Counting Stars

Chapter 4

August wanted to curse this day. He wanted to pretend like it never happened. But there were too many thoughts swirling around in his head. Too many secrets that had been revealed. He couldn't stop thinking about the way Mal had asked, no, begged for his help.

"Christ," He sighed into the night. The closer he got to home the more active the streets became. Kids were still hanging out on their stoops, huddled close in conversations. Food vendors were making last calls for hotdogs. People dressed in sequins hurried past with somewhere to go. The night brought with it a new kind of life on his street. It hid the grime and cracks. Restaurants and passing cars showered everything in a spotlight. The world was moving on, completely normal, while August felt like he was completely still.

It was a relief to arrive back at his apartment. Alex's car was still parked out front. Their family really must be in a state of emergency if his brother was staying with them instead of with his fiancee. He took the stairs two at a time, trying to be as quiet as possible. The noise from outside usually leaked through the thin walls, the neighbors didn't need any more added from inside as well.

Darkness greeted him instead of his mother. Usually, his mother left the hall light on or stayed up till he returned, even if it was early in the morning. But, his family had long since gone to bed.  August toed off his shoes and crept towards his room, eyes quickly adjusting to the layout of the apartment. A lump of blankets stretched across their old couch. The light from a nearby passing car highlighted the sleeper's blond hair. Iris.

He thought about waking her up, about telling her Mal's plan. But if he wasn't going to help Mal with his rescue mission the least he could do was give the other boy the chance to put it in action.

August ducked down the hall and slipped into his room. A low screech from the door hinge was the only evidence of his arrival.

The light from desk snapped on, causing August to pause. His brother peered at him from the bed with sleepy eyes, "You're back."

"Yeah," August blinked against the light. "I see I have my old roommate back." Alex was sprawled on his old bed, sitting on the opposite side from August's. They had shared the room until his brother went off to college. For years their room had been an eclectic collection of August's band shirts and his brother's SAT study material. It had been nice to finally have a small space for himself, but there was a lot to miss with Alex gone.

Alex shrugged under the blankets, "Mom was worried after you left. I thought it would be best if I stayed the night."

"She shouldn't have worried," August grunted in answer.

"She can't help it." Alex said, "Today brought up a lot of memories for her. Did Mal find you?"

His body stilled at the question. He wondered how much his brother knew about Mal's plan. There wasn't any suspicion in Alex's voice and August had no reason to feel guilty. But his stomach still tightened. Play it cool, the mantra thumped against his heart. Be normal, even when nothing else is. "He did."

The answer seemed to satisfy Alex, who nodded and stifled a yawn.

Crawling into bed brought on a wave of unknown exhaustion. August snuggled under the covers and said nothing more. After a moment Alex turned off the lamp and seeped the room back into darkness.

He waited for his thoughts to calm down. For the rush of the day to slow and for sleep to take him away, but fire and ice still tingled his nerves from seeing Mal's ship. In the late night hour, all August could think about were the words spoken that day. Playing over and over again in his mind like a song verse he couldn't forget. Going to sleep would have been the normal thing to do, but he wasn't normal anymore.