My Midnight Love

Chapter 21

The bed springs twanged behind me as he flopped back down onto it. “Doing what?”

“Keeping secrets.”

Without another word I snatched up some fresh clothes from the chair by the door and hurried into the bathroom.

I put the seat down on the toilet and dumped my clothes on it. The bathroom was far tidier then my parents was at home. We each had a shelf in the cabinet, our towels were neatly pressed, hanging over the rail, not a single empty bottle lined the bath. Our bathroom was filled with white, white walls, white porcelain, white towels, white everything. But early morning light was spilling in through the frosted glass and staining every surface lavender. It was a stark contrast to the rest of the house which was filled with wooden panelling and earthy tones like ochre and red.

Three knocks came at the door. “Hayley?”

I pressed a shaking hand against my forehead and didn’t reply. My eyes clamped shut and I found myself leaning back against the cool tiles.

When I didn’t respond his knocks became more insist ant. “Hayley, please, don't be upset with me.”

“Then tell me what you did.”

I knew how I sounded, jealous. I sounded like all the girls who thought their boyfriend was cheating on them. But this was on a far greater scale and it wasn't about a girl. This was about a war that he was keeping from me. This was about something that could bring and end to both of us and he was ignoring it like it was nothing.

I could picture him on the other side of the wood, pacing and running his hands through his hair as he thought of a response. “I wish I could tell you...”

“But?” I called.

“I can't.”

I didn’t have to say anything more, neither of us did.

Instead I moved and turned on the shower, running my hands around the cold metal handles. Back home the every tap in the house was rimmed just slightly with scale, but we hadn't been living in this house long enough for that to happen.

I realised, as I stepped into the rushing hot water, just how limited I felt in my current situation. I could go to the village, I could go to the fort, visit mum and my new extended family, I could find Alefgar, I could stay home. But that was it. No college, no shopping, no cinema, no walks. It was like being under house arrested. Like I’d been grounded despite that fact I no longer even lived with my parents.

I swallowed and mentally corrected my self, parent. Dad dying was still something I couldn't quite grasp, every time I saw mum I expected to see him standing over her shoulder. But he never was.

Our morning had soured so quickly, I groaned. Why did everything have to be so complicated? I didn't want to argue with Aelfric, I didn’t want to argue with anyone. I didn’t want a war or any stupid interferences. I wanted everything to just sort itself out on it's own without any...well, that's just it. I had no idea what the war would bring.

I slipped out of the shower and dressed quickly, I tied my damp hair back threw my pyjamas into the wash bin and brushed my teeth. I had to do something. I couldn't just sit around. It was sink or swim time, time to get real and realise just how much my life had changed in such a short amount of time.

I wrote the changes in the condensation in the mirror.

Number one, Aelfric.

Number two, It's all real.

Number three, dad's gone.

Number four, something bad is coming.

Number five...