Starfire Ascension

Chapter 1 - Holly

Holly sat on the veranda swing, her brown eyes searching out past the white banister rungs of the porch into the soft cool night. The tall grass in the fields swayed in the night breeze, reflecting the pale moonlight on their tips, a sea of liquid silver waves. The fireflies danced and swayed lazily between the tall grass. She closed her eyes taking in the soft sounds and heady smells of fields and the dark outlined woods she knew were off beyond.

This year had been hard she thought, pulling her skinny ankles up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. Her wavy brown hair billowed out around her as she rested her chin on her knees upon the swing. She had few friends, none she saw outside of school, and Cyrus was the only one that could protect her. He had always been there for her in a capacity that she had not the words to describe her gratitude for much less show it forth. She reflected on her childhood. Even then Cyrus had always shielded her from the wolves. He was always gentle and compassionate with her. Cyrus was her brother and her best friend.

Holly opened her eyes and looked up at the night sky, a host of innumerable stars. The belt of stars that formed the edge of this galaxy spanned in a banded diagonal swath arcing brightly across the night sky. The radiant starry light reflected off her eyes in a dark brown mirror, as her eyes beheld the starry host with awe and wonder. Something in her heart lept as it often did when she contemplated the great expanse and its vastness. The breeze flowing through her dark brown hair moved its soft wavey form. She didn't know what the future held but she knew Cyrus would always be there for her and her heart drew from that like a well of strength. Her resolve now firm, she set off for the inviting warmth of her bed.

~~~

The next morning Holly's brother Cyrus yawned awake as his alarm went off for school. He sat up turning his alarm off and stretching in one fluid movement, his elbows popping as he stretched for the ceiling. He was glad to have gone to sleep before Holly. If you had asked him what he thought of life in Gruene, Texas he would have said it was boring. In fact, if it hadn't been for his uncle Tony and his awesome scientific experiments, he was sure he would have lost it years ago...Well, more than he already had anyway. What could he say? Normal had never kept his rapt attention. His eyes were always searching the horizon for greater more superlative answers. What was the point of life if he did everything everyone else did?! He found social media and most mainstream media, in general, to be boring, predictable, and downright grating over the years. To say he didn't watch much television was an understatement.

Cyrus shook Holly gently. "Five more minutes," she mumbled turning over. Only her mess of wavy brunette hair now stuck out as she pulled the covers over her face with a yawn. Cyrus smirked, "I'll hold you to that." She put her pillow over her head in retaliation. Now his sister, on the other hand, was a horse of a different color. Holly White loved everything shiny, glittery, and beautiful in general. She had a real gift for seeing the best in others, and what was more was that it came from the overflow of her heart. If there was a bright and shining center to the universe of people Cyrus knew, Holly would be his northern star. Her love and compassion kept his critical nature in check. She was the softening harmony in his song of life. His better half. Of course, this could have something to do with the fact they were inseparable. They were only a year apart, but he always liked to remind her that he was the big brother, to which she usually retaliated by poking him in the ribs till he laughed, and his attempt at seriousness or assertiveness was tossed out the window.

Cyrus picked out a cologne off of his desk applying it liberally. He heard Holly get up and stumble into the bathroom as he returned to his musing. Sure Holly could be annoying and intrusive at times, but he would stop at nothing to protect his little sister. She was his anchor in the storm, his refuge in the chaos of life. However, that being said....the concept of personal space was mythically foreign to her. He swore that other than personal grooming he never got a minute alone. And naturally, the fact that they shared the same room compounded the issue. Fortunately, he was the morning person, so he always got up and was out before her, so they don't have that battle first thing every day.