The Brightest Star in a Constellation

17: A Couple of Pencil Lines

☽ Peter ☽

The leaves outside Evan's apartment have started to turn burnt orange, producing spots that blossom through the shades of green. The trees hang over the street, the branches intertwining to cover the parking lot. A sycamore seed spins like a cyclone before it tumbles onto my windshield.

Nicole sits in the passenger seat, kicking her combat boots back and forth. She's dressed like we're about to get trapped on this hiking trip, with her pink sweater zipped to the neck and a scarf thrown over it. I'd already determined that I'm woefully underdressed for this occasion, but given that I worked a shift until two in the morning at the hotel, it wasn't exactly my priority to worry about being in the mode—in fashion.

The door to the apartment complex opens and Evan comes rushing out. Holding a notebook in his hands, he crosses the threshold to Europa and climbs inside, fiddling with the cuff of his flannel. "God, have you been waiting long? I got caught up for a minute there. Sibling stuff."

I exchange a look with Nicole. She smiles at him, and Evan says, "Damn it, you're both only children, aren't you?"

"Guilty as charged," Nicole deadpans.

"Just my luck." He points to the end of the road and says, "Take a right turn. It's really not far from here."

I follow his instructions, even though I already know where we're going. The invitation had a street name, so... "I looked it up," I admit.

Evan chuckles lowly. He scratches under his chin, then rests his elbow on his notebook. "Trying to make sure I don't murder you?"

"It never hurts to be certain," I say. The grey asphalt fuses with the trees as I increase speed, rolling through Evan's subdivision on Nightingale street. It's the other side of town from the hotel, where the water is hidden behind the horizon, a tiny slice of dark blue against an otherwise clouded sky.

Nodding in affirmation, Evan replies, "For all you know, I have a knife in my pocket."

"So do I," I joke.

Nicole scoffs. She angles her head to face Evan and ignores me, as she basically promised would happen. I've determined that Lexa and Evan have one vote, which places me in the rather unfortunate position of breaking the tie. I'm pretty sure Evan knows that just as well as I do, and he's probably also figured out that Nicole Duford can cajole me into practically anything if she tries hard enough (save for murder).

"How old is your sister?" she asks innocently.

"Thirteen," Evan answers, "and she's my half-sister." His smile is uneasy, and it fades as soon as it appears.

Nicole sighs wistfully. "I wish I had a sibling. Then I could be mediocre in peace."

"You have me," I point out.

"That doesn't count. You're a minor annoyance at best," she retorts.

I, for one, am flattered that I'm only a minor annoyance. I wasn't aware it was a sliding scale that could be measured, and frankly, I'm interested to see where Nicole would place herself. "Thank you."

Evan scoffs; I wait for him to comment on it, but it doesn't happen. "The path is there, on your right," he says.

To avoid having to clarify, (sometimes it takes me a moment to discern left and right) Nicole points at a stretch of gravel beside the road. The sunshine blots the sky, tiny circles of light that cut through the clouds. An army of trees stands on my left, breaking only for a trail that juts out in front of me. It's practically unnoticeable against the sea of green, absorbed into the surroundings of the rest of the street.