• Star Child

    Chapter 8
    Emotions and the Secret Door

    Mocha’s Point of View
    I woke up to the sound of my sister screaming.
    “Get out! Get out now!” she yelled
    I didn’t know where I was and my head hurt. I opened my eyes and realized I was in the den in my house. I looked up and saw that Pixie was hitting Ray, over and over again.
    I stood up quickly and got dizzy and fell back to the floor.
    “Mocha, are you ok?” Ray called out, even though my little sister was beating him up.
    After Ray said that, Pixie stopped and turned to look at me.
    “Oh, Mocha. What happened. Did this guy trick you into letting him in our house? Are you alright?” she said all in one breath.
    “Yes, I’m fine, Pixie. And, no, he didn’t trick me. Ray’s a friend of mine. He came to my rescue when someone broke into the house a little while ago,” I told her wit a slight smile on my face.
    “You mean, he was telling the truth,” she said as her face turned tomato red. “I’m sorry. I didn’t believe you,” she said after a minute of embarrassment went by.
    “It’s ok. I understand you were just worried about your sister. It’s understandable,” Ray said to Pixie, “it’s nice to met you, anyway, Pixie.”
    “Thanks, I guess,” she answered.
    All of us were silent for a few moments after that. I was the first one to move. I stood up and grabbed my bag.
    “Shouldn’t we go, Ray?” I asked.
    “Yes, we should,” he answered while walking over to me and holding out his hand to take my bag.
    “Wait. Where are you going? What about me? Your supposed to take care of me, Mocha,” Pixie whined.
    I looked at her and then at Ray and then back again.
    “You have to stay…” I started to tell her before Ray cut me off.
    “You need to come with us. Go pack a fresh bag,” Ray said while looking over at me.
    “Pixie stared at us for a moment and then picked up her forgotten bag and left the room.
    We waited a minute before speaking to make sure Pixie was out of earshot.
    “What are you thinking? We can’t drag my sister into this,” I told Ray.
    “It’s too late. She was in the house when Pi Berry left. She could have been seen, which means she will become a target because she’s related to you. So it would be best, if we took her with up. She’ll be safer that way,” Ray answered, looking tired.
    I though about that for a minute and realized he was right.
    “Ok, fine we’ll take her with us, but what am I supposed to tell her?” I asked Ray.
    “Tell her what I told you. I’ll explain it when we get there,” he answered while looking at his watch.
    “Where are we going anyway?” I asked him after leaning against the wall.
    “We will go to my house. And from there we will go to the mansion,” he answered with a grim look on his face.
    “Do you not like the mansion or something? You look a little depressed.” I said.
    “It’s not that I don’t like the mansion, I just prefer, not being there,” he answered.
    I could tell by the look in his face that he didn’t want to talk about this anymore so I dropped the subject.
    Just then, Pixie came back in the room with her bag ready and a different outfit on.
    “Ok, where are we going, exactly?” and why are we going there?”
    “we are going to the mansion and I’ll explain why we’re going there a little later. We must leave, now,” Ray answered in a stern voice and headed for the door.
    We fallowed Ray out into the cold night and turned down Lily road. We walked in silence for the majority of the trip to Rays house. There was only one question asked on the way there.
    “Sis, is this psycho your boyfriend? If he is, you have really weird taste in men,” Pixie said to me as we turned down 24th street.
    Her comment made me blush, but I couldn’t tell her that Ray wasn’t my boyfriend because I wasn’t sure how Ray would respond if I did. I watched his expression closely for the entire trip to his house. He looked very worried, but about what, I couldn’t tell.
    Half way down the road, Ray turned onto one of the houses driveways and walked up to the door.
    Pixie and I just stared. After he unlocked the door he turned and looked up at us.
    “What’s wrong?” he asked after seeing our faces.
    “This is where you live!?” Pixie said before I could open my mouth.
    “Yes. Is that a problem?” he asked with concerned eyes.
    “No, no it’s not,” I answered before Pixie could say anything else. With that, Ray walked into the house, leaving the door ajar for us. I started walking up the driveway but Pixie grabbed my arm and pulled me back.
    “Sis, you know that house is haunted. Your boyfriend lives in the most haunted house in the city. Your not planning on going in there, are you?” she asked with a scared voice.
