Silver Lining

Chapter Seven

As we walk to the table, I wait for the replies from the group chat. They haven't come up yet. I sit across from mom and Niles, hiding my phone in my bag. Mom clears her throat, urging me to lift my head. I set my bag on the floor next to my chair. How am I supposed to know my friends' answers now?

Mom whispers to Niles once more before facing me. "We're here to catch up, now that Niles is back in our lives."

"Okay. What brought him back in our lives?" I retort.

"Well, he's right here. Go ahead and ask him."

I shift my attention to Niles, who chuckles and sets his phone on the table. "I pursued a private investigator job and moved back here to see you both. "

He grins charmingly. I can't believe he came back here to see me and my mom, when I dont remember much about him. I stay silent, because I don't know what happened to make me lose my memory of him. Mom walks away from the table, humming to herself.

My phone buzzes inside my bag, but I let it stay there. Since he wants to spend time with us again, I might as well start getting to know him again.

"What would you do on the job?" I ask, grinning back at him.

He crosses his arms. "I'd interview my clients, about their problem, surveil the target and gather whatever evidence I find. Are you interested in my services?"

"I'll let you know if I am. Why'd you leave?"

"I had a mission that required me to move to Virginia. But the job was a bit hectic, so I quit. I didn't like being far from you and your mom.

The day he left, he told me he had to get away from people who wanted to hurt him. Anytime I tried to contact him, he was never available. But that's in the past, though. He probably had to change his number.

It's normal to drift away from someone you miss, right?

I take a peek at my phone. The messages my friends sent are the kind I expected. While Niles scrolls through his text messages, I read through mine.

Amber: Of course. I can ask Orion's neighbors if Justine mentioned wanting to leave.

Cleo: Yeah. I'll go ask her other friends what they saw at the party.

Alicia: I'm not sure if I'd be comfortable investigating. But you and I can hang out with her sometime.

I send out my response.

Deal. We can discuss what we find out as soon as we're all together.

Then, I pull up the Google app and search 'The Following'. Articles, videos and a blog created by the author, Selena Stone come up. Before I have the chance to click on anything, the snap of a finger urges me to lift my head. Mom is sitting at the table again, pursing her lips. Niles mouths the words 'My bad'.

"Niles, did you tell her the truth?" Mom asks, in a gentle tone.

"Yes, sweetheart. She knows of my previous hectic job. But not about everything from the past...yet." he answers.

Well, that doesn't sound weird at all. How much of the past has he kept from me? I shove my phone back in my bag. A brief image of Niles carrying me at six years old, while floating in thin air behind a cottage flashes before my eyes. Maybe that's a magic trick.

Anyway, I take a deep breath. We've been here for more than a few minutes, and all I know about the past is that he lied and floated. He sets his phone back onthe table. A photo of me on his lap at six years old on a couch in the cottage is open. We were both wearing red and white attire. He taps on the screen, revealing the title which is 'Beverly's Wedding Day'.

To be honest, Aunt Beverly had no wedding that I knew of. Unless, my mind is playing tricks on me.

Niles swipes to the next photo, where he and I were sitting on the white rug in front of the fireplace. He had on a bat costume and I had on a sparkly silver dress with fairy wings. My fairy wings and his bat wings look so realistic. I glance up at him, speechless. That living room comes to my mind.

Suddenly, I was sitting in front of him in front of the fireplace. We were in the costumes from the photo, holding hands. Mom walked right past us out the front door.

"Are you ready for another special trick, little gem?" He asked, smirking.

"Yeah!" I exclaimed.

"Alright, close your eyes and focus on floating okay?"

I nodded and my eyes. Niles squeezed my hands, so I opened my eyes. We were above the floor, right next to the painting over the fireplace. He smiled in amusement as I looked at the floor way below us and squealed.

"It's happening! We're doing something magical!"

He squeezed my hands again. "As long as this stays our magical secret, we can do things like this as often as you want."

"I promise."

Everything faded as we both laughed.

"Oh my God." I whisper.

Niles picks his phone up. "We used to do magical things, like levitation every Halloween. Your face lit up during those times."

We have to talk more about the past, since it's so magical. An asian waitress walks past our table, holding a platter with three drinks. She flips her purple hair back and smirks confidently. I'm sure I've seen that hair before.

Niles and mom look behind them, giving me puzzled expressions.

"What were you staring at?" Mom asks, raising an eyebrow.

I flip my menu open. "Nothing. Just zoning out. Quick question. Where is Arch Hills?"

"I don't know."

"Australia." Niles intervenes.

So that crater photo was taken in Australia? The website said 'The Following' has been published this year. I haven't seen it in any bookstore, so how did it end up in my bag? Selena Stone closely resembles the woman Amber and I met at the party. She never even mentioned being a writer.

The waitress comes to our table, holding a black pen and a white notepad. She flashes us a friendly smile. I look down at my menu. I think I've seen her before, but no memories of her are coming up. Maybe I'm confusing her with someone else.