Midnight sun

15

I stayed still on the bed using my eyes to scan my surroundings for any potential danger. The events of the last months have left me a paranormal mess. It wasn't that I didn't trust Janice or Bryce to keep me safe, it was that I expected everyone in the world to attack me. I guess loosing members of your family can do that to you. Losing my brother and my mother have definitely made me into a different person. I didn't know if I could ever get my life back to how it was.

I eventually summoned the courage to get out of bed when I deemed the room free of threat. I walked into the en suite. There was a new toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste lying there waiting. Good thing because in all my rush last night, I seem to have forgotten to bring mine along. I brushed my teeth and took a shower even though it was freezing and I could do without one I needed to cool my head, afraid that it might explode I still wore the same clothes I had on yesterday. Signature cargo pants and t-shirt. I brought in a change of clothes but I didn't have much interest in wearing something different. It wasn't dirty and besides who cares what I had on? My family have been taken by a passing a psychopathic mage, wearing the same clothes more than once should be the least of anybody's problems.

I opened the door to see Selena in front of it. She had her hands raised like she was about to knock. I guess I slept inside longer that should have if someone had to come up to get me.

'Hey' I said in greeting. It felt like the first time I've ever heard my voice. I was taken aback for a moment it was a hoarse raspy sound. Selena smiled at me beamed.

'You up' good. Let's go have breakfast.' Typical. She was never in a sullen mood always happy and full of cheer no matter the situation. I had to admit at that moment her bubbly attitude annoyed me. I didn't feel like doing breakfast, I didn't feel like doing anything actually. But I didn't want to upset Janice so I followed her downstairs to a large dining room. The table could accommodate twelve people and there was still going to be room, presently four people were seated. Janice, Bryce and a dark skinned woman sat alone at the other side she was about my age, maybe older by a year. She looked a lot like the woman sitting beside Bryce.

'Good morning' I greeted the table with a small wave, Selena steered me to sit beside the younger girl. She gave me a small smile and returned to her food.

'Did you sleep alright?' Bryce asked looking at me I nodded in reply and as an afterthought replied out of courtesy

'I did, thank you' I might have lost my mother but my morals didn't go away with her. She'd pull my ear if she saw me nod rather than give an actual reply.

'Do you like your room honey?' this time it was Janice-

'Yes ma'am it is very nice' I wasn't in the mood for conversations. It wasn't my house so I couldn't downright ignore them, I just hope that they took the hint and left me alone. I didn't want to be disturbed so early in the morning.

'Go on, eat up' Janice said and returned to her food she took the hint that I didn't want to be spoken to. I checked around the room for Theodore. He wasn't seated at the table. After he left me with his mother last night, I would expect that I would at least see him this morning but he was nowhere in sight.

'He went to sleep' Selena offered noticing me. I blushed embarrassed to have been caught looking 'we would go up there after breakfast with purity' she said pointing to the girl beside me.

'Purity is a new witch too' the old woman said 'just like you'

'Oh' was the reply. What do I say to that it is not like my communication skills were great to begin with, I returned my attention back to the food. Breakfast was everything "breakfast" the table contained bacon, toasts, sausages, pancakes, hot cocoa, scrambled eggs and omelets. I was worried as to whether this was how breakfast usually went or if the whole ceremony was because they didn't know which one I liked. I decided it was the former only because the latter made me slightly uncomfortable.

I placed a stack of pancakes on my plate and maybe some maple syrup to go along with it. I didn't realize how hungry I was until I had the first bite. I added scrambled eggs to the plate and some bacon, the combo was probably horrific but I was ravenous apparently. I would repeatedly cringe over the entire episode later, it was too embarrassing not to.

After breakfast, Selena took me to the back of the house with purity and we started our hike to the keep. It was on a mountain and behind the house was a wood that led to the entrance of the keep. There were no houses in the area and it was quiet. Perfect for any activity without raising eyebrows. I was breathing heavily by the time we reached the entrance and so was purity. Selena didn't even break a sweat, purity sat on the floor and I followed immediately after we didn't get to talk during the entire hike so I didn't know her as much, I discovered her mother's name though. Fate, I thought was strange name. Apart from Theodore and his family, all the other names of the magical folks I came across were strange names. They weren't a lot so I couldn't exactly judge.

'you guys are such lazy bones' selena joked I couldn't helped the small laughter that escaped me, of cause Selena would expect us to climb up a hill that takes well over twenty minutes without being tired. That's just the kind of person she is. Always argue, full of energy just waiting to explode. Theodore and she were polar opposites.

'All right, rest times over, let's go in'

Purity and I both groaned in complaint but stood up anyway. We had better stood up ourselves or we would risked getting dragged by our hair. Selena placed her hand on the door and cracked lighted up white, blue and red. The stone door groaned and opened, revealing a village.

'Welcome to the keep'.