Rising Star: Book 3 of The Orion Series

Shifting Tides

Are you sitting to my right or left?

All that's left is this allegory

Follow this atrocious story

Careful so it doesn't suck you down

We called the demons of our own devices

They grabbed at us

Tugged us to the ground

Now we can't get up

It's funny how that's okay

Now we're not lonely anyway

It's funny how you claim you miss me

It's funny I was never there

It's funny you say you love me

It's funny I don't know what that is

Are you sitting to my right or left?

It's funny because no one's laughing

--The song Funny, lyrics by Orion Bauwens

I decided to fly out and visit my parents. I ended up staying out there for a month. It wasn't a planned thing on my part at all. One week turned into two, and then before I knew it two turned into a month.

The entire time I didn't speak to Ben or Orion. That also wasn't a planned thing. Had they reached out to me I would have. But they didn't, so I didn't, and it ate away at me every single day.

I didn't do much at my parents, just hung out. Most nights I stared at Stacy's old window before I went to sleep. It seemed like just yesterday she was alive, and we were in school without a care in the world. When did all that change? It was just a memory, just a wisp of the past I could never get back.

Stacy's parents had moved shortly after we moved to Vermont. It's not even Stacy's house anymore, but I yearned for that time. Back when things were safe and simple. 

I never knew that life could just sweep you up. I always thought that you were in control in your life, that only occasionally a life changing event would come and you couldn't do anything about it. But now that I was separated from my life, back in the safe cocoon of my childhood home, I realized that I was spun up in it like a tornado.

We had become famous without really asking for it. I had liked the idea of it--this shiny golden snow globe that had this perfect little world inside. But I don't think any of us knew that globe wasn't a surefire way to happiness.

No matter how much money you have, or don't, time doesn't discriminate against you. You only get a certain amount, and I was quickly feeling like I didn't have enough. The snow globe had morphed into a hourglass with an unknown amount of sand.

When my mom asked me when I was going back to Vermont (it wasn't in a passive aggressive way, it was a genuine question), I decided it was time to go back. Living at home, pretending I wasn't a rock star who's band may or may not have just disbanded, was nice and everything, don't get me wrong. But it was with that question I realized I was hiding from my problems, and it was time to stop.

I texted Orion, letting him know that I was heading back, since I had asked him to keep an eye on my house while I was gone. I was home not even an hour when the doorbell rang.

"Hey," I said to Orion, who stood on my porch with his head down.

"Hey." He looked at me with only his eyes. "Do you mind if I come in?"