Shooting Star

A girl after losing her parents has to find herself and what really happened that day at her house while she also tries to decipher her feelings for the two men in her life...

It was going to be a long day I could tell already. It was a Monday and school was going to be slow, I knew it was going to be a long day because as it was I couldn’t get out of bed. My mom and I had had a fight and my dad had taken her side, so I stormed off to school without a goodbye that day, I was angry at both of them not only for fighting but my dad didn’t take my side usually he would. As the day went I became more and more worried because usually my mom would text me because she doesn’t want to fight but even as the day progressed into late afternoon I had not heard from her.  I walked in the hall to one of my classes; I stopped to get a drink when I overheard Jayden Courier, talking about their latest football game. He was of course gorgeous but definitely not the type of guy I would end up with. I mean after all I wasn’t a cheerleader. I was an average looking girl with deep brown eyes and crazy curly hair that fell in thick layers around my shoulders, I was on the shorter side but I had a physical build because of the sports that I played, my smile was crooked and welcoming or at least that is what I had been told. I walked past Jayden and his friend as fast as possible I would hang with some of the people he hung out with. I mean I wasn’t unpopular I had lots of friends some might even say I am popular, but Jayden from what I heard is a jerk. I walked to my locker to get some books, when I was stopped by a guy who stood dumbstruck in front of my locker. I didn’t know him so I thought maybe he was a lost new kid.

“Hi, Katie.” He said sitting in front of my locker he looked quite content there like he wasn’t planning on moving. I didn’t like him immediately, he was cocky but in a way that said that he knew, or that he was…well I just couldn’t put my finger on it. I waited patiently for him to move. My patience was running out though because of my already straining morning.

“Excuse me, but can I help you?” he looked at me with an unfathomable expression, I couldn’t even read it, in fact it unnerved me that I couldn’t even read him at all. Today was going to be interesting I could already tell.

“Yes actually you can.” He said in a way that made me think I missed a joke. I was still waiting for the punch line when he got out of the way and left. He didn’t say another word. I was thinking about him for the rest of the day. The way he had looked at me, just thinking about it still sent shivers down my back. I didn’t like him, and I didn’t even know who he was. When my final class was finally here I was in the hall at my locker when the bell rang. I ran into that kid from before who was about to say something when my name was called to the office. He smiled ruefully.

              “Another time.” He said with an easy smile. I never did anything to gain the attention of the principle so this caught me off guard.  I uneasily made my way to the principle’s I was slightly worried about what I had done and if I was in trouble even though I couldn’t think of a reason to be. The hallway was quiet as I walked through it, my shoes making noise echoing off of the empty walls, when I got to the office the door squeaked open. And even as I made my way in, I still couldn’t get that guy out of my head.

            “Please Katherine, sit down.” Principle Krex said. I did as I was told waiting for him to disclose why I had been sent there in the first place.

            “There has been an accident.” He looked away, my brain was slow it didn’t even consider the fact that he could mean my mom and dad, but of course he did. I looked across from me and saw for the first time that Corey was also in the office with me. Neither of us said anything, waiting for him to go on. He looked at both of us with sadness.

            “There was a fire at your house. Your parents they, didn’t get out in time.” He said not looking at us. I didn’t look back at him either I was looking out the window at a bird that had just flown past, I wanted to leave with that bird.

            “They said the cause was a hair straightener that had been on, caught a curtain near by setting the whole house in flames.” He said and I didn’t have to look at Corey to know that he had stiffened. My brain was still not quite there I was confused as to why he looked so sad. Until the words sank in and I realized I killed my parents.  I didn’t know what to do when I heard this, but my body took over for the temporary absence of my mind and next thing I knew I was running through the forest near the school. Getting soaked in the process, I knew that in some way I was running to my house I was running away.

                                    Chapter 2- the truth hides

            I woke not suddenly but slowly, I felt as though I had been sleeping for what seemed like a year. The ground was cold, and I was instantly confused as to why my bed was this cold and so foreign. Until the past events played out in my head. And I pushed at the anger and the sadness boiling inside me. I heard a faint voice that seemed to be getting closer. The rain had almost let up but everything was that thick kind of environment that seemed to be around after heavy rainfall.

            “She’s here!”

