Don't you remember?

August 13th five years past: Set sail!

I had never snuck out of the house before. It was exciting and scary at the same time. I had thrown a flashlight, some rope, and a pocket knife in a backpack and flung it out of the window of my room. I made my way out onto the roof looking for the top of the shed that was about four feet down from the roof. I jumped onto the roof the connection with the roof making every muscle in my body stiffen. The shed was seven feet off the ground which was nerve-wracking, but I managed to make it to the grassy backyard. I grabbed my backpack from the grass slinging it over my shoulder and made my way to the back street that ran through the houses. It was a gravel road that couldn't be utilized for anything because no car would find a need to drive behind houses. A light happy feeling made me feel as if I could fly! Magic seemed to dance in the air. The soft light of fireflies burst through the greenery. Everything felt perfect. I made my way to the edge of the forest just before the clock struck 12:00.

"Good, you're here."Said Ashland. He had a backpack as well. The others soon showed up looking excited. No one complained of being tired even if we all were. adrenaline electrocuted my senses. I felt like a God. We entered the forest letting our memories lead our steps. We could barely see three feet in front of us. The moon created silvery shadows to shine over the leaves. We refused to speak as if we uttered a single word the moment would be gone. Grass brushed against my ankles causing the occasional shiver. Ashland led the way while I followed in toe. We stuck close together reaching out every once in a while to make sure someone was still in front of us. I wasn't afraid of the dark, but in the eerie shadow of night, the forest was a new place all together. I could swear that I heard whispers in the wind.

We reached the lake, and I felt what I can only describe as magic hit me like a title wave. My eyes must have been the size of the moon as I stared out onto the lake at night. The sky was trapped in the waters reflection cascading stars as far as we could see. I felt as if I touched the lake I would fall into a new world. A world where the stars never end. I looked at Ashland through the darkness. His eyes glowed even in the faint silvery glow of the full moon. I thought I saw tears in his eyes, but I knew he wasn't one to cry. We pulled the boat from under the tree and looked at it with satisfaction. Eliza and I secured the sail making sure everything was in place, and Lacey brought a bouquet of daisies for good measure. It truly felt as if we were about to set sail across an endless sea. The moon was our guide through the darkness. We pushed the boat into the shallows of the water letting our beat up sneakers sink into the marshy mud of the shore. Bellamy and Ashland tied it in place to the rope swing before the rest of us made our way into the makeshift raft. It was big enough for each of us and seemed to stay afloat under our weight. Our fear was it sinking, but it held steady.

"Ready?"I ask my hand on the thick rough rope around the mast.

"Ready."They all said in near unison. I untied the rope and we were off. It was a slow start pushing our way with the oars out into the deep. The wind caught our sail carrying us along. I looked around to every one of them. The moon lit their features in ways I had never seen. They're eyes glowed with hope, and their smiles beamed. I knew then that it was magic. I had never realized just how big the lake was, and the stars reflecting in the water made it seem even larger. The feeling was impossible to describe. Like lightning and soft fluff. Like falling and flying. All of it was a swirl of color. I let my hand cut ripples in the cold water. The water felt soft against my hand. I took off my muddy shoes setting them beside Jake's, Bellamy's, and Ashland's mud coated shoes. I couldn't help but smile.

"I hope this never ends."Said Lacey looking up into the stars."I want us all to be 50 and frail, and I want us to sit out on the water in a boat at midnight staring at the universe. Just sitting here doing what we have always done."

I wanted that as well. . .we all did.

"I wish."Said Ashland distantly his voice void of emotion. He was silent, but every time I looked over at him he would smile. Not the cocky smile he wore when devising a plan, a smile that was almost sad in a way.

The town was once centered around the lake long before it became what it is. Now the forest rules over everything and is protected by state law. The town was originally established in the mid-1800's as a mill town. The mills are all but gone now, and the only reminiscence is the large lake. We learned about it in school once. How the family that owned the town was cursed with endless tragedies, and because of that, the mill industry failed. It's a crazy story, but it was something to remember. The family remained in the town and did what they could to remain wealthy. Very very wealthy. Our teacher even told us there was a single remaining heir who was our age. Everyone whispered about it for weeks, but they never guessed who it really was. He was good at hiding it ya know. He never spoke of his family, his status, or anything that could give him away. But if you really looked, you could see it. The way his eyes gleamed and how his shoulders were always back. He looked like a prince if you looked closely. We never talked about it because of the look Ashland would give us. He didn't like the idea of being thought of as different and somehow better just for his blood.

"When will we reach the shore?"Asked Eliza trying to look through the darkness.

"Does it matter? Let's just sail."Said Ashland."Let the wind carry us to where we must go."

I felt as if we were floating on stars. That if we just kept on letting the wind carry us that we could float on for eternity. It was an amazing feeling. The kind that settles in your bones and in your soul. An unforgettable feeling. I just stared endlessly at the stars letting myself be engulfed in their power.

"I want my story written in the stars someday."Said Jake abruptly."Like, Orion. I want people to peer up at the sky and see my constellation and know the story by heart. You know what I mean?"

"Yes."Said Bellamy."I know exactly what you mean. I want to escape this town. This place feels like a jail sentence, but not when we are here. When we're here I feel like there's more to us."

"We all have our own universe. Our universes intertwine with a single strand of silver string. Our string is still so short, but we could extend it out into the rest of the world. Everyone is intertwined in ways that we cannot see. When we are here, we see it. That is why this place is so special. We see what we normally cannot. We see how pieces of everyone are left to effect us."

"Like the tree house? The ones who built it before us are now forever a part of us."Said Lacey adding on."They saw what we see, and so they built KAON as a kingdom in the stars. For us and for them."

"Their silver string is now a part of ours,"I stated aimlessly. We let the silence wash over us. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence. It was a nice silence. Thinking about it, it wasn't silence at all. The melody of the wind rolling through the trees and the crickets with the harmony created a symphony of sound. It was the best song I've ever heard. It was soft but strong. We didn't need to speak. We let the sounds of the forest at night play their secret symphony. It felt as if they had decided to play just for us that night.

"Hey guys, I think we're in the center of the lake."Said Lacey lifting her feet from over the edge of the raft.

"Wow. . . "Eliza breathed out staring up at the sky. I followed her motion focusing on all of the constellations. We spotted the Pleiades, Pegasus, and my constellation. Lyra.

"You're already written in the stars."Said Ashland with a chuckle. I smiled at him. That is when I really looked at him. He looked tired, but not the kind of tired that could be remedied with sleep. His skin was paler, his eyes sunken, and something extremely unsettling hit me. I wanted to hug him and ask him what was wrong, but I knew he'd lie and say he was fine. I thought maybe it was me. Maybe I just couldn't tell the difference between sick tired and sleep tired. I should have questioned.

We let the water carry us across the lake. We reached the shallows, and Jake jumped out into waist deep muck leading the boat to the shore. We leaped from the boat to the grassy shore stumbling over the rocks and mud. That is when I saw it. An ancient willow tree sitting in solitude. It's tendrils swaying gently in the night.

"This is our shrine."Said Ashland."KAON came here once, and now so have we." He walked up to the tree brushing his hand over an old marking spelling out the word. I felt a shiver run down my spine. He sat below the tree smiling at all of us. I sat across from him letting the soft grass tickle my bare legs. I looked up through the leafy tendrils to the stars. In that moment, I could have sworn we were in a different world. Our own world. The rest sat around in a circle just staring along with Ashland and I. I knew we all felt it. The same intoxicating feeling of wonder. We did not speak. We just let this new world encase us in its magic.

That was our final good night . . . .