To Be Luminous || HP [REVIVAL 2021]

Chapter Thirteen

Twinkling Stars Resurrected

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Kiara stares, detached, at the VHS playing. Her ears are ringing loudly and it filters out the sound of forgotten laughs and the twinkling noise that time-worn smiles make. She has trouble comprehending what this means: Of course, as she knew, she was loved.

But she loved, too.

Even as a baby, it's obvious on the tape that her parents were going to be her heroes. The tiny girl with a toothless grin occasionally glances at the camera, her wide, dark eyes brimming with curiosity. Kiara's eyes never changed.

With an especially shrill giggle, the little baby on the small television screen seems to point at Kiara and gives a devious smile.

The tape goes black and staticky.

"What is it?" her mother asks, in French.

Another voice that sounds like her father says, "Nothing, cherie. Something went strange with the camera."

"Can you fix it?"

"I can fix everything," her father teases.

"Euh, Leon. You are so full of yourself."

The TV fills with light again, and Kiara's mother is the main subject now. She looks tired, but so happy that Kiara almost doesn't recognize the woman. She remembers that look only once before, when her parents had rushed to the hospital after she had woken up—but she hadn't understood how important it was at the time. And when they all realized the terrible situation at hand, she never saw her mother smile again.

It's only now that she realizes how tragic this is. Her mother's laugh was so beautiful.

The little baby is lifted from the crib, and she rests quietly against her mother's chest. It is difficult for Kiara to process that she is the baby. Her mother waves to the camera and kisses the baby's head over and over with grandiose, loud smooches.

"Kiara LeClerc, say hello to the world," her father states proudly from behind the camera. "We made that, Hanna."

"Uh-huh."

"I love you."

"I know," her mother deadpans.

Then her parents laugh, and the baby wiggles.

For five years, Kiara has put her love on hold. She has kept her family at a distance. She became exactly how she wanted people to see her: A vague girl who spends more time staring up at the stars than anything else, and doesn't even believe in making wishes.