Grey and Gold Eyes

Nine: Katy

"You didn't have to," Lucas says. "I've been going here every night for three years."

His last words echo in my mind. I'm not the only one who knows about this place, I realize. I whip my head around at him. He's looking out at the sky, at the countless stars that now can be seen. "You... knew about this place? How?" I say. I notice that my voice is shaky, as if I'm about to cry. I don't know why but I don't like it that this place isn't mine.

Lucas looks at me calmly. If he noticed my voice he doesn't let it show. He takes a deep breath. I have a feeling that I'm about to listen to a very long talk.

He tells me about how when his family first moved here he hated this place. His mom had made him and his sister Maya move here without telling them beforehand. One day she just announced that they had to pack their bags and move. He and Maya had no choice in the matter.

I can tell that he wasn't exactly on good terms with his mom by the way he talked about her. I briefly wonder why there hasn't been any mention of his father but am pulled out of this thought as he continues his story.

He had gotten mad at his mom and refused to move. He already had so many friends at his school that he had attended since he was a kid. He didn't pack his bags, unlike Maya who, even though she loathed moving as well, packed up obediently.

He stayed stubbornly in his room for as long as he could before his mom took matters into her own hands and packed his bags for him. He did nothing as she entered and exited his room silently until everything was ready to go. Except him.

Apparently his mom knew it was hopeless to argue with him and just told him that they were going. Lucas watched their car pull away from the driveway from his bedroom window, still bent on staying at home. At this I let out a small gasp. I can't believe that his mom would just leave him like that.

He only lasted twenty-four hours by himself. He realized that his mom had gotten all the cash from the house and that he had just about enough money to buy one measly cup of noodles. Still he didn't make a move to contact his mother.

Maya came by the house that morning. She quietly told him to come with her to the new house and it wasn't all that bad. Maya, being Maya, was able to convince him to go, and one hour later, they were standing in front of his new house. I comment that I don't know how Maya is and Lucas sent me a glare and shut me up.

Lucas had been pulled into the house by Maya, but he avoided their mother by all costs. By dinnertime he was running out of excuses about why he kept moving to the next room when his mom was around. He ran away that night.

He didn't get that far. All he got to was this pond where we are now, and this has been his place to escape to ever since. Looking at him in the moonlight, I wonder if it's tears I see in his eyes. He quickly blinks them away and faces me again.

"So, after that sob story, how did you wind up here?" he asks, clearly desperate to change the topic.

I roll my eyes. "It wasn't that much of a sob story. I mean, no one died or anything."

He freezes and I know that I said the wrong thing. Maybe now I know what happened to his dad. He shakes it off, and waits for me to say something.

It's my turn to share my story. But I have a feeling that emotions are too raw for me to tell him more. I think that's enough for tonight.

"You know what? My mom will kill me if I come home any later. I better get going now," I say, feeling somewhat guilty about not giving him an answer. But I'm doing this just so that he won't be overwhelmed. The look in his eyes makes me think I made the right choice. It's clear he want to be alone. "Good night," I say. I get up and start to walk away before I hear his quiet reply.

"Good night, Kate," he says. And after a few seconds, "Thank you."

These two words mean everything to me. Maybe Lucas isn't so bad after all.

I can't sleep tonight. I toss and turn in my bed but the only thing I can think about is the fact that Lucas is sleeping right across from my window. Something happened tonight, and I know it. I have a feeling he doesn't open up like that to just anyone. I keep wishing it was something he only did for me.

I stop myself from peeking at his window. I can see a little through my curtains, but I see nothing other than the bright light that can only be the moon outside my window. After several excruciating minutes I get up. I need something to do.

Luckily I don't share a room with any of my siblings. We have enough rooms for everyone to get what they want: Nathan gets his own room, Eve and Carmen get a joint bedroom, and I get my own room.

I turn on my bedside lamp. Even though my door's closed, Eve can't sleep when a light's on. And her room happens to be directly opposite from mine, with the door open. She hates it when she sees light coming from under my door. It's weird really, how even though she's six years younger than me she loves the dark.

I sit on my bed, wondering if Lucas or Prim is awake. I wish I had their number. Not that I would call them in the middle of the night like this.

I can't help myself any longer. I drag a chair to my window as quietly as possible and draw my curtains back. Outside I can see the bright circle of light that is the moon. At first glance nothing seems out of the ordinary. But something makes me look again.

The moon seems brighter than normal. And bigger. It seems to be growing by the second. I rub my eyes, thinking that I need to sleep if I'm seeing things. When I open my eyes again it's even closer. I try to back away but I suddenly can't move. I try screaming but no sound comes out. I can just about make out the features of a face I don't recognize in the moon before I black out.