Tied

Chapter Six- The Stars In Her Eyes

She Recognized that strange happiness that came from loving something without knowing why you did, that strange happiness that felt like sadness- it was the way she felt when she looked at the stars.

~Maggie Stiefvater

The barrier eventually faded, along with Ginny's screams. Harry still hadn't opened his grass coloured eyes.

Ginny demanded everyone leave except Margo and Lindsey, who still hasn't woken up, although she was breathing evenly, and occasionally she twitched in her sleep.

Ginny was sitting on the ground, her knees pulled up to her chest with her forehead resting on her knees.

Lindsey had taken up the couch, with her back to Margo, and her blonde curls flowing behind her.

"Do you know what happened, Margo?" Ginny voice was eerily calm, filled with terror and regret.

"No. I was here while you were on the couch. Your hands looked like they were leaking blood." Margo was sitting in an identical way against the opposite wall.

"Dementors attacked Harry and I. We were alone, and probably should have died. Harry knew how to conjure a Patronus, but me. I didn't. All it took was looking at the Dementors, and, they just, came. A doe and a stag. The Dementors were gone. And then Harry and I collapsed." She started tapping her bare feet against the carpet.

"Is that all?" Margo ran her hands through her hair. It needed clipped short again, and she was thinking about shaving one side of it, and throwing the rest of her hair to the other side of her head.

"No. I had a weird dream. A guy named Kaleb. And-"

"Martinez."

Ginny raised her head a bit. "What?" She pushed her hair out of her face.

"Kaleb Martinez. My dad." Margo knew that wasn't right, that wasn't his real name, but she wasn't about to tell Ginny that.

"I know. You were there. He was about to hit that little girl. Lindsey. And you jumped out from somewhere, and knocked him and yourself out in the process." She had turned her head down so that her forehead was resting against her knees, and she was talking to her lap.

"That happened a lot. He never remembered it afterwards. I think secretly mum was erasing his memory." She leaned her head against the wall, and looked at the ceiling. There was a crack running along the width of the ceiling, with little cracks coming off from it, like a river system.

"Maybe that's a good thing. Why was he like that?"

"I don't know, Gin. Sometimes he yelled about how 'her' death was his fault, but I don't know who 'her' is. He never said."

"Where is he now?" Ginny was weaving her hands together, then pulling them apart.

"I don't know. He left a bit after Harper Lee was born."

"Seen him since?"

"No." Lies.

Her mind was practically hissing at her.

Lindsey started stirring on the couch, and Margo launched up. She was up and by Lindsey's side before Ginny was even fully standing.

"Hey, Linds." She put her hand on Lindsey's shoulder, and she opened her eyes.

The gold and brown of Lindsey's eyes had bits of light light blue, nearly silver flecked in them, like an artist took a thin paintbrush with white paint, and ran their finger along the end, leaving sporadic dots.

"Where am I?" Lindsey didn't get up, but scanned her eyes around the place a bit.

"We're at Lily and James's house. Remember?"

A look of recognition flashed across her face. "I remember now." She rubbed her eyes. "I'm sleepy. Can I take a nap?"

"Yeah, let me take you up to Darcy's room. She has bunk beds." Lindsey nodded, and Margo picked her up, sliding one arm under her knees, and another on her shoulder blades.

Ginny picked up her stuffed bee, and they went upstairs.

Ginny knocked, and Darcy opened the door. Harper was awake, and playing with some blocks in her crib that the girls must've given her.

"Do you care if I lay Lindsey down so she can get some sleep?"

"I don't mind."

She set Lindsey down on the top bunk, which was lower to the ground than most bunk beds.

She covered Lindsey up, and Ginny tucked her stuffed bee, Buzzy, under Lindsey's arm. Margo pulled her hair away from her face, and kissed her forehead after pulling up a blanket for her.

Lindsey's breath came in quiet puffs. "Night-night Margo." Lindsey was half asleep.

"Love you."

"Love you more." Lindsey closed her eyes, and her breathing evened out.

"I love you most." She kissed a now asleep Lindsey on the forehead again, then turned and left the room.

As she went down the stairs with Ginny behind her, all she could think about was Lindsey's eyes.

The Stars In Her Eyes.

|-/

That was nice(r) than the last chapter. No huge Rick Riordan level cliffhanger.