Kaia Starnino

when he heard the snap of a stick. A whip cracked and Ridley knew, he knew he could never start a new life, because he was still trapped in his old one. Without hesitation Ridley sprinted through the trees. He ran for his life, but it was no use. The bang of a shotgun pierced the air and Ridley fumbled to the ground, Dead. . . . . “Tell me exactly what happened,” said the police officer.

“Well…” exclaimed the man in a top hat, “I had visited the house earlier for dinner, and afterwards my wife and I decided to take a stroll near the woods for our ride was late. After a while I heard a gunshot and it had come from the trees. I ran in and found two dead bodies.”

“Can you describe the bodies?”

“One was a boy, maybe fifteen years. He had dirt all over him and his leg was all scratched up and bleeding like crazy, and it looked like he’d been shot in the chest. The other one was a man of his fifties. He had a bushy mustache and he had a pair of clippers jabbed in his head. There was also a big crack in the back. Think he cracked his head on a rock. He carried a whip and shotgun. Probably the one that blasted the boy.”

“Thank you for the information.” said the officer, “You are free to go.”

“You’re very welcome. Glad I could help.” The man left the building and walked toward the woods. He pulled out a jagged stone covered in blood from his pocket and chuckled to himself.

“Never saw it coming, did he, never saw it coming.”

Children of the Sky

Kaia Starnino

In a land far away, where the gentle sun shines down upon the glimmering sea, and the moon beams down on the soft earth, there was a Village. A Village by a lake, clear as glass. In the lake’s silver waters, there lay a stone. A stone as smooth as marble and firm as diamond, yet sharp and honed. It had a glow to it, which, for the most part, appeared to be faint. However, once every full moon, it would shine brighter than the sun.

And if anyone ever swam to the bottom of the lake on a full moon, they would see a shadowy figure taking shape in the depths of the waters. And as the figure swam up to the surface, it would begin to take a human-like form. However, it did not seem to be truly human. There was always something ethereal about it. The human-like figure appeared to be a boy, no more than sixteen years old. Every full moon, the boy would appear in the flower fields near the Village by the lake. He stood in the moonlight, watching the night sky. The absence of the sun brought forth a beaming silhouette that cast light on the earth. Once in a while, a villager would catch a glimpse of him, but he would disappear before they could get a full look. Stories began to spread about the boy who appeared every full moon. He became known as “the midnight child.” Yet while his stories were told, not many believed in his existence. The Village by the Silver Lake was very small. It consisted of no more than two hundred people. Each did their part in order for their village to thrive. Some were crop harvesters, some were blacksmiths. Some were fletchers, and some were fishermen. Even the children, outside of their education, did simple tasks related to their parents’ trade. However, one child was an exception. The scarlet girl’s parents had come from another land, a land that had been destroyed and demolished by war. They fled to the Village and decided to live there. However, the scarlet girl had lived most of her life without knowing the comfort of loving parents. She was only four when her parents died of scarlet fever. An old caretaker, assigned by the leaders of the Village, begrudgingly took the scarlet girl in, but was cold to

her, and never allowed her to play with the other children. “You’re different from them, I shan’t let you play. If any one of the children gets hurt, the blame will be on me.” And as soon as the girl turned twelve, her caretaker decided that she was old enough to survive on her own. That day, the caretaker showed her out the door and locked it behind her. Although it was difficult, the girl survived. The inhabitants of the Village were not kind towards her. They shunned her and excluded her from the community. They criticized her for looking different, being different. Her caramel colored skin contrasted with the villager’s lighter tones. Her wavy, dark hair was unique among the lighter browns and reds of the villagers. And her silver-colored irises stood out from everyone’s eyes of blue, green, and hazel. Oftentimes, she would wonder, why do they hate me so much? Is it because I look different? Is it because my parents came from a different place? But I was born here, and I live here, and I’ve never done anything wrong. Most of the time, the scarlet girl would wander the fields of flowers just beyond the Village. She liked it, because it was a place where she could be free from all of the hatred directed towards her. She would walk along the paths of soil and gaze at the beautiful hydrangeas and sweet orchids. These were the only times she could feel truly happy. It was one day while she was walking in the flower fields that a strange occurrence happened. The scarlet girl had stayed in the fields much longer than normal, for the villagers were especially sour to her this time of year. The harvest had not been very good and the whole village was low on food. No one wanted to see her face in the village, so she left. The shining sun was setting, and the purples, pinks, and oranges of the sky contrasted deeply with the white snow on the ground. The scarlet girl wandered along a path leading to nowhere in particular, admiring the crocus flowers that bloomed in winter. The mysterious violet glow of the delicate petals cast a reflection on the soft snow. Although they seemed so breakable, the flowers thrived with great beauty, even in the harsh cold. Looking up at the sky, she smiled. I wish I could stay here forever. She shifted her gaze back to the flowers. They seemed to glimmer, as if light was being shone down upon them by something mysterious… The scarlet girl jumped to her feet immediately. Her eyes darted around, eventually resting on a shimmering figure. Staring at it, she hesitantly began to walk forward. But it disappeared. The sky was

