"dormir à la belle étoile" / "to sleep under the stars"

Prologue “After decades of blackouts, Mayor Whitmore has assured citizens of Lithoscopia that these incidents will end. Stargazers all around the city are devastated as they fear that they could not see the night sky’s beauty because of the light pollution in the city...”

This is a news article released 50 years ago, I wonder what the night sky looked like without all the city lights around us. I’ve been intrigued by what they call stars and how some of them seem to blink their lights rapidly when you look at them. I wonder what they look like.

“Are you sure that you’re okay?” I asked her, concerned that her fever has been rising since yesterday. “I’m fine, look, I can still do ballet”, she said as she twirled with one foot raised above the floor and the other tiptoed.

That was the last time I saw her dance. After that, she went to the hospital with her mom to get checked. The next time I saw her, she was lying in a hospital bed with wires and tubes sticking out of machines, into her body. I try to forget that memory, I don’t like last time.

“Hello, I’m Stephanie, nice to meet you,” she said holding her hands out for me to reach because I’d just stumbled upon a puddle of mud in the park. Her smile shined as she looked at me with those brown eyes.

I prefer first times though. That was the first time we met. Ever since we were best friends. My mom used to bring me to her house for her birthday party and her mom would do the same for me.

“Do you ever wonder what the sky is like without all these lights around us?” she asked. “No, why?” I answered. “It’s as if no people in our age wonder and yet our grandparents say that it is the most beautiful thing in the world”, she said and I don’t know if I saw that correctly but it was as if a tear fell from her eyes. “Well, it is not beautiful if it does not resemble your face”, I said, trying to lighten up the mood. She smiled and giggled which turned into a laugh. “I swear to god Vee, if you bring up that incident one more time, I will choke you”, she warned as I continuously laughed while reminiscing about that one time when she shouted she’s beautiful in front of mister Lee in history class.

She was so funny, so careless, so adventurous, so perfect. Too perfect, I guess, that the sky decided that they would take her back a few years from now. I guess all I could do was just go to school and visit her every afternoon before the sunset. Her disease is not only killing her; it’s killing the people around her. Seeing her dying is worse than seeing a starless sky. And yet, I gave her a sky full of stars...

CHAPTER 1

“These countless stars have pulsing, fiery hearts that no amount of time could make irritable or weary,” I sighed as I read the third verse of Sara Teasdale’s poem entitled “Stars,” written in 1926. I don’t even know what these stars look like, but I am indeed mesmerized by how this poet describes them. My teacher once told us that the sun is also a star in class, but I don’t get why poems don’t write about it. It’s the only visible star in the sky. Maybe one day I’ll be able to write one about that lonely fella. I turned off my computer, put my books in my bag, and got out of the library.

As I walked the crowded halls of Lithoscopia High, I heard a shout from a distance calling my name. “Nikki!” she shouted so loud I was afraid the principal would call us again. When she reached me, trying to open my locker, she tried to catch her breath, as if she ran a marathon, her green eyes glimmering as the sun rays hit her lashes. “Have you read Stars yet?” she asked. “I just did,” I answered. “And?” she asked, waiting for my review of the poem. “It’s good,” I replied. She raised an eyebrow at me, expecting more than what I had just said. “It’s good? That’s it? It’s mesmerizing. It’s amazing. It’s full of wonder!” she exclaimed. I tried to calm her down because people were starting to stare.

But then again, being friends with Stephanie would definitely make eyes look our way. She’s so beautiful, with her not-so-chubby cheeks, her perfect braided hair, not mention her flawless skin, and no one can top her energy. As the bells rang, I locked my locker and walked toward our classroom with Steph by my side.

I entered our classroom, and my classmates did things that students usually do, listened to music, tried to apply the make-up tutorial they saw on YouTube, and some threw crumpled pieces of paper at one another. Suddenly they stopped as our teacher entered the classroom. I walked quickly towards my chair; Steph walked behind me and sat as our teacher said good morning.

The class was biology, and I think our lesson was about some type of cancer, but I was too busy sketching up what I thought stars looked like. I didn’t have a clear image in my mind, so I decided to sketch Stephanie’s face instead. It shines in the sunlight and reflects the tears in her eyes. Wait, why does she look sad all of a sudden?

“Hey, are you alright?” I asked her. “Huh? Yes, I am”, she answered with a fake smile plastered on her face. “Nicole, do we have a problem over there with Miss Stephanie?” our teacher asked as she stared in our direction. I might’ve asked too loud. “No sir, no problem at all,” I said with a fake smile plastered on my face. “Good, now moving on, the brain is our...” he continued as my mind drifts away, once again.

