Heliophilia; d.m

XXVI

People can change depending on the circumstances. People can change dramatically if all they see every day is cruelty and stony faces.
How not to go crazy?
Find your own lighthouse that will lead you out of the dark, as if a ship lost in the vast ocean is sailing to the flickering light for salvation.
But what if you are the darkness that consumes all the ships?

—

DRACO

I barely opened my heavy eyelids, staring blearily at the ceiling — something, or someone, had woken me up.

The room was surprisingly cozy in the semi-darkness, and the rain pattering on the roof lulled me back to sleep. My eyes were about to close when i heard an insistent knock on the door.

Violet, who was lying next to me, wrapped up to her neck in a blanket, jerked her head up from the pillow and her eyes widened.

"Draco, wake up! I'm coming in in five seconds, I warn you!" It was Adele's voice outside the door, a little muffled by the sound of the rain.

"What?!" Violet jumped out of bed, hiding behind the wardrobe.

I groaned inwardly, pulling the blanket over the pillow she was sleeping on, and sat up in bed, rubbing my face. I wasn't even fully awake yet, and I was already annoyed. And what did Adele even want from me in the morning?

"Time's up, I'm coming in." I heard her voice again, and the next second the door opened slightly, revealing half of her face.

"You're awake now, great." She entered the room, immediately glancing at the open window and frowning,

"It's freaking cold here." Rubbing her forearms, she headed for the window, intending to close it.

"Don't." I almost shouted, making her flinch and freeze in place, "Don't close it, Adele."

She turned to me, raising her hands in defeat, and sat down in the chair opposite the bed.

She was silent, swinging her leg, and didn't seem like she was going to say anything. It was as if she had a goal in mind to piss me off from the start of the day, and I had to admit, she was very good at it.

"Did you come here just to sit?" I asked, taking a deep breath, "Tell me what you want already."

In the distance, a muffled rumble of thunder sounded at the same time as Adele's grin,

"You know, I was bored at home, thinking about how to spend my time, but I didn't have to strain myself. This time, my parents invited me here with them." Her fingernails began to tap on the arm of her chair in time with the rain,"Looks like the Dark Lord is recruiting a young team, huh?"

"And why the hell did you come here and wake me up?" I almost said 'wake us up'.

"It was said." Her face became serious and she stood up from her chair, smoothing the hem of her black dress. "You need to come down. And Violet, too." She rolled her eyes at the mention of Violet's name and walked to the door. "Will you tell her yourself?"

"Yes, go. I'll be there soon."

She pursed her lips, nodded, and put her hand on the doorknob, but then she turned back to me and crossed her arms over her chest.

"You know, I thought I smelled Violet. She was here recently, right?" Her narrowed eyes darted around the room, as if Violet or something that would confirm Adele's hunch was about to appear somewhere right now.