A Star in the Dark

Chapter 2 May 13 7:32 am

     Stephanie woke up the next morning, fully rested, and ready to go. She pulled on some old clothes, and pulled her bridesmaid dress from the closet. It was in a thin bag for protection and she could almost see the light fabric underneath. Her mum was going to do her hair for tonight, but for now she put it in a quick pony tail. She headed down the stairs and stopped by the kitchen pantry. Snatching a granola bar, she went out the back door toward the garage. She would have time for a real meal later.

     Steph opened the garage door and got her stark blue bike. She jumped on and pedalled down the street and around the corner. She knew the trip well, her family taken the road countless times on summer vacations. When she got to the edge of the forest, she parked her bike In the ditch so it was out of sight. She followed a path that wasn't very clear, just barely marked with little garden lights that had been situated there years ago. When she neared the end of the path and approached the cabin, a smell reached her nose.

     She didn't know the smell, but it was disgusting. She dismissed it though, because it was a forest she was in for gods sake, it was probably just a dead animal. She entered through the back and into the kitchen. She reached into a closet for a bottle of cleaning spray and a cloth. She'd just sprayed and wiped down the island counter top when she saw the sun reflect off something in the sink. When she sauntered over to look inside, she saw a knife.

     It had a carmine-red tint to it, and she noticed there were spots of water in the sink, as if the water had recently been run. She picked it up by the cold black handle, but quickly dropped it, as though it were a poisonous snake. Steph fell to the floor and that's when she saw him. A young man, maybe in his mid to late twenties, propped up against the cabinet and slumped over, a look of terror etched into his face and a damp red stain ran down the entirety of his body. She collided with the wall and reached for the phone. She clicked speed dial-it would put her through to the police. Steph numbly put the phone to her ear, and the alarmed, yet calm voice of a woman spoke into the phone. Stephanie was at a loss for words.

     "I uh...I found a dead guy...."

     She didn't finish her sentence. She dropped the phone, the only thing that saved it from crashing to the ground was the cord from which it hung. She ran through the woods but not watching where she was going, she tripped and fell down a hill and into a river bed. She hit her head on a rock, and was suddenly knocked unconscious.
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     When she awoke she noticed it was nearing sundown. Stephanie looked up and saw a lone star above her. There were no other stars. Right now, she felt like that star. Cold, separated, and alone. She tried to get up and walk, but failed because her ankle was the size of a softball and the deepest shade of purple. She tried to pull her self by grabbing at the skinny trees around her, but still failed.

     She fell in a heap of tears, leaves, and dirt. I can't , she said to herself. She remembered there was a time when she tripped and had broken her left ankle in a rabbit hole. She tried to complain, repeating the words "I can't, I can't!"  as tears streamed down her cheeks. Her father had looked at her with angry green eyes. "BULLSHIT," he claimed. "Can't, never could. Now get up and walk".

     At the time, her father's harshness had scared her but she was almost 16 now and was determined to get back to her bike. With luck on her side, she found a stick long enough and thick enough to support her petite body. Steph tried to run, but only managed a fast hobble to the ditch that held her bike. When she neared the edge of the forest, she heard sirens and saw lights. She tried to go faster, knowing full well that they'd find her if she didn't get to her bike in time. Suddenly, she remembered something.

     The wedding! She looked at her watch, it flashed the time in the darkness- 5:32. The wedding was at 6! The ride to the house would take at least 20 minutes, leaving only 10 minutes to get ready. Suddenly thankful that the reception would take place only minutes from her home at the church, she left the woods and mounted her bike. She knew it would only make it worse, but as the tears cascaded down her cheek from the pain, she pedaled her bike faster and faster.

     The minute she arrived at her house, she raced upstairs, avoiding her rushing mother. Stephanie slid the lemon chiffon dress over her body, also thankful that it was long enough to cover up her ankle that was now twice the size It was earlier. She hated the idea of wearing heels, but she wouldn't ruin this night for her sister. She slid on the see-through heels and made her way over to her dresser to do her makeup. Applying concealer, eyeliner, mascara, eye shadow, blush, lip gloss, and teeth whitening strips had transformed her face from a beast to a beauty.

     As she attempted to smoothly rush down the stairs with 5 minutes to spare, Stephanie was thankful that she'd laid out her dress- and that she'd endured the painful bike ride to her house. In the car, she combed through her hair, her natural curls bouncing back into position. When they arrived at the church, multiple tears had cascaded down her cheeks from the pain. She quickly wiped them away and put on her best smile, trying to ignore everything and focus on the soon-to-be newly weds.