They were just a group of children. They didn't know anything, yet they knew everything.
Renly looked down at his palm, where he held a small Captain America figurine, no larger than his finger. Alex had given it to him just before leaving the hospital room. Those bright eyes were tinged with tears, but his face was filled with a smile. "Renly, do you think I'll become as strong as Captain America?"
The trembling little hand gripped Renly's hand tightly, revealing the inner fear that stubbornly refused to be voiced, all in an effort to spare his parents from worrying.
"No, you won't," Renly replied gently. "Because Alex is much stronger than Captain America. True strength isn't here." He pointed to his heart and then to his head. "It's here. That's why Alex is the strongest child I know."
He closed his palm gently, feeling the sharp edges of the plastic figurine. It dug into the tender flesh of his palm, causing a slight ache, yet it felt so real.
The sound of footsteps and the faint scrape of shoes against the ground reached their ears, and then a figure sat down on the bench to their right. It was Hazel. However, she remained silent, gazing quietly at the less-than-spectacular scenery before her, letting the silence envelop them. She finally spoke, "Alex has gone in." Then, she fell silent again, her voice quickly drowned out by the gusty winds of a New York afternoon.
"This is a good thing," Renly spoke up.
Indeed, it was a good thing. After three years of waiting, they had finally found a matching heart, the chance to escape from congenital heart disease, and the possibility of officially embarking on life, as long as the heart transplant was successful and the body didn't reject it.
Hazel nodded, repeating, "This is a good thing."
It was undoubtedly a good thing, yet her voice quivered slightly. Any surgery, even with a 99% success rate, still carried that 1% risk of failure. Unfortunate individuals could even remain in that operating room for something as minor as appendicitis, never to return.
Optimistic people saw the 99%, while pessimistic individuals focused on the 1%. But for those who had a serene outlook on life, they saw it as a turning point in life. As for the scenery that lay ahead, it was of no great importance.
In this second life, Renly still hadn't managed to see through it all.
"This is a good thing," Hazel repeated for the second time. Then, she smiled, her lips curving upwards. "At least he has the chance to take a gamble."
Renly looked up at Hazel. He had forgotten that, for Hazel, she didn't even have the opportunity to take a gamble. However, between her brows, there was no resentment or bitterness. Instead, there was a serene and clear-sighted outlook, like the gentle dawn illuminating the fresh green leaves.
Hazel turned her head, meeting Renly's gaze, and flashed a wide smile. "The schedule is out." Renly didn't quite understand, so Hazel continued, "The schedule for American Idol auditions is officially out."
Renly's eyebrows raised slightly in delight, and joy rippled through his eyes.
"The first round is on the last Friday of September, in Minnesota. I really want to go," Hazel said, stretching her arms above her head, a simple movement that seemed a bit challenging for her. Her fingers were slightly twisted, and her arm couldn't fully extend, but she managed to do it. "If I tell Mom that I want to go to Minnesota for the first-round auditions, do you think she'll agree?"
As he gazed upon Hazel's radiant and cheerful smile, the corners of Renly's mouth couldn't help but lift. "You already have the answer, so why ask me?" Ellie would agree, but only if the doctor gave the green light.
Ellie and Derek cherished Hazel deeply but had not abandoned their principles. They wouldn't allow Hazel to run wild because of her illness, nor would they confine her to a cage because of it. What Hazel needed wasn't special treatment but equal treatment. This was incredibly difficult, supremely so, but Ellie and Derek were working hard at it.
Hazel rolled her eyes, not mincing words. "You're no fun." Renly didn't argue; he simply chuckled. Hazel raised her chin high. "But today, I'm in a good mood, so I won't argue with you. I'm planning to audition in New Jersey. This year, they didn't set up auditions in New York; instead, it's at the East Rutherford Stadium in New Jersey."
"Oh, the New York Giants' home stadium," Renly quickly realized. The New York Giants were a team in the NFL, and they had won the Super Bowl, the league's highest honor, twice. "That stadium can hold over fifty thousand people, nearly sixty thousand. I can already imagine the fierce competition."
Hazel received further details about the auditions, and her excitement grew. "Really? Do you think it'll be packed with people on-site? And waiting in line for hours, the auditions will take three days!"
Hazel couldn't help but dance with excitement. "The auditions are on February 13th, the second-to-last stop of the entire audition tour. You think it's because of that?"
Each audition stop could take three to five days due to the large number of participants. Therefore, auditions began in the last week of September and continued in full force until January of the next year.
