywhere. Green like precious stones. Green like mine. "I notice you have been training with the twins." I couldn't say anything. I've never met him before but I had a strong feeling that he was bad news. The worst sort of bad news. "You should stop training with them, they are trying to use you." I finally found my voice to answer him. He was a creep and a stalker and he scared the crap out of me and he actually expects me to believe him.

"Wasn't that the same thing you thought of Theodore and Selena at first." Oh my god has he been reading my mind.

"Yes I have."

"Stop doing that!" I snapped suddenly too angry to be scared of anything. "And stop stalking me while you are at it."

"Do you really think those two people are the best for you?"

"Yes I do. I don't need to prove anything to you either. Just leave me alone." I lowered my voice so my mom wouldn't hear me but my seriousness was evident in my tone.

"They are training you to use as a weapon Darling, How can you not see it?

"All I can see is someone who has ulterior motives for meeting me. Please leave and stop following me around." I turned and headed to the house. It was only after I had locked the door behind me that I managed to shake off the feeling. I knew in my heart that he was not going to stop but at least I can tell Selena and Theodore tomorrow. I'm sure they would know what to do.

"Diana, Dinner." My mom called from the kitchen. I knew she was making pie so it must not have take long. I love her pies so much. She had a secret recipe that she didn't let anyone know. Cole probably knows it too since he was already in the kitchen with her.

"What took to so long?" My brother asked. He as setting the table when I entered.

"Texting," I reply evasively before joining him to set the table. We both sat down and my mom dished out our food. I went through my food quickly and I felt my mother's eyes on me. I knew she wanted to ask me something but this was honestly not the best of moods for this questioning session that was bound to follow.

I grabbed my plate and got up from the chair quickly. "Can I finish it in my room? I have a pop quiz tomorrow." Liar. At least the question died to my mother's tongue. Phew . Without waiting for an answer I stormed upstairs.

I had a lot of questions. Who was this man? What does he want? Why did I feel like I know him from somewhere? Or was it just my dreams merging with my reality? Have I started hallucinating too? As if having magic in this world wasn't bad enough I was going to be a freak in another world too. There was no where in the world where seeing and hearing things were considered normal. If I add the fact that I could not remember some things, I would be a total social pariah. Maybe that's stretching it a bit but you never know with this things. Is that not how dementia started? My phone vibrated in my pocket and I took it out. It was a text from Theodore.

Are you up?

It seemed I have forgotten everything I had to say because the moment I saw his text pop up on my screen, a smile spread on my face.