Twinkling Nights

The story of your life can be hard. But these six children don't know just how hard it will get.

Two children laid in their beds, their mother between them. The twins stared at their mother, enchanted by the lullaby she was singing quietly, almost ominously.

 

Twinkling stars in the sky

 

What secrets do they hold?

 

Just go and try

 

And your wishes be told

 

Just hold me close

 

And never let me go

 

For this is the tune of the night

 

The twins tensed in their beds as their mother held out the last note. The song had always creeped them out to some extent.

 

But for now you sleep

 

So very sound

 

And when you wake

 

May your wishes and secrets

 

Be found...

 

"That song is too short!" The female of the twins whined.

She had long hair that went down to her ankles, naturally colored a vibrant orange. Her hair was usually up in a tight ponytail and topped with a red bow, but at night (right now), her hair was loose. Whenever she was in bed, she wore a light pink nightgown with lace on the rim and collar. Her irises were a soft pink, her eyes themselves large, giving her a sweet appearance matching her personality.

"That song is too LONG!" Complained the male. "MAKE IT STOP!!"

But he secretly liked the unsettling nature of the song.

His hair was in a long, ragged mullet, and was always covered with a red baseball cap - worn backwards - during the day. At night his cap was on the bed stand set up between his and his sister’s beds. His irises were bright red, and his eyes were large, like his sister’s. He had an ominous air about him. He wore a red button-down long-sleeve shirt and baggy, red pants.

The girl rolled her eyes at him and turned back to her mother. "Sing it again! SING IT AGAIN!"

The boy groaned. "She’s already sang it, like, TEN TIMES!"

"Well, I never get tired of it!" The girl retorted.

"Kids, calm down!" Their mother laughed. She found their bickering quite entertaining, but believed they’d had enough. "It’s time to go to bed! Five-year-olds need their sleep to be ready for kindergarten tomorrow!"

The girl groaned, but the boy pumped his fist in the air. "I WIN!"

He paused.

"Wait, go to SLEEP? GAAAW!"

Mom chuckled. "I know, I want to stay up, too. But we have to sleep, or we won’t have any energy at all."

He scoffed. "I’ll be fine. I got plenty of energy!"

"Ya got that right," His sister said under her breath.

"I heard that!" He growled.

Mom reached forward and tugged the string on the lamp, making it flicker off. "Good night, kids."

"Good night, Mom," The twins said mechanically.

Mom seemed to have night vision, the way she maneuvered flawlessly through the sea of toys towards the window. She opened it, smiling to herself. She knew what the kids would do after she left.

Mom waded back through the toys to the door and left.

The twins each opened one eye to ensure that their mother had left before creeping over to the window.

"May your wishes and secrets be found..." The girl sang quietly as they both wished upon a star.

Twinkling Nights

"Wake up," She moaned, prodding her brother in the shoulder.

He grunted in response but kept his eyes squeezed shut.

"You’ve forced my hand," She said in what she hoped was an evil tone.

She promptly prodded him again, this time in the waist.

He squealed, then bundled up again.

"Mom’s making waffles today," She teased in a singsong voice, edging her way to the door. "More for me!"

That got his attention. He jolted upright, eyes wide as if he had been awake all morning. "Waffles?"

She giggled. "Yep! Waffles!"

He gasped. "Why didn’t you SAY SO, let’s GO!"

He grabbed her hand and sprinted through the house towards the kitchen, dragging her along. Since they lived in a mansion, it wasn’t that easy. By the time they had gotten to the kitchen, they had tumbled down a set of spiral stairs for two floors and run through a labyrinth of hallways. The girl’s hair was extremely ruffled from her brother dragging her around.

Even though his breathing was ragged, he somehow still had the power to yell. "WAFFLES!"

Mom raised a suspicious eyebrow. "I’m not making waffles today. It’s cereal day today, and besides, we ran out of batter."

His face turned bright red with rage. "No... WAFFLES?!?"