getting darker. The sun started to slowly sink, and the pinks and oranges of sunset began turning into the darker gradient of lilac to amethyst of twilight. Beginning to become slightly apprehensive, the scarlet girl picked up her pace and started walking toward the Village. But the shimmering light appeared again, slightly brighter this time. She unconsciously turned towards it. As soon as her gaze fell upon the luminous figure, it wavered and disappeared again. Moving her legs faster. But just as she saw the familiar turn in the road that signaled she was close to the Village, the bright figure appeared once more, this time dazzling and shining so bright that the scarlet girl had to squint to see. And then it was dark. Although not completely dark, for the full moon was starting to rise, seemingly floating up into the sky, lightly draping the earth with its silver glow. The figure fully materialized, and the scarlet girl began to make out a boy. A young boy, who appeared to be around her age. He had raven hair, as black as midnight. His skin was pale and glowing like the moon, and his eyes were like a wolf’s, striking amber and sharp. His beauty reminded her of the silver waters of the lake: mysterious yet bewitching. He was sitting on the ground beside her, staring at her. His presence was eerie, yet comforting. “Hello,” the boy greeted. Although she was stunned, the scarlet girl was not afraid. “Hello. Who are you?” “Hmm… I’m not sure,” was his response. The scarlet girl cocked her head. “How can one not be sure who they are?” “I don’t know. Do you know who I am?” The scarlet girl had to think for a moment. “Are you the midnight child?” “Perhaps. Is that what they call me?” “You mean the villagers?” “Yes, them.” “That is indeed what they call you.” “Strange. I don’t even appear at midnight. I wonder why they chose that name.”

“Perchance it was because you seem like the midnight sky. The luminosity of your countenance reminds me of the moon, and your hair resembles the dark heavens of night. And your eyes look like the sun.” “Is that so? Then maybe ‘Midnight’ isn’t so bad. Will you call me that?” the midnight child asked. The scarlet girl stood, with her blood-red lips, dark brown hair, and soft, caramel-colored skin, glowing. Her silver eyes shone, with long lashes that blinked at the midnight child. Her long, silky hair waving tranquilly in the wind. The midnight child smiled, his glowing amber eyes never leaving hers. “Midnight.” The scarlet girl felt strange saying his name. It felt right, yet very wrong. “Yes?” Midnight inquired. “Will you call me ‘Scarlet’?” Scarlet looked at the ground, noticing small crocus blossoms beginning to bloom. “Okay.” Midnight smiled. “What are you doing in this place? Shouldn’t you be in your village?” “I come here when I want to run away from everything.” “Oh… Should I not be here?” Midnight sounded apprehensive. “...No, I think it’s okay. You’re rather comforting.” Midnight grinned at her. “Really? But aren’t you usually lone-

ly?”

Scarlet sighed. “No, I actually prefer being by myself. No one accepts me in the Village. They treat me like I’m not even human. I wish I could die.”

“You could.” Midnight looked at her seriously. “Have you ever tried?” Scarlet tilted her head and gave Midnight an inquiring look. “Why, yes, I have. But I realized I would have lived my life without being happy. So I kept on living. But now I wonder, will anything ever change if I continue living like this?” “No, it won’t… But dying won’t help either. Death is lonely.’ Scarlet sighed. “Better to be lonely than to suffer.” “Being lonely is suffering. I’ve been alone for eternity. My body

does not age, and neither does my soul. Solitude is the worst form of torture.”

