Refugee

Chapter Twenty-Two - Twinkle, Twinkle.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.

When the blazing sun is gone,
When he nothing shines upon,
Then you show your little light,
Twinkle, twinkle, through the night.

Then the traveller in the dark
Thanks you for your tiny spark;
He could not see where to go,
If you did not twinkle so.

In the dark blue sky you keep,
And often through my curtains peep,
For you never shut your eye
Till the sun is in the sky.

As your bright and tiny spark
Lights the traveller in the dark,
Though I know not what you are,
Twinkle, twinkle, little star.

Amar thought a lot about Samir, he felt what they had together was slipping away. He told himself he shouldn't be surprised, the boy was growing up. That they had come a long way was self-evident, it had been an epic journey. They had experienced that journey together and had been close, but it was never going to last forever, was it? That was the question he asked himself all the time. Samir had changed him, changed the way he was, and given some sense to all this. What now?

Firas wondered how a boy who seemed like the weakest of the three of them, could turn out to be the strongest. He totally controlled Amar, but did Samir even realise it? He'd slept with Joram without a second thought, not even trying. Whereas Firas, well, he ached for some love, he really had tried to become friends with Joram. He wasn't jealous of Samir. The boy was nothing other than good. No, not jealous, just sad he was the one always on the outside looking in.

Samir felt a change in Amar, something that had come about since he'd done his own thing and gone off with Stefan. ‘Was he jealous?’ He didn't know, and he felt there wasn't any way of finding out. He could talk to Firas, but even he seemed distant. They were not quite the same tight group they once were. Perhaps it was all the waiting around and going nowhere. The routine of every day being like the last.

*****

Stefan actually came searching for him. ‘That’s a first,’ Samir thought. He had Joram with him and they were just crossing the tracks when Firas spotted them.

“Hey look!” He turned to Samir who was right next to him. “It's Joram, and he’s got Stefan with him.”

Samir watched the two of them approach. Amar came to join them. Rifat and Halil looked on from the other side of the tent where they were retrieving clothes from the washing line they had strung up.

“Hi kid,” Stefan greeted Samir as they arrived. Joram nodded, but said nothing.

“Hi,” Samir replied, Amar and Firas just looked at the two of them.

“Relax everybody,” Stefan could feel a certain tension in the air. “I came to find you, cos I got a deal... if you're interested.”

Now Amar spoke up. “What kind of deal?”

“The guy I'm doing some work for, he liked the vid.”

“Would you like some tea?” Firas interrupted. He too felt the tension and wanted to take the edge off things. He also thought he might get to talk to Joram.