Midnight After Midnight - Nanowrimo 2022

Chapter 5 - The Troublesome Question

When Adelaide appeared in the forest that night, which was half an hour before midnight, Lionel was already there, standing like a statue among the withered trees with black branches that were being weighed down by snow and ice. In fact, barely anything could be seen around them except for snow and ice. 

The grass, the rooftops, the windows, and the river were all severely affected by them. Still, the moonlight made everything look beautiful, and it warmed her heart a little. However, when she saw Lionel, she swallowed, remembering what she had to do, and suddenly, everything wasn't so beautiful anymore.

A sorrowful gleam appearing in her eyes, she slowly made her way towards him, carefully climbing up the small hill that separated them. Her facial expression was stern, and she placed her hands over her chest, which made him widen his eyes. He couldn't feel anything but confusion at her unusual behaviour, and he could only guess what was in her head. Shortly after, she began talking, and he listened to her words with the utmost care.

She sighed before starting. "Hello, Lionel. From your face, I see that you're thinking hard about why I'm acting so grave tonight, but I'll tell you everything right now. It's an important and long story, so listen to me carefully, and don't interrupt me while I speak. To me, there's nothing more important at the moment, and I've been pondering how to tell you all of this a lot."

He raised an eyebrow. "And what could be this important, my dear Adelaide?"

She raised a hand in front of her face. "Don't ask, as that's not a thing to tell one in a straightforward manner. It might take me a while to get to the heart of the matter. But first, why do your parents refuse to leave? Your aunt's wedding must have happened a while ago, right?"

He frowned. "Yes, it has, but then something unexpected happened. First, my father's brother passed away, and then that brother's son's wife gave birth to a child, which died weeks after birth. Our family's all got turbulent lives. However, we should be leaving soon. After all of this, there's nothing more to be done in Ravenseye, and there won't be for a long time. I think we should be leaving in two weeks' time."

She glared at him. "Lionel, do you really think that I'm going to believe every story you tell? It's fine if you can't tell me everything, but this seems too improbable to be real. I feel like you're hiding something from me, but what could it be? I haven't the slightest idea!"

He waved his hands in the air. "I'm sorry, dear, but I've also got a long confession to make. However, you said you had a long confession to make yourself, and I'm not letting you get away with avoiding it. You tell your confession first, and then I'll tell mine. After all, we're both liars here."

She facepalmed. "Fine, fine, I will, just because you're keeping me in suspense like this! For the last few months, I've had many complicated emotions battle among themselves within my heart, and those emotions tear away at my psyche to the point where I can hardly bear to think, let alone talk of them, and they..."

"What are they?" he asked impatiently.

Her head aching, Adelaide stared at the horizon. She noticed that, despite her tying her light blue shawl tightly, it had begun to slip from her neck, so she tied it tightly again. As she did it, snow commenced falling again, and she took the cap of the same colour from a pocket on her red overcoat, which was the same colour as her gloves, placing it in a way that covered her ears and forehead.

She then wrapped her hands all around her thin figure, her concerned facial expression making it look as if she wasn't shielding herself only from the cold, but also from the world's terrors. After a couple of seconds, Lionel woke her up from her thoughts by snapping his fingers, causing her to shudder with her entire body.