“Is it?” Scarlet inquired. “I’d love to be you.” A stormy look passed through Midnight’s amber eyes. “Would you really want that?” Perplexedly, Scarlet turned her head at him. “Yes, I would.” “I don’t think you would. I could make you like me. And then you’d know how I feel.” “Really? Are you serious?” Midnight nodded. “Yeah. But I would never do it.” “Well, what even are you? How can I ‘be you’?” Taking a deep breath, Midnight spoke. “There is a ritual that has been passed down since ancient times. In the depths of the Silver Lake, there is a stone. It’s not very large, nor does it glimmer. Yet I find that it is the most beautiful thing in the world.” “Well, what does it do?” “The Stone has some mysterious power. If you swim in the waters of the Silver Lake on a full moon, you will become cursed. Like me. The stone will take your soul, and never let it go. And the only way you can remove the curse is if another person swims in the waters. The stone will take their soul instead, and free yours.” “What is the curse, anyways?” Scarlet probed. “You appear to be like any other person. I can see you. I can hear you. I can even touch you.” “I’m not the same as you, or any of the villagers. When the sun rises after a full moon, I find myself falling into a deep slumber. As my vision dims, my mind becomes foggy, and I close my eyes. When I awaken, I am on the pink shores of the Silver Lake. The full moon is out again. I never know how much time has passed. And I wander through the fields and forests, desperately trying to find a reason for my being. I can try to exist. But no matter what I do, I can’t stay awake by the time the sun rises. I can’t make friends. I can’t own any possessions. I can’t die, either. If I drown, I’ll wake up on the Lake’s shores again. If I fall off a cliff, I’ll lose consciousness, and wake up on the Lake’s shores again. All I can do is wander through this land, wondering if this suffering will ever cease.”

Scarlet reflected on his words. “So, if I swim in these waters, I can be like you?” “Yes. But you can’t. I won’t allow it. Why would you even want something like that?” Pausing, Scarlet admitted, “It may seem like a terrible thing-” Midnight nodded. Scarlet slowly continued, “-but, I would do anything to get away from my life here.” “Why is that?” Midnight frowned, shaken. Scarlet chose her words carefully. “For all the time I’ve lived in this village, I’ve never been happy. I’ve lived for so long, fighting for my life, trying to find a way to bring myself into this society. I try to force myself to be the same as them. I live every day as a lie, trying my best to hide my differences. But I’m sick of it. I’m sick of it, and I want to do something about it. But I don’t want to die without doing anything. I want to die, knowing that I’ve made an impact on someone, so that they can tell my story, and I can live on. If I take on the curse for you, I’ll have done something, something that tells me, this is why you were born. ” With a pained expression on his face, Midnight protested. “This life of solitude is much worse than you would think… I can’t let you do this.”

“But what about you? I’m sure you want to be free. Don’t you want to explore these silver waters, this soft, purple grass, and the clear, blue air here, without any limitations?” “Of course…!” Midnight proclaimed. “But I don’t want to take that freedom away from you…” “You can live a happy life in a simple, cozy house made out of wood. It could be any kind of wood. The warm, white birch in the mountains, or the sturdy cedar by the river. Wouldn’t it be nice?” Midnight turned his gaze to the scenery around him. “I know that it would.”

“Think of all the happy memories you could make. This land is beautiful when it snows. The crystal flakes that fall from the sky and land on your nose, the warm, crackling fire inside, the snowball fights that I’ve seen people have; don’t you want to experience these things?”

Midnight shook his head, his dark hair blowing slightly in the breeze. “Not if it’s at your expense.” “But what about in the spring, when the snow melts to reveal sweet-smelling blossoms of varying colors, hidden in the grass? And the bare branches of the trees begin to flourish and blooming flowers appear, dropping their petals on the soft, fresh earth.” Beginning to imagine what the life Scarlet described would be like, Midnight clasped his hands together, pondering his words. Scarlet resumed talking. “And what about the summer? With the beaches of pink sand and the silver and mint green waters, the golden sun and the cotton clouds. You should see them!” “But what about you? Why do you choose isolation? Why would you do that for me?” Midnight asked, clenching his fists. Scarlet smiled, but she looked like she was in pain. “In a way, I’m being selfish. I’ll never be accepted here—I haven’t been since I was born. Instead of suffering through exclusion and torment, I’d rather be by myself, somewhere where no one can reach me.” Midnight narrowed his wolf-like eyes, his amber irises barely visible. “Why do you choose to be alone? Why choose eternal isolation and anguish?” Scarlet took a deep breath. “It wouldn’t be much different from remaining here. I am already alone. At least if I left, I wouldn’t have to suffer the torture of the villagers’ harsh words and cruelty. And it’d be better than dying.” “Please, stop and think! Do you want this? What are you truly thinking, deep inside of your mind?” What am I thinking…? Scarlet hesitated. Although I have suffered, being beaten and cast out, in reality, I haven’t done much to stop it. I haven’t tried traveling to another village, nor have I ever asked the villagers to understand me. But… Closing her eyes, Scarlet thought about all the times she felt like she wanted to die. All the times when the pain and misery were so bad that she wanted to end it all. If I went back, it would still be no use. I want to help Midnight. “I’m sure I want to do this. Let me save you.” Exhaling, Midnight shook his head. “It seems like you’ve made