The day passed like any other day, but Steph looked disturbed since the Biology class after lunch. “You sure you’re okay, bruh?” I asked her. “I swear this is like, the 5th time you asked me that today. I’m fine, don’t worry”, she answered and chuckled, passing off the question as a joke. We went outside the school and into her mom’s car. Ever since we were a kid, her mother would always take us home since our apartments were near.

There are no suburban areas in our country ever since the president focused on cramming as many people as possible in a single building. I don’t know why, but I think it’s so that there is enough space in this tiny landmass that’s left after what happened a hundred years ago.

They dropped me off in front of my apartment building, and I waved them goodbye as I entered. It’s actually not that bad of an apartment. Every apartment unit has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a big kitchen, a living room, and a small balcony, enough for two or three persons. As I entered the elevator, a boy my age rushed in, hoping to enter the elevator before it closed. “Wait, hold the door please!” he called out as I went and pushed the button. “Thanks,” he said. “Don’t mention it,” I replied.

We were just both standing there as we waited for the elevator to stop on our floor. We were both dropping off on the 5th floor. We exited the elevator and went to our apartment unit as the elevator bell dings. “See you around!” he said as he waved and entered his unit. I didn’t look back, though; I didn’t know him. Although people are very amiable, I honestly don’t understand why.

I entered our unit, and my mom welcomed me with a hug. “Oh my God, Nikki, I have the best surprise for you,” she exclaimed. She went to her room and returned, bringing this beautiful black unisex suit. I gasped. This is gorgeous, I love it. “Mom, this is... thank you”, I said. “Where did you get the money for this?” I asked her. “I borrowed a dollar or two from a couple of my friends at work, but don’t worry about that now; you have a prom to go to.”, she answered.

Prom is literally two days from now, and people are getting ready for it since the last prom that Lithoscopia High did was 50 years ago. I wasn’t that excited about it, but then mom bought – or rented – this suit, which, don’t get me wrong, I love it either way. I am not fond of dresses, and people in school stare at me for it, for being... different. I went to my room and opened my laptop, and a message from Stephanie popped up.

Steph

I just got my dress for prom, Are you sure you’re not coming?

You

Actually, mom just bought me a suit, so I guess I’m going

Steph

Great, oh, I can’t wait to see that. I heard the prom is light-themed,

Whatever that meant...

You

I guess they want to emphasize the brightness of this city as if that’s not.

Emphasized enough. I was about to do my assignments, but I got tired and just lay down and slept. I woke up, and it was like 7 o’clock in the evening. The city is as bright as ever, and there are still no stars in the sky. I opened my phone and tried to call Stephanie. The phone rang, and after a few seconds, she picked up. “Hey, you busy tonight?” I asked. “I’m about to head to school to help decorate for the prom. Wanna come?” I’m sure mom would love that if I went and helped, she would always say that I should join more extracurricular activities. “Yeah, sure,” I answered.

I wore my jeans and gray jacket and went down to my apartment building. There wasn’t any cab to call, so I simply walked, but then a car stopped just beside me as its windows rolled down. “Hey, Nikki, where are you headed?” Josh asked my classmate in Math who is like the golden boy in our school. “I’m going to school. Stephanie asked me to come and help decorate for the prom”, I answered. “Oh, great. I have something to drop there right now; hop in”, he replied. I guess a free ride is a free ride, so I hopped in. If it were another guy, I would’ve just continued walking and ignored it, but Josh is different from other guys. He’s kind and such a gentleman. It’s as if chivalry runs through his veins.

When we arrived, there were a bunch of kids also coming. As I said, everyone is excited. We entered the school gym where the prom was going to occur, and I saw Stephanie hanging these leafy decorations on the stage. I walked towards her, but I noticed this one kid, probably a junior, struggling to get the fairy lights untangled. I walked towards him instead. “Here, let me help,” I said. “Oh, hi, Uhm... here”, he looked timid, which is understandable. We untangled all the fairy lights and brought them to the stage. “Hey Steph, need any help?” I asked her as she was also struggling. “Oh great, you’re here. Hand me those thumbtacks, please”, she ordered with authority.

Stephanie is also a student council member, probably because her mother wants her to be, but it did mold her into this leader everyone adored. Time has passed so quickly that I didn’t even notice that it was already 10 PM. The decorations for the prom were finished and polished. The theme was gold and dark as it screamed complexity and fierceness. Everyone was happy with the result of their hard work, and so was Steph. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” She finally expressed while looking up at the stage intently. “Yes, it is. You did an excellent job here.” I honestly agreed since it is also apparent and visible how her work has turned out.

Starting from the set-up of the lights, the arrangement of the chairs and tables, and the decorations of the stage, up to the whole concept of the venue. Everything was perfect. It is also evident how the other students who helped with the decorations were satisfied and happy with the outcome. “It is going to be a very fun and memorable night! Can’t wait to be here tomorrow!” I heard one of the students excitedly exclaim.