Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from "The Nightwalkers" written by Otto Coontz. No profit is being made from this story.
Author's Note: In "The Nightwalkers" Nora and Maxine are thirteen. This story is set several years after the novel; both of them are now about eighteen and are in college. This story depicts a loving relationship between two women. If you find this to be offensive, do not read.
Nora sat up in bed, rubbing her sleepy eyes and squinting into the darkened room. Beside her, Maxine slept on soundly, her breathing soft and rhythmic. Not wanting to disturb her girlfriend, Nora carefully slipped out of bed and padded over to the window. She wore her usual sleeping clothes, a pair of white boxers and a black t-shirt. Pulling back the curtain slightly, she frowned as she recognised the source of the noise that had woken her and stopped her getting back to sleep for hours now.
Outside it was raining heavily. Dark grey clouds covered the sky and the rain fell in thick torrents. The street below was rapidly becoming flooded as raindrops danced on the surface of the water.
Nora sighed and turned away from the dreary grey sight. She knew that she had no chance of getting back to sleep now. She glanced at the clock on the wall. Despite the dimness, she could see that it was half past nine.
To take her mind off the weather, she looked at Maxine. She was lying on her side, her dark brown hair contrasting sharply with the white pillow and the white pyjamas she wore. Her left arm was outstretched, lying across Nora's side of the bed, while her right arm was curled up over her head. Her features twitched as she slept and Nora wondered what she was dreaming about. Nora reached out and lightly stroked the pale skin of her girlfriend's arm.
Maxine began to stir, murmuring softly. Her large ocean blue eyes opened and blinked a few times. "What time is it?" she asked.
"Half past nine" Nora answered. "I'm sorry I woke you".
"It's okay" Maxine replied as she sat up, stretching her body like a cat. "Sleep well?" she asked.
Nora shook her head. "It's pouring down outside. I kept waking up all night".
"Aww honey" Maxine reached out and stroked Nora's hair, lighter than her own. She knew that Nora found it difficult to sleep when it was raining.
For a moment, they were both silent. Then Nora asked, "do you still want to go shopping today? It's not really the weather for it".
"I know" Maxine agreed. "But it's my mom's birthday tomorrow and I still need to get her a card".
She got out of bed, switched on the light and began dressing herself. Unlike her girlfriend, Maxine had always been a morning person.
"What about the disappearances?" Nora persisted. "I mean you've read the papers. Three people have gone missing in the last week, all from this college".
"I'll be careful" Maxine replied as she finished putting on a pair of blue jeans and a red sweatshirt.
Nora shook her head. "I'm coming with you" she insisted.
Maxine was about to protest, but stopped herself when she saw the concerned look on the other girl's face. "Thanks Nora, I appreciate that. Okay, we'll go together. Let's wait a few minutes in case the rain eases up".