Sleep.
One of my difficult tasks to perform as a human.
In the day, when light is present, life is bound to be active.
With the rising of the sun, plants are the first to wake up.
Creatures all around come alive, and rest takes over their bodies at night.
Yet, I refused this sequence of events.
As someone who preferred solitude, the night was my freedom.
Not sure when it started, but now I have it.
Insomnia.
At times, I can force myself to sleep, but not this night. Not when I was in a new place, especially when there was so much to think about.
It was now midnight, and all I'd been doing was staring at the darkness behind my eyelids, while lost in thought.
"I need to breathe."
Outside, the sky had no moon, and the air was cold.
The whole place was quiet, save for the insects of the night.
"Do you have insomnia, or do you also like the night?"
I quickly jumped back as a chill crept all over my skin.
When did she get here? I wondered, surprised at how I didn't even feel her presence.
"So which is it?" Insomnia, or Nyctophilia?" She asked again.
I was too stunned to speak, and the only thought that crossed my mind as I subconsciously felt my neck was that she could easily kill me.
I swallowed, trying to be calm, but couldn't.
Taking a step, she grabbed my hand. The chill in my body was strong, but her hand felt colder.
She let go as quickly as she grabbed it.
"You're not stressed, so it's not insomnia," she muttered.
It was then that I finally calmed down and straightened. "No, I don't have insomnia." But I wasn't sure if I did or not.
I rubbed my hand, shere she held, warmth starting to return to my body.
"I can't sleep because it's my nature to love the night. That's how I was born."
How you were born?
She walked ahead of me, stepping lightly across the floor soundlessly, and as I followed in silence, I noticed.
She's barefoot.
A stronger breeze blew, howling gently as it rustled the hedges around us.
I raised my hand to block a few leaves that flew into my face.
Earlier, I didn't pay attention, but now I could see how light her dress was, and as it clung to her tightly, I saw she wore nothing underneath.
I felt discomfort, not understanding she'd be so revealing around me, a stranger.
She spun around, knowing I could see everything, yet she couldn't care less.
Maybe if I were to be replaced by another person, they might have been flustered or even excited. And if Lily were another girl, there would have been a different reaction.
But we were us, and this was the reaction we had to such a situation.
We locked eyes for a moment, and I saw what I believed to be a faint smile, just a tiny curve at the corner of her lips.
"I don't have a reason to doubt you," she told me then, but I couldn't relate it to anything.
Doubt me? I hadn't said anything.
I hesitated a moment before adding. "You don't have a reason to trust me either."
"Maybe," she turned around and continued. her quiet walk.
This was the first time I was with someone during my night walks, and I wasn't sure if it felt comfortable or disturbing. But in the end, it was an intriguing experience.
A few minutes later, the insects had all gone quiet, and above, I could see the faint outlines of birds.
Nocturnal birds.
Bats.
They flew over our heads in large numbers, when suddenly, one broke off from the group and plummeted down.
It screamed at me, maybe her, or us.
When it was close, it slowed down, and Lily plucked it like a fruit.
She rubbed it gently, a truly strange sight.
"Some creatures are nocturnal, just like us."
I didn't like the word she used to describe us. Creatures.
And I should have guessed that she wasn't referring to us, but to herself, something I would learn in a few minutes.
Once again, I thought I saw a smile, but in the same way, I could have been mistaken.
She threw it up, muttering something to it, then continued to walk as if nothing had happened.
I could imagine that almost every girl would scream and run away if a hairy bat came close to them. Even my mother, yet Lily, decided to pet it like nothing was wrong.
We reached a lamp, and that was when I noticed something I wasn't supposed to.
I wouldn't have, and I shouldn't have, yet circumstances couldn't always be controlled.
An odd flash appeared in my vision. It was nothing special, just a stone in the ground that reflected the light into my eyes.
It was an irritating flash, and Lily seemed to notice it as well.
She crouched and picked it up, and in that moment, my eyes widened.
"No..."
I looked at the floor beneath my feet, and my guess was right.
I looked back at the ground beneath Lily, hoping I didn't see right the first time, but...
Fear.
This fear was a different kind of fear, and I couldn't move.
It was just like that night when I saw that creature. The hair on my skin rose slowly, crawling like a million ants tapping on my skin to wake me up.
It slithered into my spine, spreading through my whole being.
I could hear my heart beating rapidly, and felt my pulse in every blood vessel in my body.
Run.
But I couldn't
I was afraid, but didn't feel my life was in danger. I felt this fear because I was staring at the unknown.
She turned around, seeing the expression on my face.
She followed my gaze, then looked down.
"The shadow?" Her voice softened slightly. Maybe she frowned, and maybe she smiled, but I didn't know.
I couldn't say anything.
Her lips parted, and she hesitated, looking clearly into my eyes before saying. "I don't have one. I'm not alive."
Terror.