TO THE MOON & TO SATURN | shawmila

epilogue.

It was only May, but it was burning up outside on the metal bleachers. Camila slipped her sunglasses on and fanned herself with the paper program. She could already feel sweat trickling down the back of her neck.

"Mommy, I'm thirsty."

Camila reached into her bag and handed her daughter one of the juices she brought. She kept poking Camila's arm.

"I can't see anything."

"There's nothing to see yet, baby. It hasn't started yet."

"Come here, kid." Shawn picked her up and put her on his shoulders. "Is that better?"

Just as Shawn spoke, the music started. Pomp and Circumstance was nostalgic, but it never made Camila feel like she was going to cry until right now.

Camila stood up, as did almost everyone else, and scanned the football field down below as the line of graduating high school students filmed out in their black robes.

"There they are!" Camila pointed.

"I can't see—Olivia! Get your hands off my eyes!" Shawn pulled their daughter's hands off his eyes and looked to where Camila was pointing.

"Olivia, wave to your brother and sister!"

Seth was easiest to spot, being nearly as tall as Shawn. They could see Luna right in front of him. They were both waving back at Olivia. Seth leaned down and whispered something to Luna who laughed, quickly covering her mouth and looking away.

"Do you think they're laughing at me?" Shawn asked.

"You know they are."

Seth and Luna were still best friends, even after all this time. Even after over ten years of being siblings and getting on each other's nerves, they still loved each other.

The last decade had been so eventful and Camila had millions of pictures of those memories.

Elementary school was easy for the kids. Luna caught up to where she should have been after first grade and was even offered by the school to skip ahead into third grade, but she declined, saying she wanted to stay with Seth.

The kids were so happy, playing together every night and doing homework together. Seth even still occasionally slept in Luna's bed.

Middle school was a different story.

Despite Shawn's worries about Seth's teeth, it was Luna who ended up needing braces. That, combined with her needing glasses too, made for a very interesting time in seventh grade.

Camila still remembered the day she got her braces. They came home from the orthodontist and Luna gave them all a nervous smile.

"Hey metal mouth!" Seth laughed.

Luna immediately began crying and ran upstairs.

"I was just kidding—"

"Don't ever call her that again!" Shawn snapped. "I never wanna hear those words! It's not funny!"

Seth was grounded as Luna spent the rest of the night in her room, sobbing that she could never go to school again.

Shawn went to talk to her and Camila gave them some privacy. Glasses were one thing, but Camila didn't understand the perils of braces like Shawn did.

"I was just kidding." Seth said. "I didn't mean to make her cry."

"I know, but it still wasn't nice." Camila sighed. "Just leave her alone for now. She's at a difficult age."

Luna didn't let Camila hang her school picture on the wall that year. She said she never wanted to remember anything about being thirteen.

Camila respected that, but she still hid Luna's adorable picture—with her frizzy braids, glasses, and braces, in a box in the closet.