His sibling backed away slowly. "Are you okay?"

"NO, I am not OKAY!" He spluttered. "Blossom, you LIED to me about WAFFLES! Are you new here?"

Blossom blinked. "Brick, you’re acting weird. Why are you getting so worked up about waffles, of all things?"

He groaned. "I’m grouchy because you kept me up with your SINGING all night."

She blinked again. "I didn’t sing."

"Y’know how some people TALK in their sleep? Well, you SING in your sleep!"

"I do NOT!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"DO NOT!"

"DO TOO!"

"KIDS!!!" Mom screamed.

They froze, Blossom’s mouth hanging open, ready to keep the argument going.

Mom regained her kindly stature. "Time to get ready for school."

The siblings groaned.

"Why does kindergarten have to be so EARLY?" Brick whined.

"Because you have morning classes," Mom said. "Now go up to your room and change."

Blossom stamped her foot. "I HATE having to share a room with that MONKEY! Why don’t we get our OWN rooms?"

Mom’s left eye twitched. Her smile now seemed less sincere and more artificial, just by the slightest bit. "Because all of the other rooms are filled with your toys."

Blossom growled irritably and romped over to the spiral staircase. She would have to trudge up two flights.

"If we’re so rich, can’t we get an elevator?" Brick grumbled as he started to climb.

 

Meanwhile, two black-haired siblings sat alone on one of the lower branches of a tree on the playground, picking at their clothes.

"This is so awful," The younger one - a sister - mumbled to her lap.

The older one stayed silent, swinging his legs. He leaned against the tree, his hand pressed against the rough bark, keeping him steady. He stared at the ground, a faraway look in his eye. He had always had that look since his mother died.

She looked up at him. "What if Daddy ends up dying, too?"

"I don’t know," he whispered. "I just don’t know anymore..."

 

Brick tapped his foot impatiently, standing outside of the door to his room. "HURRY UP, BLOSSOM! Argh, I can’t believe I let you change first..."

"Done!"

She emerged from the room, her hair freshly brushed and in a ponytail. A large, red bow was placed jauntily on her head. She was dressed in a short pink dress with a black stripe through the middle and white tights.

"MY TURN!" Brick yelled unnecessarily, shoving his sister aside and marching into the room. He slammed the door shut behind him.

"No need to be rude," Blossom said just loud enough for Brick to hear through the closed door.

She hurried downstairs, knowing she was late for school. She grabbed her pink backpack, her things already safely tucked inside.

"READY!" Brick screamed, heard clearly through two floors and ceilings.

"Sounds like he’s ready,"Mom chuckled, readying his backpack on the tips of her fingers.

"Yeah," Blossom giggled as she put on her black Mary Janes.

"THANKSMOMSEEYAATTHECAR!" Brick said quickly, zooming past his mother, snatching up his backpack in an epic slow-motion frame.

Blossom grabbed her mother’s pant leg and dragged her out to the car, where Brick was already sitting... in her car seat.

He was wearing his signature red baseball cap - backwards, as usual. He also wore a deep red, long-sleeved shirt with a black, horizontal stripe going across the middle and black pants, along with black sneakers with white laces.

"GET OUT!" Blossom screamed at him.

He quickly got out of the flower-print seat and into his own, boring, black one.

"Thank you," she said, exasperated.

"Yours is so much more CUSHIER than mine," Brick complained.

"But it’s also made for GIRLS," Blossom sighed. She had this conversation with him a million times.

Just then, Mom appeared - seemingly out of nowhere - to buckle the twins in.

After that, she climbed into the driver’s seat and started the engine.

The siblings looked at each other as an uneasy silence settled in the car. Their mother had been seeming to do everything mechanically ever since she started walking towards the car.

"Something’s off," Blossom whispered.

"I know," Brick replied, his voice as low as hers. "But what?"

"Maybe she’s in a bad mood."

"Maybe. But she’s never in a bad mood... at least, not visibly."

