*(Is this all we see?)*

~*Chapter 16*~

The drive home was almost as horrid as he expected it to be. He just wanted to get home, he just wanted to sleep and get everything--the day--the school work--over with and out of his head. Leah tried to talk to him throughout the ride; but he still stayed silent. Looking out the window at all the colorful lights of Belera. And the stars. 'This is all we see isn't it? Beautiful stars shining down at all of us. Showing light, but only from above. Where's the light down here? Where's my light down here?' 

The light. Maybe it had something to do with his vision. Were the stars shining for him? To let him know something?'I still can't control my powers.'

When the car stopped, Midnight picked up the strap of his bag and slung it over his shoulder, also holding the bottom of his bag. Leah parked the car. Midnight bolted out as he opened the door, running to the front door. 

As he opened it thoughts trailed in his mind. 'I hope Dawn isn't here..or my mom..or Lilly.' He didn't want anyone to be there. Besides when Leah came in. 'I don't want to see anyone right now.' 

"Midnight." A voice entered his ears, a voice he didn't want to speak to. "Lilly. What do you want?" He snapped. 

"To talk to my son." 

He shuffled his bag off of his shoulder and dropped it on the floor. "Why? You should be with Willow and my mom." 

"Willow and Fawn are not my main concern right now, it's you." 

Midnight glared at her, holding his arm. And now, he could see Lilly looking at his action. "Why?" He asked nervously. 

"What's wrong with your arm? You seem to be scratching it a lot."

"Nothing!"

"Dawn told me." She stood in front of him. "You should have told me or Fawn. I care about you."

"No you don't!" Midnight yelled, walking on the other side of the room with his back faced towards his mothers fiance. He wished she would just go away. Disappear to the sick bay. He knew she stood behind him when he felt her warm aura. Her hand placed on his shoulder. "I'm your mother..You can trust me. If it's enough I won't tell Fawn--" 

He pushed her arm off of his shoulder and turned. "I don't have to tell you anything! You're not my mom! You never have been. You took my mom away from me!"

Midnight didn't bother to listen to what she had to say afterwards, in tears he snatched his bag up from the floor and ran upstairs. He could almost hear Lilly try to speak, and when the door opened Leah asking what her problem was. Midnight ran to his door, opened it then slamming once he got inside. 

His back slumped against the door,  his body sinking down to the floor. Holding his head in his hands with hot unstoppable tears running down his face and on the floor. He pulled up his sleeves, only making tears come more. 'I'm stupid. I shouldn't matter to her.' 

It was like he was suffocating, his breaths becoming more quick, too hard to handle. Like something was blocking his throat. He just wanted someone to help him. Like--Noah. The only one who was naive to the fact of what he did. And what he still wanted to do. 

~~~~

Midnight's alarm blared loud to wake him up. It felt like a weirdly warm morning, even though it was the beginning of December. The winter seemed to be vacant. Snow wasn't on the ground at all. 

After he checked the time, Midnight rushed to his closet, grabbing a pair of jeans and a plain t-shirt as well as an over-sized black hoodie. His arms still stung as he pulled on the sleeves, but he had to rush out. 'I'm late already.' 

He snatched his bag from the corner and ran down the stairs, Fawn was already in the open doorway with a small smile at seeing her son. "Curly hair again?"

He nodded. "Yep..sure..got to get to school. Come on!"

~~~

Even with his mothers suspicion as to why he was in a hurry to get to school, Midnight arrived early enough to catch Noah outside. Talking to him was relieving yesterday, and he felt he was the only one who would listen to anything he said. He had sunglasses covering his eyes with a half-burnt cigarette sticking out of his mouth. 

"Noah!" He clutched his bag strap to his shoulder. Running over to Noah, he grinned. Noah waved. 

"I'm surprised you're alone.." Midnight mumbled. "Your group isn't even here.."

Noah chuckled, taking his sunglasses off of his eyes. The purple under his eyes was dark, his hangover effects were clear. 'He had been drinking all night.' For a moment his mind drifted to the thought of trying to get a vision from Noah. Maybe it wasn't just a night of drinking. Maybe it was something else. At first he reached out, but stopped before trying. "Yeah. I have no idea where they are. Especially nice ghosty guy. He's probably helping his mom with moving."

"Nice Ghosty guy?"

"My friend..the one I was telling you about? The only real one around here. The one who isn't changing up our group to make us all violent." 

Midnight put his bag on the ground, leaning on the brick wall of the school next to Noah. "I would be honored to meet him."

"Mm. I swear that kid gazes at you all the time. You walk in the room and he's just," Noah breathed in a whiff of his cigarette. "it's like--his eyes light up." 

"That's hard to believe."

"I don't think so.." 

"So your gay for me or something?" 

Noah shook his head. "No thanks. But--" He flicked his cigarette and looked at Midnight. "Why are you coming to me before class anyway?" 

Midnight shrugged. "I-I feel like you are the only one I know who will listen." 

"Okay." Noah threw the cigarette on the ground and stomped on it. Facing Midnight, he smiled slyly. "What's wrong then?"

His tone was full of compassion, but at the same time it was sarcastic and joke like. Midnight didn't understand Noah, but still wanted to tell him. "Well..I'm having this..issue."

"Issue.." Noah repeated. "okay." 

Midnight went on, his hands fidgeting while he tried to speak. "I'm--kind of--upset and stressed. I can't really explain it all--but I-" He stopped. "I was wondering if you knew what I could do about it." 

"Upset..Stressed.." He rubbed his chin. "Well, if you were anyone else I would tell you to start a bad habit but you're a good kid..I can't make you do something like that so...I would just try and cope..spend time with people you care about..do things you love." 

'But the things I love are basically prohibited since I can't control my magic and I'm a half-blood which means I am not allowed to do any guardian--' 

"Ugh Noah what are you doing with this kid?" Midnight suddenly felt a hand press hard on his collarbone. His back stung and his heart thumped, almost jumping out of his chest. He exhaled slowly. "He bothering you?" Levi leaned in close to his ear. 

"Levi this isn't necessary. He really just wanted to ask be about the next assignment in math. Nobody else knew so he came to me since I am passing." Noah stood next to Levi, staring back at Midnight with worried eyes. Levi pulled his hand away. "Whatever." 

Noah walked away with his group, a small smile and wave as he did. 

'I wish you could help.'

__________

Thanks for reading! 

~Liz <3