The Moth

Chapter One: She Had Wings

Chapter One: She Had Wings 

Present Day, May 4th.

I found her sitting on a park bench, illuminated by the streetlamps near the sidewalks.

My late night walk could wait.

She hiccupped and wiped her nose, giving me a once-over when I came up to her. I raised my hands to show they were empty, and she turned back to watching the sidewalk.

Silence at first.

I glanced over at her, then stared across the field. "I'd ask if you're okay, but that would be pointless."

She sighed.
Silence.

After a long moment, she sniffled, rubbing her eyes with her sleeve. "How do you tell someone you love them, then turn around and break their heart? How? How'd he leave me?" She paused. "And so easily."

I swallowed, a familiar feeling settling over my chest.

"It's not always your fault, you know. You are enough."

"But not enough for him."

I hesitated. "You're never going to be enough for those who don't deserve you."

"He said he loved me."

"Hmm."

"I want him back so badly, but he won't even turn to look at me. It's ripping me apart."

"'You can never beg anyone to stay... " I turned to look at her. "You lived without him before, and you just need the time to learn how to do it again. To live without him, I mean."

She put her head in her hands, curling up. Silence. I stared up at the sky.

"You'll find someone else."
"I don't want anyone else."

I sighed. "Even though you're shattered, your skin is whole. And maybe you never love two people the same way, but you can love them differently. Maybe our hearts were meant to be broken, and spread across the world with everyone who leaves us. Maybe that's how we grow as big as the universe."

I smiled softly. "Someone told me that five years ago, and those words have never left my mind. I've spent these last few years trying to figure out how true they are."

She picked up her head, swollen eyes smeared with makeup. "Who?"
A dull ache started in my chest. "A friend of mine. She left. " I chuckled and sat still for a while. "...Called herself a moth. She had wings, you know. The kind that look fragile because they've been broken so many times you wonder how she doesn't fall apart."

The girl studied me, skeptical.

I ignored it and kept going. "But that's where her strength was. In not falling apart. If there's one thing she taught me, it's that even when the world rips and tears you apart, you need to keep your head up. You need to love yourself, and believe without fail that there's a future where you're not hurting anymore. If you keep at it, eventually you'll arrive."

"Where is she now?"

I sighed. "Off building her future and arriving somewhere else, I guess."

I paused.

"It's nearly midnight."

The girl waved a hand. "Any time after midnight is for dreamers and storytellers. And the broken-hearted. I'm not going anywhere." She rested her chin on her hand, motioning for me to go on.

I studied her face for a moment before starting again.

"I wanted her to stay with me."

I lowered my eyes, watching my shoes resting against the concrete and grass before raising my head back to the starlit sky. "But when the pressure came to a head, she flew away."

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Hello Everyone! After a long seven or eight months, I'm finally back! I worked really hard on this book and polished it as best I could before even putting anything up, so I really hope you all like it! 

A couple things to note: 

- Updating Schedule: Tuesdays and Fridays! The number of chapters updated each time may vary, since some are much shorter than others. 

- Timeline: This book goes back and forth through time quite a bit (It's almost a signature of mine now, haha) so if it gets too hard to figure out where we are, please let me know! I'll try my best to avoid any confusion beforehand! 

Thank you for giving me a chance! 

Cheers! 

~October