Midnight Kisses| ✓

Chapter 12

Two days later on Thanksgiving, I wake up to snow and sun glistening in. I open the window letting it warm my cold room. The automatic snow remover machine makes a dull noise as the man sitting on it clears the roads of snow. It hardly snows here, mostly just muddy sleet rain and when on occasions it does it is beautiful. What a nice change that it snowed on Thanksgiving.

The shutters on Novahk's room are still down. On weekends he mostly sleeps in till late. The disappointment in my stomach makes me realize I wanted to see him, greet him, or even have a glimpse of him walking around in his room doing normal stuff or him blasting out rock music at really, loud volume or even the simple sight of his curly hair would do me good.

He hasn't sneaked out of his house in days or even if he has, he's not knocked on my window asking for my phone. I kind of miss it. He's a really good demon slayer. And my demons are kind of becoming anxious.

But either ways for now I am still left in my insomniac state with the demon staring down at me. It's everywhere. Under my bed, in my closet. It likes the shadows, sometimes it licks the edge of light but then it's mostly afraid. That's why the bulb in my room never turns off. I have spare too, in my drawer incase the demon tries to pull a trick. But the thought of seeing Novahk the next days makes it bearable and I find myself looking forwards to the days and the sun, sometimes even managing a few hours of sleep before the dream wakes me up.

When I come back from and Slappy is perched on my bed observing me intently. He has a note tied to his claw. Very old school. Shit how am I supposed to get it.

I wring my heads trying to make out an approach. Finally I reach out and touch the bird hoping it doesn't fly away and stroke its feather. Light and silky and ruffled as I move my hand over its back again and again. Finally it rests its head on my head and lets me open the letter tied by a thread. Precariously I open it up to find a familiar scrawled writing

Seth managed to extract the coordinates where the video was taken. It was in Wilmington. Come to the window if you want to talk about it.

Novahk

I want to talk about it. But now what. I couldn't go to the Wilmington and track the boy in the video. Or could I? It seemed like an improbable idea but not an impossible one. I had his face I just needed to find him and talk to him and ask him why he did it. Easier said than done.

To clear my head, I walk downstairs to kitchen. Mom is not there but I can smell the green pea casserole she has made the other night for us to take to Lees'.

I rummage through the closet and the larder but thing I am searching for is nowhere to be found. I can hear distant music, jolly old Elvis John probably drifting from the Chatteris'. Even though its only eight o'clock in the morning there are already three cars in the driveway. All their children have come to visit.

There's snow on the fence diving our and Novahk's house The wall overlooking our kitchen has been crept up by vine, and the window next to it is close. I have never seen it open. "You looking for something?" Mom is back from the shower. Her wet hair is wrapped in a towel.

"Do you have any dry fruits or something?"

Mom raises an eyebrow, "Why do you want dry fruits in the morning?"

"It's Thanksgiving mom. There's a pigeon on my sill. Let me give thanks to the poor bird."

"It's on the top shelf of the larder in the small wooden box," mom says dubiously. She still looks at me suspiciously even as I make my way upstairs. She just stand below, her hands on her hips trying to figure out how to get my real intentions out. In any case I lock my door before I pad over to the window.