7 N̶̶I̶̶G̶̶H̶̶T̶̶S̶̶

Day 1: Dancing Night

Its my usual night inside the attic. Last year I turned this abandoned room into cozy quarter complete with computer machines, internet and wireless phones. My personal space. I even cook in the there when I'm struck with my laziness to go down the stairs. Since our house is a three storey structure and most of the time my father, a busy engineer, left me all alone with Sabel. She's our all around nanny.

So my night comprised of reading my ass off, browsing the internet or looking at the sky. And this freaking hour was just a repetition of my boring life.

My twenty years of existe on earth.

Before sitting on my high chair, I made sure to prepare every stuff I need-mug with hot coffee, bottled water, a box of pizza and writing notes with pen.

Every session, I jotted down everything I saw up there. Colors of stars, their approximate distance with one another or anything that moves across the sky that captures my attention.

My twitter account pinged with a message;

@Cyril_Cruel: duDe! Wanna hang out? Its Grace party. Cmon, we gotta see sexy booty! 🙏

I chuckled, stuffing my mouth with pizza.

@DanteRule: sorry dude! Got a lot stuff to do.

@Cyril_Cruel: nightly owl?

@DanteRule: Yeah😂

@Cyril_Cruel: poop! I always know you gonna die alone in your room!

I laughed leaving the table then picked a pack of chips. Sitting on my high chair, facing the open window, I inhaled deeply.

No matter how my friends said star gazing is boring hobby, for me its not. Everytime I sit here, I feel I'm connected to the universe. This force around us that we always failed to understand. I crave it all...

I love how night made beautiful silhouette on a distance. I adore listening to birds sleepy songs above those trees. How moon shine and how life moves in general. It so different when its light time.

And growing up, I always associated myself in the confines of the dark. I knew I'm safe there...

Then I began my night...

_____________

I crossed my legs feeling small twisted nerves there due to four hours of sitting. My eyes didn't leave the eye piece even for a second. I'm looking probably star?

For consecutive nights, I'm taking notes of its location and distance with other stars and so far its taking a one place.

I sighed.

The cramps of my legs forced me to sit straighter and reach my water. I chugged down the content while my eyes looking at my window.

That when I saw her....

I stopped my movement.

A dark shadow moving behind a thin white curtain. The window sides were wide open while the cold breeze of the night blewing the curtains. When the light focused on the body, I saw a slim back. Long raven hair. Pale skin. Pale as her knee dress.

A girl.

She's like dancing? And I found myself looking at her smooth rhythm. I can only see half of her delicate body but that was enough to shake my senses.

The girl has  pouty lips and cute button nose. Her trimmed bangs added to her delicate features. She's not a typical beauty but definitely, there's something forcing you to just look at her.

The girl bowed a little. She's saying something then bend her arms up, moving across her room like a true ballerina. Who is she? What she's doing?

I frowned.

Cyril words bombarded mind. Are you a creep Dante?

He playfully asked me that when I accidentally looked inside lady's room a year ago. Alfred, a senior and bully in our department threw my phone in lady's rest room so I got no choice but to sneak inside.  Unfortunately, Cyril and my classmates saw me there.

I tore my eyes away.

I checked my notes instead. But my ears heard a low music at the background. Soft. Melodic verses. In my room, my old clock wall was the only thing producing noise.

Its always like this. No music or any annoying sound in my room to interrupt my focus. So I'm sure the music was coming from her window.

The seconds passed when I tried to resume my work; peeping on the eye piece, I bit my inner cheek. The music continued at the background, its like calling me to look again but I held myself.

Shit!

I can't focus. Minutes passed and I'm not happy.

Go to her house and tell her to lower down her stereo or something....

Shit!

She probably my neighbor but I never knew any of them. That's how it works around here. The vibes every houses say; mind your goddamn business in bold letters.

Time passed. I was ready to blow my horn, my head shoot up glaring.

"What the fuck she's doing?" My clock said its already eleven in the evening.

I stood closer to the window, that's when the girl bowed again and closed the curtain with her slim and pale fingers. Before she can shut the window, her dark, sleepy eyes met mine.

I gulped, feeling weak at my knees. I stood there looking at her side until the window closed. The music died down.

The room light went off.

What the fuck was that?!