The Midnight Within

Untitled Part 59

~ One year later ~

Mia walked to the counter, picked up the fat orange pumpkin that Jessie had carved and grabbed for her keys as rain began to gently tap on the darkened store windows, making her feel momentarily sad. Things had fallen eerily back into place, yet sometimes when it stormed late at night she would get the feeling that things would never quite be ok again.

Her eyes slid over to Jessie who was standing at the bookstore window decked out in her princess costume with her treat bucket by her side. Sometimes she thought she spoiled her a little too much but with so little people left in her life, Mia wanted to give her the world.

Luckily she had been hired by Darkwinds and was able to move them into a two-bedroom apartment down the street after the courts granted her guardianship after Jessie's mom committed suicide a few months after the Haunted Farm massacre as it had become known as.

Other times she would feel down and the tears would come for everything they had lost. It was a very slow recovery for both of them but things had recently begun to fall into place with fewer nightmares and, only a handful of nights spent with all the lights on.

Curious about what Jessie was looking at, Mia walked over to the big front window. The wet leaf-covered street glistened as the lights began to pop on up and down the street. Her eyes drifted from the mustang at the curb to the street lamp opposite and the tall dark figure wearing a long black coat, his face covered by a shock of long dark hair, standing next to it.

" You miss them too. "

Startled, Mia smiled down at Jessie and nodded. " Sometimes. Are you ready to go? " She was still not used to the way Jessie could easily read her mind.

" Can we buy more candy? "

" Only if you want to rot the teeth out of your head. " When she looked at the street again. It was empty, the figure gone as if it had never been. Shivering Mia turned to grab her purse off the chair as she traded silly grins with Jessie.

" Can we go see Trez? I want to show him my costume. "

" Sure we can. I think he said he and Kate were going to be helping out late at the store. "

" Can we buy some of those funny smelling candles? " Jessie looked hopeful.

" Not tonight. Maybe not ever. " Laughing, Mia took Jessie's hand in hers. Together they walked out into the chilly October rain. Neither of them speaking of the two wild roses, one white one yellow, that were tucked under the Mustangs wiper's. It was Halloween after all and they had a party to go to.