Afterlight

Chapter 7. It's You. You?

I came home at 5:30. Dad was still in his chair and Jack on the couch next to him. The after-game interviews were on the screen. I put my bag on the kitchen table.

"Char is that you?" Dad's voice called.

"Yeah Dad. You need anything?" Please say no, please say no, please say no.

"Nope. Just wondered if it was you kid!"

"Okay great, uh, I'm gonna go for a shower." He didn't respond, neither did his friend Jack. I took a glass of water up with me and I went into my room and closed the door. I felt like I hadn't breathed since I left the woods. And that boy. Was he hunting the cougar? Was the cougar even real? Was I half asleep when I woke up? This boy was cold, and hard like stone. JUST like Dr Cullen. He had the same golden hue in his eyes too, except his were a darker shade of gold. Almost black. Something weird was going on in this town. It was all too much. First my Dad's attack, and then these two separate men who had the same qualities. Physically. But then there was also my meadow. I'd only ever dreamed of the place, and then I stumbled upon it. It was real. It existed.

I took off my clothes and grabbed a clean towel from the wardrobe. I stepped into the shower and turned the water to hot. I stood under the water for maybe 10 minutes, just letting the water wash the earth and the experience away. I started washing myself properly after I'd come to a conclusion. Maybe there are just some things in this world you can't explain.

When Mom came home later that night, I'd gotten a call that I got the job at the movie theatre and I started next week.

"Oh honey that's great! I'm so happy for you! We should celebrate, properly this weekend. Oh. That reminds me." She put her art bag down on the floor and walked to me and Dad in the living room. "George, it came."

"Oh already? That was fast." Confusion entered my mind.

"What is it?" I asked with curiosity. Dad got up and stood next to Mom, she helped him lean on the unit with the purple lamp on it.

"This is for you, because you've been so great at moving your entire life here for me and your Dad. You're doing really well in school, you've been so helpful to your Dad these past few days and you're just a really amazing kid. So here." She took out of her pocket a small black box. I reached out my hand and flipped the lid. Inside the box lived a beautiful moonstone ring. The stone was flat, with a slight curve to its surface. It was encrusted in a silver oval shaped setting. The band split in two on either side of the stone. It was stunning.

"Oh my god it's so beautiful. You didn't have to do this, this must have cost so much money."

"Don't worry about that! Come on let's see if it fits." I took the ring out of the box and slid it onto the ring finger on my right hand. It was perfect. It was part of me now. It belonged to my heart. It was a symbol of our new life here in Forks, and the health and happiness of the three of us.

"Thank you so much." I trailed off in disbelief.

"You're welcome." Dad said.

"Now tomorrow night, anybody got plans?" Mom asked. "If you do, cancel them. Tomorrow night we're going over to Dr Cullens house to visit with him and his family."

"We are?" Dad chirped taking his seat again.

"Yes. I ran into his wife Esme at the store. And can I just say, she is THE most beautiful woman I've ever seen in real life before, and she knew all about us. And your Dad's accident, and she knows Chief Swan and she wanted to welcome us into town."

"Well that sounds nice." Dad said. I stood up and grabbed a glass of water.

"Yeah, that sounds great. It would be nice to get out and visit them." I answered.