~Zayne Beckett~
For the short moment that seemed forever just laying on the grass, I realized I had a better chance at having new friends than I had initially thought. Staring up at the twinkling stars was as calming as listening to music from nature on an open lake. It sailed right into my mind and made me learn something.
Although, it wasn't just an astronomy lesson from Aurora. No, I learned how to make new friends. But maybe I was naive about it and assumed things too quickly. I only progressed in friendship with Aurora, not anyone else really.
As we lay on the grass, I wondered how long all of those stars have been there. Every time I look up at night it's always just a sky of black. There were two or three bright stars up there but those couldn't compare to what I saw that night.
"Because of the lights down here," Aurora began, "we don't see the stars at their full potential. We can only see them shine when there's no light around."
It was as if she read my mind.
"Is that why you were pestering me about my phone light?" I asked.
"Yep." From the corner of my eye, I saw her smile. "The park lights go out late every night, so I come here to do my astronomy homework."
"I dunno, maybe I'll come here to do my homework too," I said. She giggled at my remark, 'making my heart skip a beat. "I remember something about stars being the souls of loved ones watching over them."
"I believe that's true," Aurora stated. I waited for her to continue, but she said nothing else.
My head turned to face her. She gazed up at the night sky with a big smile on her face and the moonlight lighting up her eyes. It was almost as if she had lost someone close to her, or if she had a different kind of connection with the stars.
Had it been the former, I contemplated who she lost to death. I didn't know what it was like to lose someone like that, but I was sure it hurt a lot. But if it was the latter, what kind of connection did she have with the stars? Just from the looks of it, she longed for something from the stars. But what?
"Do you know what are constellations?" she suddenly asked.
I looked back up at the stars again. There were more than before, I was certain. "Stars that make up an outline or pattern of objects?"
"Well, for the dummies version, yes." I smiled at her comment. "Remember that I mentioned The Great Bear today?" She pointed to the sky, but I had no idea where she was pointing. "It's actually the Ursa Major, and its well-known feature is the Big Dipper."
"What does it look like?" I asked, trying harder to find it.
"It resembles a blocky ladle," Aurora explains. "Oh, there is also Orion's belt, which is way over there..."
Aurora continued to talk about constellations, and I had no idea where in the sky they were exactly. Instead, I just listened to Aurora's sweet, calming voice, explaining where and what the constellations looked like. Occasionally, I did try looking for them.
Halfway through her rant about constellations, I turned my head to look at her again, staring and pointing at the sky in excitement. It was cute to see her so passionate about studying the stars. It made me feel like a dick for making fun of astronomy.
She had made me smile at a time I never expected to. I had to make things right between us.
The hours passed by timelessly as the park lights suddenly turned on, blinding Aurora and I for a moment. Our eyes adjusted to the light and we both got on our feet. I checked my phone and the first thing I noticed was the time. I didn't realize it was so late.
Carter also sent me a message, saying "Did you meet Aurora yet?"
He set me up.
Even though I was angry at Carter for pulling that trick on me, I was happy at the outcome anyway, so I spared him. He wouldn't get his ass kicked the next morning.
I pushed my phone back into my pocket and looked at Aurora. "We should go home," I said.
"Yeah, it's getting late." She smiled at me.
As much as I wanted to sleep, I didn't want to leave her. I shot a glance at the telescope. "Do you want help carrying that home?"
"The telescope?" she questioned. "No, I can carry it."
"It looks heavy," I suspected.
"I'm strong," she smiled again, assuring me.
I chewed my bottom lip, wondering what other excuse I could have come up with. "It's dangerous to walk home alone at night, you know."
"I know. I can handle myself."
"Are you sure?"
She smiled charmingly. "I'm sure."
"Alright then..." I shifted my gaze to the grass for a moment, then back at her. "Then, reach home safely, Aurora."
"You as well, Zayne."
My lips turned up slightly before I turned to walk away. I only took a few steps until I was urged to look back. Something made me turn, and I saw her long pink hair acting as a curtain while she packed away her telescope.
She turned to her side stuffing items into a suitcase as her hair fell to her side. Her gentle hands tucked it behind her ear as she focused on the task at hand. For a moment, she paused and smiled to herself.
She was so beautiful.
◇◇◇
"I'm sorry."
That was most definitely not how I expected the day to start. The very next day after Aurora had shown me the stars, I walked up to her and apologized, which surprised everyone, even myself.
"You're sorry?" Aurora asked, confused.
I breathed heavily, trying to keep it even. "Yes, I'm sorry for making fun of... your favourite subject."
Aurora showed me something incredible the night before, and I made fun of it. It kept me up for almost the entire night. It haunted me. It just wouldn't leave my mind. I had only gotten about a few minutes of sleep before my alarm went off. I looked sleep-deprived that morning.