    “Yes, I am and so are you,” I said while grabbing her hand. I started dragging her towards the door. She resisted but I was stronger. Once I had her in the house I closed the door and looked around. It was very dark and hard to see but it looked like we were in the living room I saw a doorway that looked like it lead to the kitchen. There was a light on in there. I grabbed Pixies hand again and lead her into the kitchen. I looked around to see where Ray had gone but there was no sign of him. Then I turned and looked at my sister. She looked like she was on the brink of crying.
    “Oh, come on, Pixie,” I said, “ don’t worry so much. I’m here with you, and I know Ray would never put us in danger.” I turned back around and spotted a table with two chairs. I held out my hand for her to take and she grabbed at it thankfully. I lead her to the table and pulled out one of the chairs for her. She sat down and squeezed my hand. I knelt by Pixie’s chair to let her know that I wouldn’t leave her. She had a really good grip on my hand so I know I wasn’t going anywhere without her.
    We sat in silence for several minutes before Ray finally reappeared. He took on look at Pixie’s face and knew what she was thinking.
    “Don’t worry. The place isn’t haunted. A lot of people just think it is because it looks old and run down. It also creaks when it’s windy so that’s another reason people don’t like this house,” he said with a light smile on his face.
    It was obvious that Ray thought it was funny that people thought the house was haunted. I guess he had to right to because he lived here. I was glad he hadn’t laughed out loud though. He was more of a gentleman then that. A smile crossed my face as well.
    “What are you guys smiling at?” Pixie asked with a serious look on her face.
    “Nothing, Pixie, don’t worry about it,” I told her while looking up from where I sat.
    “Your laughing at me, aren’t you. You think it’s funny that I’m scared to be in this house, don’t you?” Pixie said with anger in her voice.
    I looked up at her with sadness in my eyes. I stood and pulled her off the chair and spun her around so I could sit in the chair she was just in. then I pulled her onto my lap and hugged her.
    “Hey, what are you doing!? Let go! Knock it off!” Pixie complained, but I held on to her tight. Eventually she stopped squirming and sat still and started crying. I knew she would. Whenever we get into a fight this is how it usually ends. I let her cry herself out on my shoulder. Neither Ray nor I said a word while she did so. When she had finally finished she looked up at me.
    “Sorry, I didn’t mean it. I know you would never laugh at me.”
    “That’s alright. Your supposed to get mad at me for some things, right?” I said while releasing her from my arms. She slide off my lap and went to the other chair and sat down. She looked over at me and nodded before turning her face down to hide the blush that had crossed her cheeks.
    I turned and looked at Ray. He had a big smile across his face like he was saying “you did a good job” without actually saying it. I smiled back at him saying thank you with my eyes.
    He walked over to the table we were sitting at and put his bag down.
    “Are we ready to go?” he asked, looking at me first and then at Pixie. We both nodded at the same time and stood. I reached for Pixie’s hand and we walked back to the living room where we had left our bags. I picked up Pixie’s and handed it to her and then grabbed my own and slung it over my shoulder. Then I turned to Ray and waited for him to lead the way. He put his bag down and walked to each window and made sure the curtains were closed all the way. Then he made us back up against the wall. He walked to the middle of the room and squatted down and pulled up a small square of the carpet to reveal a small door. He pulled out a key from his pocket and unlocked the lock hanging from the doors handle and then replaced to key in his pocket. He opened the door and pushed a button and pulled a switch.
    The floor area in front of him started sinking lower and then split in two and slide away from each other to reveal a staircase. I turned back to Ray and saw that he had replaced the carpet square where the door had been.
    We just stared down into the hole for several moments. Ray had stood up and grabbed his bag before we came out of our shock.
    “Come on,” he said, “It only stays open for three minutes. I stepped forward first, Pixie fallowed me, still gripping my hand. I looked down into the dark staircase, and swallowed hard. I squeezed my sisters hand before stepping on the first step. I slowly proceeded down the stairs, being pulled back a little, when Pixie reached the first step, but then continued downward. As I felt the end of the stairs beneath my feet I stopped and looked back through the hole in the, now, ceiling and saw that Ray had barley gotten down and out of the way before the door started closing again. It was then, I noticed that there was no light down here. I looked up at Ray with concerned eyes he held up his hand, telling me to wait just a minute, just in time before the door closed and it went pitch black.
    I could feel Pixie shivering harder now that we couldn’t see anything. We stood in complete silence for what seemed like days, but then we heard a buzz and a zroom and then lights flickered on on either sides of the room and then down a hall way off the side of the corridor. Pixie stared down the hall while I looked at Ray hoping for a sign of what to do next. He stepped around us and started walking down the hall. He motioned for us to fallow him. I started walking and pulled Pixie along behind me.
