Deadly Hallows [Complete]

Chapter 14: War and Peace

The air conditioning in my house was on so high that even tucked under my comforter I could feel it. I brought my legs up to my chest, and hugged the covers tighter to my body, but it was to no avail. I was still shivering. It had been hours now since the last light had gone off in my house. I had been the first one to retreat up to my room to get ready for bed. I heard John's bedroom door close not long after. Surprisingly, he had been home when I arrived, and we had spoken to each other for the first time in a few days. It seemed like he was no longer present in my family. I knew that he was counting down the days until he could leave town and go to college. Once he left, he would only come back to visit us. If he ever did. He wouldn't ever live in Shady Hallows again if it were up to him. The thought saddened me. John and I weren't close, but I didn't want him to leave, and only come visit on holidays.

Not long after John had come up for bed, I went to shower and then changed into pajamas that I usually wear in the winter; sweat pants and a long sleeve t-shirt. I was so tired that I did not even bother finishing up the last few questions of my math homework. Instead, I had climbed straight into bed. I had a long day, full of sleuthing, Mason, and his family. They were nice, and welcoming. Throughout dinner his mom had watched me like a hawk. Whenever I made eye contact with her she would look down at her plate and pretend like I hadn't caught her staring. I was sure that her interest in me had something to do with my aforementioned resemblance to her daughter. If I were her, I would stare too. Dinner was nice, and as soon as we had finished Mason and I had hurried back to the basement under the pretenses of our project.

We had continued going through passages in Sophie's electronic diary for another hour or two. Some stuff stuck out in comparison to the teenage drama that most girls her age went through. There was even a passage where Sophie had written about her thoughts on how good of a kisser Cole would be if she had the chance to kiss him. Mason had gagged, and made his distaste obvious. My heart had ached for her, wondering if she had ever gotten to have that kiss. I also couldn't ignore the thoughts that came to mind about Cole possibly being Sophie's killer. I had known Cole for a long time, and he and the other members of the Fletcher family were good people. I couldn't imagine him killing her. Especially not considering the only conflict Sophie had written about that had happened between the two was the party mishap. I didn't think that it was Cole, but other than him, Sophie's family, her old friends, and me, there was no one else that she mentioned.

Not long after I had laid down, my mom had come to check on me. She was surprised that I had excused myself for bed so much earlier than usual. When she came in, she kissed me on the forehead, tucked me in tighter, and told me she loved me and wished me sweet dreams. It felt like I had been transported back in time to when I was seven. Despite her wish of sweet dreams, I had been laying awake in bed ever since, unable to sleep. My mind was restless.

Thoughts of Sophie and Mason swirled around in my head. I had read so much of Sophie's diary that some of the thoughts that came to mind were hers, not mine. I was having trouble deciphering which thoughts belonged to me and which belonged to her in my sleepy state of mind. Too tired to be awake, but too cold to actually get to sleep. I hugged myself tighter, hoping that the fetal position would warm me up eventually. My thoughts drifted to Mason. I wondered if he was up, lost in thoughts about his sister. It would probably be hard to sleep, knowing that the room next to you is now empty of the person who you grew up with.

I couldn't prevent my thoughts from venturing back to the entry in Sophie's digital diary. Mason thought I was pretty. I couldn't stop the smile from stretching over my lips again. I wished that he would tell me. Maybe then we could talk about something other than a possible murderer. I'd like to talk about something that made the butterflies flutter in my stomach, and maybe experience a different butterfly effect when he leaned in to try and kiss me.