My Mom noticed it and asked me if I wanted to stay home to get more sleep. But, being the stubborn jackass I was, I declined and drank my fifth cup of coffee. I knew I had to apologize to Aurora as soon as possible, just to get better sleep.
So that's how I ended up there. I speed-walked to school early that morning to find Aurora and apologize. It was so unlikely of me, but I hadn't known what had gotten into me. At first, I thought it was Aurora, but what about her makes me act like this?
"It's... it's okay." She gave a weak smile, before handing me an unopened water bottle. "Here," she said. Confused, I cautiously hold onto it. A touch on the bottle sent an odd tingly feeling passing from my fingertips to my entire body.
That same feeling reminded me of the first time Aurora and I had met when she had patched up my wound. I remembered it had healed within hours, and the thought was still somewhere in my memory.
I hadn't realized I was staring at her until she called my name. "Thanks," I nodded. She smiled sweetly and walked away, leaving me to drink the water. How did she know I was thirsty after running to school?
When I drank the water, my eyes felt like popping out glitter as a wave of energy surged throughout my body. My eyelids weren't heavy anymore and I felt myself become stronger and more active. Where did that come from? I thought. Was it the water? But I only took one sip...
My eyes turned in the direction of Aurora, wondering if it had something to do with her again. Of course it's her. Why wouldn't it be? How else would I have been able to feel this odd so often?
Since Aurora appeared out of literally nowhere, I've been acting weird. It's as if I'm being controlled against my will. I didn't like it, but something about her made me so interested in her.
It was not only me but Carter and Nadia as well. Carter doesn't usually invite people to hang out with us, let alone more girls. Nadia has been a bit quieter, but really interested in Aurora as well. Hell, who isn't?
Was it her perfect charm? Her unbearing kindness? How mysterious she was? Was it how remarkably outgoing she was? Was it her incredible beauty? Her sweet voice? Her silky pink hair? Her pretty purple eyes? Was it her undying passion? Her peculiar interests? Her odd habits?
It didn't take long for me to realize that I was mentally listing everything I liked about her. All I did was figure out what made me interested in her.
Looking back at the water bottle, I wondered, what could Aurora have done to it? Did she pour some kind of clear caffeine she discovered into the water? Did she somehow put a voodoo spell on it or something? I was very confused.
◇◇◇
As the hours passed by, I kept thinking about the bottle of water Aurora had given me earlier that morning. I haven't been able to focus properly since I woke up. I almost tripped over my own foot while running to school as proof. But when Aurora had left me in the hallway, I felt like I could've run twenty laps in under three minutes.
Although, I didn't want to test that theory.
I didn't have any classes with Carter before lunch, so that was the time for him to be my test monkey.
For a perfectly good reason, I swear.
I waited at our table, as my foot tapped impatiently on the ground. Every time I even glanced at that water bottle, I got the sparkly chills. The exact same glittering feeling I've had a couple of times before.
Soon, Carter and Nadia arrived at the table. I immediately rose from my seat and shoved the water bottle towards Carter.
"What the-"
"Drink this and tell me what you feel," I said directly.
He stared at me for a moment before I got my serious face on. "Why?" he questioned.
"Just do it, I have to figure out something."
Carter cautiously held onto the bottle and examined it. "Is there Vodka in this bottle?" he asked.
"Hah, I wish," I grinned, then shook my head. "Drink it."
"Alright, alright," Carter finally gave in. He opened the bottle as I stared intensely, waiting for him to react like he had felt something.
"Are you okay, Zayne?" Nadia asks.
"Not until Carter drinks the damn water," I say, not taking my eyes off of the bottle.
Confused, Carter poured some of the water into his mouth and swallowed. He covered the bottle again and handed it back to me.
"...Well?" I asked.
"Well, what?" he added.
I slightly tilted my head. "Did you feel anything? Like sparkles or something?"
"Sparkles? It's just water, dude," Carter says, taking his seat with Nadia. "Calm down."
I sighed and sat down, staring at the bottle. Was it temporary what she did?
"What is it?" Nadia asked.
"Nothing, it's just my eyes playing tricks on me," I answered, running my fingers through my messy hair and moving it from my forehead.
Pretty soon, Aurora had joined us again and continued to talk with Carter and Nadia. I couldn't get my mind off of the strange stuff that has been happening to me since Aurora and I literally ran into each other on the first day of school.
I had to figure out what it was, and it was killing me knowing that I wouldn't be able to catch her alone. No one had experienced that abnormal glittery feeling around Aurora, and even if they did, I doubt they would tell anyone, especially me.
All I knew was that I had to talk to her alone, and it was going to be difficult.