The Four Stars

-Chapter One-

The saddest part of life is saying goodbye to someone you wish to spend your lifetime with. It's been eight years, and I still can't stop thinking about dad. Eight years of grief, nightmares that last forever, and wondering if it was my fault that he left.

When you think of nightmares you think of scary monsters, ghosts, or being chased. A different nightmare each time you have one. But for me, it's the same one every night since I was eight, ever since my dad packed his things, took most of our money, and left me and my mom to fend for ourselves, leaving us practically dirt poor.

I wake up in the middle of the night screaming. My hot sweaty bed sheets stick to my legs, and my thick tangled hair has plastered itself onto my face. My heart is racing and my breathing is quick and heavy. I slowly get out of bed, and tip-toe out of my room, carefully across the creaky wood floors of our one story house. I slip through the glass sliding door and into the cool night air, running through the dewy grass to my tree house, wearing only a mini blue tank top, and loose shorts. A tree house would seem like something a child would have, but to me, it's my favorite place to be. I swiftly climb up the ladder and crash into one of my beanbags, staring out the window into the starry night sky, wondering if these nightmares would ever end. A gust of cool wind brushes against my bare skin. I shiver, hugging my arms around myself and doze off, thinking of happy things. Until my eyes get heavy and I drift into a heavy sleep.

"North. North!" my mom's voice jolts my awake. At first i'm confused, but then I remembered I fell asleep in the tree house last night.

"North, you're going to be late for work!" I can hear her shouting from inside the house.

"Mom?" I yell tiredly back to her. My mom rushes out the back door and looks around, confused.

"Mom I'm in here," I continued, climbing down the wood steps, my mom looking shocked. She has always been over dramatic.

'North what were you doing up there!?' she asks frantically.

"Long story, but I'm going to be late." I reply, hurrying over to her, kissing her cheek, and rushing into the house.

Everyone has told me that I look like an exact copy of my mom, with my dark brown wavy hair, bright blue-green eyes, and light freckles. But I have to say, our personalities are very different. I have always been the chill, positive, bright and bubbly one, but she is very frantic and is always focusing on the bad stuff in life. (We've got a lot of that.) I sometimes have random outbursts, but otherwise, I am always the one reassuring others, even though, to be honest, my life kinda sucks.

I rapidly pull on a pair of clothes, a blue jean-dress with a white t-shirt underneath, pull my hair into a clip, and brush my teeth. I pull my backpack over one shoulder, quickly grab a muffin, make my morning tea (I prepare tea over coffee), and before I can leave my mom shouts at me,

"Keep your chin up baby, and your back straight." before I bolt out the front door. (However, I end up having to run back inside to grab the keys.) I finally got the old rusty white minivan started, backed out of the driveway, and started off on the bumpy gravel road out of my neighborhood. To be completely honest, my mom and I are just barely getting by with paying rent, and all the other stuff that you have to pay in order to live. In other words, we are poor.

After my usual drive through town, I finally got to Garry's Greenhouse, the place I work, and parked in the parking spot labeled, "Employees Only." I grab my bag and rush inside to quickly water the plants before heading off to school. I seize the watering can from the counter and water the succulents on the display table.

"Hey North, " a voice said from around the corner. It was Garry, the owner of the Greenhouse.

"I'm going to need you to come back here after school and finish watering the plants." He says casually.