Midnight Memories

Chapter 18

"Ouch." Liam said, pointing at my cheek. "That's one nasty bruise."

I nodded. I had actually completely forgot about it. No wonder my cheek twinged a little when I laughed.

"Does it hurt?" Niall asked through a mouthful of turkey. He thrust his finger out and jabbed it into my cheek.

"Ow!" I snarled, pushing his hand away.

"I'll take that as a yes." He grinned.

"Don't touch it!" Anastasia scowled. "I have to put ointment on that."

"It's okay, really." I said. "Ice is good enough."

"No, you need it. It looks really bad." Niall chuckled.

"Shut up!" Anastasia exclaimed, hitting him. He laughed even harder. It was nice to see them being playful. Even if it wouldn't last long.

I kept looking out the window. Liam laughed.

"Jo isn't here." He assured me.

I groaned. "I do not want to be here when she gets home."

"Harry probably took her outside the gates." Anastasia says grimly. "It'll be awhile. Besides, didn't Aunt Juliet say she was going to do something about that?"

I shrugged. "I guess. But she has to talk to Jo first. Like I said, I don't want to be here when that happens."

"Yeah." Niall said. "You don't want another black eye."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, Niall. That too."

Rebecca and Juliet were in the cabinet. The cellar, technically. Rebecca made the four of us chicken noodle soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. Something about the taste brought a sense of nostalgia. I don't remember my mom ever making this lunch, but it reminded me of her. It made me miss her even more. It's weird how the brain works sometimes.

Anastasia must have felt my pain too because I felt her hand on my arm. I looked at her and tried to smile but I couldn't. She nodded in understanding.

"I'm going to go prepare the ointment." She said. "Go ahead and finish your lunch."

She took one last bite of her sandwich and disappeared into the cabinet.

I sighed. "I'm never going to get used to that."

A few minutes passed and I basically played with my soup the entire time. I couldn't get the nostalgic feeling out of my head. I longed for my parents. I wanted them to hold me and assure me that everything was going to be okay. It's been so long since I've seen them. So long since I've heard their voices. It made me believe I was starting to forget them. What if this place did that to people? What if when you moved here you started to forget what your old life was like? But of course that wasn't true. Everyone here still had their memories. I was just scared that I was forgetting them in little ways. I hated it. I needed to be able to see them again. I hoped with all of my heart that Juliet was being truthful when she said she could help me find them.

"Hey." I heard Liam's voice. I looked up to see him staring. I nod.

"Are you okay?" He asked. Right, I forgot. He's a warlock. He can feel emotions just like Anastasia can.

"No." I said. I sum up a small smile and a shrug.

"What's up?" Niall asked, moving to sit in Anastasia's chair next to me.

"I'm just..." I trail off. I decide to be as honest as I can. "I'm just missing my parents. That's all."

"Was what Jo said true?" Liam asked. "Are they dead or just missing?"