How to Love the Stars | Ghost (Simon Riley)

Chapter 32

Ghost sat on the cold concrete roof of the base, moving his hands along the hard surface prickling into his skin. The flowers were in full bloom, their petals bathed in silver moonlight as a zephyr blew through the sky, tousling his golden hair. He inevitably found himself there, up on that rooftop, looking up at the stars. No matter what path he took, no matter what things he'd seen, he always ended up seeing the same stars. Sometimes, he pondered the meaning of everything. The meaning of what it is to live. The meaning of fighting for his entire life, only to leave it and barely leave his mark.

Daisy nuzzled up against his leg, purring as he reached out to scratch her head. Her head perked up when she saw a bird, racing off to chase it.

Ghost leaned back against the rooftop's parapet, his thoughts drifting back to a time long before he became a member of the task force, a time when his life had been shaped by a very different set of circumstances.

Growing up had been a turbulent journey for him. His father, a man with a volatile temper and a penchant for alcohol, had made life at home unbearable. The scars, both physical and emotional, from his father's abuse were something Ghost carried with him to this day, hidden beneath layers of discipline and stoicism.

His early years had been a struggle for survival, a battle against the demons that lurked within his own family. He had found solace in the most unlikely of places - the butcher shop where he worked as an apprentice. It was there, amidst the cold, gleaming steel of knives and the primal act of cutting meat, that he had discovered a strange kind of tranquility. The rhythmic motion of the blade, the precision required to carve the perfect cut, it all spoke to him on a level that few other things did.

Then came that fateful day in 2001, a day that would change the course of his life forever. He had been working in the shop, the radio playing softly in the background, when the news of the 9/11 attacks had blared through the speakers. The world had watched in shock and horror as the towers fell, but for Simon, it was a call to action.

He knew he had to do something, to make a difference beyond the confines of that butcher shop and the torment of his home life. And so, he had made the life-altering decision to join the British military, setting aside his apron and donning a uniform. It was a decision that had taken him away from the familiar streets of his hometown and thrust him into a world of combat and danger.

The military had become his new family, the comrades he fought alongside replacing the broken bonds of blood. He had excelled in the rigorous training, pushing himself to the limits of his physical and mental endurance. Eventually, he earned a coveted spot in the Special Air Service, an elite force known for its toughness and resilience.

Yet, even as he became a skilled soldier, his thoughts had often wandered back to the family he had left behind. His younger brother, Tommy, had fallen into the clutches of drug addiction, and his mother suffered in silence under the tyranny of their father.

It wasn't until many years later that Simon returned home, determined to face the demons of his past and bring some semblance of order to his fractured family. He had confronted his father, the confrontation escalating into a physical struggle that had left both of them battered and bruised. In the end, Simon forced his father out of their home, determined to protect his mother and save Tommy from the abyss of addiction.

The path to recovery had been a long and arduous one. Simon had stood by Tommy's side as he battled his addiction, offering unwavering support and guidance. It was during this time that he introduced Tommy to a woman named Beth, a woman who had offered a glimmer of hope and stability. Together, they had helped Tommy break free from the shackles of drugs, and eventually, he married Beth.

He still remembered standing at their wedding as best man, beaming in pride as he watched the happy couple. Soon after, they had given birth to a beautiful baby boy named Joseph, who was now Simon's nephew.