Stargazing

01. // happy birthday

❝HAPPY Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to Aspen...

Happy Birthday to you!❞

Aspen's dark eyes sparkled in subtle delight as she watched her candles burn. Everyone was here: our group, staff members, and even some strangers. It was no surprise because it was Aspen. Aspen was one of the eldest members despite being so young.

Once the birthday song ended, she blew out the thirteen lit candles. We were all happy to see the rare genuine smile plastered across Aspen's face.

Mellow music filled the air as everyone grabbed their share of the cake. The cake was a beautiful triple layered cake with the words, "Happy Thirteenth Birthday Aspen!" written calligraphically across the top portion of the cake.

I approached Aspen who had a small smile on her face. I knew that having everyone in the room overwhelmed her. Members who were circling around her walked away since I stepped in, I was a bit new so they were cautious around me.

"So how does it feel being a teenager?" I asked her.

"I don't know, being thirteen doesn't feel any different from being twelve. Being twelve didn't feel any different from being eleven, and being eleven didn't feel any different from being ten," she replied with a shrug.

I grimaced knowingly; for Aspen, it's been a continuous cycle for nearly three years. Suddenly there was a crash that came from the other side of the room. Spencer tripped over a chair, and Claudia was dragging her out of the room trying not to cause a scene. I turned back at Aspen and saw her staring out the window.

"Do you want to leave?" I asked softly. Aspen nodded wordlessly and walked away.

We walked to the empty cafeteria since us residents weren't allowed to leave the building without consulting the administrator. The lights automatically flickered on as we set foot into the room, and walked to the closest round table. Aspen fiddled with her thumbs for a few minutes as I gazed outside. The silence was comforting, nothing needed to be said.

"Thank you."

I snapped my head back at her. "What are you thanking me for? You can thank Spenc for the cake, ya know I can't bake to save my life. Also, Claudia did round everyone up," I replied confused.

She smiled again. It wasn't a grin, nor was it a fake smile; it was a small one. Sometimes the little things are reassuring. Whenever Aspen smiled, she was radiant. One smile changed everyone's mood. If Aspen was happy, anyone can be happy.

"No, thank you for being my friend. Thank you for being there for me whenever I needed it. Whether it was morning or night, you were always there," she exclaimed, looking down.

I gave her my own smile. "Always Aspen. You deserve much more than you've gotten."

I didn't know her at the time, but I wished I did. From what I've heard, she was a beautiful bright little girl with a big future ahead of her. She used to emanate all of herself into everyone till "they were soaked up with sunshine". Many people pitied her, some adored her, and others ignored her. They were all ignorant, some asked why a girl her age would reside in Willow Wood all by herself. Older residents would reply with some ludicrous story maybe starting with, "It was a stormy dark night..." or, "Once upon a time..." or some ridiculous shit. They had no right. They didn't know anything.

"I just don't understand how you would be so open to a person like me."

She was only a ten-year-old girl getting off the bus from school. Like always, she waved at Bill, her bus driver who always gave her candy before he drove off to the next stop just five houses down. She chasséd, skipped, and ran home with a bright smile. She always came home to her mother looking out the window, waiting for another story about what had happened at school. Her father was always at work during that time of day.

On that bright day, her mother wasn't looking out the window. She wasn't attentive on this and decided to go inside without giggling at her mother through the window. She was ten already, she was a big girl. "Mommy doesn't need to watch over me anymore."

When she opened the front door, she realized her mistake. There were screams, cries, profanities in the air, and other things that just didn't seem to make sense in little Aspen's mind. Curiosity killed the cat; Aspen walked slowly towards the ruckus. She froze when she saw her mother sobbing her eyes out, as her father was held at gunpoint. The man holding the gun was a burly old man, screaming at Aspen's mother. Although Aspen was a small girl, she managed to come clear in the stranger's peripheral vision. "I want her."

She froze up, confused as to why the stranger wanted her. All she knew was that she was scared for her, her mother, and especially her father's life. Her train of thoughts was broken as she heard her mother screaming at her to run. She was no longer paralyzed by fear and started running as if her life depended on her. As she left the front lawn, tears running down her face, she heard a couple of gunshots.

"We're all human Aspen. You're not any different. Can't you see? We're the same. We might be facing different issues, but we're all the same. We're all a little broken inside."

There was no brighter side for Aspen after those gunshots. She heard sirens nearby, but she didn't get there in time. The man who had murdered her parents not even five minutes ago had her caged in his arms. His getaway car pulled up, and he shoved her in the back, gun pointed directly at her head.

"Aspen?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you still get nightmares?"

The cops found them that night, but it was too late.

"Yes."

I stared at her while she gazed at the dark corridor. I knew she was reliving the moment.

Everyone has a side to the story. Some might be exaggerated, some might be vague, others might lie, and others might just tell the plain truth.

"Olive?" Aspen called out moments later.

And after nearly three whole years of residing in Willow Wood, not one single person bothered to ask Aspen about her side of the story.

"Yes?" I asked after I broke out of my daze.

"Do you still get nightmares?"

I closed my eyes and sighed, "Every night Aspen, always."

I opened my eyes again because it hurt. It hurt because every time I closed my eyes, I saw the same boy gazing upon the stars.

+++

July 25, 2017

Hey guys, I hope you liked this chapter.

Also wanted to let you know that this will be completely different from TSOM, but you may see some very similar scenes (if you even remember any of them lol).

Don't forget to comment, vote, and share!

xoxo, Stella