The Search for Serenity

12 - Stars

- Alice -

The dim lighting of the night seeps through the sheer curtains of my bedroom window, the soft glow of the moon and the warm hue of distant street lamps softly illuminate my room. I turn the page of the book in my hand, placing my bookmark between the pages before looking up at the stars, marvelling at the glowing speckles of the night sky. Some of them shine brighter than others while most twinkle every now and then. I almost wish I could count and admire every one of them.

The sight of the night sky has always brought me feelings of comfort, the deep blanket of stars offering peace. As strange as it sounds, I've never felt alone as long as I had the stars above me. When I was a young child, I'd wish to one day be able to reach up into the sky and pluck my very own ball of light from them all. Now, though, I'd rather appreciate them and wonder what the very stars we admire thing while they watch over us.

I glance down from the sky, noticing a lone figure passing through the street, their steps uneven as they tuck themselves inward against the cold. A quick look and you'd assume it's a drunken stranger making their way home, but it's not until the person walks under a street light that I recognise the dark head of hair and slender figure. I look at the time on my phone. It's almost midnight, too late and too cold for anyone to be out at this time.

I leap off my bed and slide my slippers on, rushing to the front door. Both curiosity and a tinge of worry races against the flow of blood in my body and I'm anxious to check that the guy outside is okay.

Without hesitation, I turn the key and unlock the front door, a breeze pushing its way past me as I open it, calling out his name as he passes.

"Toby?" To say my expression is one of shock would be an understatement. Toby turns to me, his face crestfallen as he slightly shivers. "What are you doing all the way here so late? Are you okay?" I wrap my cardigan tighter around my body as a particularly sharp gust of the icy night's wind blows over me once more.

My eyes anxiously scan over his face the best they can from my distance. Even in the dark I can see that his hair is dishevelled and his eyes tired. He opens his mouth to say something but when I notice he's only in a thin shirt and jeans, I immediately step aside to let him in.

"Come in, you must be freezing. How long you been out here?"

He pauses in his tracks, seeming unsure, but eventually makes his way over to me. I close the door behind us when he's inside and stand before him. We're so close that I can feel the lingering cold radiating from his body. Toby avoids my eyes as he searches for his words. I stay quiet for a moment, allowing him the space he needs to. It's clear there's something wrong and I've learned Toby doesn't do too well with rushed questions.

"Thank you, Alice. I—" he pauses, looking as if he doesn't know what to do with himself. His body is still shivering and his fists rest at his sides, clenching and unclenching as if to physically pull himself together.

I look up to his face in both concern and helplessness, the scene before me worries me.

His brows pinch together as he clears his throat to try and speak again.

My heart spikes and eyes widen when I notice it. The angry red blotch on his cheek.

I instinctively step toward him. "Toby, what happened to you? Who the hell did that?" My voice raises in panic as I move directly in front of him, eyes honed in on the mark. I carefully raise my hand to his cheek but hover it merely inches away in fear even the slightest touch will hurt him even more.

I feel his eyes on me as I do so. "Nothing, I just," he swallows, shaking his head as he encases my hand with his own and lowers it back down to my side, "I just got into a fight is all." He mumbles with a shrug, avoiding my gaze.