Lost Beneath the Stars

Alyss

"No! No, she can't be gone," I said, clinging onto Satin desperately. "That's a lie. White is lying to us. He's trying to mess with us—"

"Indigo, he's not lying," Satin said, calmly. "Scarlett didn't come home yesterday."

"But she can't be dead..." My voice had gotten deathly silent. I felt the sting of tears approaching my eyes and squeezed them shut. No, I will not cry. Not here.

I felt sudden warmth as he wrapped himself around me, and I released the breath I didn't know I was holding. Fingers wove through my hair, soft and gentle.

"Do you want to go outside?" Came the soft and almost voiceless whisper. I only mumbled into his t-shirt.

Reluctantly, I released myself from his grip and he grasped my hand tightly, pulling me to the front door. I looked behind me, for only a brief second, to graze the crowd for another familiar face. Without Scarlett, it felt like everything I knew was gone. My eyes flitted over heads; lilac curls and the most pure blue mingling with violet. And black, surrounded by a sea of empty air, empty space, isolation. Blue eyes met mine, and I felt myself fighting sympathy for the look of pain in his eyes. He didn't blink. Why does he look so upset? I'm the one who just lost her best friend.

"Come on, Indigo," Satin said, tugging on my arm. We stepped outside into the fresh air, crisp and warm. Wind blew past us, tossing my hair around. The sky was so blue. I gazed around me as if being outside for the first time, and it really did feel like that, so soon after hearing about Scarlett's death. Everything took on a new state, a new sense of awareness, as if my mind was telling me to take in, take in everything so that I could hold onto it even when it was gone.

A couple of cardinals flew by us, but something about them caught me off guard. "Satin, look, those cardinals... Aren't as red as they should be. They look so dull."

He gave me a sad smile. "How about we go down to the creek?"

Was I losing sense of color? Or was the red in my life just gone? It had happened before; the fading of red was something I was familiar with. It had happened soon after my own father was killed, all that time ago.

I heard the bubbling of water as we trekked through the birch forest, leaves crunching beneath our feet. We were both silent, with only the wind to pass on our thoughts to each other. The silence was okay, was welcomed after the roar of shock and disbelief the crowd of Chromians had sent through the building. I just wanted to get outside where the only sound was the nature and the quiet whisper of my thoughts.

"We're here," Satin said, pulling me back to reality. He probably knew my mind was anywhere but the present. At that moment, I was extremely grateful for his calm, steady presence. He didn't quite seemed to be the type for adventure, but he never objected to coming along on little walks with me through the woods or to the beach.

The tug of his hand on mine told me he was still there and that he wouldn't let go. I felt blissful happiness bubbling up in my body when I realized how close we were, or how tightly our fingers were intertwined with each other's. I loved the peaceful acceptance between us that said we were close, but we didn't need labels. We didn't need people telling us what we were.

"Isn't it beautiful, Indigo?" His voice was quiet.

I sat down beside him, criss-crossing my legs. The floor beneath me was carpeted with dead leaves and moss and little sprigs of grass peeked out from the leaf litter. Was it fall already? How long have I been here?

I looked up at the sky, noticing how the birch branches were bare and reached for the eternal blue space like slender fingers all vying for the same sun rays. Leaves trickled down on us, reds and oranges and yellows, dancing through the air as they floated down.