    We walked down the hall way for several minutes but I didn’t see any doors or turns or anything. I was starting to wonder if the hallway went on forever when Ray stopped suddenly. He turned towards the wall to our left and pulled out, what looked like, a hotel key card. He carefully placed it between two of the bricks in the wall and then it disappeared. He stepped back and stared at the wall waiting for something to happen.
    Then the bricks shook and some slide upward, forming a doorway. Ray led us through and turned back to the wall. The door closed and the key card came out of the wall in the same place he put it in on the other side. Ray pulled it out and put it back I his pocket. Then he walked down the room a little ways and opened another door. We fallowed him through and I closed the door behind us. Now we were in some kind of elevator. There were buttons on the wall with weird symbols on them and Ray pressed one of them. At least the symbol he pushed looked familiar. It was a star. The elevator jerked and then started moving upward. We went up five floors before getting off. We were now in a big fancy bedroom.
    “Is this your room, Ray?” I asked while looked around in amazement.
    “No…” he said slowly. I looked over at him with questioning eyes. If it wasn’t his room, then who’s was it.
    “It’s yours, Mocha.”

    Chapter 9
    The Truth

    “My room. Your joking, right?” I said with concern and amazement in my voice.
    Ray looked at me for a long moment before shaking his head.
    “This is your room, Mocha. I’m sorry to say so, but it is.”
    “Why. Why do I have a room here when I just met you and why did you need to bring me here, other then to protect me against this, Pi Berry, was it?”
    I asked, feeling my anger rising, because I didn’t know what was going on.
    “Mocha, if I could tell you, I would, but I have order not to, so I can’t. You’ll have to wait a little longer to get your answers.”
    “If you can’t answer me, then who can?” I asked him.
    “I can answer them,” said a voice coming from the other side of the room.
    I looked over and saw an older man had stepped into the room from another door I hadn’t seen when I came in a minute earlier.
    “Don’t be mad at Ray, please. He’s just doing what we asked him to. As for your questions, I can answer them if you fallow me,” the man said while turning to the door and opening it. He stepped out into, what looked like, another hallway and disappeared to the left. I stared after him and then turned to Ray who was now moving towards the door.
    “You want your answers, don’t you?” he said before I could say anything to him. I watched him walk out the door before turning to Pixie.
    “Come on. I’m not letting you out of my sight until I get some answers on who these people are,” I told her while holding out my hand for her to take.
    Usually she would have made some smart remark and then run to her room, but this time she didn’t know what to do, so she took my hand and fallowed me out the door. I closed the door behind us and realized that there was a star on this door as well. I wondered what meant, before heading down the hall to the left.
    We walked down the hall silently. There were doors on either side of the hall, each door had a symbol on it. Some of the symbols were familiar and others weren’t.
    If I had to stay her longer than a day or two, I would make it a point to write the symbols down and learn what they mean. then the older man turned towards a door on the right. I saw that the door had a triangle looking shape on it with a few extra lines added to it.
    The older man opened the door and walked in, fallowed by Ray. I stepped through the doorway and then I froze. Pixie didn’t realize I had stopped and ran into my back.
    “Hey, why’d you stop? Mocha, move.”
    Then she saw what I was looking at.
    “Mom! Dad!” she yelled while pushing me out of the way and running towards them. I stepped all the way into the room, but remained silent. Pixie throw her arms around our moms waist.
    Why were they here? I thought they were working. Had they been here all this time, while I thought they were at work?
    “What are you guys doing here?” I asked them with a frown on my face.
    “Mocha, how are you, honey?” mom answered.
    “I’m wondering why you’re here, mom.”
    “Mocha, come here, please,” answered dad.
    I walked across the room to where they were standing and looked up at dad.
    “Now, I know your confused about why you’re here and why we’re here, but I promise we’ll explain everything in good time.”
    Just then, the door burst open.
    “Is se here yet? Oh, she is here!”
    I looked towards the door to see Kimmy, my best friend, standing there. She ran towards me and through her arms around my neck.
    “I’m so glad your finally here. Congrats on joining the V’s.”
    “The V’s? What’s that?” I asked her.
    “The va….” she started to say before my mom covered her mouth.
    “We haven’t told her yet, Kimmy. She just got here,” my mom told her with serious eyes.
