Reflections of Light

Days And Ages

"Nyx. Nyx. Nyx! Nyx, I'm talking to you. Nyx, look over here. Nyx, have you suddenly gone deaf?
Nyx, I think you're drooling.
Nyx, I'm moving to timbuktu to open a hula bar.
I also play the triangle in a David Bowie cover band.
And aliens have landed in the back yard and offered Travis a lift back to his home planet.
Nyx, oh my... What's that on your shoulder? It's huge!"

Nyx flinched, hand automatically going to her shoulder.

Then she realised she'd been had, and glared at Nick, who was leaning on the door frame, grinning.
"Nice to know I haven't suddenly gone mute."

"Sorry, was just... Distracted."

"You've been like this for the last three days."

"Some things take a long time."

"Yeah, I know." He came and sat down next to her.
"Have you been sleeping okay? You look tired."

"No and I know."

She layed her head on his shoulder and they sat in comfortable silence.

"Do you think I should cut my hair?"

"If you want. I think you need to brush it."

"I have brushed it!"

"When, three days ago?"

He got an elbow in the ribs for that.

"Okay, okay, I'm joking, it's fine. Change your hair how you like. As long as you think it looks good, it looks good."

"Yeah, but like..."

"You know what you could do? Like, I used to know this girl who had hair like yours, well, not quite, she was strawberry blonde, but she used to... Like, pin it up on top of her head..."

He attempted to demonstrate, piling Nyx's hair atop her head, the stray curls tumbling out his grasp to cover her face.

Nyx blew some of them away from in front of her eyes, looking at him with humour in her expression.

Nick laughed, shrugging. "I don't know, this was ages back."

"Ages as in ages, or ages as in ages?"

"Uh... Guess it's ages now."

"Old man." Nyx cackled. "So... Was she pretty?"

"Huh?"

"Strawberry blonde. Was she pretty?"

"No, I recommended you a hairstyle from a hideously ugly monster." He replied, dryly sarcastic.

Nyx threw a cushion at him, laughing.

"So, what, was she the Mina to your Dracula or what? Come on, I want details."

Nick chuckled.
"Well, A) You've clearly never read Dracula.
And B) No, nothing like that. Just a friend. Well... No, mostly just a friend."

Suddenly, they were interrupted by a loud whoop from Travis, and the sound of something charging up and down the hallway.

"Well, he sounds weirdly happy." Nyx snorted.

"Oi, Trav, what you doing?" Nick called out.

"Come look!"

Nyx shot Nick a look, before both rushing to the door.

Travis was charging up and down the hallway, pushing a laughing Rachel up and down in a sleak-framed wheelchair.

Nyx chuckled. "What are you doing?"

"I-I-I feel the need, the need for speed!" Rachel announced, grinning brightly for the first time in ages, seated in her chair like a queen on her throne.

"Rachel's feeling pretty good at the moment, so I figured we'd give it a test run.
Hey, want to come out with us?"

"Yeah, sure! Just let me get Abby."

Walking forwards, she wrapped her arms around Rachel, who in turn pulled her in for a one-armed hug.

"Love you, Mum."