At The Kiss Of Midnight

Original | Chapter Seven

"Took you long enough," Demi greets me when I finally manage to find her room.

I roll my eyes as Kelsie stands in the room, silently laughing at my expense.

"This is your fault," I point at my sister.

"How is it my fault?"

"You sent me to the wrong room," This only causes her to laugh harder.

"I just assumed that you dropped her off or something," Demi shrugs. "In which case, I probably would've hunted you down and kicked your ass."

"What room did you go to?" Kelsie giggles.

"The room that you sent me to: room 121."

"Oh, I can see how you would believe that," Demi sheepishly mumbles, referring to how her room is 127, and her handwriting isn't the most legible ever.

"Who opened the door?" Kelsie wonders.

"I'm pretty sure she was an escort of some sort," I grumble, and Demi chokes on her water as both her and my sister laugh.

"Poor, Banner," the singer pats my shoulder in mock-sympathy. "You could've just stayed with her, y'know."

"I do have morals, thank you very much," She hums in amusement, then shrugs one shoulder.

"Just thought I'd make a suggestion."

"If you're a celebrity, why don't you have one of those rooms that takes up the entire floor or something so this kind of thing doesn't happen?"

"Just because I am a so-called-celebrity," she rolls her eyes, as if she hates the label, "doesn't mean that I have to act like one."

"She does have morals, thank you very much," Kelsie mimics, and Demi giggles.

"Well, now I do," She says, causing me to raise my eyebrows in silent questioning.

She leads us to to the living room section of the hotel room.

"It's still raining like crazy outside," She looks out the window.

"Can we go outside?" Kelsie asks to Demi's surprise but not mine.

"Why would you want to go outside in it?"

"She always does," I explain. "Right before the thunder and lightning hits."

"There's just something about the rain that makes me feel...I don't know..." Kelsie trails off, her cheeks tinting red. "Free, I guess."

"You know," Demi begins after a pause. "When I was really struggling as a teenager, and sometimes even to this day, I loved dark, gloomy, stormy days because it made me feel as if maybe the world wasn't totally against me, that maybe I wasn't the only one suffering. It sounds stupid, but-"

"No," Kelsie shakes her head. "It makes perfect sense," She smiles, and Demi grins.

"Let's go."

"Really?" Kels squeals as Demi's already halfway to the door, nodding eagerly.

"We should hurry, though, before it really starts storming."

I gently grip Kelsie's arm as we head for the door.

"We're leaving right after the storm ends, okay?"

She mutely nods with a frown. Her mood is obviously deflated now, and I feel guilty, but I need her to keep a grip on reality. To Demi, Kelsie is just another fan, and I hope my sister realizes that.

We meet Demi at the elevators. The elevator doors open with a ding, and Demi curses.

"What's wrong?"