Midnight Sun

I have this reoccurring dream.

I'm a little girl sitting with my mom,

and she's singing to me.

I feel the warmth of the sun on my skin

and the comfort of her arms around me.

And I wanna stay there.

Forever.

When I wake up, I miss the dream.

I want so badly for this dream to be real,

but that would be impossible

because my mom died when I was really little.

And I can't go out in the sun.

Like, at all.

I have a rare genetic condition called Xeroderma Pigmentosum,

or XP, which basically means

a severe sensitivity to sunlight.

If the sun hits my skin, I get skin cancer,

my brain starts to fail and I could die.

Pretty fun, right?

So, I spend all my time indoors behind special windows,

hanging out with my dad who is the best dad ever.

Thank goodness, because growing up,

kids were, uh, what you'd expect.

- No way. - Yep, a vampire.

That's why they have special windows.

Don't worry. She can't get us during the day.

But at night, stay far, far away.

But not everyone was afraid of me.

- Hey, Morgan. - What's wrong with her?

She has something called XP.

Basically, the light from the sun, it-it hurts her.

So she can't ever go in the sun.

I can't be in the sun for too long either.

Can she play at night?

- Yeah, but... - See you tonight.

Oh, and I like pizza!

From that point on,

it was me, Morgan and my dad.

Until one day, I saw Charlie.

And that was it.

I was completely, totally, utterly hooked.

Stupid tree.

I saw him every day.

And yet, he had no idea I even existed.

Over time, watching Charlie go by

just became a part of my routine.

Along with constant doctor appointments.

Sleeping during the day and staying up all night,

which, from what I've heard,

is the schedule of most teenagers.

And playing music every chance I get.

All things considered, I've got a pretty great life.

But I still hold onto my dreams.

Stupid tree.

No matter how impossible they may seem.

Jeremy Pierce.

Kendall Porter.

Congratulations.

Peter Rathbard.

- Charles Reed. - Yeah, Charlie!

Congratulations, Charlie.

Katie Price!

What are you wearing?

Oh, cap and gown. Huh?

The faculty and staff always wear one.

- Here you go. - Thank you.

Most importantly, this is for you.

- Hmm. - Mm-hmm.

I assume, as valedictorian, you have a speech prepared. Yes?

Um, yes.

That's me putting on my glasses.

- I like that. Nice touch. - Thank you.

Um, first, I would like to thank my headmaster.

- Well, I mean... - My Spanish teacher.

De nada.

- My English teacher. - It was my pleasure.

But I really wanna state for the record

that my gym teacher had absolutely no idea what he was doing...

What? Oh, you suck. I lift weights.

Hey, this is for you.

This is one of the lamest things I've ever seen.

Yes!

I had to go to three stores to find something this lame.

- I mean, it's horrific. - Yeah! It's the worst.

Yeah.

All right.

Are you ready for your present?

- There's a present involved? - Oh, there's a present, yes!

Of course, there's a present. It's graduation...

This just keeps getting better and better.

This is Mom's.

Look, I know it's kind of old,

so if you want a newer one I totally under...

No, I love it! Thank you. Thank you so much.

You look just like your mother.

Lucky you. She was hot.

Ew.

Try and get some sleep. All right?

I can't believe this is happening.

Ooh.

That's a good one.

Uh, something weird's going on right here.

Hey, Dad, um... I was wondering

if I could go play my new beautiful present

at the train station tonight.

It's 10:00.

Why can't Morgan just come over? You could play here for me.

Morgan's busy with her family.

And, Dad, I love playing for you, I really do,

but I also need to get used to playing

in front of other people too.

Please, please, please.

Fred will be there. He'll watch out for me.

And I graduated today!

Isn't that the American tradition, to extend my curfew?

Okay, I'll extend your curfew one hour.

Which means midnight, okay?

Hey, and text me right when you get there,

or I'm not just gonna call Fred,

I'm actually gonna come down there.

And it will be so embarrassing, it'll become urban legend

- on why kids should stick to their curfew! - I love you.

Oh, boy.

Oh. Hey, don't do that thing.

What thing?

That. I mean, you look all sad and it makes me sad.

Please just chug this beer and come hang out!

Dude, you dodged a bullet, man.

You were gonna be up at the ass crack of dawn every morning

taking tests, nowhere near the beach.

And now, we get to do this... our whole lives.

Hmm, I forgot, doing this our whole lives,

it's way better than a full ride to Berkeley.

Zoe Carmichael. 3:00.

- Charlie... you're in trouble. - What did I do this time?

You didn't get me a drink.

I did not know you were thirsty.

Now you do.

- I'm sorry. - It's okay.

Is that the bad one?

Well, now that you're not swimming,

maybe you'll have a little extra time for me.

I also have some extra time for you.

- And I'm not swimming. - You were never swimming, idiot.

Zoe! Get over here, bitch!

Hold on!

You're coming to my graduation party, right?

Yeah, I think so.

Good.

Yeah!

What... What are you doing?

Dodging another bullet.

Come on, dude. It's our graduation night.

I'm not feeling it, boys.

I'll see you later.

- Thanks. - You're welcome.

Hey, yo, Fred.

I was wondering if I was gonna see you tonight.

What, and disappoint all my fans?

Hey.

Whoa.

I didn't mean to freak you out.

Here.

Uh, me? I'm not freaked out. Don't worry about it.

- Here, I'll help you. - I'm not a freak.

Why are you packing up? Where are you going?

Um, home. I gotta go home.

Home? Wait, you live here?

Wait, you didn't go to Purdue High.

No. It's a very different school.

And I graduated today and my dad's a super big worrier.

So, I really gotta... Oh, God.

- Um... - I have to go.

Wait! Wait! Whoa. What... I'm sorry, why are you...

What's the rush? What...

Um, I have to get home to my cat.

- Your cat. - Yeah, it died.

So, you're not in a rush then, right?

No, no, I am. I have to plan the funeral

for my, um, dead cat that died.

Yeah, it's super dead.

Wait! Wait! Wait!

I didn't even get your name!

You haven't noticed any changes in her? Motor functions still seem strong?

Yeah. Yeah, no loss of intellectual function,

no difficulty swallowing or talking.

Believe me on that.

And no corneal ulcerations.

Really, there's nothing to suggest any neurodegeneration.

Any exposure to sunlight?

No, of course not.

I'm gonna refill her prescription for you this time,

but she really should be coming to these appointments with you.

Yeah, well, you know teenagers.

They get embarrassed by their dads.

- She has XP, Jack. - I know exactly what she has.

It's not gonna fall into remission.

And every year, the risk becomes more serious for her.

So, if she's exposed to even the slightest bit of sunlight...

She won't be.