Letters to the Star Whisperer

-56-

The party had started at six that night. Jane, Ethan and Aspen all took the truck together. What they didn't tell Ethan was that the bond fire was in Netherland, twenty miles out of Boulder in the mountains.

              "We do know these people, right? Like, more than just a couple of days, right?" Ethan asked, starting to worry as they were leaving the city behind, buildings being replaced by tall trees.

              "Yes," Jane answered. "Known them for years."

              "Whose friends are these?" he asked.

              "What do you mean?" Aspen asked.

              "What I mean is, is it Jane's friends, or your friends?"

              Jane and Aspen looked at each other and shrugged. "Both," they answered.

              "What are you so worried about?" Jane answered, almost annoyed with him. "It's not a party, it's more like a get together. There is only going to be about six people there, that's all."

              "I don't know what to expect when I'm with either of you," he mumbled.

              Aspen smiled at him through the rearview mirror. "You have nothing to worry Ethan. These are my friends, and they will like you. It's just going to be our friends. We don't do drugs, if that's what you're worried about. Jesse was a meth addict but he got into rehab and now he helps other people with addict. So, if you're worried these mountain people are going to be crazy, well, at least you know it's not the drugs that are making them that way."

              A few hours ago, Jane and Aspen were upstairs in her room, talking while Ethan was downstairs waiting. He heard some yelling, and then nothing. They were downstairs, both stone face, but she had agreed to go. She told them she would get ready, and three hours later, they were laughing and joking like nothing had happened.

              He couldn't help but to worry, thinking about Jane's words. About 'gone days'. He didn't push it though, didn't question her, didn't bring it up. Pretending like there wasn't a problem felt like the best thing to do, but he wasn't sure if it was the right thing.

              She didn't look like she was in the mood to talk about it. Ethan rested his head against the window, following the river upstream. He pretended that he was walking aside with the river, kicking rocks and splashing water. He remembered being a kid and playing at the lake with his brother. He smiled when he remembered when they build sand castles on the beach and feed the ducks. Everything was so simple back in those days.

              When they reached down, traffic was starting to die down. It was a small town, but had a big city feeling to it. They starting to head down a dirt road. It went for about a mile or two. Every time he went down a dirt road with Aspen, he always got it in the back of his head they she was going to kill him. It was silly, but he didn't know who he could trust these days. The what seems normal is what you have to look out for.

              "We're here," Jane said as the truck came to a hauled.

              Ethan saw a small but cozy wooden home in the middle of trees. He saw a fire going, far away from the trees in what looked like a meadow. Strangers were everywhere, and he felt so small and so shy all of sudden. But once he got out, he didn't feel that way.

              They came up to them, someone running and hugging Aspen. "Moon child!" he joked.

              Aspen was laughing. "Hey Jesse," she said as she was spun around like a small doll.