𝑨𝑹𝑬 𝒀𝑶𝑼 𝑨𝑭𝑹𝑨𝑰𝑫 | four, six underground.

iv. BEACONS OF HOPE

"It all goes down in four months" Iris grinned to Seven.

"El día de los muertos. The day of the dead."

     One thing Iris adored about the Californian desert was the clear, glass, sky above. It may not seem like much in the day, but at night, the molten gold stars flashed and flickered in the veil of darkness, draped over the once ocean sky above. The sequins shone like scattered moon dust, or priceless hand cut diamonds. 

     Iris was sat on the steps of her beaten up tin trailer. Wonderful accommodation, One the sarcastic girl chuckled in her head. And as she looked up, everything disappeared. Her hurt. Her pain. Her anger, suffering. Disappeared. The girl often felt she could only trust the stars. Those priceless hand cut diamonds couldn't abandon her. That scattered moon dust wouldn't betray her. 

     The girl, mesmerised by the stars, didn't notice a certain boy in a blue hoodie walk out of his identical, beaten up tin trailer. She didn't notice the boy in the blue hoodie spot her, or how the boy in the blue hoodie walked her way. Even when he sat down next to her, the mesmerised girl didn't notice.

"Couldn't sleep, love?" The gravely, British accent spoke.

     He noticed the females shivers, unzipping his hoodie he draped it over her shoulders. A smile took over his face. His large hoodie engulfed her small frame.

     The girl simply looked up. As much as she despised it, Iris wasn't one who could easily hide her emotions. The frown of her full, honey sweet, lips. The fragile crease in her troubled brow. They could tell a story of her emotions. But nothing like the novel in her eyes, her eyes were a deep, deep ocean of hopelessness. A wasteland of hidden fears. An apocalypse of grief. In the day, her eyes were lit with a bright, blazing fire, however, when night rolls around, she is alone once more, that fire is extinguished. It is replaced with something new. Longing. 

    However, when Four looked into her eyes, he saw something else. All of the beauty in the universe could never even dream to compete with the beauty she held in her eyes.  If a god above is real, then hell, he thought, Zero is it's masterpiece. He could only imagine the jealousy upon the faces of angles when she was lovingly created. Her captivating eyes were green. But not the boring green the male possessed. Her green was nearly indescribable. The emerald colour danced with gold, yet blue crept in around the corners, not wanting to be left out from what Four thought to be, the most beautiful eyes.

"My father used to say stars were like beacons of hope for all the lost souls of the world." Zero's soft voice brought him out of the trance.

"Load of rubbish." Four retorted.

"Really? I think it's quite beautiful actually. No matter how low you are. Look at the stars. Someone is looking at the exact same stars. Whoever, Wherever. I know I'm not alone. Some nights I stay up to watch the stars, so whoever is out there, knows they aren't alone." Zero sighed. "God, that's just stupid. I don't know why I'm telling you so much. Just fucking go back to your trailer." The girl stood up to leave.

     He grabbed her arm.

     As a immediate reaction, the girl placed her small hand on the males large, tattooed knuckles. She swung her arm to grab his forearm and pushed down. Now he was restrained on the floor.

"'Sall right, love. I'm not gonna hurt you." He spoke softly.

"You, you just scared me." She let go.

"Scared you? Didn't think much could scare you." He stood up slowly.

"Lotta shit scares me actually. Heights, open water. Moths." She shuddered.