Chapter 9: Proving It
(Shadow POV)
I never, ever considered drinking alcohol before because it was bad for you and it wasn't legal for someone my age but those parents Miriam had almost drove me to drink. Instead, I stayed downstairs in Rouge's living room drowning myself in soda and watching reruns of Friends. Honestly, I didn't like the show but it was better than all those crappy reality TV shows that I couldn't comprehend for the life of me. Eventually at twelve in the morning, Rouge came down in a purple robe and an irritated look on her face and told me to go to bed or she threatened to toss the TV out.
Since I was too irritated and tired to argue, I shut off the TV, skulked past Rouge, and went upstairs to my room. My room wasn't much to talk about. All I had was a dresser, a decent-sized cozy bed, and a bedside table to set my pistols and Chaos Emerald. I didn't fall asleep as soon as I hit my bed because I kept thinking about Miriam and how she was doing. I wanted to see her but I knew if I snuck into her room, her parents and Rouge would be out for my head so instead I just stayed in my room. What could I do to prove to her parents that I was worthy?
As the stars turned blue outside, I realized that I was exhausted so I rested my head on my pillow, kicked my air shoes off, and pulled the covers over my body. Once I got nice and comfortable, I drifted off to sleep, dreaming of Miriam. Needless to say, the dream was nice and pleasant but not one worth mentioning to anyone under thirteen. I woke myself up and realized something really embarrassing that I had to get rid of so I went to take a cold shower.
When I walked out of the bathroom ten minutes later, I saw Rouge smirking at me in a patronizing way and a flush flooded my cheeks. I felt so embarrassed right now! She knew what I dreamt about, didn't she? Dear God—if there was a god—I hoped I didn't make any noises or anything!
"Have good dreams, Shadow?" she asked, adding extra emphasis on the word "good".
I closed my eyes and bowed my head so she wouldn't see the bright red spots on my cheeks.
"I am a bat, you know," she continued, "and I heard something going bump in the night but not the type that one would normally think. I heard you moaning and say Miriam's name in your sleep. For a second, I actually thought you were awake until I went to check on you and, need I say more, you were sweating like a donkey in August and you had a…little problem poking out. I respect your privacy so I walked out just in case you needed to…you know, but if you ever need to talk about these things, just come to me so I won't have to listen to things going bump in the night."
I merely nodded and walked into my room to dry my body and put my air shoes on. When I pulled my shoes on, I stood up from my made bed and grabbed my Chaos Emerald to teleport to Miriam's house. Thank God she wasn't a bat with supersensory hearing or else she wouldn't look me straight in the eye again if she heard my dream…
…
When I arrived to Miriam's, I saw Miriam herself and her parents setting up red, green, and gold decorations. That piqued my curiosity: was it someone's birthday? Her parents effectively ignored me as I walked up to Miriam and placed my hand on hers. She looked at me and smiled brightly. It seemed the bad thing that happened the day prior didn't bother her.
"What's going on?" I asked, looking around. "Why are you all setting up these decorations?"
Miriam's mother looked at me quizzically. "Do have a calendar?" she asked laughingly. "It's December fourteenth. Eleven days before Christmas."
I felt my stomach drop a bit. Oh, no, not Christmas! Christmas was Maria's favorite holiday and after she died, I had no desire to celebrate it anymore. Instead saying a biting remark, I just shrugged and averted my gaze.
Miriam, of course, noticed. "What's wrong?" she asked, concern coloring her tone.
"Well…" I said quietly, "Christmas was Maria's favorite holiday and it's hard to have the desire to celebrate knowing she's dead."
She walked over and placed her hand on my shoulder. "It's alright, Shadow," she said gently. "I'm sure Maria would want you to be happy. I know this may sound hard but even though Maria's gone, she still wants you to move on and be happy with your life. Dwelling on the past and the 'what ifs' is not good for us. It only holds us back from what we do have and who we do love."
Her parents and I were both shocked because we never expected her to go out on speech but she was right. I promised myself that I would put the past behind me and I was going to do that, starting with celebrating Christmas. A smile grew on my face and I nodded.
"You're right," I replied with a nod. "Maria would want me to be happy."
"Who is Maria?" asked Miriam's mother, arching an eyebrow.
Miriam went into haste telling her parents about the ARK, the project, and Maria and how she died. Even though it had been a long time, hearing about Maria made me feel sad because she was so young and she was my only friend. After Miriam finished the story, her mother walked over to me with tears in her eyes and gave me a big bear hug. I was being suffocated but I was glad her parents didn't hate me anymore.
"It's okay, though," I said once I was released. "I know that no matter where I go I will have Maria in my heart. Miriam made me realize that…" I gave my girl a gentle, loving look that made her smile.
Miriam's dad let out a big sigh. "Well…" he said heavily, "I guess I can't stop the two of you. Just treat our little girl right, Shadow, or you will be sorry."
"Understood, sir," I replied, nodding. "I love your daughter and I would never, ever hurt her." I meant what I said.
Her father nodded and I walked up to Miriam, pressing a kiss to her lips. I felt her hand touch my cheek and a thrill went through my body. My dream the night prior made its reappearance in my mind but I managed to push it aside and kissed Miriam with sweet passion. When we separated, I gave her a gentle hug and felt her heartbeat against my chest. It felt so right…
"I love you," she whispered gently.
"I love you too," I whispered back, cradling her closely.
This moment was perfect and nothing could break it; not now, not ever.
A/N: Short chapter but I'll make up for it in the Christmas Eve chapter! I hope you like this one anyway. R&R!