I heard footsteps, and than when I looked up I saw a face I didn’t recognize, as he lifted me off the ground. I had been laying in the cold I but everything was fuzzy, next thing I knew I was laying in the hospital bed hearing the doctor tell my brother that I had probably fallen on a loose tree branch and hit my head, or at least that’s what it looked like. I stopped listening and tried to remember when I had stopped running or when I had fallen, but the only thing I could remember was the constant movement of my feet I never remembered stopping at all. The hospital smelled like old people and stale food. I wanted to go home but every time this thought occurred to me I remembered that there wasn’t a home anymore. It had been burned to the ground. Corey wouldn’t look me in the eyes, I know because I would feel him staring and when I would look at him he would turn away. He didn’t want to look into the face of a killer and I couldn’t blame him, not really.

            When I was able to leave the hospital, was when the stress would come in. Because of the head injury they wanted to keep me for at least one night. When I told them I couldn’t remember ever falling they said it was common and not to worry about it it still unnerved me.

            My brother and I were sitting in the car, waiting outside of the lawyers office. There were a lot of legal issues but one thing that was for sure was that I was able to live with Corey because he was 18 that is if he allowed me to…

            “Ready?” he asked still not looking at me. I nodded but I don’t know if he noticed, I got out of the car and was hit by a bright day. After rain comes the sun… I hoped our lives could be like that in a way.

            The lawyer talked about a lot of legal things that I didn’t really pay attention to, until they mentioned a distant cousin who lived near us.

            “No!” I jumped in, they both looked at me startled. “I’m not going to live with some person I don’t know. I’m 16 I’m a junior and I’m almost an adult, I want to stay with my brother.” Tears were threatening to pour from my eyes. Corey finally looked me in the eyes. He didn’t smile or take my hand but the fact that he looked at me told me enough. I wasn’t going anywhere. The state was going to let me stay with Corey and he had the life insurance on both our parents which should be enough for us to live off of plus a job because he wasn’t just taking care of himself, Corey had a job so I figured we would be fine.

            Finally Corey took us to our house, or at least what was left of it. Tears welled up and spilled over, this is where our parents had been. Not to mention where their lives had been. I cried a shoulder shaking cry until the road became bury and the house was no longer there. And for a long time that was all I did. Even as time went by I didn’t want to do anything I didn’t have the will to get up and do anything.

            “I want to get you help.” Corey said, when I was sitting in my room waiting for the day to end. I told him to go away. He was persistant. Told me I needed to talk to someone that I wasn’t dealing with this in a good way.

            “Say it.” I said knowing he was tip toeing around the word death and parents. He looked at me in a wary way.

            “ Since our parents death you, just haven’t been the same.” He said scratching his head like our dad used to do when he was nervous or uncomfortable. With only a little resistance I let him take me to the place where people go to get help because that’s what I needed or at least that was what they said.

            I wasn’t sure at first where I was going, but when I rounded the corner leading to Joshua’s house I knew that it was probably best. Joshua was there when I got there on the porch somehow he knew that I was coming then of course he always seemed to know when I was coming to visit.

            “Hi.” Was all I said before I nearly collapsed from the run here, my lungs felt like they might implode? Joshua was one of those people you could tell just who he is by his house. Joshua was a Sioux Indian; he had herbs hanging upside down in his kitchen and old blankets on the couch. He didn’t live like an Indian per say, but he tries to keep most of his traditions alive.

            I was set up on the couch with a cup of tea, and he had his story face on, which means he was about to tell me something about his tribe when he used to live with them. He was old, but had a young sprit or at least that’s what he always said. His house always smelled like tea and herbs, it was kind of homey. I liked it here. I had met Joshua when my mom and me had to go door to door to sell cookies for my class. He had bought some and then invited us in, we had sat and talked for a while, well mostly my mom and him, after that mom went over there all the time; and when there was no one to watch me when I was younger she had always asked Joshua. He became a good friend of the family. Even Corey had once been close with him, but like Joshua once said you can’t keep a changing plant the same for your own needs, so I think Corey is like a plant he is changing growing and I think, or at least hope, that he will change out of this as well.

            “Hau.” Joshua said as he finally came to sit down. Hau pronounced how. Was an Indian greeting.

            “Hau.” I returned the greeting it seemed formal but Joshua just smiled at me.

