𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐏|Moonknight

vii. terrors of memories long past

There was something eerie and poignant in reliving memories you never knew you went through. It seemed true when one said that '"the mind is wider than the sky,". The human minds were the type that helped you sort building blocks according to their shape and color, and sometimes they were the types that would create dreaded inventories to swallow worlds whole. But sometimes it would be like an adult Nina Morton's, utterly numb to the moving shared memories in front of hers.

The air of the cafeteria turned mint blue, the moments freezing like the ones in Polaroid Clicks, marking the change of time and life. For then, the winds had morphed, surroundings changing to that of a dark-hued, vintage coffee shop. The older Nina watched it all wordlessly, trying to relive the memories which were beyond lost. The elder woman felt like a little kid who was trying so hard to grasp the quaint waters of the flowing rivers. Trying to trap time and recollections, but for it fluidly lose from her grasp nonetheless. She couldn't even do anything, she felt as if someone had programmed herself to glue her foot to the ground.

The stench of caffeine mixed perfectly with the steams of freshly baked cookies and cake, as Marc mindlessly tapped his pencil on the elongated wooden table. It had been about four to five days since Nina entered his life and home. And fortunately for both of them, Mrs. Spector didn't seem to notice a thing, as she was too deep in her own sorrows and delusions. The coffee house was the only place, where Marc could properly talk to Nina. He couldn't take her to school, as it would raise questions about her identity. And the owners of the said coffee house had taken quite a liking to the redhead and they didn't mind her staying the mornings and afternoons. Having noticed her behavior, they didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable or spook her in any manner, so they didn't ask her many heavy questions. Although they were quite concerned with how undernourished and scrawny she looked.

Whereas Marc and Nina had bonded quite quickly the past few days. Although she couldn't go with him to school, they had been to the park many times, and Nina's friend Jimmy had joined them too, once in a while. Just the day before, while they were collecting flowers, having found a petunia, Nina immediately and excitedly pulled Marc near the flower set, all the while explaining how beautiful and radiant its colors were. When she had bent down to smell the flower, she didn't seem to notice the honey bee which had rose and sat on her nose. When realization hit her, she let out a gut-wrenching scream, as she ran around the garden asking Marc to 'get it off'. Much to the girl's dismay, he had found the whole situation absolutely hilarious. He had laughed the whole while, but eventually, he did help her out. Fortunately for her, the bee didn't sting, but unfortunately, for the ordeal, Marc had started listing numerous nicknames to piss her off, but the word 'bee' seemed to annoy her the most, so he just went with it.

The table shook a little from the fierce at which the boy was using his eraser. He let out a frustrated huff while erasing and this was enough to peak Nina's concern and curiosity. Swinging her legs under the table, and pressing her cheeks against the laid knuckles of her entwined hands, the girl asked, "What are you doing?"