The rest of the car ride was spent in that same odd, heavy silence.

 

The girl at the playground, meanwhile, was still trying to get her brother to pour his heart out. But he was a tough nut to crack.

"Come on! Please, just tell me what you think would happen!"

"NO! You’ll get upset!"

They had been at it like this all morning, and if it didn’t stop soon, the girl was sure her head was going to explode.

She squinted at the stretch limo pulling up in front of the school.

"Uh oh," she sighed. "Looks like Little Miss Drama Queen has arrived."

A butler stepped out of the driver’s side and hurried to the other side of the car. He opened the door, and a flash of blonde hair confirmed the black-haired girl’s suspicions.

"Bubbles," she hissed, her tone dripping with venom.

A bubbly giggle erupted from the blonde girl that had just stepped out of the limo. It wasn’t a nice giggle, no. She had just spotted her victims.

Her golden hair was loose, cut in a fashionable bob around her pretty face. At least, it would be pretty if it weren’t buried in makeup. She wore a gaudy blue dress that was adorned in sequins and glitter that was cut off just above her knee in the front, and it went down to about the middle of her shins in the back. She wore white tights and sparkly black ballet flats. Her irises were a shade of shocking blue, highlighted by thick eyelashes.

"Well, well, well," she said in her almost annoyingly high voice. "Here they are, the poor as dirt bums that live in a ditch."

Her brother stepped out of the limo behind her, and a low snicker echoed around the almost desolate playground. His eyes were the same shade of blue as his sisters, sparkling with cruel mischief. His sneer was almost unbearable to look at. He preferred less gaudy outfits than his younger sister (only by about a year) and wore a plain blue T-shirt, along with deep blue jeans and black sneakers. His hair appeared bleached blonde, even though it was entirely natural... or so he said.

He repeated his ominous snicker as he spotted the two dirty, black-haired siblings sitting in the tree. Even though the male was two years older than him, he still had the upper hand.

"Hey, BUTCH!" he called. "How’s that dad of yours?"

Butch released an inhuman growl from deep within his throat. For a split second, the shine came back into his eyes. "Go back to sucking your silver spoon, Boomer."

Boomer let out a random, hearty laugh. "Our spoons aren’t silver! THEY’RE PLATINUM!"

Bubbles slapped him. "Idiot. You can’t just say platinum instead of the color silver just because it sounds fancy..."

As the limo pulled away, a fancy red sports car rumbled into view. At least, it looked like it was supposed to be fancy. By now, it was covered with dents and scratches from the kids.

"Now the Reds are here, too," Bubbles sneered.

Brick and Blossom emerged from the car. Blossom visibly relaxed as she realized that they hadn’t been late at all. In fact, they were extremely early.

The only downside was that the Blues were there.

Bubbles smirked at Brick as the sports car drove away. "Are you a boy or a girl? Your hair sure seems girly."

Brick tried his best to keep his anger contained. "I’m a guy, and it’s a mullet. You, of all people, would know that. You’re obsessed with hair, anyways."

"Your insult hurt so much!" She exclaimed sarcastically.

"Can you two just STOP going at it for TWO SECONDS?" Blossom cut in, exasperated.

"That’s your cue, Boomer," Bubbles giggled menacingly.

The boy in question stepped forward and seized Brick’s arm. "The usual?"

Bubbles grinned cruelly. "But of course."

Boomer promptly dropped Brick into a puddle of mud nestled in front of the school. As soon as Brick’s face hit the floor, Boomer smashed his foot into his back.

All the while, the girl in the tree was fuming. Bullying from the blue-eyed siblings was common, and it did nothing but get on her nerves.

"HEY!" The raven-haired girl screamed. "YOU STOP WITH YOUR STUPID, POINTLESS ROUGHHOUSING!"

All eyes shifted to her direction, and five pairs of eyes were boring into her soul.

She blushed. "Uh..."

Blossom gasped. "WHAT happened to your CLOTHES?"

