Can You Hear the Stars Calling?

Skybound

"Well, what do you think?" Sam asked, beaming down at me.

I relaxed in her arms, enjoying the view and peace. "I think that I could get used to flying."

We stayed in the air for hours, flying whichever way. At some point we flew over a great body of water. Whether it was the Atlantic Ocean or Lake Ontario, I had no idea. It wouldn't surprise me either way.

Although the I could hardly register it anymore, we were flying very fast. No wonder Sam was able to go everywhere so quickly.

At some point later in the afternoon when the sun was setting and clouds rolling in, the wind started to pick up.

"We ought to head back. I'm sure Milo is wondering where we are." Sam's voice cut through the wind.

Though I had no real idea of where we were, Sam seemed to know the way. She veered left sharply and continued straight. We only flew a short time before the rolling green hills of Milo's land came into view.

A strong gust of wind suddenly snapped at us and I held tighter to Sam's neck.

I'm glad we're going in now. If Sam hadn't stared heading back, I would have asked her to go in myself.

She suddenly gripped me tighter and started to dive. Just like that, she plummeted to the ground. Wind chopped at my face and terror seized my stomach.

"What are you doing!" I screamed at Sam over the volume.

She cracked a smile and eased up. "We have to get to the ground somehow. The winds are picking up quickly. And beside," she pouted. "I thought you said you trusted me."

I scowled at her. Trusting her to not let me fall was one thing. But intentionally diving to the ground this this high up?

"Do we have to go so fast?" I whined. Speed was fine. I liked speed. The wind in my face. The excitement. All good things.

But why in the world would anyone want to fall for the sake of falling? It was asking for trouble.

Sam looked around at the dark clouds rolling in. "Do you want to get trapped in the middle of a storm?"

I looked at the incoming clouds and my frown deepened. My only response was to grab her neck tighter squeeze my eyes shut.

"That's my girl." I heard her say.

And then I only heard the wind. A drowning sound in my ears. It whipped my hair around left and right. My stomach dropped and flipped as we fell through the air.

I gasped in a breath of air when Sam finally evened out and landed with a soft thud.

She landed a couple feet from the front door. I was so glad I wouldn't have to stay outside any longer than necessary.

She chuckled having to help me unlatch myself from her neck. My arms were stiff from the fear and cold.

She helped me to the ground. My legs wobbled like jello and the gravel shifted beneath my feet. We went inside.

As Sam and I walked through the door, I realized just how cold I'd been. The warmth of the house hit me like a wave of relief. I felt chilled to the bone. Shivering, I rubbed my arms in an effort to warm up.

Considering my fingers were freezing too, it didn't work. Instead, I laced together and shoved them into the sweatshirt's front pocket.

We walked into the kitchen to Milo cutting up vegetables and cooked chicken. Spices were scattered on the counter top.

On the stove top was a large steaming pot. A wonderful smell wafted from it.

"Hey girls," Milo greeted looking up from his chopping. "So how was it, Lynette?" He directed at me, smiling in anticipation. The smiled made me think he knew exactly how it felt to fly. 

"S-so c-c-cool," My teeth clattered harshly when I spoke. We all laughed. "And c-cold."

"I guess I kept her out a little too long." Sam admitted, rubbing my left arm.

Milo took his chopped vegetables and threw them into the pot. "I figured you'd be cold when you came in. Well, why don't you take a shower, kiddo? Soup should be ready by the time you're done."

I drew in a shaky breath. "G-good idea."

A shower sounded perfect right about now. I couldn't wait to be able to feel my fingers and toes again.

Slowly, I made my way out of the kitchen, down the hall, and into the cozy bathroom.

Unlike some other parts of the house like the basement, the trinkets in here didn't make the space feel cluttered. Every object felt perfectly in place. I picked up a small black granite monkey statue to move it and smiled to myself recalling Milo's story for it. Apparently monkeys in India were very mischievous and he found the statue at a market stall the exact time a monkey stole his wallet. The shopkeeper gave it to him for laughs and as a reminder to always be vigilant. I set it down at the corner of the sink and walked over to the tub.

I started the water and waited for it to warm up. Gently, I stripped off the sweatshirt with my frozen fingers and placed it on the counter top.

Fog started to creep into the mirror. I looked at my reflection. It felt like it had been so long since I'd really looked at myself.

My nose and cheeks were pink from the cold wind, but even with my flushed skin, I could still see how different I looked. I'd gained a bit weight in the last two weeks. I guess laying around all day would do that to a person. Pausing, I came to a realization. I didn't realize just how skinny I had been up until now. Instead of hollow cheeks and bony fingers, I was now more plump and stout. I squished my cheeks with my cold fingers. 

Looking at body now, it reminded me of my younger days. When I was in gymnastics, weight was always monitored. Even if I was doing my jumps and beams perfectly, coach would always weigh me. She said it had something to do with aerodynamics and mass. I never thought to question it. 

And still, after I quit, I never ate much. Deep down, I was still stuck on the idea of never being over a certain weight. Never over this. Never over that. The less, the better. My father leaving didn't help with my appetite either.

These last weeks I had other, more important, things on my mind.

I ran a hand along my waist. Now, I felt stronger. Like if I fell off a beam I wouldn't automatically break something.

I slid the hand up to my hair. My normally slick black hair was in a wild frenzy, sticking up left and right. The wind had given my hair crazy volume.

The only thing that could put it back into place was hot water and lots of scrubbing.

The idea of hot water made me want to cry. Shaking my head to forget the bad memories, I finished stripping and looked up one more time.

I paused slightly when I looked into eyes. As green as emeralds. They were now hectic and brighter with excitement. There was something different about them.

I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

It didn't matter. The hot water was calling my name.

I hurried into the steaming shower, content to let my mind wander and let all of my worries wash down the drain.