Of Stars in Cities

lacuna

This time I was walking.

Everything seemed to be slowing down with every encounter between the soul of my foot and the bare ground.

My feet started to bleed.

Streams of gold dripped from my hands.

A bright light shined blindingly into my eyes.

There it was.

Again.

A rough shadow appeared to be on the other side of the mirror, which seemed to be clearer the first time I saw it.

It had less cracks around it as I got closer.

I squinted my eyes trying to identify the figure of a man standing just behind the mirror.

Luke?

****

I had fallen asleep once again after getting the second letter, this time, at 10 am.

I sat at the edge of my bed and sighed.

What's up with these weird dreams?

I held both letter next to eachother, it had a different handwriting but the same faint red color, I told myself I would read it that night just before-

-" oh you're awake. MOM DYLANN WOKE UP!"

The door swung open then slammed shut within the spam of 10 seconds.
I washed my face and headed down stairs. My grandma sat at the couch in the living room while my dad worked in the kitchen, my mother was cleaning around the house and Austin, on his phone, as usual.

A normal day in my family.

-"good morning."

-"oh hey lil dyl. How are ya?"
My dad poked his head out the kitchen door. "We were gonna wake ya up for breakfast but Austin told us you were up early in the morning. Decided not to bother ya."

I smiled back and nodded as a 'no problem'.

My grandma sat on the couch with a dusty box in her lap.

-" hey, what are ya doing?"

-" oh just some old pictures."

She smiled softly and she patted on the couch for me to sit.

-" that's cool, is that you?"

-" ya, I was around your age I think."

I smiled at her widly and pointed to the kitchen

-" I'll be back after I eat. Wait for me!"

My father passed me a bowl and my favorite cereal as i poured it in and added some milk afterwards.

-" why were you up so early in the morning?"

-" guess 'cause I slept pretty early last night, why werent you up, you're usually up at that time?"

-" not sure, just felt an extra bit tired."

I nodded my head and continued to eat as quickly as possible.

-" Austin said you were outside-"

-" Why was he awake anyways, I could hear him from outside, plus I only went out for some fresh air and checked the mail on my way."

My father looked at me strangely as I got defensive once the topic was brought up.

-" All right...he was probably up all night playing with his friends on some video games, we've gotta work on that in-"

-" yeah, he was pretty obsessed with that game and would play it all the time when his friends came over-"

-" Do you miss...miss living?.. the city?"

-" Ya, sometimes, well ...most of the time. It was pretty fun there and I really miss hanging out with Sally,  ya know the friend I would tell you about. But I'm starting to get used to living in such a quiet place."

-"Well I hope you'd feel home once again, school starts in a few weeks and I want you to be ready."

-" kinda nervous for that, I'm so used to having Sally with me, plus it's my last year dont think its gonna be as fun."

-" Do ya guys talk everyday?"

-" Oh ya, all the time-"

-" Well dont worry its gonna be nice, you and your brother are gonna go the same school as our neighbors kid, hes around your age."

-" Who luke-?"

I quickly stopped myself hoping my dad didnt hear me.

-" oh so you've had the chance to meet him?"

I nodded my head

-"kinda."

I took the last spoonful and shoved it in my mouth quickly leaving the kitchen to avoid my dads endless questions.

I sat next to my grandmother as we looked through a bunch of pictures from the 80s.

-"Aw is that you holding mom?"

-" yes! And that's your grandfather in the plaid shirt"

-"Whos that next to him?"

-"Oh that's his friend Tim and his wife."

-" You guys seem so happy, I wish I could've spent more time with granddad."

We spent an hour or two where we eventually reached pictures of Austin and I.

****

I was in my room changing getting myself ready to go out with my parents later that night. I was starting to feel better after my visit to the doctors and taking some of the medicine he gave me.

I stood infront of the closet with half my clothes dripping from inside and the other half on thrfloor. I stood there for a while. I put on a pair of leggings and a plain blue sweater. I shuffled through the thousand random objects thrown on my desk looking for my earrings when I looked at the window.

I hesitated at first.

But then he was there, he sat there all day long but this time with a sketchbook in his hand and seemed to be drawing something.
I shook my head an continued to look for the peice of jewelry.
My hand bumped into the letter. I sighed and whispered to myself.

-" here goes nothing."

We meet once again...
How are you today? I've missed seeing you... alot.

I wanted to throw the letter straight in the trash but I knew I had to read it.

Such a beautiful day isnt it? I believe I have something that's yours.
Do you remember your seventh birthday?  Dont want that to happen again for sure. Right?

I threw the letter on the floor and covered my head with my hands.

-"no no no."

My body shivered and my face got colder.

I ripped the letter and threw it away.

No one knew about that day except me, my family
And

My diary.