Starry Silence- By Anou Swami

I glared up at the glimmering stars in the sky. "Stupid things!" I muttered, kicking at a pebble in my backyard. "Stupid stars, stupid stargazing party, stupid dad, stupid mom, stupid sister! Ugh!"

"Are-are you okay, Teri?" My best friend Paris India Rockefeller(her parents love to travel) tapped me gently on the shoulder.

"I'm fine!" I whirled around to face her, pushing her hand away harshly. "What do you want?!" I quickly regretted it when my sensitive friend burst into tears. "I'm so sorry, Pary. I just- you know-" I paused, thinking of the right words, "I don't know what to do!" and I flopped down next to her, leaning against our treehouse. "I don't know what to do. I just feel so lost!"

"It's okay. Or at least, it will be. Everything is okay at the end. Remember when Nana died on the same day that Father and Mom  were at court filing their divorce? That was a hard day- a hard couple months! But I got over it. And you'll get over this too. I know it," she smiled at me, barely visible in the moonlight.  I thought back to when she had rushed to the phone during one of our playdates- her parents had wanted her away from the court- and come back crying and barely being able to stutter out that her Nana had died. It had been a hard month for me, too, because it was so painful to watch her in such pain. Now, she stood up and brushed the dirt off her pants. Holding out her hand to me, she whispered, "Now come on. There's something I want to show you!"

She took me into the treehouse and when we were both crouching in front of our ‘safe’ and she typed in the secret code(which was really just poking shaky crayola marker letters on a yellowed piece of paper). Then, pushing aside our time capsule, our secret notebook and our box of memories (it was a Tiffany and Co necklace box we stole from my mom. We kept little things in there to remind us of all we’ve lost. I know, dark for a couple of 11 year olds!), she pulled out a slim blue candy wrapper that I hadn’t seen before. I didn’t even know what candy it was from, but I got a sense that deep down I did know something. Something I didn’t want to think about. I shook my head and turned back to face her. “What is it?”

She looked down at the ground and pushed it towards me silently. “Open it,”

So I did. I peeled off the crinkled blue paper and carefully folded it and kept it aside. We can’t be wasting materials right now. Not when we barely have enough money for food, water and electricity. A sickening smell perfumed the air, like thousands of roses. I’m allergic to roses and Paris knows this. Why would she give this to me? I looked down at the partygoers below, unaware of what was happening up above. To be fair, even I didn’t know then. But how could mom do this to us? Make us go hungry for a week just so that she could have one night of revelry. And how could dad let her? How could he just stand around and let her do as she pleased? How could he let her slowly waste all our money on gambling and drinking and partying with random strangers who seemed all too happy to help her in her private mission to make us all homeless. She wants us to be like all of those homeless we used to see on the SF streets back when we used to go out, back when we had money for transportation. She never said that, but her actions showed that she was thinking it. Either that or it was just because she still had the mentality of a 17 year old. I’d have bet on the latter back then. I never thought there was another reason. Never had any cause to either, until that fateful night. But anyway, better not get into that now...

I was shocked back into the present when Pary cleared her throat and tapped her toes on the dusty wood panels of the treehouse. “Look at it,”

I look down at what I’m holding in my rough tanned hands and almost jump back in shock. “Wow, just wow. Um, wow, Pary,”

“Do you like it?” My sensitive friend needs affirmation and approval, and her almost always absent family never gives it to her. 

Is that good? Do you understand everything so far? Because if you don’t, it got even more complicated very soon…

I turned to face her. “Yes. It’s amazing. Truly, Pary. I’m so, so very happy right now. But- but how did you find it? Even I couldn’t, with the name of Teri Pearham on my head. Literally, I was going around wearing that on a hat, remember?” I smiled at her, hoping to get out a giggle. But she remained stone-faced and grave looking.

“I think that was your problem. As soon as I asked, they gave it to me. But now what are we gonna do?” 

I looked back at the greenish-bluish-pinkish glowing stone in my hands. It looked unusual, but I doubt anybody would be able to concoct anything in their minds that was nearly as interesting as the truth. “Oh. Wow. Well, I guess we go talk to him- or her. But probably she’s not very accessible right now, seeing as, well-,” I trailed off, looking back at the partygoers.  

To my astonishment, my best friend looked shocked. “No! Please don’t! It’ll ruin everything! You don’t even know everything! It’s time I be honest with you… I know more than you do about this.”

I was silent. Still. Thoughtful. Well, I guess it’s time I be honest with you. I’m going to tell you what our secret was. Or rather, part of it. I don’t know if we can trust you yet. And anyway, we don’t know all of it yet either. Pary? What do you think? Well, she’s still a bit shocked I suppose… That’s okay. I’ll tell you what I knew before then. Or maybe not. I just need a moment of peace right now. I know we don’t have time. I know they are hunting us. I know they’re almost to us. But right now, let’s take a break. Grab some lemonade, maybe go for a jog. Forget all about betrayals and murders and being hunted. And through it all, let’s look up at the starry night skies and feel alive again. Look there- a shooting star. Wish on it quick. It’s an omen- an omen that things will get better. A promise.