City of Kinetics

THIRTEEN ✴ Stay a Little Longer

       For the rest of the day, Mila had a great time hanging out with Leila. They talked, ate, watched movies, and Mila even helped her out with some schoolwork. For the first time in a long time, Mila found herself truly enjoying her day. All her problems were no longer a concern to her as she and Leila spent the day laughing together.

       It was nearing seven when they had finally gotten to the scary part of the horror movie they were watching. The lights of the apartment had been dimmed and both girls sat on the couch under a thick blanket, watching intently.

       "She's going to die," Mila muttered, shaking her head as she brought the covers closer to her eyes to shield them if the demon came out.

       Leila peeked through her fingers. "Tell me when it's safe to look."

       "You're missing it!"

       The loud, ominous music vibrated from the speakers and throughout the room. If she weren't too scared to leave the comfort of the blanket, Mila would have gotten up and turned down the volume which was scaring her more than the movie itself.

       The music got louder and louder as the woman in the movie turned the corner into a dark hallway, looking around nervously as shadows moved behind her. The camera turned to the side and Mila held her breath, preparing herself for the worst.

       Suddenly, a hand clamped down on Leila's shoulder, effectively scaring them both. Letting out a terrified shriek, Leila and Mila were both off the couch in seconds screaming loudly.

       While Mila was smart enough to throw the covers off her before she got up, Leila ended up tumbling down onto the floor with the blanket wrapped around her feet.

       "Hey! It's just me!" Hunter's voice rang out loudly above their screams, causing them both to stop.

       Mila tried to calm her racing heart, giving him a wide-eyed look. Leila immediately got to her feet.

       "You jerk! What was that for!" she snapped before throwing a cushion at him. "You almost killed us!"

       Hunter immediately put a hand up and the cushion stopped midair before he swiped his hand to the side, causing it to fly and land on the other couch.

       "I almost killed you?" he repeated, rubbing his ear. "I'm pretty sure you just took out my sense of hearing."

       "You deserve it for nearly scaring us to death," Leila said, throwing another cushion at him.

       Hunter stopped that one too, letting it drop on the couch with an unimpressed scowl. Mila was impressed with his kinetic ability to control things with his mind.

       He suddenly reached his hand across the room towards the door and flicked his fingers, causing the lights in the apartment to turn on completely so they weren't standing in partial darkness.

       "I called your name like three times when I came in," Hunter told Leila. "Why are you watching a horror movie, anyway? You hate this stuff."

       "We got bored," Leila said with a shrug. "What happened to being home by six?"

       "Something came up," he said vaguely. "Go set the table."

       The younger girl crossed her arms and gave him a look. Hunter stared at her with narrowed eyes before rolling them, letting out an annoyed sigh.

       "Please," he added.

       Leila's face instantly brightened. "Okay."

       She gave Mila a smile over her shoulder before she walked over into the kitchen, starting to grab plates and unpacking the sushi. Hunter walked around the couch so he was standing in front of Mila.