The Freedom I Wanted [REWRITE]

II. Slowly Getting Used To Everything

Tommy stared out of the window in his room. The Moon was still up on the sky, but he couldn't fall back asleep. He was staring at an animal outside. He was amazed by how it looked and he had never seen anything like that ever before in his life. He didn't know what it was, but it was small and colourful.

He wanted to go outside and see it closer, but didn't think that it would be a good idea. He knew nothing of the world and he was afraid that Aphmau would get mad at him if he decided to sneak out without her permission. She had seemed kind, but Tommy didn't know what her real nature was. He had promised to himself that he would be careful.

The animal outside his window soon disappeared into the night, leaving him disappointed. He had enjoyed watching it do its thing.

Something else catches his eye. The moonlight hit something in the shadows. He can't quite see what it is, but for a second he thinks that he sees a pair of eyes that glow the colour of the Blood Moon.

He shakes his head and looks again, squinting his eyes, but there is nothing. The Moon had gone into hiding behind the clouds that were slowly travelling through the sky.

"I'm probably just seeing things," he mumbles to himself and backs away from the window. There were no curtains he could pull over it to stop himself from getting distracted by the beauty of the world outside.

He flopped onto the bed and pulled the soft blanket over him. The clouds moved and more moonlight spilled into the room through the window, but it didn't bother him. It was oddly comforting, and yet he couldn't explain why.

-----

     Aphmau stopped by Tommy's door. She hesitated for a moment before knocking, wondering if Tommy was already awake. She didn't want to wake him up if he needed more sleep.

She raised her hand and softly knocked on the door, hoping that he would be awake. The sound of a chair creaking against the floor made her let out the breath she had been holding. Soon the doorknob went down and Tommy pulled the door open.

"Good morning, Tommy!" Aphmau smiled to him brightly. He seemed a bit surprised, which made Aphmau want to frown. Was he not used to people telling him good morning?

"Morning," he answered a bit hesitatedly.

"Did you sleep well?" Aphmau asked him, trying to push the concern away. "I hope that I didn't wake you up," she added with an apologising smile on her lips.

"Oh– I did sleep well.." Tommy trailed off, seeming still a bit confused, "And no, I was already awake."

"That's good to hear. Zoey is making breakfast. It would be nice if you came to join us," Aphmau said, seeming hopeful.

"Alright, I'll join you," Tommy decided. He was curious about what kind of breakfast did they have. He really wanted to learn more about the world and everything in there.

"Great! Let's go then, if you're ready of course!" she hummed, clearly happy about his decision. It surprised Tommy, he didn't remember when someone had actually been excited about spending time with him like that.

"Yeah, let's go," he nodded.

-----

     Levin and Malachi watched curiously as Tommy examined the pancake on his plate. He was really fascinated by it, which seemed to amuse everyone else a bit.

"Do you like it?" Zoey asked softly with a smile on her face. Tommy liked her smile, it was so kind and something about it made him feel safer. Same was with Aphmau.