Silenced by the Night

Nathan's Birthday

It was Nathan’s sixteenth birthday. The day the Sykes were all waiting for. I wasn’t a huge fan of parties, but I needed to come. Nathan was in video chat so that was the only way we could talk to him. Morgan, one of his cousins, approached me.

“So, you’re Ellie, nice to meet you. Nathan have been talking about you back at the reunion”

“Ellie, Thalia, Paige, Caylah; Nathan’s on”

We both ran downstairs and into the living room. His camera was a bit blurry. There was a sick feeling on my stomach.

“Hey Thalia, can you just tell Nathan I’ll talk to him in private tonight. I need to get home”

She gave me a puzzled look and pushed me away from the family in front of the computer.

“What are you doing? This is Nathan Sykes you’re talking to, your best friend”

“Yeah, but we’ll meet him in the summer, right? I just feel a bit sick”

Thalia was sitting quietly at the end of my bed. I missed Nathan more than you can imagine, her eyes were tearing up while she was looking at me. Melody went in holding a laptop in her hand.

“Nathan’s on. You said you want to talk to him privately, Thalia shall we go outside?”

She took her hand and walked out my room. I opened the laptop and saw Nathan looking at his phone for a couple of minutes. My phone buzzed from the nightstand making him look at the screen.

“Hey Ellie”

“Hey Nate, okay I know you didn’t see me at that video chat back at your house but I needed to talk to you alone”

“I know. Melody and Thalia told me. It’s almost summer, are you excited?”

“Totally, I missed you Nate”

“I know I miss you, too”

Tears were forming in his eyes and they dropped down his face after five seconds. Mine also rolled down my cheeks.

“It feels like a dagger, huh?”

I nodded and looked at my phone.

“I need to go. The prefect is gonna be checking every house now”

“Okay, I’ll see you soon. And Happy Birthday”

He gave me a smile before signing out. I grabbed my phone from the nightstand and read the text I received from Nathan.

Melody and Caylah were sitting on the single bed Nathan used to sleep on. They were talking about something while typing down their ideas on the computer. Thoughts were running around my head, Melody and Thalia were looking at me softly.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. Why did you ask?”

They both shrugged and sat down beside me. The two of them both were great companions.

“You miss Nathan, huh?”

I nodded then lay back on my bed. They looked down at me and smiled.

“You’re gonna see him soon, we’re close to summer. You can wait that long, right?”

“In programs or family arrivals but I don’t know why this is happening to me. When he’s away and he would tell me that he would come home in any time; I couldn’t wait no longer”

“You’re in love with him. That’s the sign”

“Where did you learn that?”

“Try to resolve or research”

Caylah was right; this might also be the sign of falling in love. Today was his sixteenth birthday, mine was days away. I had tons in mind, but I didn’t have the thought of telling Nathan that I was in love with him. That would be a bit disgusting, he was like your brother and you’re telling him you’re in love with him. Gross.

I am too going to turn sixteen in six days, but I’m not waiting for my birthday. I’m waiting for summer to arrive and even Nathan. 

“El, are you OK?”

“I’m fine. Can you guys leave me for a minute?”

They gave me a smile before going out the door. I needed some alone time to think through my thoughts about telling Nathan. You all decide, should I tell him or not? My thoughts were like cars running a thousand miles. 

Hanna was the only one that can help me with this situation now. Or maybe even Thalia. My bedroom door burst open revealing Jessica, her blonde hair still in curls, her face applied with soft makeup. 

“Why did you go without talking to Nathan?”

“I talked to him a few hours ago. By the way, why didn’t you knock?”

“I know you hate that, but who care”

“Jess, can you sit here beside me”

She sat down beside me on the bed while wiping her face with a wet tissue.

“What’s the matter?”

“This might be odd, but I think I’m in love with your brother”

“I know you are, and I told mum about it. P.S she appreciates your love for him but the both of you are too young to date”

“We’re sixteen”

She raised her eyebrow and threw the tissue out the window.

“Don’t worry, and there are tons of fishes in the water”

“We’re talking about people not fishes”

“Yeah, but I’m telling the truth”

Well, she was right. There are a lot of boys surrounding me in school I can’t just fall for one boy in Abbeydale. But, I feel like Nathan wasn’t one of them. He was unique.

“Don’t even think that my brother is different from all the boys here in Abbeydale”

“I just did”

Nathan was the one I was falling for, they can’t be judgmental. 

“I’m not being judgmental, I’m just saying”

“Are you reading my mind?”

“No. You say your thoughts too loud and please don’t feel sick when Nate is not around. There are Caylah, Paige, Melody, Thalia and Jessica, too”

When will I feel right whenever Nathan wouldn’t be around?