Bones and Stones

It Begins...

The clouds in the night sky made it hard to see the small town sleeping gently under them. Robbie gazed out of the window and into the darkness just to catch a glimpse of what his future home might look like. The cabin was quiet, with only the soft hum of the engines and the occasional rustle of someone shifting in their seat. The only source of light was the dim glow of the instrument panel and the twinkling stars in the distance.

His eyes were fixed on the view outside, taking in the shapes and shadows of the landscape far below. He could see the faint outline of mountains in the distance, their peaks obscured by a layer of clouds. "Where the hell are we?" he said to himself as he searched for any sign of life outside his window.

He had just gotten used to his life in Boston. The loud neighborhood, the horrific weather, the annoying kid next door, and so on. He knew that Boston wasn't perfect and that they didn't have the best life there, but it was home, at least for a year. They had a small apartment that was not so far from their school. They were making friends—actually, Davina and Skye were; he just had Astrid.

But now, here he is, forced to start all over again in a town that looked like a forsaken dead zone, with no armor or backup to protect him.

To make matters worse, the reason behind their sudden move isn't so simple either. With his sister's condition getting more and more difficult, they have to stay hidden or they are bound to get caught. Robbie knows that this time, no slip-ups are allowed.

His left shoulder was monopolized by the one in question, Davina, who seemed to be in a deep slumber and not one bit worried about what was going on around her. She is tightly holding her stuffed blue elephant toy, as if it is the most important thing to her in the entire world. Robbie is amazed at how she takes care of it, even if she's sound asleep. He tries not to move too much so he won't wake her up. But he can barely feel his shoulder anymore. Her pale face, drained by four hours in a closet-sized plane and entirely covered by her long, wavy hazelnut hair, makes him automatically smile, which numbs the shoulder pain for a while.

As the plane soared higher into the sky, the man's view shifted to the stars above. He marveled at their beauty, each one a brilliant point of light against the black canvas of the night sky. He felt a sense of awe and wonder, as if he were witnessing something truly magical. He closes his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath and allowing himself to simply be in the moment and not worry about what is to come. For a brief moment, he feels like he is able to escape, to marvel at the beauty of the world around him, and to find a sense of peace in the darkness.

"We will be landing shortly," said the pilot.