Facade

Chapter 23

    "Whoa," I said, amazed as we reached the top of the hill.

    My jaw dropped at the scene before me. I had once thought a ball was the most beautiful sight, but I realized I was wrong. So wrong, when the most natural thing in the world was stunning.

    Alex and I stood at the top of a hill, in the middle of night. Darkness consumed the empty field we stood in, yet the area was somehow still lit. Thanks to the millions of beautiful stars in the sky, we had a bit of light in the dark, which was stunning.

    "Beautiful, aren't they?" Alex asked, smiling at me.

    "Yes," I said, completely awestruck. "It's absolutely stunning."

    The sky was a black coat filled with tons of bright sparkles, which were the stars. The contrast between them was lovely, and I couldn't believe I never saw stars until now. I truly missed out on a lot.

    "I'm guessing you've never been stargazing?" Alex asked.

    "Never," I replied, my eyes glued to the sky.

    "Let's now."

    Alex suddenly sat on the ground, surprising me. He then laid back and soon enough, his body was stretched out on the ground. As he placed his arms behind his head, he gestured to the spot next to him with his head and smiled. I took the hint immediately.

    I dropped to ground next to Alex and laid like him. My legs were stretched out straight and body was facing the beautiful sky. Unlike Alex though, I crossed my arms over my chest.

    That seemed to amuse him, because he asked with a grin, "Why do you look like a corpse?"

    I narrowed my eyes at him and he laughed, surprising me. A smile soon appeared on my face as I noticed that Alex was in an incredibly great mood. I wondered why, but didn't dare question it because I wanted him to stay like that. Seeing him happy made me happy.

    "Do you know your constellations?" Alex then asked, staring up at the sky.

    "No." I looked at the sky. "Do you?"

    "Of course."

   I looked over at Alex and saw that he was pointing at the sky. My eyes followed his finger and soon went to a star. I locked eyes with it, ready for what would come next.

    "There's Leo, the Lion," Alex said, his finger tracing a shape.

   My eyes followed the movement and I tried to get a lion out of the odd shape. What he traced seemed to be a line with a triangle at one end. I didn't know where he got a lion out of that.

   "I don't see a lion," I said, frowning as I tried to see what he saw.

   "You have to use some imagination," he said, smiling at me. "I know it seems weird, but try picturing it."

   "Sorry," I mumbled. "My life has been so restricted that having an imagination is foreign to me."

   I didn't meant to sound so bitter. Coming to the hill, I didn't even feel bitter, so I wondered where that came from.