An Abundance of Stars

Chapter Six

Melba sat up in her bed, unable to sleep, due to worry. She had received letters from the police, updating them on the media situation, which angered her even further. She didn't care about the media. She wanted to find out about the man who attacked her daughter and the two sleazebags who were who were charged for attempted assault on Angel, after being questioned excessively. She couldn't even turn on the TV anymore with the picture of the man they think attacked Fall. She wanted nothing more than to beat the life out of that man. What gave him right to assault and nearly murder a sixteen year old girl. Murder. She shuddered at the word, her heart contracting, with sudden "If's" flooding her mind. If, If, If, If. The word repeated inside her head until she felt like screaming. Screaming with pain, such love for her daughter that could've being so easily taken away from her, and such hatred for the man that did this. The police had recommended Beyond Blue and a range of terror related counsellors. Convinced that they would understand her pain, and try to heal it for her. But they had no idea, what it was too nearly lose your girl, barely more than a child. Most of the counselors were too young to be parents. The only person, who really understood her pain, was grandfather, who had lost all his children. Due to the IRA, though. She just wanted her family to be happy and live until their old and grey. They should be able to have children and the required amount of grandchildren, they are to be curled up on the couch with their partners, watching their favourite show, having eaten their favourite dessert. And then, and only then, should they be permitted to die. Peacefully. Before anything or anyone could possibly stop her, she sank down in to her bed, crying, crying because of all the good and evil in the world.

Jamie sits up straighter in the chair, reaching for her phone, on the table beside Fall's bed. She turned it on and scrolled through the un-read messages. There are two from Shaun, which she deleted, and two from mum.

How is she? Has anything changed?

Jamie texted back:

She's woken up! Her eyes r open & she's talking.

Jamie looked down at her twin, looking somehow beautiful in the bed. She's tall and slim, her hair braided well, so it wouldn't tangle and knot in her sleep. She has nice colour in her cheeks, with a faint smile on her mouth. When they were younger they had bunks, but there were two sets, as on the first level they had small desks and shelves for their books and knick knacks. They'd drape blankets across the top bunks, and pretend to be worms in their sleeping bags, on the floor. Jamie was always the chatterbox, always rambling on about something, while Fall would sit there and listen, like she had nothing else in the world to do. The one thing Jamie could never understand about her sister is, all the time she could have spent with other girls her age, or had a guy in her life, or out being your average sixteen year old, she never did. Jamie was always the twin that did that stuff. But Fall would go out for hours at a time and stare at these stars. Jamie used to think she was lonely. She tried introducing Fall to guys from class, but no. Fall would simply throw their numbers in the bin. Fall, when she wasn't with Jamie or the rest of the family, she had her own little world that she could escape too. She said and still says, they hold the strangest beauty. Not truly noticed by the human eye. We can see things to the naked eye, just getting little pieces. People see them as little pieces of fire and gas. What most of us don't really think about is that there's life there. As you might know, truly, we're dust and shadows.