Midnight Shades

Chapter 37

A light, feathery touch on my face is what wakes me up in the next morning. I try to wave it off with my hand, but then I hear a small and a soft giggle and stop what I'm doing. I peak one eye open and see a brown—haired girl on her crossed arms on the bed next to me, her dark blue eyes are wide, similar to the wide smile on her teeth—crooked smile.

"Good morning," She smiles. "You sleep too heavy."

Her sweet and uneven words make me smile and sit up a bit straighter on my elbows. "Good morning."

Her grin widens even more and she sits on her crossed legs instead. "My name is Joelle, what is yours?"

The memory hits me of when Peter showed me the tattoos of his three children; Jane, Jeremy and Joelle. I smile softly at her. "I'm Tallulah. It's nice to meet you, Joelle."

She gasps and says, "I like your name!"

"I like yours, too." I laugh.

"My daddy says you're my long lost sister, is that true?" The innocence and the sincerity in her eyes makes mines soften.

Carefully, I raise one hand and tuck her curly hair behind her ears. "It is true."

She blushes. "I'm glad we found you, you're beautiful."

It suddenly strikes me that she is almost the same age as Cronan, and it hits me how much I miss him and his presence. It seems like a century has passed without me seeing him, when it really has been just a few days.

I ask gently, "Can I have a hug?"

I open my arms widely as she grins and literally throws herself in my arms, hugging me so tightly as she nuzzles her face in my neck. She is an angel.

After a few minutes of doing that, I pull back slightly and smile as I tell her, "Did you have breakfast?"

She shakes her head. "No, we are waiting for you."

"All of you?" I ask, wide—eyed.

"Yes, but Jane is not here," She scrunches her nose up in annoyance. "She is with her boyfriend."

I nod. "Okay then, let me wash my face and I will meet you downstairs."

"I will stay with you?" She offers with a smile.

"Of course."

She follows me to the bathroom and sits herself down next to the sink as she watches me brush my teeth. Washing my mouth, I notice the small frown on her mouth as her eyes settle on my face.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"I'm mad at Jane," She replies honestly. "She never spends time with me and I miss her." She pouts.

I sigh. "Maybe she's busy?"

"No, she is always with her boyfriend, and I don't like him." She frowns deeper.

"Why not, baby?" I question carefully as I splash some water to my face and dry it off with a towel.

"Because he hits her, and she cries when he does that," She crosses her arms over her chest angrily. "He never makes her happy, and that's not what a prince does."

The nostalgia that hits me is strange, but I push it away. As I brush my hair, I look at her sympathetically and say, "No, that's not what a prince does."

"Then why is she with him if he's not her prince?" She innocently asks.

"I don't know," I answer truthfully, feeling weird about this whole situation. "Let's talk about that later, okay? Let's have breakfast now."