One Million Stars

Prologue

"They witness her destruction then were left to wonder why, she saw nothing but darkness though the stars shone in her eyes."

~ e.h.

One foot in front of the other. That was all I could concentrate on as I bolted across the flowery meadow. It was a beautiful sight, really, and I would have taken more time to admire it had I not been running.

Running from what? I don't really know

I was a runner. It was what I did best. I could run the mile in 4 minutes and 53 seconds. I could run the 100 meter dash in 10.6 seconds. However, I felt that I was not best at running to something, but away from something. I was running from something that always seemed to catch up to me.

My past

I stopped sprinting after I reached the edge of the meadow. I wandered into the forest surrounding the plot of grass and flowers and sat down on a log.

This log was nothing new to me. In fact, I seemed to sit at this log more often than I sit at my desk at home.

Home

It still felt wrong every time I said it.

This was not my home, at least not anymore, and I didn't think I would every truly find home again.

I shook my head of those thoughts and continued to gaze out over the meadow. I've always admired the beauty of the meadow. The grass was a vibrant shade of chartreuse. When even the slightest of breezes blew, the grass seemed to dance to a serene tune. The flowers only added to its comeliness. Between the structured spikes of the blue Lupines and the dainty yellow petals of the Black Eyed Susan, the meadow seemed to come straight out of a movie. But it didn't and it was all mine to admire.

The meadow always had a certain calming effect on me. Despite running in a frenzied state just moments before, I had calmed down and was now drifting off to sleep on my log.

⧫ ⧫ ⧫ ⧫

"Everly."

"Everly!"

"Everly, wake up!"

I shot up from my position on the log and immediately regretted falling asleep. My neck was in serious pain from falling asleep at such an awkward angle.

"Hello... Everly!"

"Oh, uh, hey Carter."

"Why did you fall asleep down here again? Mom has been worried sick."

"A-"

"Don't tell me you were thinking about him again."

"No, of course not." I replied a little too hastily.

"Ever, it has been over a year since the accident. You need to let it go." Carter replied.

"NO!" I snapped at him. "Car, I'm sorry. It's still a bit of a sore subject for me."

He didn't say anything after that. Instead, he grabbed my hand and pulled me right up onto my feet and we began our silent walk back to the house. As we were crossing the threshold into the laundry room, Carter grabbed me be the arm.

"Ever, just know that I am here for you if you ever need to talk. I mean, what else are brothers for."

I nodded my head in reply and Carter walked into the house. I, however, stayed outside for a moment.

If only he knew the entire story. If only he knew the entire reason why I can't talk about it. If only he knew the entire reason why I can't move on.

If only he knew it was my fault.

⧫ ⧫ ⧫ ⧫

Hey all! I hope you enjoyed what you read so far. This is my first attempt at a book ever, so please, bear with me. If you see any mistakes or have any suggestions be sure to comment. And ya know if you are feeling extra generous you could press that star and maybe even follow me. Thanks for reading.