Nightmares

Chapter twelve: Harper

I lay awake, I wanted to see the stars again, to lie under them and feel free. But I couldn't go out alone. Could I? Mum and Dad were asleep, I couldn't...Would they really notice?

Without really thinking about it, I slipped out of bed and pulled on a t-shirt and jeans, wrapping a silk scarf around my neck, slipping down the stairs and out of the house without a second thought as to how stupid this was. What if I got caught? Outside, I felt much calmer. I flew along the path, free for the first time in a while, and for a while, I forgot about everything, forgot about all the stress of daytime. Forgot about all the little nagging things that bothered me during the light of day. And I felt free and safe in the dark. It wrapped me in warmth, and I felt the wind whip around me, soft as a child's laughter.

I smiled up at the stars as they twinkled down on me and I danced with the breeze as it skipped alongside me, the night was so beautiful. Carter was right, everything really did seem more beautiful at night. Even the shadows cast beautiful shapes on the ground.

Yes, I knew it was also dangerous. I remembered Carter's words. But for now, I couldn't imagine it being anything but beautiful. I smiled at the stars, and I could have sworn that they smiled back at me. I wanted to reach up, take one to remember this night by, wanted to fly up there and be amongst the stars, looking down upon the world and see how beautiful and small it was from way up high.

I imagined a boy running in the park under the stars as they chased him. The darkness was his friend. Why couldn't it be mine too?

I longed to live under the stars, to live in my dreams. When I was a kid, the dark had never scared me, I remembered fishing trips with my dad under the stars, he had enjoyed the peace and quiet, it was just us two. I remembered wishing upon the stars and Daddy would always laugh and tell me to wish for us to catch something. I wasn't going to waste my wish on that. No, I wished for impossible things, a unicorn, world peace, all the dreams that all kids wanted. Maybe I should have wished for us to catch something, 'cause we never did. But that wasn't the reason I enjoyed going with him. I just liked the night and the peace that came with it. A kind of peace you never got during the day.

No wonder Carter liked the dark so much. It really held all the secrets of the world, secrets I could find out, if I only listened hard enough. I wanted to find them out. I wanted to understand the darkness in the way that Carter did.

I twirled around happily, and my eyes settled on a familiar shape in the dark. My smile widened when I saw him, but it quickly dropped when I saw the expression on his face. He looked furious. Uh-oh. I remembered his warning about the night being dangerous. I could see what he meant now, it made familiar faces twist with fury. He stormed over to me and gripped my wrists.

"What do you think you're doing?" He spat.

"I took a walk." I said defensively, I didn't like him talking to me like I was a little girl.

"It's two in the fucking morning." He growled. "Why are you out here?"

"I could say the same thing about you." I snapped at him.

His sapphire eyes darkened with fury, turning a strange, midnight-blue colour.

"I'm prepared for the danger that night brings. You're not." He snapped back.

"Prepared how?" I asked him in frustration.

He gave me a long look. "You're not ready to understand."

I lost it then. "Stop talking to me like I'm a naïve little kid! I'm not stupid, I know the night is dangerous. I was careful! I'm prepared too."

"Prepared how?"

I slowed down, how was I prepared? Really? How was I really prepared to deal with danger in the night, especially when I couldn't properly see my opponent?