"You are the worst boy, Theodore Laurence."
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For centuries, humankind has used the stars. Whether it be for navigating across unfamiliar oceans, for preserving myths and legends of great heroes who were bestowed a spot in the heavens by the gods...
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THE COLD SILENCE that had fallen over the March house had taken all of the liveliness and happiness from those inside it. Even the fire that roared in the parlor couldn't unsettle the chill Charlotte felt as she sat at the dining table the next morning.
Meg pricked her finger many times over as she tried to stitch a pattern into a sock, her mind elsewhere when she thrust the needle into the fabric and hissed as her finger bled. She had stayed up with Jo all night, comforting her sister as her heart split in her chest, and the weary expression that hung over her features was foreign and dark on her beautiful face.
Beth silently spoon fed her porcelain doll porridge from her bowl, frowning and shifting uncomfortably as the sound of the spoon tapping the bowl sent shockwaves through the room. She didn't like this deadly silence that had washed over them. It rattled her, and she prayed they would soon go back to being happy and affectionate again.
Beside Beth, Charlotte propped her elbow on the table and leaned her head against her hand. Her eyes blinked sluggishly as she forced her mouth to bite into the slice of toast and chew. Her sleep had been plagued with nightmares and restless dreams, and upon waking her head split with the most terrible of headaches.
But Jo had the worst of it. Dark circles plagued Jo's red and puffy eyes and she bit into a piece of toast bitterly. She had been silent the entire morning, refusing to utter a word to anyone as she sagged in her chair. Even Beth's quiet hello and good morning kiss had done nothing to remove the cold fury in her heart. Now, Jo glowered at a spot on the wall, her anger radiating off of her in thick waves.
As little footsteps echoed off the stairs, Jo's glower got darker. Amy hopped down the last step into the dining room with a warm smile, despite the bitterness and resentment hanging in the air.
She slowly pulled the seat next to Jo out and sat down cautiously, keeping her eyes on Jo as she clenched her jaw. As soon as Amy sat, Jo sprung from her seat and let it fall back on the floor, before taking the empty one next to Meg.
Amy scoffed in disbelief, looking to her sisters and Charlotte for support. But their eyes fell to their laps or to spots on the walls, ignoring the pleading looks Amy sent them.
Before another word could be said, the side door was thrown open and Laurie burst inside jollily.
He held up his ice skates and grinned. "Good morning ladies— Jesus, Lottie. What happened to your eye?" Laurie froze in the doorway, his merry expression morphing into one of alarm as he strode over to her and placed his hands on both sides of her face. He turned her head slightly to the side and leaned in, inspecting the injury that marked her face closely.
The scuffle between Jo and Amy had left a deep purple ring around Charlotte's eye, and turned the white of her eye a terrifying blood red. She hissed quietly as a dull throb rocketed through her head when Laurie's thumb brushed over the bruise.
