To the Stars and Back

Chapter 11

Cat

When I hear my doorbell ring, I run to open the door. In this kind of time, you have to take every chance. I hope it's one of my friends. Or all of my friends. Scarlett, Rhea, Nyssa, Ha-

I remember just after the thought crosses my mind that I'll never see her again. I stop walking to the door, thinking about Hazel.

It's been too long since I've seen her. A week, but too long. I know I've only known her for two years, but I feel like I've known her all my life. The five of us have spent so much time together. Slept in the same room, lived in the same house for days at a time. We've shared every secret about ourselves there is to share. They know every move I've ever made. Every step I've taken toward every one of my goals. And they've helped me through everything I've been through.

But everything has changed. When we got together several times this week, we couldn't even do much. Nyssa was mostly grumpy, being super sarcastic and passive-agressive, which I guess is her way of coping with this, taking it out on other people. Rhea was really emotional and couldn't stop talking about Hazel, and Scarlett was still kind of in shock.

None of us have seemed as close as we used to be, even factoring in Hazel being gone.

I miss Hazel so much, but I can't convince myself she's not coming back. I can't believe it.

I walk to the door, pulling it open.

There's no one there. Only a folded note with my name on it.

I pick it up and close the door, running up to my room again. I pass my mom in the hallway.

"Who was that?" she asks.

"No one, actually. A note." I hold it up.

"Huh." she goes back to looking at her phone.

I go to my room, sitting on my bed and unfolding the letter.

My eyes flick to the bottom of the note, searching for a name, but there is none.

Meet me at Feather's Cove at noon, sharp. Bring a backpack with swim things.

Feather's Cove is a hidden little closed-off section of Lake Peacock that we named almost two years ago the first time we went there together. There's a waterfall falling into Feather's Cove that we always jump off of. We've been there so many times, always meeting at the cove and swimming together.

I don't know why she wants me to meet her there though. I know it's Nyssa by the way she said it. No one else would have done that. And my guess would be she invited the others too.

Rhea

I'm in my room, reading a book on my phone, when my mom walks in and tells me a note showed up at the door.

"It doesn't say who it's from, but it has your name on it, so I thought I'd give it to you before reading it myself." she says.

"Okay, thanks." I say, taking the note and unfolding it.

I read it. It doesn't have a name, but I know it's from one of my friends.

Scarlett

When I get a note delivered to my house by some anonymous creep, I read it and realize it's not an anonymous creep but one of my friends, but then I realize that they're inviting me to a hidden place where they could easily murder me and hide the body.

But I do think it's one of them. Only we know about Feather's Cove. Even if someone else has found it, they wouldn't know we call it Feather's Cove. Unless they're an anonymous creep who's stalking us.

My "it's fiiiiine it's just your friends" side wins and I start to pack a backpack with my phone and swim goggles. I put on a swimsuit with my normal clothes over it.

"Hey, mom, do you mind if I go somewhere with my friends for a few hours?"

My mom looks over me as if trying to decide if it's safe or something. "Where?"

"Uh, the lake."

"Pebble?"

"No, Peacock." I say. "And I have my phone, so I can text you if I need to."

"Okay, I guess. I'll text you if I'm worried." she says.

"Thanks mom!" I say, and go up the stairs to the garage.

I get in my car and fly off toward Lake Peacock.

Nyssa

Cat, Scarlett, and Rhea walk up to the part of Feather's Cove where we always meet, behind the waterfall, at exactly noon.

"So, this was you, then, Nyssa?" Cat asks, though it's not quite a question.

I nod. "I had to talk to you. I just..." I sigh. "I'm sorry. About everything. I haven't been great to you. I know we don't have a lot of time left, and I'm sorry I've been pretending it doesn't matter. This is all a load of crap, and we're all we have. One of our closest friends is gone, and we'll never see her again. I've been ignoring it, pretending everything's fine. But I know it's not. And we need each other now. So I wanted to see you guys again in a place that means something to us."

I sit down on the damp stone, and they do the same. "When crap like this is going on, we don't want to accept it. We want to convince ourselves that this is all a dream. That it's not real. But I've realized, pretending just makes it worse. When it happens, when you realize it's real, it's worse. When- when you realize you've lost someone you love, when it hits you, you'll be hurt. Badly. And, I guess, that's what happened with me. I used to imagine her coming back. I would imagine her knocking on my door, and that I'd open it, and she'd smile at me and hug me and tell me it's all right, she's back, and she won't leave again." I choke down a sob, tears trying to fall. "But- I know that's not going to happen. I finally accepted that-" I sniffle, still holding back the tears, "that she's gone. And I can stop hiding now. I can stop imagining that she'll come back and then be hurt when she doesn't. And I just thought I should tell you guys that. And I think we should spend as much time as we can together. Okay?"

They all nod.

"I think it's really cool you told us all that." Scarlett says.

"Yeah, but- you told us to bring swim stuff?" Cat says.

"Oh, yes. That, and-" I get up, "This."

I walk them over to the cliff area opposite the waterfall. Here I have set up a big blanket and baskets of food. I also brought floaties and swimbeds for swimming, along with high-tech waterproof diving goggles.

"What the hell?"

"Yeah, um... this took me a while." I say, grinning.