The Fox and The Wren

26

"Eternity is how long I want to be with you, Jay." he watches as a smile begins to curl at the corner of Jake's mouth. "I will always love you, Jacob Wilcox." Always.

The warm, summer sun starts to set, casting its golden rays over the landscape one final time before being swallowed up by the horizon. As the sky slowly changes from blue and orange to indigo, the moon starts to rise up from its slumber, bathing everything, sentient or not, in its silver beams of light. Stars sporadically appear, shining brightly in the hopes of being admired by those that are still out and about.

Miku lays in the emerald-green grass, gazing up at the stars. Can you see me? Her eyesight is hazy, clouded by the tears in them.

Are you up there? Staring down at me? She continues her stare into the night sky, one particular star catching her attention. It's small, one of the smallest ones in the sky, but it shines so brightly.

"I think I'll call that one, A.Z." Miku's tears start to flow freely now, her eyes slowly closing as the wave of melancholy washes over her.

"Any time that I miss you, I'll just wait until night. I'll look up at the sky and search for your star." her voice is barely a whisper. Nearly silent, like her silent cries of sorrow coming from deep in her heart.

As she continues to lay still, her tears continuing to run down her face, she hears a few small sobs and then a voice. A voice that she recognizes all too well, causing her eyes to shoot open and look beside her. Her eyes widen in recognition and shock at the girl that sits down a few feet away from her, seeming not to even notice Miku. What the heck is she doing here?

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Ester walks over to her older brother's favorite spot, her chocolate brown orbs glistening with unshed tears, obscuring her vision to nearly zero. Well, it used to be his favorite spot.

A few tears fall from her eyes, and she angrily swipes them away, her cacao skin starting to flush a deep shade of red. "I miss you, bro." He's gone now, and I'll never be able to see his goofy smile again as I tell him about how well I've been doing academically.

If only he hadn't joined the military. If only he didn't get shipped overseas to war, to fight a fight that shouldn't even have to be fought. "I miss you, so much." She starts to sob, teardrops flowing freely down her face now as she tangles her hands into her dark brown hair and puts her head between her knees.

She looks up at the moon and speaks, not knowing that she has company. "I never wanted to hurt Genie, Shane. How do I make Karol leave one of the kindest girls in school alone?"

Miku's eyes widen even more. She's talking about Genie; she never... wanted to hurt her? I can tell her words are genuine, but why has she never spoken up?

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"All the things I've done since you left the Earth, I'm not proud of. At all." Ester hugs her knees closer to her body. "I'm friends with the nastiest, meanest girl in the school."

"She plans on beating Genevieve up on one of the final days of school, but she hasn't told me which day yet. That terrifies me, bro." she lets out a sad sigh.

"I'm scared that she's going to take it too far this time, and I won't be there to stop it. To protect Genie from possible hospitalization, or worse." her eyes continue to stare at the moon, its silver light shining down, covering her body in an almost ethereal glow.

She lets out a humorless laugh. "Heck, she's even hospitalized me before. She treats me like a little servant and beats me up if I question her. Great friend, right? I really do hate..." her words are cut off by a familiar voice mumbling some words.

Ester's smile drops and she slowly turns her head towards Miku. She sees a look of shock, but also of immense sadness, in the younger girl's onyx orbs. Their eyes lock, both of them staring at each other.