"How do you know my mom?"
He looked into my eyes dead on, almost intimidatingly so. His sly eyes and handsome face were so unnerving. He was out of place in the outside world, like he was perfectly preserved in time, unlike his crumbling house. I grew up alongside your mother, we were kids together, she helped me out of a family situation and so I owe her my loyalty"
Midnight jumped on my lap, but she didn't lay, she instead sat tall and looked into staceys eyes as if she were judging him and joining our conversation. He looked her in the eyes and returned the favor, the kitchen grew silent as this quite conversation of the mind continued for a few minutes.
There was a loud knock on the door, Stacey jumped up, I jumped, midnight jumped, Stacey looked at me with wide eyes and growled a demand "go upstairs to your room, take the back stair and do not move or say a word, until I come and fetch you, do not make a sound do you understand me? And take that cat with you, put her in a damn box".
What? My shock mirrored his panick, I grabbed midnight and took the back steps next to the kitchen two at a time. When I got to my room I went inside and shut the door, I slid onto the floor and leaned my ear against the door. I heard that screen front door screech open.
Staceys souther drawl.....
"Well how may I help you, It seems that I have taken to a chill and canceled all appointments for the day sugar".
I heard him step out onto the front porch and the screen shut behind him. He continued talking to someone just out of my earshot.
Sitting my head against the door I dozed off midnight still in my arms.
The little kitten just fit, I never had a pet before too much responsibility during an executable move, she stayed next to me almost all the time.
Dream
This dream was so vivid, midnight appeared again, she sat up straight and had the characteristics of almost a human. Dove I am here to lay claim to your side, do you accept me as your other? I laughed and smiled a little, silly kitty how are you talking? Your so sweet and cute, her face turned down. I am no mere cat and your no mere human dove I will help you unravel your true path and identity if you allow me to take your side. I shook my head a bit in confusion but spoke to the daydream with heart, of course you can stay by my side forever, I love you! She then curled up next to me and started to purr.
Stacey abruptly opened my door straight into my face, ouch, that was a rude awakening. He walked past me and went straight to my mothers bed, he shook her to awake. "Yes yes what's going on is everything alright?" Stacey"No love, you've already drawn to much attention, you need to scoot right now before they come back with more family".
My mother jumped up pulling her boots on from the end of the bed "I thought you said we were safe Stacey, no ones been in contact with you for years".
"Well I guess they kept eyes on me still doll, even after all this time" he crossed his arms brushing her hair from her shoulder " you need to stop running, there's got to be a better way to make things right, I'll help you with what I can" my mother jumped up stopping his conversation.
"Dove grab your things we're leaving now, don't stop just walk".
I stood up, grabbed my things and followed my mother, her arms full of luggage, straight to the car. She didn't even say goodbye to Stacey, he stood at the threshold of the door and waved us goodbye.
She drove faster than I had ever witnessed, "mom that was a stop sign", she slammed on the breaks sending a few things sliding, and midnight straight into the dash.
What the?
She looked at me with tears in her eyes and shook a little as she spoke. "Dove we will talk when we get to Portland, there's so much I have kept from you, so much you need to know, but I have been trying to protect you, to keep you safe, but when that stupid car showed up I knew I couldn't hold back your blooming any longer".
Midnight hissed, clinging to my legs and crawling back into my lap.
"Mom I don't understand"
"Dove we come from a long line of travelers that practice magic, your blooming right now, and midnight is your familiar, Stacey was an old friend of mine who helped me escape my family and their plans for my future".
My face dropped, this couldn't be happening, was I still asleep, did that door hitting me do damage?
"Dovey, I need to focus on the road, and you need to think about what I just said, please let's just talk again when we stop". I looked at her in disbelief and shook my head yes, after all I had no clue what I wanted to say, what I needed to ask, this was heavy.
I leaned my head into the window, held into midnight firmly and my mind just started connecting everything. I have always been so odd, things have always worked out the way I willed them, things always moved, or came to me from dreams. My mothers family history being blank, the strange friend I had just met, and the fear in both of their eyes as we ran out of the house. Who were my grandparents, how had they scared my mom enough to spend the rest of her life running in fear, raising me on the road and never letting me get close to knowing anyone. This was too much, my head started to hurt, how could this be real?