˚* ੈ✩‧₊ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒃𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒔𝒕 ⋆ 𝒇𝒊𝒏

thirteen

autumn and billy were sat on the floor of the girl's bedroom once again. today, they were studying literature as well as doing the homework that had been assigned for that week. "an ode is a form of poetry that is typically used when an event, person, or thing is praised or glorified. rather than an elegy, which is usually a lament for the dead. i can see how you got them confused, they're very similar but represent different things. perhaps look for keywords?" autumn explains to the boy. his eyes were focused on the sheet of paper she had written on. their homework assignment for the week was to write an ode. autumn, of course, had already written hers.

"do you find beauty in the rain, or in
the stars that melt with the moonlight
in the sky; do you look into the eyes of the lost
and see their pain?

have you made the most of happy times
and sometimes suffered through the bad?
taken every despair to heart,
until you thought you would
never be anything in
this life, but sad?

do you immerse yourself in music
and lyrics and the sound of nature,
that express the emotions
of your heart
and soul?

are these the things that
make you whole,
all the tragedy
and beauty of
this world?"

she called it an ode to beauty. "there's more beauty than just pretty faces, you know." she says. "i often find myself basking in the beauty around me, even when there's so much ugly." billy was fascinated at her work. not only was she a talented artist, but a phenomenal writer as well. the words she wrote, in such a beautiful way, echoed in billy's mind. he looked up at her from reading. she was staring at her hands, quiet. her eyes were blank. the blue pools seemed dull. this, billy disliked. "autumn?" he asked, causing the girl's head to shoot up. "hm?" she hums in response. billy stared into her eyes, seeing the poem.

"do you look into the eyes of the lost and see their pain?"

"um, i- uh. i'm not sure what to write about." he mutters. autumn lays back on her floor, staring at her ceiling. "write about something you find beautiful." this hardly helped him. the boy doesn't admire nor does he appreciate the small things, he doesn't know how to find hidden beauty. obvious beauty, however, billy knew. he saw it everywhere. in his sisters, his mother. he saw it in some of the girls at school, or when a lady passes by in town. this, he could recognize. but finding things in someone that are beautiful, was difficult. how could he write about something he knew none of? "i want to paint my ceiling." autumn says, interrupting the boy's thoughts. confused, he looks at the girl.

her eyes were concentrated on the ceiling of her bedroom, and had returned to their lively blue. her dark hair swarmed in a mass around her head, a few strands laying on her neck. her delicate hands laid across her stomach. billy lies down next to her to get a better picture. she stays staring up. "what would you paint?" he asks, looking at her. autumn squints her eyes in thought. "perhaps the dawn sky, clouds tinted with pinks and oranges and yellows." she smiles at the idea. "well how would you get up there? you're much too short." billy laughs. autumn lets out a small chuckle, causing the boy to smile. he loved the sound of her laugh. "there's something called a ladder, billy. it's this thing you can climb up on." she teases. he smiles, rolling his eyes.

"why did your parents name you autumn? it's quite an odd name." billy asks, turning his head once again to look at the girl. she does the same. "wow, thanks." she laughs as she moves her bangs away from her face. "but i had a sister, summer. she was my best friend. my parents, mother especially, love the way the seasons change. summer was their first thought as a name for her. i suppose they decided to stick with the seasons. they said if i ever get a brother, they'll name him spring." she smiles sadly.

"what happened to summer? you said had. that's past tense." billy asks, earning a sigh from autumn. "she doesn't live here anymore. my parents kicked her out." she says. billy's eyes went wide. "what? why?" he sits up. "let's just say she didn't want the life my parents wanted for her." she shrugs, following his actions. "i'm sorry." he says quietly. he hadn't known loss, much like he hadn't known hidden beauty. never had he gone through the loss of a family member or friend, whether it be by death or something else. billy was so new to everything. suddenly, autumn jumps up and goes to her dresser. rummaging through her socks, she pulls out a picture frame. she sits next to the boy once again, closer than before.

honey.

autumn's hands were wrapped around the frame. inside was a photo of her and summer, hugging one another whilst looking into the camera. "she was always mother's favorite. beautiful and thin, they looked exactly alike." autumn sighs sadly. all billy wanted to do was tell her she was wrong. for the only girl he noticed in the picture was the younger one. the one with dark hair and bright blue eyes.