Amalli Quinn: The Nature of Stars

Three

   The sun was pretty much setting by the time James and I had finished the tour. He enjoyed it, to say the least, revelling in little details and stories and the few interesting parts of town I could show him. He liked the old stadium most of all, because it was open and grassy, and standing at the very top of the bleachers gave one a view of the rolling hills below, and the rugged cliffs that started not very far away. I learned that he had an interest in photography, and that he liked focusing on thoughts rather than objects, associating little things like the blades of grass and a soiled footprint on the bleachers to memories and the subconscious. He took little photos here and there, beaming like a man who'd found a gold mine in a ghost town.

   "Where are we headed next, m'lady?" James asked, kicking a pebble down the sunlit path we walked on.

   "We're headed home, good sir." I smiled at the names. We'd started using them to address each other around halfway into the tour. James didn't like being called 'sir' at first, but he retaliated with that 'm'lady' and we eventually got used to it. "There's one last place I want to show you."

   "Oh, and is it near your home?"

   "It's part of my home."

   "Do you have an extension that branches into the woods or something? A basement where you keep your darkest secrets?"

   I smiled at his dramatic suggestions. "Nothing of the sort, sir. Just a tent."

   "A tent?" James asked. "What do you do in a tent?"

   "Magic."

   "Of what kind?"

   "I harness the power of the hecking sun, sir, and I use it to vanquish my enemies."

   James laughed outright, folding over in an attempt to not collapse in a suffocating fit. That's another thing I learned about him. He has a weird laugh. It crossed from a wheeze or a suffocating sort of sound, sometimes a few inaudible giggles, then a wheeze. I figured that if he laughed along with a group of people, that one that sounded like he was literally dying would probably be him.

   I led the rest of the way, a tad bit surprised at myself and what I was doing. I was leading him to my observatory, my little hideaway that only my family and Merethe knew about. James and I had known each other for how long? Two days? And here I was, walking down the path that lead right to my private hideaway. I wouldn't have done this with any other stranger, but James wasn't a stranger. Not anymore. He considered me to be his first friend in this town, and in all honesty, I considered him my friend now too. There was trust somewhere in that connection, though I had no idea where it came from.

   The rest of the walk took no longer than ten minutes. We passed by Ms. Myers' house, then mine, then the tall shrubs that marked the border between the street and the edge of the woods. The clearing came into view, just as green and peaceful as it always was. I slowed my pace then, allowing James to get a full look around.

   "You own the place?" He asked.

   I shrugged. "No one owns this. All I own is the tent and the stuff inside. We're pretty much in the woods now so if we get mauled by a wolf or something, it wouldn't be very surprising."

   "Damn. That's reassuring."

   "What do you think of the place?"

   "Very," He stretched his arms out like he was embracing the place, an entire ray of sunlight hitting his upper torso. "Open. Like, this is peak countryside right here."

   I smiled. "No one comes here most of the time. It's a perfect place for stargazing - no lights, free access to the night sky, and my cozy little tent. This is as close to paradise as I can get right now."