Midnight Dream – Chapter 5
Time passed.
Not enough to forget, but enough to become someone else.
I locked myself away from the world for months. I dropped out of school. You already know how that went with Mama. She told me I needed to leave or find a job. I couldn't stay in her house and be a bum. I needed to find somewhere else to go with all of that.
Depression consumed me like cancer, and anxiety... she was right there with it, ready to finish what depression started.
I decided to work full time at a warehouse twenty minutes away from the house on my bike, fifteen if I was driving. I worked hard because I had a plan.
To save.
To leave.
To escape Mama's prison.
I worked overtime, twelve hours a day, six days a week, making seventeen dollars an hour. Every dollar I made, I hid. I buried it where no one, and I mean no one, could find it.
I gave myself a goal.
A time.
A way out.
And one day, that time finally came.
I packed everything the night before. I waited for Mama to go about her daily routine. As soon as I heard the door close, I gave it a few minutes to make sure she was gone.
Then I left.
No goodbye.
No warning.
Just gone.
I had already secured a one-bedroom studio. I did what I had to do to get it, and I didn't waste any time getting out of there.
I left and never went back.
I found a new job. Sent myself to a technical college. Studied cybersecurity.
I built myself.
Without a man.
Without a mother.
Now I look at myself today, in a house I built from scratch, in the mountains, far away from the life that once defined me.
Making more than I ever did at that warehouse.
And I'm proud of myself.
I took time to find myself.
And to find God.
He made a way for me when I couldn't see one. He said to forgive, because forgiveness isn't for them, it's for you.
I'm trying.
But it's not easy.
Especially knowing there are things in life you can never get back.
After all that, after leaving without saying a word, my past still found me.
It was an all black charity event.
I have an organization where I give back to people who are less fortunate. My job found out about it and asked if I wanted to partner with them on their charity board.
I couldn't say no.
Every year, they host a big event out of state. Millionaires, billionaires, you name it, they're there.
And this year, I was one of them.
I wore a black dress. Modest. Not too revealing. Just enough to feel grown and comfortable.
It's the only time I let that side of me show.
My boss, Mr. Angel, called me over to speak with investors. We talked about expanding the charity and helping more people.
I tapped him on the shoulder.
"I'm going to grab something to drink. Do you want anything?"
"Yes," he said. "Get me a glass of Medior."
Of course.
On my way back, I heard laughter.
I reached out to tap his shoulder, and then I saw them.
My sister.
And her husband.
The glass slipped from my hand.
We locked eyes.
Her mouth dropped open.
"I thought you were dead!"
"Midnight Dream, get yourself together," Mr. Angel said. "What's going on?"
"I'm sorry, sir. That's my sister, Moonlight, and her husband, Hidden Secrets."
"You have a sister?" he said. "You've never mentioned your family."
"I'm very private," I said.
"You can say that again," he laughed.
"May I be excused?"
"Of course. Take your time."
I walked away, trying to steady myself.
Get it together. You're in control now.
My sister came rushing over.
"Oh my God, Midnight Dream, is that really you? I can't believe it. We thought you were dead. You left Mama without even saying goodbye. Is that what I meant to you? What happened to you? You're not the same. It's like you're a puzzle I can't figure out anymore. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you. I can't take it back, but I want us to start over. Something new. Something real. We can be each other's light again."
I looked at her.
Growing up, my sister had everything.
The best clothes. The best shoes. The best life.
And I was always on the sidelines, waiting for my turn to shine like her... but it never came.
Living with her husband always looked like the perfect life.
He was kind at first, charming even... but behind closed doors, he was different.
Cold. Distant.
He cheated on her once with her best friend.
And she still forgave him.
She chose to stay.
She has two beautiful children now, Star and Galaxy, and she loves them deeply.
For them... she makes it work.
Just like Mama did.
"You never cared, Moonlight," I said. "I was drowning, and you watched me drown. You didn't even try to help."
"I didn't know how," she said.
"You could have called someone. You could have done something."
Tears filled her eyes.
"You were never there for me. You stood there and watched Mama treat me like garbage while you got to be the princess. Where were you, Moonlight? I thought you were supposed to be my light in the dark. I needed you. I needed my big sister. And you failed me. Just like Mama."
She broke down.
"I'm sorry," she said.
"I'm not here to relive the past," I said. "I'm at peace, for God's sake."
Even though I wasn't.
"Let's exchange numbers," she said. "I don't want to lose you again."
"Okay," I said.
I didn't have the energy to fight anymore.
"Don't tell Mama you saw me."
"If that's what you want, I won't."
"Thank you."
We went our separate ways.
Weeks later, my phone rang.
Unknown number.
"Hello?"
A laugh.
"Oh, she speaks. I thought you washed up at the bottom of the ocean."
My stomach dropped.
"What do you want, Mama?"
"Nothing I don't already have," she said. "Your sister told me about your little appearance at that charity. I see you're still an attention seeker."
"Since you don't have anything important to say, goodbye. Have a blessed day."
I hung up.
And saved her contact as Monster.
I sat back on my couch, staring into nothing.
Trying to quiet my mind.
But it never rests.
I built a life where nothing could reach me.
Or at least, that's what I thought.
Because on my twenty-first birthday,
everything changed again.