'Every human is a twinkling star.
'Every one of us became the shining starlight in the deepest night.'
I read the pages of the book you once read out loud. I closed my eyes as I sat on the chair you once sat on in order to feel the heat of your back. I traced the edge of your cup with the tip of my finger in order to cherish the touch of your lips.
How did we come this far?
Why did we spend so much time together?
A miraculous yet tragic love.
The chattering escalated as I dwelled in my own imaginary world.
"Hey, done talking to yourself?" A feminine voice startled me as it brought me back to reality.
I cleared my throat nervously. "I'm sorry, so you're done?"
She nodded enthusiastically.
It's been like fifteen minutes that I stood awkwardly in front of the bookstore at this airport while my sister went inside to buy some reading material.
The airport has a big entrance, a very high ceiling, and yellowish-white light occupied every space that existed. There were a lot of shops to lure foreigners and tourists with their very expensive items like snacks, souvenirs and other things that I don't even want to know.
"I'm so excited!" Elle literally screaming to my ears while she cuddled into my arm.
" I know, but don't expect anything too much tho, you might be disappointed," I said with a soothing yet firm intonation.
"You're such a mood killer, you know that right?" She huffed and she hit me with a book.
"Yeah I know," I replied with a grin but she just walked towards the gate.
In the corner of my eyes, I could see a couple of silhouette walking towards us.
"So, Ellizabeth Starr, everything set?" Dad asked Elle.
She nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah Dad," she replied with a smile.
Mom averted her attention to me and gently caressed my head. "Now Zac, make sure to drive home safely and take care, okay?" She cupped my face and I just nodded with comprehension.
"When will you guys come back?" I asked impatiently.
"I'll be back on in the summer." Mom ensured me while squeezing my shoulder to comfort me.
A smile broke from my face and I could feel a slight amount of tears building up in my eyes.
Since I was a child, my parents were so busy in life. Working overseas and only came home a few times a year.
I wish they would stay but I'm capable of doing things on my own and they need to continue on their lives.
Plus, who am I to stop them?
I guess that's how the world work isn't it?
Along with the depth of time, people come and go. It's just how it is. Even for some, families will leave you at a certain point. It's sad but there's nothing you can do.
It's how the world work...
"So take care, will you? Ms. Clarkson will prepare anything you need." Mom looked at me with concerned eyes.
"I know how to take care of myself, mom." I chuckled with a sad smile tugged on my lips.
"It settled then, so ladies, shall we get going?" Dad broke the momentary silence.
They simultaneously gripped their luggage and walked towards the gate. They left me and Dad on their back as they dragged their luggage.
"Oh wait, family hug!" Elle yelled, making all of us stopped into a halt.
In a heartbeat, we hugged in front of the gate and it's like the universe went silent and the world holds its breath for that split second.
For that split second, warmth wrapped us in a comfortable blanket. For that split second, life spared us from the ticking clock. For that split second, everything was perfect.
"We'll miss you guys," I uttered with a muffled voice.
"We'll miss you too." Mom replied as she planted a soft kiss on my head.
I could feel the weird looks that the people are giving me as I've been staring aimlessly for too long for comfort. I felt a slight tug on my shoulder.
Dad gave me a gentle squeeze with a soft look in his eyes. "You want me to drive you home?"
I shook my head slowly. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm gonna go meet Ari in a moment before coming home."
I promise her to help her with the homework tonight but... via Skype. Hey, that counts right? I didn't lie to him.
"Are you sure? I can send you home before I go to work."
Work. I understand that Dad needs to work all the time, considering being an owner isn't really an easy task, but does he really need to live there when the house was like half an hour away?
"It's fine. Sides, Will's probably already waiting for you." I beamed a smile.
He chuckled and nodded. "Alright then. You do you, big man." He gave me a pat on the shoulder before disappearing among the crowd.
Dad walks at a quick pace. He always does.
The time that Dad spends with me was somewhat short. I don't really mind it tho, I know that he's a busy guy. I was disappointed but relieved that the time he spends was on work instead of something useless.
I stare absentmindedly at the floor. Too preoccupied with the scary thoughts of me being alone in the mansion that I called home. Dad rarely came home as he always sleeps which was half an hour's drive from home. He said that 'it's easier this way.' Sides, I'm good enough to take care of myself.
Out of the blue, a hooded figure bumped me on the side. Causing us to toppled and stumbled on the white tile floor.
I could feel the bruises on my shoulder as I took a glance at the criminal that bumped me. I only got a split second to do so as he's already hiding his face by looking away.
The hooded figure was a boy, or a guy, shaking his head from the dizziness maybe.
"I'm sorry," was all I get as he stood up and ran away in a hurry.
If he hadn't bumped on me, I might say that he had an attractive baritone voice. However, the split second that I glanced at him I already could make concluded that he is an attractive guy. With light eye color, tanned skin, and strong facial features. Short story, he's a beauty.
I got up with a sigh then rubbed my aching shoulder. I just kept walking towards the parking lot even though it was snowing today.
They say that no two snowflakes are the same, like humans' souls. But what if there's an identical soul, like two identical snowflakes?
One soul depends on the other like half a heart. One cannot beat properly without the other. One cannot live without the other. One cannot exist without the other.
Once I'm in the car, I just stared at the view of the freezing cold climate of Canada. A thin layer of snow still visible after the storm from yesterday.
