Summer: A Warm Breeze Brings In The Old; Chills PT. 3/3
After we finished eating, Hemera and I got back in her truck in silence. After we buckled our seatbelts, I managed to get a look at her through the mirror, and was shocked at how her normally happy and optimistic appearance had now changed into one filled with sadness, much like how the world turns darker after the day is done and the sun has set under the horizon.
"Sorry." I don't know why I muttered those words to her, but she perked up as she looked at me, an unwavering smile on her face.
"What could you possibly be sorry about? It's not as if you did anything wrong, either in the past or now." She started up the truck and turned on the Bluetooth in the truck.
"I hope you don't mind me playing some music."
"So long as it isn't country, I'll be fine."
She leaned back into the seat as she was on her phone. There was a brief pause before she nodded and clicked on a song.
"I quite enjoy this song. Well, let's get going shall we!?"
Surprisingly, the songs she played weren't reflective of her personality at all. But they weren't bad by any means. On the contrary, they were something that Hiro would probably like a lot. As I sat in the car, watching the darkening surroundings fade away to the suburbs, I realized something odd.
"Where are we going? This isn't towards my house."
"Oh, you noticed? I need to grab something from home first, and my house is on the way to yours on the way back, so I hope you don't mind a small detour."
I frowned but conceded. Not like I could do anything about it. I didn't even have any experience driving in the first place, so if she wanted to take a detour, it's not as if I could complain.
We stopped in front of what seemed to be a small, rundown apartment complex. "I'll be right back, so sit tight!" And then she was gone, running up the stairs to the second floor.
I fiddled with my fingers as I stared outside, looking at the place Hemera lived in. The place seemed old, yet had a comfortable feeling to it, as if I had found my home I had long forgotten about. Just being in the vicinity of the building made me feel a sense of peace and tranquility, maybe even almost happiness?
I shook my head. There were a couple places around this strange city that had similar effects on people, or so I heard, but this was the first one I've ever been too. Weird…
One of the passenger doors opened, and a duffel bag was thrown in before it was closed shut.
"Oof! Sorry it took so long! Grabbing everything I needed took me longer than I expected!" Hemera climbed into the drivers' seat before shutting it. "Ready to go home?"
"Yeah, let's go." Honestly, when was the last time my house truly felt like a home?
We drove the rest of the way in silence, the only thing invading the silence was Hemera's music. And soon, we made it back to my house. It was dark outside now, the sun now having set for the day. Only the moon and stars were left, shining their light in the night sky.
I got out of the truck and sighed. Can't wait to go bed. I need to sleep at least for 2 days straight to recover from this.
To my surprise, the front door was already unlocked. Maybe I forgot to lock it before I left? I yawned as scratched my unkempt hair before glancing in the living room. Oh, looks like everyone's here. That's nice.
Wait, what? I turned back towards living room to find everybody dressed in pajamas, grinning from ear to ear.
"It's a sleepover!" They yelled out, and Hemera followed behind me, carrying her duffel bag.
"Before you ask, I was sworn to secrecy!" I glared at Hemera before running a hand through my hair.
"Ugh, do what you want." That was all they needed before they started to chat amongst themselves once more. I shuffled my way to my room before closing the door.
"It's dark."
I grabbed my covers off my bed before stopping in front of the door.
Do I really wanna do this? I didn't have an answer for myself yet. I knew what they were trying to do, but it wasn't working, not by a long shot. If anything, it only made feel worse all day today. Maybe I should just give up…
And suddenly, I felt my hand on the door handle. My hand was slightly shaking, and I looked down at it like it was a foreign object.
Why did I…?
I gripped the handle tighter before taking a deep breath.
Not as if I have anything else to lose.
I opened the door, and light flooded into the room as I squinted to let my eyes adjust, before they focused on the scene in front of me.
"Hey Erebus, stop that! You know I'm ticklish!"
"But you enjoy it, do you not my Empress of Darkness?"
"Since when the hell have I been yours!? Take this!"
"Dear Eru~, you really don't understand a maiden's heart, do you? Allow me to teach you the wonders of the opposite sex!"
"Hmph, who needs girls when you're me. I am everything I need and more."
"So, basically nothing at all Aether? You should really stop bragging when you have nothing to back it up."
"Nyx, just because you haven't accepted the way of Aether doesn't mean you can't convert yet. I have always been willing to teach my fellow disciples."
"Hey Lachesis, how about we start a tickle fight!? We can giggle our way to sleep!"
"Ugh, please don't remind me of fights. The Hidden Club's fights have scarred me for a lifetime."
"I have to agree with my girlfriend here, especially since we're all like them, I rather not bring the house down."
All of them were sitting around the couch and on the floor, talking and laughing like fools.
"Alright, let's start the pillow fight!"
"Hemera, I thought you said it was a tickle fight? Whoa!"
Hemera threw her pillow, which she presumably brought from home, at Lachesis, who dodged. So instead, it hit me square in the face.
"Uh oh…"
Everyone went silent as the pillow plopped down onto the ground.
Lachesis, Hemera, Necessitas, Nyx, Aether, Eros, Erebus, and the ass. I stared at every one of them before sighing. Well, I guess I know what choice I want then.
I picked up the pillow and nailed it directly at Hemera's face, who fell backwards from the force. "I'm game for a pillow fight."
And the tension was finally released as we all cut lose. The battle ground was the entire house, and although we ended up breaking quite a few things, I felt a feeling I thought was only possible with the Hidden Club.
I was having fun.
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It was now past midnight, and everyone had already passed out in their respective places in the basement. I was the only one awake, so I decided to go out into the backyard to feel the fresh air.
I walked outside onto the grass with just my socks on and stared up at the night sky. I didn't realize I could have so much fun with these guys. They may be weird, but they're comforting in their own way.
"It's strange, but it feels as if I already know them really well…"
"Depra…?"
I heard a sleepy voice from behind me, and I saw Hemera rubbing her yellow eyes, letting out a slight yawn.
"Sorry, did I wake you?"
She shook her head before walking my way. "No, I was really close to falling asleep though. What're you up to?"
"I just needed some fresh air is all." She stopped next to me and nodded.
"Told yah you needed fresh air sometimes."
"No need to rub it in," I muttered, and she giggled to herself before slapping me on the back.
"So, let me ask you again. Are you going to stay shut up in this house of yours, or will you try to enjoy the time you have here?"
"I don't know," I answered honestly.
She nodded to herself before smiling. "Well, that's good enough for now, don't you think? At least it means you're making an effort, doesn't it?"
Was that really true though? To me, it felt as if I was still falling in that never-ending pit of darkness. I guess, the only difference would be…
A cloud suddenly passed over the moon, causing our surroundings to grow significantly darker. But with that, came a new source of light…
"Whoa, are these fireflies?" Hemera said in a hushed whisper. Blinking yellow lights surrounded us, lighting up the area with their mystical light.
Hemera leapt out into the midst of them, her golden yellow hair being illuminated by their pure light. She spun around, taking in all the beautiful lights surrounding us.
And I felt another chill at that moment, but different from the once I was used to. Instead of frightening me, it calmed me down, and brought me peace.
"This is amazing!"
Another chill.
"Yeah, you really are..."
It wasn't a chill at all. No, it was the warmth brought about by one the lights dancing among the fireflies.
And so begins his summer vacation.