Wish Apon A Star

Nicole - More Than Okay

The lamps were lit when we got to Leo's mom's house, a two-day journey from the inn, when we went slowly. They made the snow around them glow, lighting up any flakes that came drifting past. There were lights in people's windows, too, everything a warm golden colour. For a moment, I was jealous. Leo got this–he got to return home to this, he wrote letters that ended up here. I got someone who hated me and, most of the time, wished I were dead.

I smashed down those thoughts. I was being selfish. I had enough.

Leo slipped his arm over my shoulders, like he could tell my thoughts were spiraling. Maybe he could–and that meant I needed to stop. I didn't want people to know, especially Leo's mom. She didn't need to think her son had brought someone crazy with him. She would hate me when she really got to know me, but she could at least think I was normal for a little while. By the time she found anything else out, maybe Leo would have already left me. That would be best.

"Where are you?" Leo asked me. "Come back."

I blinked. "Nowhere." I dug the toe of my boot into the snow, marring the perfect sheet of white. Damaged. It was fitting. I shook my head, and my hood came off, soft white flakes landing on my hair. I looked up, letting the cold land on my bare face, not moving even when they stung. I wondered if it was possible to get up to the roof. I probably could, but scaling a building most likely wasn't the best thing to do. Maybe if there was some sort of stairwell...

I was deathly terrified of falling, yet I wanted to be up high. How could I dream of falling every night, and then immediately want to get up as high as possible? It was an escape, and it was terrifying and exhilarating all at once.

Leo laced his fingers into mine. "It's cold out. We should go inside. Also, my mom'll probably start to wonder. I told her to expect us by tonight, which means she's cooked way too much, most likely. And if we stand out here too long, Clara will notice and, well...she's a lot. Fair warning."

I smiled faintly. "Sorry. Just thinking."

"I know. You don't have to be sorry." His dimples appeared, and his eyes lit up the way they always did when he smiled. I wanted him to keep smiling at me, which was stupid.

As soon as Leo knocked on the front door of his mom's apartment, I heard squealing. Five seconds later, the door was thrown open and someone half-tackled me in a hug, her blonde hair flying. Leo laughed, putting his hand on my lower back to steady me. "Clara. Calm down. Most people don't like to be tackled as a greeting."

She stepped back, grinning, before immediately crushing her brother. She had the same dimples, I noticed, and eyes. But her hair was long and golden, running most of the way down her back. "Maybe they do. I would! I think we should change that." She skipped backwards. "Clara for queen! I think I'd be pretty great."

She reminded me of young Annabelle. In fact, this was almost exactly what Annabelle had been like at fourteen.

"Leo?" A women peeked her head out of the kitchen, her brown hair falling over her shoulder. "Oh! And Nicole. You made it, then." Her smile was like Leo's–and I instantly wanted her approval. "I hope you're hungry. I cooked a bit too much, I think."

"No surprise there," Leo said. He looked at me and grinned. "Clara, why don't you show Nicole your room? If you're okay with that, Nicole." I nodded, and he turned to his mom. "Can I talk to you for a second? In the kitchen?"

Clara dragged me off to her room, which was just off the living room. The first thing I noticed was that it was very pink. Various shades covered her whole room, except for her bedframe and dresser, which were white. The second thing I noticed was the mural on the wall. It was of a park in the spring, and I could see a million tiny details in it.