A New Meaning to the Night

Chapter Fifteen: Hurt Feelings

A/N: So story time BEFORE story time; This was the first story I originally tried to publish almost a decade ago. As such, it has a special place in my heart. To recognize that, I went and got my first tattoo when I first tried to publish. The quote I got is long and maybe not the best I could've chosen, but it's in this chapter. Want to guess what it is?

Rebecca went with Cori to the airport and tried not to worry about Sam. Sam had not bothered to show back up to see her off, and after raising the girl, Rebecca knew full well that Sam had gone off to lick her wounds and compose herself. She was sorry to say that being seemingly abandoned by her mother had done a depressing number on her granddaughter. She was not the kind of person to wear her heart on her sleeve when it came to most situations. There wasn't a person in the world who Sam felt comfortable enough with to cry on their shoulder.

She and Cori drove in silence until they'd reached the airport. "She feels betrayed, but she'll see it was for the best. She'll see you were trying to protect her." Patting Cori's cheek reassuringly, Rebecca stepped out of the car, grabbed her small bag, and made her way into the airport. Cori watched her for a minute, feeling the unease more heavily at the thought of returning home to an extremely angry roommate.

"She can't possibly stay angry forever," Cori said reassuringly to herself as she pulled away from the curve. "Maybe a few weeks."

***

Cori suffered the cold shoulder for the next six months. Sam made sure she was either at work or school or asleep with her bedroom door locked at all times. Damien suffered the same fate, despite showing up randomly in an attempt to force her to speak, but Sam remained stubbornly silent. It was more than just having her powers bound as if she were an inexperienced child; she had been working so hard to find a way to help Cori with the night terrors, and she had been researching, trying to find a way to make her immune to the sun so that her friend could once more enjoy the sunlight, that it seemed grossly unfair for the very person she was trying to help to have it taken all away from her.

Added to the incident that Sam viewed as betrayal from her best friend, she was still reeling from Damien. She had known it had been a gross overreaction, that day the lights had exploded. She had lost control of herself and her emotions. The self-induced isolation wasn't ideal, and Sam knew full well that she should make the effort to be there for her friend who was undoubtedly going through a great deal of change. She could not imagine the devastation of learning that you were immortal. That you would be outliving everyone you'd once known. She wouldn't wish it on anyone.

Certainly, if Damien had been mortal, they could've made it work, but she couldn't imagine the kind of life they'd have as he stayed young as she grew older. She couldn't imagine the kind of mother she'd be, bringing children into the world, cursed with immortality.

"Sam, are you still here? You need to go home," Ann frowned at Sam who was making herself busy with the dishes from the inn's current patrons. "You've worked more than enough today, and you should be studying for your finals. Spending time with your friends. How is Cori?"

Setting aside the last dish, Sam turned and smiled warmly at Ann. "Cori's been just as busy as I have been. I'll let her know you said hello. I just wanted to make sure you didn't have anything else to worry about tonight. I'm on my way out now."

"Good," Ann said. "Girls your age should be out enjoying themselves and flirting with unsuspecting men. I'll see you first thing in the morning."

Sam stepped out of the little inn, but she didn't head home. Instead, she headed towards the park and crossed the bridge over the creek to head into the woods. She was well aware of the risks of going into the woods alone, but she only hesitated for a moment before she went in anyway. She hadn't even made it in twenty feet before she was brought to a halt at the sound of a chuckle. "Samantha Burton, the one to change everything."