    “Oh, no I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to ruin it. I’ll come back later, after you tell her, ok?” she backed towards the door and waved at me with a smile on her face before closing the door behind her.
    I turned back to my parents, hoping to get the answers I deserved.
    “So, what’s going on?” I asked.
    “Let’s sit down and we’ll explain everything,” dad answered.
    A half an hour later we were all seated around a coffee table with tea and cookies on it.
    I couldn’t help but notice that Pixie and I were the only ones eating them.
    “Okay, now, we know this will be somewhat of a shock to you, but it’s better if we tell you now, before anything happens.”
    I just starred at them, waiting until they continued.
    “Very soon, your body will go though a change and you will become like us.”
    “Like you?” I asked, “I’m already like you.”
    “No, sweetie. Not quite,” mom said.
    “Wait…, what do you mean? Then, what am I?”
    “Your human, right now, but soon you will change.”
    “Into what!” I yelled.
    I hated that they were just repeating the same thing, even though none of it made any sense. What was the big secret and why did it have to involve me.
    “A vampire.”
    I looked to Ray, sitting next to my parents because of his comment.
    “Ray!” barked Elder Rin, the man who had lead us here.
    “No, it’s okay,” said my dad, “I don’t know if we would have been able to say it.”
    Both of them looked back at me, but I wasn’t paying attention to them.
    They had to be joking. Had they all gone crazy? There was no possible way I was going to turn into a vampire. It just wasn’t possible. They had to be playing some sick joke on me and I wasn’t amused.
    “Your joke isn’t funny. Stop acting crazy. Vampires don’t exist,” I said starring strait at my parents.
    They starred back at me, willing for me to understand what they were telling me, but I couldn’t. I wouldn’t. why should I believe the nonsense coming out of their mouths. All I had in my mind now was taking Pixie and returning home. I would not see Ray again and I would make sure Pixie and I were out of the house whenever mom and dad where home. I always thought they were working, but if they had been playing horror games this entire time, then I never wanted to see them again. I would get my own job and move Pixie and me out of the house.
    I stood and grabbed Pixies hand. I stalked towards the door we had came in from. I saw no one else move, but before I knew what had happened, Ray was standing in front of the door. I turned to see Elder Rin standing in front of the other one.
    “We can’t let you leave, Mocha. Not until you understand,” my mom said from her seat.
    “I want nothing else to do with any of you, please let me leave.”
    “We can’t,” said Ray with sad eyes.
    “Mocha, why are we leaving?” Pixie asked.
    I whirled around to see her on the brink of tears.
    “I want to stay with mom and dad,” she yelped.
    I starred at her and then looked at my parents and back at her again.
    “…Fine. We can stay, but that doesn’t mean I believe anything you’re saying,” I said while looking over at my parents.
    “That’s fine. You don’t have to believe, but it’s just going to make changing so much harder for you,” my dad answered.
    The meeting was over. I didn’t feel like talking to anyone. I just wanted this nightmare to be over. It was like a fairy tale gone wrong.
    Pixie went somewhere with our parents and Elder Rin said something about returning to his study. I was left alone with Ray.
    “I’ll take you back to your room, Mocha,” I heard him say.
    I stood there for a moment and then took the few steps to the door. Ray moved out of the way and opened the door. I stepped out and slowly walked down the hall towards the star door. Ray fallowed a few feet behind me. I reached the door and grabbed the door knob and pulled, but it didn’t open.
    “You need a key card to open it,” said Ray from behind me. He pulled out the card he had earlier and slid it into the door. It clicked and swung open.
    “I’ll get you one later. I’m sure your very tired after all that’s happened today, so get some rest and we’ll all see you tomorrow.”
    “Don’t count on it,” I said while stepping into my rood and slamming the door in his face.
    I looked around the unfamiliar room and know I wouldn’t sleep well. Even though I knew I wouldn’t sleep, I laid down on the bed, fully dressed and on top of all the blankets. I looked towards the single window in the room and saw that the sun was starting to rise. I reached over and pulled at the cord that tied up the curtain. It pulled free and the curtain fell. The room was dark but I didn’t care. I started to re-play everything that had happened that night. How had it gone from being the best night of my life to my biggest nightmare. I was out cold before I figured it out.

    Chapter 10
    New Friend

    I woke up hours later, feeling very restless. I hoped everything that happened yesterday was a really bad dream and I was waking up on the day of Ray’s and my date, but as soon as I realized I wasn’t in my own bed, I knew it wasn’t a dream.
