Midnights

Chapter Five

Bleh this chapter is kinda boring so sorry :/ the next one is more interesting.

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Anna Lia

Over time I tried to figure out why exactly I saw the wolf. Yes, I had seen much stranger things then that, but I thought that the wolf must have held some kind of meaning. Like it was some mystery I had to figure out. But as the days passed into months and the months to years, I, being a child, had completely forgotten about the wolf when my seventeenth birthday came along.

My mother was so excited. But then again, she always was when my birthday was near. She would always say, “You will never again be sixteen, Anna, so let’s think of this as saying goodbye to the sixteen-year-old you and saying hello to the new seventeen-year-old you.”

My mother, being a writer, always over thought things, but it was just her nature. I personally didn’t think much of my birthday. It was just another day, symbolizing another year.

My father enjoyed celebrating my birthday as much as Mother did, but he was more of the quiet sort and didn’t much enjoy big and loud parties, like the ones Mother would throw. He would say to me,

“Lia, I know seventeen is a big number, but don’t you think that fifty-six people are a lot to invite?”

I agreed with him, but Mother loved big parties, so my birthday was just one more excuse to have one. I didn’t mind though. I knew most of everybody who came. Mostly towns folk, like my old babysitter Mrs. Finnsker, and Mr. Len who help my father build the swing that I always used to play on. But most importantly Joseph Phillips. He was my father’s best friend, and he even helped to build our house for my mother and father as a wedding gift. He was a dear friend to the family.

The day before the party I was helping Mother make the bread for tomorrow, when she said abruptly. “Did you know Joseph has a son?”

I didn’t hear her at first. I was Seeing again. There was a pink cat with butterfly wings on our windowsill. She was looking at the dough hungrily. I took of a piece and tossed it out the window, and watched her catch it gingerly in her teeth. Mother gasped, and I sighed. She probably was seeing a piece of dough flout in the air, and then watching it suddenly disappear as the cat ate it.

She caught her breath, then smoothed out her apron and said. “Anna,” she said calmly, but I could tell she was at her wits end again. “I do not like it when you feed those spirits! I don’t like them around my house, and I certainly don’t want them around the party.”

I gave the cat an apologetic look. She nodded in understanding, and then disappeared. I turned to Mother, “They don’t mean any harm.”

She put her hands on her hips. “Oh, really? What about the ones that would keep you up all night screaming?”

I winced slightly at the memory. I had not seen so many bad spirits in a while, but sometimes I can see their ugly faces clearly in my head. I don’t think they ever intended to harm me, but sometimes I think they liked to torment me. As if my screaming was the most amusing thing in the world to them. I remember they’re smiles, wicked and cruel. I closed my eyes, willing the image out of my head.

My mother put a hand on my shoulder. “I am sorry. I did not mean to cause you pain, my dear.”

I shook my head. “It’s fine, really.”

Mother lead me to the table, and poured a small glass of sweet wine for me. I sipped it slowly, and between the whine and the amusing gossip Mother told me, the image was soon gone.

Once she saw that I was better, she said, “So, like I was saying. Joseph has a son.”

I looked out the window, this time distracted only by the pretty winter day. It hadn’t snowed yet, but it was bright and looked like a good day to go for a walk.

She continued on unaware that I was barely listening. “Yes, his name is Austin. Isn’t that a nice name?”

I nodded, absentmindedly.

“He’s very handsome, too. I ran into them in town earlier today. He’s so tall! And he’s very strong. He was a sailor, you know. Oh, he probably has loads of stories, ones of adventure probably, ones you’d most likely enjoy.”

I yawned. The wine had made me drowsy.

“He would make a very nice husband.”

It took me a while to understand what she was talking about, but when I finally realized I stood up right, almost knocking my chair over. “Mother! I’m only just turning seventeen!”

She shrugged. “So? There is no harm in thinking of the future.”

Just then, Father walked into the kitchen. “Peter is here, Lia. He’s wondering if you would like to go into town with him.”

I nodded and ripped of my apron. I ran out the door and saw him standing there smiling at me. He had gotten much taller over the years, and his muscles were impressive from all the farm work he had to do. He had let his dark hair grow a little, so it was just passed his ears. He was dressed in a black leather jacket I got for him last winter.

I ran and grabbed him by the wrist. “Run, Peter! Run!” And without another word, we ran together into town without stopping once.

Once we were well away from my house and well into town, I let out a gleeful laugh and sat down on the Town Square bench. “Thanks Peter! Oh, my Mother was about to start talking to me about marriage! How awful.”

I glanced at Peter. He actually seemed curious about it. “Really? Did she have anyone in mind?”

I shook my head. “Oh, apparently Joseph Phillips has a son named Austin. I think she said he was a sailor or something. Oh I don’t know what she was thinking. I’m only seventeen!”

I looked at Peter, and he has something in his eyes that I didn’t recognize. I slid closer to him on the bench. “What’s wrong?”

He smiled and shook his head. “Nothing; come on, let’s go get going.”

“Where?” I asked as he took me by the wrist.

He didn’t answer. Instead he ran across town, slowing down only when he wanted me to put a blind fold on. I gave him a funny look, but I decided to do it. He took me into a store and only then did he take off my blind fold.

I gasped. “Oh! Peter!” I was standing in front of a rack of silver and gold lockets. I had always wanted a locket of my own, thinking they were the neatest piece of jewelry that any girl could ever have. I had always thought about what I would put in one if I had it. I stared at them all, shinning from the light coming in through the windows. There were so many in so many different shapes. Hearts, diamonds, ovals, circles, and so many were decorated with diamonds and emeralds and rubies. I felt overwhelmed by so many beautiful pieces.

Peter nudged me with an elbow. “Pick one,” he said, smiling.

I turned to him, shocked. “I can’t! There is no way I’m letting you spend so much money on me!”

“But it’s for your birthday, and I want to.”

I shook my head, refusing to look at the lockets. “No, I can’t.” I turned to leave, then suddenly a locked was around my neck, and fastened from the back.

Peter chuckled. “I think this one would look nice on you.”

He turned me to a mirror, and I let out a small gasp. It was a beautiful silver locket. It was shaped like an oval and it had simple markings on it, ones I thought looked like wind and flower petals. It wasn’t large, but big enough to fit a nice sized picture inside of it.

He smiled. “So, I take it this is the one?”

I smiled back and nodded.