How to Save a Life (Wattys2016)

Chapter Five

Three Years Ago

"Nathan...." I whispered, peering out from behind the door arch. Nathan looked up from his small suitcase and glanced my way. His face lit up again. One last time, I looked into his sapphire orbs and explored the happiness that dwelled inside them.

"Hey Eve." Nathan said raising an eyebrow, "Why're you staring at my eyes?"

"Was I staring at you? I'm sorry." Heat began to rise up in my cheeks.

"It's alright. Was there something you needed?" He placed one last book into his bag before zipping up the side.

"Nothing." I said, "It's just, I'm trying to understand how your eyes shine so brightly." He glanced my way, waiting for me to continue.

"Every time you smile, your eyes light up with stars, stars brighter then any I've ever seen in the sky before. It's not just you either, everyone here seems to have galaxies in their eyes, and they're all so beautiful. I want to see them, so I keep searching the universe for those stars, but I can only ever find them when you're around. Why is that?" The questions that had been filling my brain instantly flooded out in words. Nathan stared wide eyed at me. An exasperated sigh escaped his lips, followed by a smirk. He made his way past me and began to skip up the stair way.

"Are you coming or not?" He asked when I didn't follow. I curtly nodded and trailed after him. It was half past ten and the halls were silent with the occasional sound of snoring children. I had never ventured this high up into the building before, I didn't even know that the stairs rose this high.

When we set foot on the top floor Nathan guided me over to a closed door. Unlike the others it was made of metal instead of wood. Cobwebs and decaying bugs clung onto the rusted surface. With one hard thrust Nathan busted the door open causing a loud creak to erupt from the walls. I winced as a large burst of cool air gushed into the dank halls, my eyes widened when I saw the contents behind the door.

Nathan glanced up at the dark azure sky, as if he were greeting an old friend. Then, with his hands shoved into his pockets he dove into the star speckled atmosphere and strolled across the nicked cement. The pebbles speckling the roof gave a muffled crunch against his feet, along with the dried leaves that tumbled by. I followed behind him, marveling at the pastel sky. Nathan sat down on the chipped ledge of the roof and gestured for me to do the same.

"Eve, what do the stars look like to you?" He asked. I knew the answer to that question very well, having spent most of my life cluelessly staring at the sky.

"Like small lights breaking across the darkness."

"Alright. What's the difference between the stars up there, and the stars you see in everyone's eyes?" I paused and tapped my chin, struggling to find the right answer.

"I..... I don't......"

"The reason why the stars in our eyes are so much more beautiful then the stars up there, is the fact that the stars we have, possess stories." I glanced over at him puzzled.

"Stories?" He nodded.

"Yep. The stars in our eyes come from the tales that our emotions write for us. Whether our lives are filled with happiness, pain, anger, or laughter, we all have stories and we all have stars." He turned my way and gave me his soft sideways smile.