    I sat up and looked around the room. It was still very dark, but I didn’t see any lights or light switches, for that matter. I started wondering how people got anything done in the dark, when I saw an old style lantern on one of the tables across the room. I slide off the bed and walked over to it.
    I never learned how to light one and I wasn’t about to start messing with it I didn’t want to break it. I would have to settle with no lamp for now.
    I walked over t the curtain and pulled it back. It was night outside. I wondered how long I’d slept when there was a knock on the door.
    I walked around the bed and stood in front of the door.
    They knocked again.
    “…Who is it?” I called.
    “Dinner time, miss. I brought you some food,” said the person on the other side.
    I didn’t recognize the voice, but I was really hungry, so I opened the door. Standing there was a maid with a cart full of food.
    “Good morning, miss. Or should I say, good evening,” she said while pushing the cart into the room. She closed the door behind her.
    “Miss, why are you sitting in the dark?” she asked with concern.
    “I don’t know how to work the lantern,” I said.
    She looked at the lantern and then back to me.
    “Would you like me to teach you? You shouldn’t be in the dark all the time.”
    “Would you?” I asked.
    “Of course, I will,” she said with a smile.
    I walked over to the lantern and waited for her to show me.
    “Okay, first you check to make sure it has enough oil by looking right here. This one has enough oil, so we don’t need to worry about refilling it. I’ll teach you how to refill it when the oil runs out. Then you turn this key to the left so the oil soaks the wick and then you take a match and light the wick.”
    She pulled matches out of the drawer in the table, lifted the glass cover on the lantern, struck a match, and lit the wick. Then she replaced the glass cover.
    “Just turn the key to the right and put the flame out with this when your ready to sleep again or when you leave the room,” she explained.
    “Thank you, very much. I’m glad you where here t show me,” I told her.
    “Your welcome, miss. Now, you must be very hungry. Would you care to eat now?” she asked.
    Just then my stomach growled. My face turned beet red in a matter of seconds.
    She chuckled and said, “I guess that means yes.”
    She walked back to the cart and started setting another table for one.
    I walked over ad sat down where she was setting out silverware.
    “What would you like?” she asked.
    “…I don’t know… what do you have?” I asked.
    “Well, everyone else had pot roast with mashed potatoes and gravy, and cranberry sauce, thanks to your sister,” she answered with a smile.
    “Yeah, Pixie loves cranberry sauce, and that’s fine. I’ll eat just about anything except pears. I’m allergic to pears,” I said.
    “Okay then. Here you go and I’ll remember not to bring pears in the morning for breakfast,” she said while setting a plate full of food in front of me.
    “Thank you. Your so kind,” I told her.
    “Thank you, miss. Enjoy your meal. I’ll be back in a bit to pick up the plates, but I really must return to the kitchen now,” she said.
    “Okay, I’ll see you later,” I said with a light smile on my face.
    She smiled back before pushing the cart out the door. I started to think how nice she was when I realized I didn’t get her name. I jumped up from my seat, banging my knee on the table, and ran to the door. I through the door open and looked down the hall. She was half way down to the other end already.
    “Wait!” I yelled.
    She stopped and turned around with a curious look on her face.
    “What’s your name!?” I asked.
    “It’s Sarah,” she called back.
    “I’m Mocha,” I said back.
    Then she smiled and said, “I know.”

    Chapter 11
    Surprise

    I spent the next five days in my room. I felt no need to leave. I talked to Sarah when ever she was with me and I ended up going through the two bookcases in my bedroom. I found books that explained what the symbols on the doors meant, but I didn’t find anything about the star.
    The triangle symbol that was adorned on the only other door I had gone through in the mansion meant sitting or meeting room, which explained why we had been there. Most of the other symbols meant something I didn’t understand. The only other symbol that made sense to me was guest room.
    I hadn’t seen Pixie, Ray, or anyone else since I left them in that room five nights ago. I was nowhere near ready to see them again.
    I had also found the fairy tale book I had checked out at the library the day I meet Ray. I ended up throwing it across the room when I found it. I haven’t picked it up yet.
    I can’t believe I had loved those stories. I had loved them because I knew it could never happen in real life and it was a place to take me away from reality. Now, that my reality was a fantasy, there was o point in reading fairy tales. I was already in one.
    It was a little after lunch hour had passed when there was a know on the door. I wasn’t expecting Sarah for another four hours. I got up from my seat and walked to the door. I started to think weather or not I should open the door. Of course, if it was someone of importance they could get into the room with a key card, anyway.
