It's been over a year since I've been here, I figured this was the best way to come back.
It is I, The Black Maiden, here to celebrate my time on here with this.
This story is dedicated to a very special person who, actually, I don't think I could manage without. The Omega Mega 1.
If you remember, he was, and still is, my editor and one of my best friends. We've still been in contact regularly while I was away, and several special events and important milestones have come up for him.
So I took two of his favorite characters and wrote them into a story.
The girl, Aylin, is Elder Caster, and you all should know who Mazuma is. The title, Khaver, means "friend" or "pal" in Yiddish (a Germanic form of Hebrew), which I felt fit because Aylin's name is traditional Hebrew and Mazuma's is Yiddish.
Enough explaining. Omega, this one's for you.
Mazuma knew it was too late to text her.
He looked at the clock. It was still 2:30 A.M. No matter how hard he looked at it, it would STILL be 2:30 A.M. Time wasn't gonna magically shift for him, but he needed it to right now. He needed it to.
He stared at his phone. Her name was illuminated even in the brightness of his lit room, in all its untidiness so uncommon for boys his age. But there was no comfort in that mess now, it just made him more anxious knowing he couldn't even pace while he waited for morning.
Mazuma couldn't take it anymore. It was 2:32 and this night was passing much too slowly. He needed to hear a voice of reason, preferably hers, but if that was lost then texting would do.
He grabbed his phone and typed "Hey, can you talk?"
Mazuma sat down and dropped his phone beside him. He felt a bit calmer, but it didn't last long. Now he just felt guilty for waking her up.
Until the screen flashed. "Yeah. Is everything okay?"
Mazuma breathed a sigh of relief. His hands were shaking as he tried to type fast enough for his racing mind, but he still stumbled a few times. "Just…I'm really stressed out and I need someone to talk to."
"Did you get in trouble?" She asked.
"Kinda. There were tears involved."
Silence on the other end. In a wave of panic, he feared she'd given up and gone to sleep, but soon again she replied, this time surprising him.
"Wanna meet up? Sounds like you need to talk."
Mazuma bit his lip. He was already in deep shit. If he went out…
"Yeah." He replied.
"Okay, by the church?"
"Yeah."
…
Aylin was already waiting for him when he got there. Her arms were crossed but she wasn't mad, more trying to protect her exposed arms from the slight breeze that tore through this quiet summer evening.
Mazuma shoved his hands into his pockets and smiled as he approached her.
"Hey."
"Morning." Aylin giggled. She took a few steps forward and gestured to the grassy hill in front of the church. "Shall we sit?"
"Yeah..."
He plunked down and she sat gracefully. Leaning on one arm, Aylin's face became serious. "Now, what's going on?"
He sighed and laid back. "My parents wanted me to get a job."
She nodded. "Where?"
"One of the fast food places around here." Mazuma turned onto his side. "Aylin, I swore to God I'd never work food."
"Yeah, I've tried it." She glanced back at the church doors. They were tightly bolted, chained together so that even the most persistent of wanderers would be kept from entering the acclaimed place. "Just don't swear to God and you'll be fine."
He laughed just a bit.
"And that's what you fought about?" She asked.
Mazuma nodded. "The hours are insane and…I'm already behind on credits. I just…I'm not ready for this."
"All this 'grown up stuff?'" Aylin pulled her legs to her chest. "I feel you."
"I just…" He stopped.
"…Wanna go back to how it was before?"
"...It'll sound selfish...I wanted to have this summer to myself...to finish my project."
"Oh yeah, I read your rough draft." Aylin chirped.
He lifted his head. "Really?"
"Of course." Aylin laughed. "I liked it, but I thought Maggie's outburst was too abrupt. Any way you could sneak in some more development before that?"
"Any way you could help me?" He chuckled.
Aylin shrugged. "Hey, I'd say yes if I didn't have life to get back to."
He nodded. "How's your job going?"
"Good, actually." She replied, without meeting his gaze. "It's good to be able to work with these kids one-on-one." Her glossy green eyes met the stars above them. "You should stop by. I talk about you so much the kids are demanding I introduce you to them."
"Maybe I'll be in summer school, then you'll have no problem."
Aylin smiled. "I'll have fun helping you with History."
"And maybe I can help you with Chem!"
"You suck at Chem."
"No! Well…um-"
"You lit your hair on fire in the Calories-Per-Minute lab!" Aylin laughed out loud, covering her mouth with her hand.
Mazuma laughed too; the mood was just immediately lightened by the sound of their laughter. It was fun; it was what he needed, and why he had come here.
When they stopped, Aylin also lay back on her elbows and said "So I had some new ideas for my own story…"
They talked rapidly about story ideas, about gods facing off against demons and post apocalyptic worlds. They talked about drug cartels and witches with the power to bend reality. They talked until the sunrise began to tint the sky grey instead of black.
Aylin looked up. "You ready to go home yet?"
Neither of them spoke for a moment.
"It's just...we don't get to do this often anymore." Mazuma replied.
Aylin sighed. "Y-Yeah...yeah, I miss you."
"Me too." He nudged her shoulder. "You're, like, my best friend."
She smiled at him. "You're my best friend, too. I owe you."
"Nah, it's fine, really." Mazuma shrugged. "I mean, if it weren't for you I'd be crying in my room."
"Hey, how many times did you comfort me when I was crying in my room?" Aylin picked a few grass blades. "Those days were nice actually…"
"I still have the messages." He added.
She smiled. "Wish my phone kept them for that long. At least you have them."
Mazuma nodded. "Yeah." He stood up and helped her to her feet. "It's a bit late for-"
She beat him to it. "Nighty night." She giggled, waving.
He smiled. "Just like old times?"
"Yep!"
"Nighty night, then."
The two of them turned and walked in opposite directions; as he approached the churchyard gate, Mazuma's phone pinged. Unlocking it, he scrolled through the previously sent text messages until he found Aylin's, sent just a second ago.
"Nighty night!" It said
It's short and fluffy and sweet.
Thank you guys for reading this. I'm sorry I've been gone so long, but I'll be back again soon. I missed this fandom, and I missed all of you. I have many friends here that I'm thankful for!
Omega, we're both growing up. It's different from when we first met, but I'm glad I met you. Thank you for being there for me, for staying up till all hours with me and listening to me ramble about stories you knew would go nowhere, but you listened anyway. I hope that, just because we're nearing adulthood, those days aren't over.
With great kindness,
The Black Maiden