Genius

Chapter 17

The sun was about to set. An indication that nighttime is about to come. Birds and critters come crawling back to their nests and hideouts afraid of the creatures lurking at night.

The four of us laid down on the grass witnessing the phenomenon in front of us.

"Wow, with the scenery around us, it makes the sunset even more beautiful." Morgan laid beside me, her eyes filled with awe and reverence from the sight.

"It sure does"
I looked at Brian who was also beside me. He has a small smile on his face, he looked so serene.

I was still keeping my distance from them though.

It was beginning to get dark. A few stars can already be seen in the sky.

"Have you guys ever wondered what is out there" Tyler gestured at the sky.

"I believe that there are other beings out there, space is so large, there are so many galaxies with millions of planets. There has to be a planet that can sustain life." Brian said in amazement.

"That would be so awesome, I hope they could make a spaceship that can reach great distances in a small amount of time," Morgan exclaimed.
"How about you Claire?"

I looked at the sky above me.
"There are so many things out there that are yet to be discovered. The universe is so vast, and it is still expanding. Beyond our planet are things that are still unknown. Some even believe that the stars that we are seeing right now are dead and their lights just take time to reach us. It is such an enigma. From the universe, the milky way galaxy, the solar system and that lead us to the planet Earth. Our home."I didn't realize that I was rambling so I immediately stopped talking.

This is so unlike me. I haven't acted like this to any person. I usually give vague and short responses.

I even almost gave myself away from a while ago but I changed the subject.

Before they joined me here on the hill I was planning on meditating cause I haven't done that in a while but my thoughts turned into flashbacks and I was forced to ruminate about all my issues- the thing that I have been avoiding. I wasn't able to stop, it's like my mind was telling me to face my problems. I was having an inner battle with myself. It was a mess, voices kept whispering horrible things inside. I was thankful that they were there though. They saved me.

If they haven't then I will probably break. I haven't experienced it but I felt like I was close to it, to being tired of it all and just wanting to scream and let it all out.

Morgan got up and I looked at her. She had an astonished look on her face.

"This is my first time hearing you talk long sentences and your British!"

"I'm not British" I actually don't know my real ethnicity.

"Really? But why do you have a British accent?"

I didn't realize that but now that I think about it, I do talk like the British people. I am certain that I got it from Garret.

"I was not fully aware that I have been talking like that," I said truthfully.

"You're full of surprises Claire." She smiled and looked back at the sky which now has a few stars appearing.

It's fascinating out here. Stars can be seen clearly without the light of the town obscuring the view.

"Wait...what did you say about the universe is still expanding and the stars are dead!?" Tyler said.

Morgan laughed at his outburst.
"I read an article about the universe still expanding but I didn't know that some of the stars that we are looking at right now are already dead?" She questioned

"Stars are much like us, in fact: They are born, they live for an amount of time, and they die. Some fade away, some explode, but in the end, like us, they are mortal. Light travels rapidly—as far as we know, it’s the fastest thing in the Universe—but it’s not infinitely fast. At 300,000 kilometers per second (186,000 miles per second), it takes light more than eight minutes to get from the closest star to Earth; you can think of it as seeing the Sun as it was eight minutes ago. The nearest known star to the Sun is the Alpha Centauri triple-star system, and light takes more than four years to get from there to here." I explained.

"Wow, how did you know all that?" Tyler asked.

This caught me off guard but I'm sure that didn't mirror my facial expression.

"Well, I read about it."

"People make you seem stupid, but you're not. I realize that now. They were all wrong about you. We all were." Morgan said.

"Yeah, people will judge you even if they haven't met you yet. " Tyler said.

"You're amazing, and I want to hear what a person like you about what you got to say and learn more about you," Brian said.

"Thank you," I said sincerely. They are the only people in my life who want to actually know me and appreciate me. But I know I can't be too close to them. This right now, is okay.

Their presence is not a nuisance, which is quite a surprise. It appears that I have embraced their company in my life. I'm able to tolerate them. And I think I'm okay with it. But I'm still aware of the negative aspects of having a possible friendship with them, therefore I will still be cautious.
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:)

"Are the stars you see in the sky already dead?" https://slate.com/technology/2013/08/are-the-stars-you-see-in-the-sky-already-dead.amp