Tonight I'm Afraid of the Dark

one

                 

"This sucks," was the first thought that popped into my head. After closing the door and dropping off my work bag of books, I had realized something very important.

I was in Gallows Mansion. Alone.

Normally, I wouldn't mind being alone since I can do things like reading that very interesting fiction book without the interruptions of Patty and Liz. Or I'd be able to forgo having to sit down and play a videogame with an insistent Black Star. But this time was different. No one else was here in this large empty house with me. And recently there had been a multitude of break-ins occur within Death City.

As a three star Meister, I shouldn't be afraid of any old burglar. But my weapon wasn't with me. And plus, there was evidence that the break-ins was the work of insurgent witches who despised the new treaty with DWMA. Witches are on entirely different level compared to a house thief. Imagine putting up a scar-riddled tomcat against a newborn baby mouse and that's how big the difference was.

Ever since Medusa and her sisters had showed up on the radar (and squashed as well), one could never be too wary. Most witches were okay, like Kim, but I also sort of had a high price on my head, being with Kid and all. It was like having a flashing sign hovering over my head yelling, "Kidnap me! Kidnap me!"

And tonight, I was by myself. Liz and Patty were gone, tagging along with Kid at work. Yumi, my weapon had left Death City to go visit her parents. Soul and Maka were on a mission assigned by Kid along with Black Star and Tsubaki, which implied absolute secrecy or some crazy opponent that required the four of them together.

Which left me, alone.

In this really large and dark mansion.

Like any child I had been afraid of the dark. But years had passed since I needed to see the warm glow of a nightlight in my hallway. Tonight I was unnaturally afraid of the dark. The darkness held the unknown, lurking in the shadows could be a witch in animal form, just waiting for the opportunity to bag me. Each shadow reminded me of Medusa's vector snakes. Or the careful treading of a red-eyed spider.

It didn't help that I had an exhausting day at work. Teaching at DWMA was no joke; I had to give props to Stein and Sid for how well they could tolerate it. Supervising duels and challenges while biting your nails and hoping no one gets accidently killed or majorly injured doesn't help one's nerves. My carefully planned out lessons also seemed to bore my students, which resulted in a few chops to the head. My lunch had also spilled its entire contents on a spotless white tile floor in the teachers lounge, leaving me lunchless and hungry. I hadn't even gotten to see Kid once, excluding the time in the morning, even when I was at DWMA. Overall, I had a bad day. And nothing would help me more than hugs and kisses from my favorite Shinigami.

Thinking about Kid didn't help me stop from missing him. The treaty with the witches still had some patches to smooth over and because of it, Kid had been spending less and less time with me. Which I knew was understandable but it still made me ache inside.

I didn't want to worry him and call so I resolved to go cook a proper meal for myself. My body was demanding it, conveying its annoyance with loud growls and hunger pangs. I scampered to the kitchen and scrambled through the pantry, grabbing all the ingredients needed for a simple teriyaki chicken. Soon enough, I had a steaming bowl of rice and delicious chicken, which vanished within minutes.

After dinner, I puttered around the living room, thinking of things to distract myself with as I waited for Kid to come home. I found myself wishing that Kid here, again, he'd give me a hug or kiss to wash away any fears I had. Anything to get rid of the creepy crawly feeling of uneasiness that was slowly gnawing at me.