            “My sungila, why do you seem so sad.” sungila means fox in Sioux native language; He said I reminded him of a fox. It was said that the fox had stolen the fire from the white men. I didn’t think this was a very good nickname for me if it was about stealing his answer was simple. He pushed his black hair aside, which hung, down to his shoulder.

            “Sungila, It’s not the stealing that reminds the sungila of you it’s the ambition that lives inside you, you are very much like your mother. Now get some sleep sungila.” And with that my dreams were filled with foxes winning against white man, the white men would try to fight back but the fox was cunning and smart he would always come up on top. I woke to the smell of familiar tea. It was a great smell to wake up to. It reminded me of all the times that my mother would let me tag along and we would walk into the house that would engulf us in the smell of herbs nature and freshness. It was always a good day when I was allowed to visit him.

            “Good morning sungila. How was your sleep?” he asked and I saw he was just putting on his tunic, which back in the time when Indians were more in abundance they wore tunic made of deer skin. I think that Joshua was one of the only Indians left with true traditions and knowing the background of his people. He told me once that his ancestors would tell the story of when they were living around the great lakes. Before the white man came. Joshua never held a grudge towards anyone even though the people he now lives around had taken everything from his people.

            “Good morning.” I said gratefully taking the cup of tea he was handing me. I looked at the cup it was ceramic white with a wolf howling at a moon. I put the cup down reaching to stretch realizing that my joints were stiff everywhere. The tea seemed to unfreeze me though.

            “What time is it?” I asked feeling pretty good; it had been a while since I had had a good sleep.

            “Noon. You slept sound I didn’t want to wake you up.” It always amazed me how he knew the time without a clock. I sat up and was about to tell him that I should go, that Corey didn’t know that I was here, but before I could he spoke.

            “I know that you must go Sungila but be safe.” He smiled a warm smile at me of course I would be I always was.

            “I think that you owe me.” Said a familiar sickly smooth voice. I wanted to throw up. I reached for my hand pulling back, he didn’t seem prepared for the amount of strength I put forward because I almost got loose. I was about to punch him in the face while still struggling to get free, but I didn’t have time to.

            “Hey get your hands off her! If she wants to go let her go!” the voice boomed out over the dead street as the crisp wind blew the leaves around liflessley. Caught off guard he dropped my arm and with a slimy smile he was off down the street. I watched him go until the voice was a lot closer then before.

            “Who was that?” he asked, I turned and saw him. He was pretty cute. I mean he had sea green eyes and dark brown hair, but what made his appearance throw me off was the arrogance he walked with. Nothing more annoying then a know it all.

            “He was just some guy. Thanks by the way.” I said turning away from him. “Not that I needed it.” I mumbled to myself mad that he made me look like a damsal in distress.

            “Oh so now it’s my fault that I tried to help you! Oh and news flash you didn’t look like you had it under control. Jeesh what’s this world coming to that you help someone and they freak out.” He wore an angry expression now, where a minute ago it had been a soft one of concern. I knew that I should say sorry but I was way to proud to do that knowing that I was all about surviving and not letting anyone see how upset I could really be.

            “Well I didn’t and it’s not even close to my fault that you’re blind!” I yelled.

            “Well next time just have fun!” he screamed right back; this was ridiculous I didn’t even know him.

            “Well fine!”

            “Fine!” then he turned on his heel and walked away, I rolled my eyes and started the other way. I’m so tired of know it all jerks who think they know me by how I look. I was steaming mad when I walked back to the house. It was empty which I found weird, but was thankful for the quiet which was so enticing I couldn’t help but slip into a restless sleep on the couch. Dreams came then that didn’t allow me to sleep for very long.

            It was dark everywhere and at first I didn’t know where I was. It wasn’t until I saw the bright appearance of flames that I knew I was reliving what had happened to my parents. I sometimes had this dream, every once and a while it was never a good night when I did. Every time I had this dream his face was always the same. It killed me how he whispered our names before he died. Even though there was always a fire sometimes in my dreams my parents were killed in other ways. Either way it was always a way for my subconscious to tell me that I could never forget and have a normal life because that had been stripped away from me a year ago. Daddy… I tried to cry out but there was no sound.

            I woke the next morning with sweat glistening on my face. Trying to calm my breathing.

 

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