Memories of Midnight

Part 24 *Novae*

I sat beside the small grotto where I had proposed to Vixen. Miracle had taken off to Physical Realm right after we heard Vixen's howl. After a while all of Spirit Realm grew silent. It felt as if every living thing was holding its breath for something. Something was coming and it didn't feel good at all. That's when I felt the shift in the air.

Someone had unleashed something dangerous. Quickly I stood up and walked around the hole that held the manor debris. That moment something bright shone in my eye. I bent down and picked up the small engagement ring that I was supposed to have given to Vixen the day she left. I placed it against my heart and all of the sudden I wasn't in the courtyard anymore. Instead I was in a large dining room.

People surrounded me laughing and talking while eating an amazing breakfast. Then a boy tapped my shoulder and I turned around.

"Midnight, after breakfast would you like to take a walk in your mother's garden?"

I tried to decline, saying that I wasn't Midnight, but it wasn't my voice that came through. It was Vixen's.

"Of course Logan, I would love to."

The boy Logan turned away and that's when I looked in the mirror behind him. Vixen's face stared back at me until she turned away and back toward her food. She continued to eat until Nate stood up in the seat next to me and yelled.

"Long live Queen Midnight!"

Suddenly everyone in the room stood up and started chanting, including Vixen. Then everything went black and I opened my eyes. I was laying in the grass. When I sat up I looked around and noticed I was laying in the same spot where Vixen and Nate had driven off through the portal. I sat down sadly, trying not to focus on the fact that Vixen was enjoying herself with the Grave Angels. Trying not to focus on the fact that she was willing to go off into a garden alone with a supernatural experiment.

I saw the dragon traits. Why would she want to be with an abomination? Then I stopped. Vixen had animal traits. It wasn't right to be saying things like that. Vixen was happy, but she was following the wrong people.

Vixen wasn't Midnight, I just knew she wasn't. Midnight was a cruel princess who was willing to kill anyone and died ages ago. Vixen was a beautiful girl who was upset for all the wrong reasons. I just needed to talk to her. I set the ring down and left the area. It wasn't healthy to stay around here.

I opened up a portal leading back to Physical Realm when a hand shot out and pulled me through. I was prepared to fight when I heard Miracle. 

"Novae, we can't train in Spirit Realm anymore."

"What? Why not?"

She covered my mouth until the portal closed. Distress and fear covered every inch of her face. She moved me toward a small house surrounded by tons of her guards. We walked inside and I saw multiple pictures of a young girl lining the hallway walls. It was the same girl from the picture Vixen had in her backpack. I smiled as I looked at her beautiful eyes.

We walked into the living room that Miracle had transformed into a command center. She sat down at a large desk and folded her hands in front of her.

"Novae, Nate's forces have been watching us very closely in Spirit Realm. It's no longer safe for us to plan and train there."

"So you decided to make Vixen's home your base?"

"If it makes you happy I've reserved her room just for you."

She motioned to a soldier who led me down a hallway. At the very end was one door that had light spilling out from the crack at the bottom. I opened the door to find a semi messy teenage room. Posters of bands covered the blue walls while shelves of books lined the remaining spaces. Clothes sat in the corner of the room by a closet. Shoes were scattered near the large white vintage canopy bed.

A desk sat near the window with a picture of "Ashley" and her two parents. I picked up the frame to look at it closely. A second later and I dropped it on the desk. In the picture stood a woman dressed in a black gown in the background, staring directly at the little girl. I looked around the room and saw the woman in every shot. Her red eyes burning holes through my soul.

I went back into the hallway to see the same thing in every frame. Slowly I walked back to Vixen's room. I sat down on the bed defeated when I noticed a piece of paper tucked underneath the pillows. I reached over to grab it and saw writing scribbled on the back. It wasn't Vixen's handwriting though. In a soft script was written

~Ophelia and Ashley~.

I turned it around to see Ophelia standing before Vixen smiling. Vixen's tiny fist was wrapped in Ophelia's gown, as if begging her to stay. Ophelia had been in Vixen's life longer than I had originally thought. I carefully placed the photo back underneath the pillows and laid down. I closed my eyes to see if I could sense Vixen's presence, but was ended up being completely blocked by Grave Angel warding. I opened my eyes and was suddenly overwhelmed with a feeling of sadness.

I came out of nowhere then was quickly gone.

"Novae? Are you okay?"

Miracle walked into the room and looked at me worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

She walked up to the bed and sat down beside me. I looked down at the ground until I felt her place her hand on top of mine. I looked up to ask her what she was doing, but just before the words could escape my lips I was pushed back against the bed. Miracle was above me, straddling my body in between her legs. I was going to object when her lips were forced upon mine.