Stargazer (Write Awards 2013)

Chapter 7 (Write Awards 2013)

Pictures, almost like projections flashed across my eyelids. Some were just snapshots of my everyday life. One was me looking at Carmen as she tried on her mum's new dress without her permission. I remembered her as she tore across the hemline on the waist as she tried to take it off. Another one was when I was young, around four or five. I had just gotten into bed with Storm already sliding in next to me to tell stories about the stars. I felt the warmth of his body pressing against my skin, the smell of the soap he used when he had a shower and the way my body felt instantly alive with the warm feeling of my brother next to me.

Many more flooded across my eyes. I could feel everything I was feeling at the precise second. Time began to rewind even faster. Picture I didn't even remember swept across my eyes. The flash of a gun firing, the smell of gun powder, specks of blood splattering the ground. The sound of a girl whimpering pounded my ears and slowly faded out into nothing but background noise.

Slowly but surely, I regained my senses. First my smell which was odd. I could smell fire and the scent of what might be flowers. Next I could hear the fire, crackling away and after that my taste and feel. A thick coppery taste along with something sweet invaded my tongue and I could feel I was wrapped up in some sort of scratchy blanket.

I groaned, feeling the pain in my arms and neck. Something moved next to me, and a warm pressure was caressing my forehead. I sighed when it moved downwards to the small bridge of my nose and gently rubbed up and down. It felt nice and reassuring.

I slowly opened my eyes, glad to find that the room was actually dimmer than the blinding light from before although it was too dark to make out anything. A black mass was sitting to my left and I could see that it was the source of the gentle caress on my forehead.

When my eyes adjusted to the dim lighting I could see that the person next to me was most likely a boy and from the way the small light reflected of only his face, wearing a long sleeve shirt. He shifted a little, withdrawing his hand. Almost already the spot was turning cold from the loss of his warm touch. The boy continued to stare at me before standing up and walking into the shadows.

A moment later, the lights slowly grew lighter, illuminating the room which was not my own bedroom at home. The walls were a dark brown, almost the colour of dirt. A large TV sat a few feet from my left high on the wall and under it, almost as if it would catch it was an antique looking table with carvings along the side. I couldn't see what was behind me, but from the reflection of the TV I could tell it expanded out into other rooms.

"How are you feeling?" I turned my head back to the boy who had walked back over and was crouched next to the head of the couch I was lying on and I think my mouth dropped. It wasn't a dream. Storm, my older brother was crouching next to me. He most defiantly looked older but he was still the same.

Dark brown curly hair which was cut much shorter then I remembered, high cheekbones which always made him look like someone you could trust and the same dark grey eyes. He was wearing a brown long sleeved shirt and some rough looking pants.

All I could muster out was, "Storm?" The boy blinked a few times as if that wasn't his name then shook his head.

"Are you alright?" he asked again. His voice sounded, less rough. Like he didn't spend his nights crying for his family or days screaming out their names. Maybe he finally was at peace here. I wondered if my voice was the same. Instead I nodded my head, just a small nod. The boy looked relieved, sitting back on the chair.

There was a moment of awkward silence and I spent the entire moment staring at the boy who looked so much like Storm. He ran his hand through his hair a few times and shifted slightly.

"Would you like to explain how you ended up there?" he asked suddenly. He must have gotten bored with the silence.

"There?" I asked hesitantly.