"Maybe," Renly shrugged, noncommittal. "February 13th means you have only four months to practice properly. Are you sure you want to perform and sing on your own?"
"If I don't perform on my own, and I don't have a backing track, what else can I do?" Hazel looked at Renly, filled with complaints, both implied and explicit, blaming him for his "irresponsibility."
Hazel had told Renly earlier that she had decided to sing "Monster" and audition for American Idol. For this, she had been practicing the guitar for a long time, as it was also part of her rehabilitation. However, time was passing, and in four months, no one knew whether Hazel's condition would deteriorate or if she could still play the guitar.
While Hazel's excitement about auditioning in September was evident, there was an underlying concern within her.
"Are you sure?" Renly expressed his concern in a friendly manner. "You know, "Monster" isn't exactly a song suited for singing competitions."
But he saw Hazel tug at the corner of her mouth and give him a look that seemed to say, "I'm not worried; why are you?" It made Renly's smile bloom and settle deep in his eyes. "Well, this gift comes at just the right time."
Renly reached for the messenger bag on his shoulder and took out an album, handing it to Hazel.
Hazel accepted it, puzzled, and examined it closely. At first, she didn't react, but when she turned it over to look at the back cover, her eyes widened in surprise. She looked up at Renly with sheer astonishment on her face, and then, with sheer delight, she found her answer within his clear and expressive gaze. A joyful scream escaped her lips. "Ah!"
She bit her lower lip tightly to prevent her emotions from spiraling out of control, but her hands and feet couldn't help but tremble. She exerted all her strength to express her inner happiness. Flipping back to the cover, she looked at it intently. "Don Quixote". Her fingertips traced the title delicately as she softly pronounced the familiar yet unfamiliar name, as if savoring the depth of meaning behind the word. Suddenly, tears welled up, catching her off guard.
Renly certainly hadn't anticipated this kind of reaction. He fumbled around, searching for something to wipe away the tears but found nothing.
Hazel couldn't hold back and burst into laughter, her tears mingling with her laughter, making her look rather disheveled. She raised her spirited face, not concealing her tear streaks and not caring about her appearance. "Can you sign this for me?"
Seeing Hazel's teary yet proud expression, Renly chuckled lightly and nodded. "Of course."
Hazel immediately attempted to tear open the album's packaging, but her fingers didn't cooperate, and she struggled for a moment. She was getting anxious, but instead of asking for help from Renly, she focused, earnestly seeking the adhesive part and tearing it open. A genuine smile spread across her face.
Renly took the album, opened the inner pages, wrote a sentence, and then signed his name. After finishing, he handed it back to Hazel.
Hazel watched intently, her gaze refusing to leave the album, as if it were the most precious gift in the world. She continued to stare at the album, looked at the elegant inscription, and softly read it aloud.
"To Hazel Cross,
In honor of the things darkness can never take away from us, in honor of dreams setting sail. A warrior, a fighter, a dreamer, a Don Quixote on a solitary journey.
Forever Renly Hall, your fellow traveler."
Hazel smiled, freely and joyfully, but tears still flowed uncontrollably. These were tears of happiness, beautiful and sweet. She looked up at Renly, her eyes misty, and her smile remained deep within those sparkling eyes. This version of Hazel was incredibly beautiful, blossoming during her sixteen-year-old springtime.
Afterward, Hazel lowered her head again and began flipping through the inner pages. She couldn't help but comment, "My goodness, you're really low-key. Are you afraid someone will find out this is your album?" There were no pictures of people on the inner pages, only various Polaroid shots. There was a lonely guitar left on the floor in a rented room, a blurry crowd in the subway's light and shadow, and drunks singing loudly on the streets at midnight. However, not a single front-facing face, let alone Renly.
"Secrets are meant for the observant," Renly replied with a cheerful grin.
Then Hazel turned to the last page of the inner pages.
A man sat cross-legged on the street in Greenwich Village, Manhattan. Behind him was the weathered and spotted stone wall of a bar, and next to him was a garbage truck, along with two homeless men slumped against the wall. It all looked like chaos—deep gray walls, brick-red roof, sea-blue door, wine-red window frames, and lime-green ground.
The man sat by the roadside in a white T-shirt and black jeans, without any extra adornments. He looked simple yet elegant, handsome and eternal. It seemed as if the moment he had just lifted his head, the camera had captured him, and his bright, radiant eyes had left an indelible mark.
That man was Renly Hall.