Cardinal

Chapter 13 Mother and Son

"Who are we going out with?" I asked Mallie, as I began putting on the cultist robes. There was one long, main robe that was a dark black color. There was then another dark purple cloth that you'd place over your shoulders, followed by a hood that you place over your head.

"It'll be us two, Christina, and Francis."

"Who are they?" I asked, placing the robe over my head. It was heavy, but not so heavy that it was uncomfortable.

"Christina and Francis are friends of mine that I've known since 6th grade. They're really cool, I think you'll like them," she explained excitedly. It was four in the afternoon, and I was beyond ecstatic to hang out with Mallie. I had been waiting for today to come around, and now that it had, I was slightly nervous.

"That's good, do you know what they're going to be?"

"I think Christina is going to be a zombie of some sorts and Francis is going as a succubus."

"A succubus?" I asked. I knew what they were, but that was fairly specific to me rather than just saying a Vampire.

"Yeah! Supposedly she bought a sketchy outfit and some fangs to go along with the costume. I'm interested in how it'll look on her," Mallie explained with a chuckle. I chuckled alongside her.

"I'm excited that we're sharing a costume. It makes the whole cult aspect feel a lot more real," I explained, listening as her chuckle slowly faded.

"Yeah..." she responded slowly, but not in a bad way. It seemed like she was slightly flattered by it, but I couldn't tell. I looked at myself in the bathroom mirror, trying to figure out if I had the costume on right. I was excited to see that it looked great on me, and the quality of the fabric was amazing. I was rather comfortable wearing it.

"What time am I going over to your neighborhood?" I questioned, continuing to put more of the costume on. I was going to her neighborhood because it was much bigger and more popular, it was the perfect place to go to. She also seemed more comfortable going to a place that she already knew rather than an entirely new neighborhood.

"Want to be here around five or five thirty?"

"Yeah," I grinned. I was beyond ecstatic for tonight. I had never really gone out with friends before, and something about it was exciting and new. It was like an adventure down a path I had never known existed.

"Alright. I have to go set more stuff up for us if that's cool?"

"Oh, yeah, I understand. I'll be there at five," I said with a smile. We exchanged farewells before hanging up the phone. When I looked back into the mirror, I noticed my face was a slight reddish color. Feeling embarrassed, I quickly went back to setting up my costume...

***

I sat there silently on the relaxing car ride to her house.

"How long have you known this person?" my mom asked. She had light brown hair, complementing her pale skin. Her eyes were a light blue color, and for the most part, she was understanding and sympathetic towards others.

"Since she got hired, roughly a month ago."

"Oh, it's a she?" my mother stated with a smirk. "Do you like this girl?"

"Huh? No, not like that!" My words came out in a rushed tone, causing me to feel awkward afterward. She shrugged, continuing her attention on the road.

"No girl will want a guy who will deny his love towards her."

"What?" I asked as she sighed to herself.

"You like her Harrison. Don't say you don't because I know you do. You're my own son, how could I not know?" She stated with a slight smile.

"Just because I like her doesn't mean she will."

"You never know." She didn't know why I was afraid to push forward with thoughts like these. I didn't want to make the same mistake twice and ruin everything with Mallie like I had done with Mary those few months before.

"I'm just excited to spend time with her really." My mom sat there as we drove, and I turned back to look out the window.

"I'm glad you are. I hope you two have a great time together." I could see the grin on her face from the reflection of the window, causing my heart to warm up slightly from it.