Memories of Midnight

Part 9 *Vixen*

As I walked back I started thinking about Novae. I knew I should head back to Spirit Realm to search for him and let him know I was okay, but I couldn't bring myself to go back towards the portal. I had been gone for 13 years, my mom deserved to know I was alive and well.

~13 years ago...~

"Sweetie, I'm growing very ill, so you're going to have to help take care of me."

I looked at my mom sadly. Her face was skinny and pale and her thin fingers gently wrapped themselves around mine as I cried. The doctors at the hospital refused to help her since we didn't have any money. I was all on my own. My dad had died in a car crash a year ago. A drunk driver had hit him, sending the car straight into a light post. Mom never came out of her room after that. It's the reason she got so sick, but she'll never admit it. I got up and left the room. I couldn't take looking at her pain stricken face. I took off outside to cry under the night sky. I looked up towards the stars and whispered a wish to myself.

"I just......I want to be important.......I want to be loved."

Then I saw a bright light shining deep in the woods. I ran towards it, wanting to see what it was. The farther into the forest I got the more my excitement grew.

~Present time...~

My mom must have been worried sick. I got into town and saw my little blue house at the end of the street. I walked up and knocked on the door waiting for my mom to open the door and wrap me up in a big hug. After a few minutes of waiting I realized that no one was going to answer. I knocked again and a woman in scrubs stood in the doorway looking at me questionably.

"Hello? May I help you?"

"Hi uhm I'm sorry. I must have the wrong house. I'm looking for Alexandra Lithe."

She looked me up and down before explaining that Alexandra did indeed live here and that she was her caretaker since her 10 year old daughter disappeared 13 years ago. She motioned for me to enter and I looked around the hall. My pictures from when I was a little girl still decorated the walls. I followed the woman and she led me to the left side of the house towards my mom's bedroom. I opened the door and mother sat in the corner by the window in a rocking chair holding an old picture of me. She was whispering to herself.

"Come back, please come back. Come back please. Please my love come back."

The woman in scrubs cleared her throat and spoke up.

"Alexandra, you have a visitor."

She turned around slowly as if each movement was more painful that the last. She looked at me with wide eyes then her gaze grew dark.

"Who are you?"

"Mother, do you not recognize your own daughter? My name is Ashely."

She looked at me carefully then at the picture and back up at me. Her gaze was so hard I couldn't tell whether or not she knew me. Then her eyes filled with tears as she held out her arms.

"Ashley? Ashley my baby is that you?"

"Mom, mommy I'm so sorry I left you."

I ran across the room with tears falling down my cheeks. I fell to my knees and put my head in her lap. We started crying as she held my head and stroked my hair softly.

"Baby girl, what happened to my baby girl? You don't even look the same Ashley. Baby what happened to you?"

I continued to mutter that I was sorry into her lap as I slowly drifted off to sleep.