Stars Live in The Sky

Chapter Four

The door stands tall before me.

Each breath I take feels like it might be my last as I work up the courage to knock or ring the bell. I have no idea why I'm so terrified. I've come here on this day every year since she left, and on other days throughout. They're practically expecting me at this point. I could probably walk through the threshold with no warning and they wouldn't bat an eye. I'm not going to, but I'd be willing to bet that I could.

I had gone silent when I opened the letter, which is now resting safely between my palms. Mrs. Phelps wasn't concerned. In fact, she had expected that reaction. She just reached over the railing, put her hand on my shoulder, and gave me a smile. After that, I started walking, tracing the all too familiar path through the suburb to Amber's... No. Not Amber's house. Her parents' house.

On the walk here, I was almost in a daze. Muscle memory got me here, not my own sense of direction. It wasn't until I had made it to the walkway that the shock of the paper between my fingers had finally passed, and with each step I took toward the front door, another bead of nervous sweat appeared on my skin. Even now, with my hand poised to press the small white button drilled into the brick wall, I don't know what I'm going to say.

"Hey, Mrs. Williams. So sorry to bug you, but I just received a letter from your estranged daughter and have to ask if I can look around her room for any possible clues as to her whereabouts."

Yeah, no.

Standing here mumbling to myself won't do any good though, so despite my cowardice, I force my hand forward and press the button. A short, high-pitched ding resounds as the bell retreats into its frame, and a longer, lower-pitched dong follows as I remove my finger and the button pops back out. The silence that follows is nearly deafening. It only lasts a few seconds, but it feels like a year. I've never felt such an undeniable urge to run in my entire life. For a split second, I wonder if Amber ever felt this way.

The door opens before I can dwell on that thought, however, and tired, bright green eyes timidly glance out, momentarily blinded by the light of that giant ball of gas up in the sky. When she sees me, she turns the corners of her mouth up in a smile, but her mouth is as far as it goes.

"Carson..." Amber's mother says, her breath short and hands shaking as they rest on the doorframe. "You're early. I'm sorry, I just... For a moment I was hoping you were..."

She doesn't have to finish her sentence. I know what she meant.

Catherine Williams is a rounder woman, with long brown hair that runs the length of her back. I don't think she's cut it since she was my age. Her skin is pale from lack of sunlight, something I never thought possible. She and Amber had spent entire days outside, planting flowers or having picnics on their back porch. Amber got her energy from Catherine, there's no doubt about it. So for her to look like this...

"No, I'm sorry. I should have called or something, I just, well, uh..."

"It's alright, you don't have to call. You're basically family, you know that. Come on in, and close the door behind you please?"

She steps back into the shade of her home, and I follow her in, gasping a bit as the conditioned air hits my skin and makes me shiver. Catherine's home is curiously constructed. The front door in most homes leads to the living room. Catherine's leads to a dining room. A glass chandelier hangs over the dark dinner table, a small tablecloth running the length of the wood.

Beyond that, an island bar separates the dining room and the kitchen. The marble top shines dully in the light from the window nearby. Like most homes in our city, their kitchen has a sink beneath a window, and two countertops with drawers and cupboards. I can hear the humming of the fridge as my heartbeat speeds and blood rushes to my head.