As the car slid through the traffic, I saw people that walk around in the city, some are alone while some in a group or holding hands like a couple.
The touch that some craving, some regret of having. Touch of love that some pray for day and night while some don't even want to remember them.
I wonder to myself, will I ever get to meet the love of my life? Or maybe I'll die alone like a sad unmarried man. Only time will unveil the truth of my destiny.
Will someone willing to be with me when they know my story? Will they accept me when they know how gruesome things that I did.
The drive took about an hour and a half from the airport. I was only accompanied by the various song that played on the radio.
The car came to a full stop in front of the front foyer of the house.
I pushed the massive door to revealed Ms. Clarkson and her subordinates, who were waiting for my arrival. They were wearing a black and white maid outfit complete with an apron.
"Welcome home, Mr. Starr." She greeted me with a bow and the other followed suits.
Ms. Clarkson was our housekeeper that has been working with my family since the birth of my older sister. She is a diligent worker, my second mother, and also our walking Google.
Ms. Clarkson, did you see my...
Ms.Clarkson, where is Elle?
Ms. Clarkson, can you help me with these?
"Chef already served the dinner, the laundries are already done and the house is cleaned, do you need anything else, sir?" She mentioned with a soft voice.
"You never did that." I narrowed my eyes.
She looks astonished. "Pardon?"
"You never list things. There's something wrong, spit it out." I deadpan asked her.
At first, she gulped, and then she hesitantly nodded. Her eyes met the floor beneath her feet.
"Hey, it's okay. You can go home early today." I reassured with a gentle tone. "But can I ask why?" Intrigued to know the reasons.
"Its Stella, she got sick somehow from the snowstorm yesterday." Her eyes filled with worries and a hint of despair of her beloved daughter.
"Do you have the medicines?" I asked but she remained silent.
"You know, you can take those pills, I never use them anyway." Her eyes widened at my words along with a silent gasp escaped from her mouth.
"Zac, you don't have to..." She began to stutter but I quickly shook my head, cutting her words right away.
"I want to help, okay? Stella is one of us too." Grabbing her shoulder to give comfort. "You know where the medicines are, I wanna see them disappear in the morning, or I'll tell Dad to cut your salary by 50%," I said while grinned.
Ms. Clarkson just chuckled and shook her head. "Thank you, Zac."
I just simply nodded.
I walked towards the grand stair to the second floor where all the bedrooms are located. The grand stairs split into two in the middle of the way, just like the one you always saw in Disney movies.
A huge chandelier hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the room. The main kitchen is located in the right-wing whilst the meeting room is located on the left-wing of the house. It usually used by my parents when they have friends come over to talk about business. The room was connected to the indoor garage but was divided by a soundproof window. My family usually lay around in the lounge room next to the main kitchen or sometimes in the library that was centered in the middle of the house.
I called it a house when it, in fact, a mansion. We have a back patio behind the library, equipped with a swimming pool and a hot tub. There's a lot of other things but let's leave it there.
This house is a maze when I first time got here a few years back. Sometimes I wonder to myself, how did Ms. Clarkson's housemaid manage to clean all of these? Not to include my Mom's obsession with Chinese porcelain that literally scattered across the house.
I sighed right after I climbed all those stairs to the second floor. My bedroom is the furthest away from the stairs, I chose it when I got here because it got a lot of windows that overlooked the pine forest outside of the house's high walls.
I swung the door open and flung myself on the bed that's located in the middle of the room.
After a brief second of utter silence, I viewed my phone's notifications. Things that I did whenever I'm bored even tho I already knew that nobody's gonna text me.
The seconds that I threw my phone away on my bed, a ring chimed across the room indicating that someone had messaged me. I retook it and viewed the message.
Ariel: Hey, have you done the chemistry homework?
You: Yes, why? Do you wanna copy mine?
Ariel: Zachary Starr, you know me well and I love you <3
You: I'll send you the images later on okay? And also don't forget to do the biology homework, the due date is tomorrow.
Ariel: Fuck!
You: Lol, you're dead. I'll send the bio homework too, it's like a bonus package just for you :3
Ariel: You're amazing Zac, remind me how we even become friends, again?
You: Bitch, don't flatter yourself. We're not friends.
Ariel: Fuck you!
You: If only you can... Anyway, is that all?
Ariel: Yes, one question!
You: What is it?
Ariel: Do you love me? ;)
What did she eat for dinner, weed?!
You: No!
With that, I got up from my comfy mattress and put my phone on the pinewood study table that was in front of my bed.
It got my all-in-one apple computer and a cute little succulent plant on the edge, some of my books were piled up on the table but there are also some of them are arranged neatly in the shelf next to my table.
So I went into the shower and dressed for the night, which is just sweatpants and a huge tank top, and walked downstairs towards the kitchen just to find that the Clarkson already left.
People come and go, that's how the world works.
There's a good reason for that. Faith is meant to interweave, that's what created destiny. Some people give you lessons before they left, some give you memories before they left.
Some made us smile, some made us cried.
The silence sometimes sounds so loud that it drowned us in our own breaths. We were lost in thoughts that we didn't see the truth anymore up until we blamed others for the crime that they didn't commit.
We were blinded by the sorrow, causing us to only saw our pain. We didn't realize that there's a reason why that happened. Something, only time will unveil.
Some people can't stay and some were forced to go.
There's no reason for me to stay but was it a good reason to go?
I left him, and I thought I was free.
**********