    They knocked again, more rapidly this time.
    I stood starring at the door, not wanting to face this reality. Not yet.
    “Mocha, I know your awake. Sarah told me you don’t go to sleep until after dinner. Open the door, please.” I heard the person say.
    It took me a minute to realize the voice was Ray’s. I hadn’t heard it in what felt like forever.
    “Why don’t you just use your key card?” I asked in a sarcastic tone.
    “Because I respect your wishes to be alone and I don’t want you to have to see me unless you want to,” cam his answer.
    I hesitated. I still wasn’t sure if I trusted anyone anymore.
    “Mocha, please open the door,” came another voice. I recognized it as Kimmy’s.
    I had completely forgotten that she was here. I also forgot that she believe in vampires. Did that mean she thought she was one, too? even though I didn’t trust Ray anymore, I decided I could, at least, hear Kimmy’s story on why she was here.
    I stepped forward and open the door. Kimmy proceeded to tackle me as soon as the door was open. She knocked me back a few feet and I managed to nock some pens and pencils off one of the many tables in the room.
    Ray stepped through the door and bent down to pick them up, as Kimmy continued to hang on me.
    “I was so worried about you, Mocha. It’s not like you to lock yourself in your room like this. You missed five days of school. That’s a first for you too,” Kimmy pouted.
    “School? I thought I wasn’t allowed to leave,” I commented.
    “Well, everyone talked it over and we decided that you still need to attend school even if you don’t believe what we told you. The exceptions are that you need to start attending the special classes that are held at school and that Ray starts school with us. He would have all the same classes as you,” she said with a smile.
    I looked at her and then pointed at Ray.
    “You mean I have to deal with him fallowing me around for eight and a half hours a day?” I asked.
    “Well, it’s only five days a week. It’s not like you have to talk to him or anything. You just have to see his face for eight and a half hours for five days a week,” she answered.
    “That’s great. Just great. No one trusts Mocha anymore, huh,” I answered sarcastically.
    “It’s not that we don’t trust you, Mocha, it’s just for your protection. We already have an escort watching over Pixie at school, as well,” Ray said.
    I went silent after that. I felt my anger rising again. I couldn’t believe that they thought I was so untrustworthy that I needed an escort. Of course, said escort, had to be Ray. I wasn’t even thinking about school since five days ago. It was the last thing in my mind. How was I supposed to continue school when everything had changed.
    “Get out. Get out, now. Out!” I yelled.
    I stormed over to the door and throw it open.
    “Out!” I yelled again.
    Both of them looked shocked. I know I had never acted like this in front of Kimmy before, but Ray hadn’t known me that long, so he shouldn’t have been so shocked.
    Ray was the first to step out the door. Kimmy started to fallow, but I grabbed her hand. I pulled her back and shut the door before Ray could realize what was going on. Then I pushed one of the dressers in front of the door.
    Ray was knocking on the door repeatedly saying, “Mocha, what the hell. Why’d you lock me out?”
    “Go away, Ray. I don’t want to talk to you I just want to talk to Kimmy,” I yelled through the door. I looked back at Kimmy and I could tell that she was happy that I still thought of her as a friend.
    Ray was silent on the other side of the door.
    “…Kimmy…” Ray said.
    “I know. I be there later,” Kimmy called back to Ray. A few moments later I heard footsteps walking away from my door.
    “So, how long have you been living her, Kimmy?” I asked after a minute of silence.
    “…You remember last year when I went a little Goth?” she asked.
    “Yeah, that’s when everyone started avoiding you like the plague, except me,” I answered.
    “That’s when I first moved in here. I didn’t like it in the beginning either. I thought they were crazy, but then I went through the change,” she said with a slightly glazed look in her eye as she remembered.
    “So you believe in what they say? You’re okay with being watched 24/7?” I asked her.
    “I kind of have to, now. You’ll see, later. You haven’t changed, yet. Just, please, tell me we can still be friends,” she said with worried eyes.
    I walked up to her and hugged her.
    “Of course we’re still friends, you idiot,” I said.
    It took her a second to register what I said before hugging me back.
    “Thanks, Mocha. You’re the best,” she said while squeezing me tighter.
    It was a minute before we stopped hugging. We talked for awhile, before Kimmy said she had some errands to run. I pushed the dresser back to where it was, before opening the door and saying good-bye. I waved at her as she walked down the hall, letting her know to come back soon.