Snow has a particular glow at night. It's a visible glow, but it's also a feeling. The entire world seems to lighten, and peace strikes every snowflake. Snow at night makes it seem like the world is standing still. And for me, that's exactly what I need right now.
I can't feel my toes, but I don't care.
Blankets are piled up, and Leo and I lie on them, looking up at the sky. It's like we're having a picnic and looking at the clouds, only we're star-gazing instead. I've tried to count the stars several times tonight but I always get distracted or lose track. Leo laughs every time.
"Stop trying," he says.
I point at the sky. "Isn't that the little dipper?"
"It's the big dipper," he corrects. He shifts my gaze to a constellation nearby. "That's the little dipper."
"Is that the North Star?" I ask.
"Not even close." Leo grins, and has to turn his head almost all the way around and points. "That's the North Star."
I hold my hands up in defense. "Okay, sorry Galileo."
He grins, and puts his arm around me, pulling my closer to him.
"How do you know so much about stars?" I ask.
"Besides reading?" He sighs. "When we were younger, probably about thirteen or so, we used to go top-side, not for patrol, but to train. We weren't supposed to get involved with any crime, because, well, we were young. But while we were up there, Donnie would tell us about the stars. It was pretty hard to see them with the city lights and everything, but he'd talk and talk about how you can find certain stars." He pauses. "One time, there was a terrible power outage in the city and everything was shut down. Donnie wanted to go up that day because he could see the stars even better. And we did. It was amazing."
I laugh. "Even at age thirteen, Donnie was full of knowledge."
"Yeah, he's always been a walking encyclopedia." He pauses, and turns to face me. "But when we first met April and Casey and we came to the Farmhouse for the first time, that's when I saw the stars clearly. It was during the summer. One of the nights, we were outside looking at the stars, and Donnie showed us the stars he was always talking about." Leo laughs. "At that point, it wasn't just a bucket of words anymore. We could actually see the stars."
"Looking at the night sky always makes me feel small. It makes it seem like all our actions and everything we do is smaller than we make it out to be."
Before I finish talking, there's a knock on the door behind us. I look back and see that Mom is standing there. She opens the door a bit, and smiles. But there's that look in here eyes again. The look I used to see during the time where she wasn't really herself.
"I'm sorry to interrupt," she says. "But there are some things we're all going to discuss right now. I'm sorry."
"It's alright," Leo says. He stands up, and holds out a hand to help me up too. I'm slightly disappointed that our stargazing date had to end so early, but I don't say anything about it. I just take Leo's hand.
When we come inside, I'm surprised to see that everybody is sitting in the living room. I look back at Mom. She's found her way securely over to Dad, and stands there looking at the ground. I've noticed they've been talking more. I'm happy to see that, but I always wonder what they're talking about. It's a dynamic I never expected to see again. In fact, the last little while she seems like she's gotten smaller and a little bit less confident. But Dad has become her protector again. Maybe she feels like she can finally relax a bit.
Mom is quiet for a while. She looks like she's trying to gather her thoughts, but she's trying to do it quickly because she knows that everyone is here waiting.
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The Rising (final book of The Call series) ~ TMNT Fanfiction
FanfictionA loss of family. A loss of love. A loss of direction & a lot of one's own mind. But because of what hasn't been lost, it goes on.
