Page 85 of Midnight Whispers

She won’t admit it, but they take a lot out of her. She almost always naps after.

I’m running out of things to keep her entertained around the manor, so today I decided to pull out some old home movies for us to watch in the theater room. I figure she might get a kick out of seeing my brothers and me when we were younger.

I don’t have to worry about dredging up the past because my dad isn’t in these movies. These are the ones my mom filmed with just us boys. It’s been over a decade since I’ve looked at them, so I’m not entirely sure how I’ll feel viewing them.

The last time I watched them, they made me feel sad for all I’d lost. But I have so much to look forward to in my life now that I have a different perspective. I’ll always miss my mom and wish I could have gotten to know her better, but I feel confident that she’d be happy with where my life is today.

I’ve just cued up the first movie, and I take a seat beside Cinder.

“This was a great idea.” She grins. “I can’t wait to see what you all looked like when you were little. Was Sid as moody then as he is now? Was Asher always the leader?”

I chuckle. “I guess neither of them has changed that much.”

“And what about you?” She takes the bag of M&M’s she brought in and dumps them into the bowl of popcorn in her lap.

I cringe. “I don’t know how you eat that.”

She playfully rolls her eyes. “I told you, don’t knock it until you try it. You’d be surprised how yummy it is.” Cinder holds the bowl out to me, and I hold up my hand, shaking my head.

“I’m good.”

She shrugs and turns her attention to the screen. “Okay, let’s get started.”

I hit Play on the remote.

“Is that the pond we walked by?” Cinder asks.

“That’s the one.” I chuckle when Kol pops on the screen. I’d guess he’s about eight or nine. “That’s Kol.”

He races down the dock and jumps, pulling his knees to his chest and shouting “Cannonball!”

Female laughter from behind the camera fills the theater. My mom’s laugh. I’d forgotten what a good laugh she had. Over the years, it’s faded from memory, but hearing it now, it’s all too familiar, and my chest is hit with a pang of nostalgia.

Next Asher comes on screen and does a perfect dive off the end of the dock.

“Let me guess, that was Asher?” Cinder says.

I turn to look at her. “How’d you know?”

She shrugs. “I’m not sure actually. Just seems like such an Asher thing to do.”

We both laugh and look back at the screen.

Oh god. I forgot about this.

Sid is pulling me down the dock by the arm, and five-year-old me is trying my best not to go with him. I was terrified to jump in, even with a life jacket on.

Cinder’s hands fly up to her face. “Oh my gosh! Is that little guy you?”

“Yup. I wasn’t a strong swimmer, and I remember how scared I was. I’d never jumped in before.”

“C’mon, Nero. Don’t be a baby,” Sid says in the video.

Asher and Kol are treading water, trying to encourage me to jump. But I’m not having it. I’m doing my best to stop Sid from dragging me to the edge, but he was bigger and older than me, so I didn’t stand much of a chance.

“Obsidian, leave him alone if he doesn’t want to go in,” my mom says.

The sound of her voice pushes the air from my lungs. It’s been so long since I’ve heard it. But rather than feel sorrowful, I’m glad I still have the opportunity to revisit it when I want. I won’t wait so long to pull these tapes out again.

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