Counting the Stars

Chapter 2 - Beginning of the End

The first light of morning to hit my bedroom walls sent me up and out of bed with the rising sun. The familiar chill of early February hung in the air the moment my feet hit the floor, so as soon as I had climbed out of bed, I was already off to pick out a warm set of clothes for the day. A brief search through the closet propped up on the back wall earned me the decision of a long-sleeved dress the color of honey, which I quickly slipped into in preparation to begin the day.

As I smoothed down my dress after tugging it over my head, it was then that the thought finally occurred to me of how quiet the house was this morning. My brother, Digby, was not always out of bed at this hour of the morning, but my parents were usually up and moving around before I even woke up. I let this wonder linger in the back of my mind to bring myself back across the room to the window, which was set into the same wall that the headboard of my bed was propped up against. I could never fully wake myself up without letting some natural light in first.

Yanking open the white curtains to allow some more light to enter the room, the first sight that I was greeted with was the glare of the morning sunlight reflecting off of a fresh blanket of snow over what used to be frozen grass. Dwindling clouds of a soft gray sprinkled down tiny snowflakes, drifting slowly down to the ground before settling invisibly in the existing coat of snow. It had been a while since the island had been under snow, possibly almost two weeks, and I had thought that had been the final snowfall of the season. Maybe it was a sign of things to come, but whether good or bad, I could not tell.

I tore my gaze away from the elegantly sparkling snow to send a brief glance around my bedroom. It was a rather modest-sized room and wasn't exactly the cleanest that I had seen, either. Dirty clothes lay scattered across the floor along the base of the walls, previously kicked away to the side from a number of nights where I wouldn't bother putting them away before bedtime. Boxes piled up in the corners of my belongings that I didn't quite know where to put, leaving them packed away until I had to dig something out. At the very least, seeing the floorspace that was still open bathed in sunlight lifted the weight of guilt ever so slightly. If I cleaned it right then, I would have been done in less than an hour.

No, that was much too long first thing in the morning. Deciding against the idea as usual, I went to take my leave from the bedroom in search of the reason that made the house so quiet at this point in the day.

I emerged into the dining room to the sound of shuffling paws and pouring liquid, though it was not my mother or father that I found there, but Digby. He was standing at the dark wood table when I entered, setting down a tall pitcher of iced tea that he had just poured into a glass for himself beside an empty glass that could have been for me. As I stepped into the room, he quickly glanced up to look at me and a kind smile rose to his face.

"Good morning," Digby greeted me politely, moving the pitcher closer to my glass to take my serving. Like me, he was already dressed for the day in plain black pants and a white t-shirt. "You look tired."

"I don't feel very tired," I admitted, strolling to stand beside him and reach for the handle of the pitcher.

As I carefully poured myself a glass of iced tea, Digby withdrew a chair from the table and took a seat. I finished my pour without a word, putting the pitcher back down on the table beside a basket of various fruits that showed up on the table every morning, before a thought sneaking through my mind brought my focus back to Digby.

"Where's Mom and Dad?" I asked curiously, lifting my glass to take a long sip. A burst of flavor was brought to life from the single sip, an equal mix of lemon and sweet tea. Nobody could make iced tea better than my parents.

"They're out shoveling the sidewalk," Digby told me, resting his elbows on the table to address me casually. "It snowed today. Did you know?"

"Yeah, I saw it from my window," I replied.