Cristina - The Last Star Child

A Good Night Kiss

After I shut the door, I headed straight for the window. Surprisingly, I saw his black SUV drive away. I kept watching it until it was no longer possible to see his car. David, assuming that was his name, had left. I looked at the clock and realized I had 10 minutes before Henry and Hope's bedtime. I sat down and thought over what David had told me.

S.K.I.A., Star children, special powers. All of it sounded like the plot to one of the books on my bookcase. Yet, David had known so much about my father. He even knew about my father's test results. A perfect score. No one ever got a perfect score. The test was designed so that it was impossible to score 100%, but my father had told me he had shocked them all. They even re-tested him three times to make sure he was not cheating.

My parents' death. Dementia. There was no foul play, they had simply gotten sick, their minds confused. They had deteriorated to the point where they forgot who they were, who I was. I took care of them as long as I could, but then, they'd gotten sick. Pneumonia. I was forced to call the ambulance, and within three days, both my parents were dead.

Why would David or anyone think they were murdered? It made no sense. Yet, something was bothering me. Well, whatever it was would need to wait. Henry and Hope came running out, ready for their bedtime snack and story.

As I finished tonight's story, the ending words took on new meaning.

"Stars fall and stars are born. Always look to the stars as you dream, they will keep you safe."

"Good night mom! Good night stars!" Blowing kisses to the stars, Henry and Hope smiled and eagerly awaited their good night kiss from me.

As I closed the door to their room, my father's words rang in my ears.

"Always look to the stars as you dream."

No matter where I was, even in my dorm my father always positioned my bed to face the window. Always. He said I had to be able to see the stars. I'd done the same for Henry and Hope and it was their nightly tradition to blow a kiss to the stars before they laid down. Just like my father had taught me.

Was that strange? No. I was overthinking it. I sighed and headed to the kitchen and dining room to clean up. I locked the doors and windows, peeked outside once more to make sure the black SUV was still gone, it was, then I headed to my room. My bed faced the window, and I always slept on my left side, that way I could see the stars. I contemplated turning to my right side to face the wall.

No. I was going crazy here. I didn't have to change anything. Why should the words of a stranger have any impact on my life? Crazy fool. Tomorrow I would get some pepper spray and I would talk to Grace. It was my day off, and I would spend it shopping with my best friend. Yes, that was the best way to clear my head. With that, I closed my eyes, ready for some rest.