She was referring to the brown, ragged dress that the girl was unceremoniously stuffed in, along with Butch’s matching pants and T-shirt. The five- and eight-year-old were both equally embarrassed about their clothes, as well as their hair. The girl’s hair seemed to be butchered into an attempted bob, but ended up flopping weakly on her cheeks and neck. Butch’s hair was straight up in the air in long, choppy locks. Both of them had many clumps of knots in their matted ‘dos. They were also barefoot, their feet bruised and cut. They both had emerald green eyes, the most fetching thing about them.

The girl shuffled uncomfortably on the branch. "Uh... stuff."

"What’s your name?" Blossom asked.

She looked at Butch for approval. He paused, then nodded ever so slightly.

"Uh... Buttercup. My name is Buttercup."

"That’s a nice name," Blossom said, attempting to compliment the sorry girl.

"Everyone says that," she sighed.

Blossom felt her cheeks flare with color. "They do?"

Buttercup chuckled. "Don’t worry, I’m used to it."

Boomer rolled his eyes. "Can we get back to" - he stomped Brick’s back again just as he attempted to get up - "this?"

Brick growled as he peeled his face off of the ground. "No."

"Okay, then," Boomer said sarcastically, finally letting Brick stand. As soon as he was on his feet, Boomer immediately drop-kicked him at least two yards.

"Man, that kid’s freaky strong," Brick murmured as he stood unsteadily, his ankles aching from the forceful kick.

If only anyone had caught the flash of guilt that passed over Boomer’s face.

He had always been bossed around by his little sister. She acted like she didn’t want to get her hands dirty most of the time by making him do the dirty work, but when he refused to do what she asked, he payed for it at home. Slaps. Kicks. Punches... and worst of all...

Their mom.

Bubbles had Mommy wrapped around her little finger, but Boomer could never get on her good side. It was the mystery of women, he had decided. But one day, Mommy lashed out at him for no good reason and slapped a toothbrush and floor polish in his hands. At home, he was like a male Cinderella with only one evil sister... and the sister was related to him by blood. He figured it out when he realized that every time something didn’t go Bubble’s way during the day, Mommy would emotionally kick his butt.

But for now he thought he had to suck it up and deal with it.

As Blossom rushed over to her brother, a few more kids started trickling into the playground from a bus that was parked noisily in front of the school. The bullies now had to be more careful.

Bubbles giggled as a few boys attempted to pull her into the playground. "Oh, I don’t do dirt!"

Liar, Boomer thought bitterly.

As the bell rang, Butch climbed down the tree headfirst, almost like a squirrel.

"Your turn to take care of Dad today, right?" Buttercup asked as she followed her brother.

"Yep," he said. "But I would be staying home anyways. You just go to school every other day."

Buttercup giggled. "Yeah, but you just sit around while I do all the work!"

Confused yet?

Well, here’s the story:

When Buttercup and Butch were about three years old, their parents were thrown out of their apartments and fired from their jobs because they weren’t able to pay rent or buy job uniforms with such little money they had. Soon, their mother became deathly ill, and they couldn’t afford any sort of housing or medication. A few months later, she died under the gaze of her children and husband after a coughing fit. Their father soon became distant and forlorn. Just a week later, he came down with the same disease as his wife. The children, still being too young, cannot recognize what he has. Buttercup usually describes it as a "really, really bad cold... except you refuse to sleep, drool, and can barely eat."

Butch waved to his sister as he sprinted down the sidewalk. "Bye!"

Buttercup waggled her arm vigorously in response as he sped away wordlessly.

As all of the kids poured inside of the school, Boomer hung behind. He was supposed to be in first grade, but his sister insisted that he be in her class. He lagged along, the last one to enter the doorway before the kindly teacher closed the door behind them.

Author's Note

Okay, I know this isn't my best work. I'm still far from finished with this one, so please bear with me...

Reviews

[Akira]

I love this, I loved the song she sang. Very nice!