Dead Stars

"The lover boy is as poetically flowery with words as always! The princess gets her much deserved kiss!" Bash whooped and the girls laughed at his remarks.

He is weird.

I got a hunch that this reincarnation of William might be a little bit too happy. Like he might have something hidden beneath the mask of a wide charming dimpled smile of his.

"Lovers with all due respect, I am utterly jealous right now." Suzy chimed in while she stole a glance at Levi. Ali giggled beside her and just shook her head in disbelief at the public display of affection by the two.

Zeke deepened the kiss more and Becky wrapped her arms around his neck. There was a long pause as the circle heard their little moans. As I observed them, my mouth just fell down and I gaped in incredulity.

Is this how the young generation do it in the twenty-first century? I'm not one to say because William and I had our relationship in secrecy but even if it wasn't, I don't think this is actually proper.

I heard someone clear their throat and I turned around to see Levi had the same look of disapproval. His thick brows knitted together a fine bushy red bridge. He puffed another round of cigarette smoke and said,

"Oooooookaaaaay, I think that is enough of the free porn now. Zeke, Becky?" Levi said and he dragged and puffed the last bit of his cigarette, then threw the now-useless butt into the fire.

Becky and Zeke finally broke the kiss and composed themselves as if nothing out of the blue happened. I looked disbelievingly at Becky and she blushed at my reaction and just giggled it off as if saying 'Sorry 'bout that sister, couldn't help myself.'

To be honest, that silly face Becky made and the smile she beamed at everyone looked so beautiful. I could see the love in her eyes and couldn't help but feel a pang of pain and melancholy tug at my heart.

I was her once.

Once upon a time in the small town of Shalem, I was also a girl that felt the elation and happiness of being someone's muse. The sweet talks, plans for the near future, caresses, even just the mere contact of our hands intertwined could send me to the clouds.

I looked over to William's reincarnation and saw how he had chuckled at his friend's lovestruck behavior. It was evident the two were so in love and hung up with each other that not even the public eye could stop them.

I shifted my sitting position and felt the cold breeze that blew in the summer nights and shivered. I couldn't help it. Despite my hatred towards Will, I have to admit.

I still longed for what we had.

But just as quickly, I remembered that that love ended tragically with my death. And I swore to never make the same mistake again. Slowly, I felt my conviction come back.

The rage with which fueled my being crept under my skin. I can literally feel it sizzle and boil the blood that coursed through my veins. Like electric pulses that sped its way around my vessels.

Suddenly, the cans of unopened beer from the ice bucket exploded. Ali and Suzy shrieked as they were sprayed by the bitter-sweet beverage. Bash had been the closest and he as well wasn't exempted from the shower.

"What the fuck?" he said as he stood up. The froth from the built-up pressure inside the cans flooded the bucket and he cursed once more. "The hell! This is all we have for tonight!"

What had just happened? That wasn't me, right? I looked around frantically and cowered as the fear of the night Shalem took me from my home flashed in front of my eyes vividly like visions.

The pitch forks and their sharp pointed tips, the torches and the scalding embers that dropped as it hit my arms. The terrifying look that the townspeople gave me like I was a monster.

I fear that if they suspected me, the same thing would happen again. No. I don't want to. I wish that wasn't me.

"Okay folks, I guess we could call this a night then? Dammit I wanted to get drunk." He muttered under his breath, clearly annoyed that the beers were wasted.

They didn't notice? I let go a big sigh of relief and I saw everyone slowly get up and clean their areas.

'Breathe Elizabeth. That wasn't you. You did nothing.' I told myself.

The boys proceeded to set up their bed at the back of the truck and spent the rest of the night stargazing. I heard Zeke sing what sounded like a song about dead star-crossed lovers, soon to meet again, but never the same as before.

"Bash writes the band's songs and Zeke sings them." Becky said. She had already closed her eyes and yet she still thinks of the boy. Her cheeks were still flushed from the kiss they shared.

After we cleaned up and settled in our tents, I got to examine more of my surroundings as I laid beside Becky. I purposely didn't close the tent so I could see the road a few meters away from where we camped. The night had enveloped the area in a cloak of shadows.

Above us, the heavens displayed a masterpiece of diamonds that glittered.

The road was wide and devoid of any lights and I had no idea what time it was. I had slipped into a warm bag that covered my slim body and the only thing that poked out like a sore thumb was my head.

We had set up camp in what looked like a vast expanse of land, outlined by tall trees at each side. The sounds of the woodland nightlife echoed the hoots of owls.

Like an ugly worm cocooned in the safety of its silky chamber. I wondered, when I wake up tomorrow, would I metamorphose into something beautiful?

I don't think so.

Spring has long past and summer was not the time for new things.

Summer was the time to finish what spring started.

And my spring started with fire.