Chapter 6: Confessions

Fauna lay in her bed. It was mid-afternoon, but she had no plans for today.

She stared at her ceiling and thought about Atlas. 

She honestly did not like seeing him so worried about the future. Her father always told Fauna to cherish the small moments. But poor Atlas was already stressed about becoming something more significant. Her eyes shifted to her window, and she looked out to see the bright blue sky and wondered about the prince. 

'I wonder what he's doing?' she thought. She didn't know what his home looked like, only what she assumed was their equivalent of a backyard. 

Fauna's door burst open, and her friend Delphine entered. 

"Time to get up, sleepy head~" Delphine sang as Fauna groaned 

"I'm up, I just don't want to get out of bed," Fauna stated as Delphine closed the door and jumped on Fauna's bed, making the whole bed frame shake. 

"Oh, why? Are you finally going to tell me what's been on your mind?" Delphine asked as Fauna thought about it for a moment and sat up. 

"Yes, if you'd lower your voice, but let's go take a walk in the creek. I'd rather not have my family try to eavesdrop on this.." Fauna says, crawling past Delphine to get out of bed and get dressed.

Fauna wore jean shorts, a red graphic tee, and her worn-out black chucks. Fauna grabbed a small bag and trekked to her kitchen to grab water bottles and snacks. This was going to be a long walk. 

The girls walked a few blocks away to a trail that led to the creek near the edge of her neighborhood. Just as they passed the beginning of the trail, Fauna spoke up. 

"Okay, so this is going to sound a little crazy…hmm, how do I start?" Fauna says as Delphine tilts her head at her friend.

"So let's start from here," Fauna paused. "Do you remember me telling you about a weird dream I had a few years ago? This was before we met, but I swore I had told you. It was about how I dreamt about a white hair boy holding me as I was crying after Grace passed away." Fauna explains as Delphine nods along 

"Yeah, you said you remember him comforting you, and then you woke up in your bed. What does this have to do with how you have been acting?" Delphine asks 

"Well, about a month ago, I thought it was just that. A dream, but he is real," Fauna says as Delphine looks puzzled 

"Real? Like you can touch him and stuff?" she questioned

"Yes! I thought I was dreaming again, but we started talking, and long story short, he is a prince from the moon and has been wanting to see me again since that night," Fauna says 

Delphine stopped in her tracks and looked at her friend oddly 

"A Prince from the Moon? Are you sure this isn't one of the stories you are writing?" Delphine asks 

Fauna shook her head

"No, he is real! I have been talking to him every night for the past month. He is the reason why I was spaced out in the pool a week ago. I can't help but think about him.." Fauna trailed off, turning her back to her friend

'I knew no one would believe in me,' Fauna thought bitterly 

Delphine looked at her friend's frustration and knew she wasn't lying. Fauna never was a good liar. The more Delphine thought about it, the more she started to believe it was true. 

"Wait, hold on! So that's why you haven't spent the night at my house! I knew something was up; you gotta let me meet him!" Delphine exclaimed as Fauna whipped her head around. 

"That's how you know I'm not lying?!" Fauna says as Delphine laughs 

"Well, that and you are not a good liar; the second you turned you still didn't answer my question. Can I meet him?" She asks as Fauna is speechless 

"I…I don't know. I'll ask him if he is okay with it first. He is not supposed to be seen by us at all. He has been breaking the rules just to talk with me," Fauna explained as Delphine's eyes lit up

"So you're telling me this prince is not only a prince but a boy breaking the rules to see a girl? Oh boy, he has a crush on you~" Delphine dances as Fauna turns red. 

"A crush? No, no way," Fauna says, walking more into the trail 

"Oh, but my dear friend, I think it is. You also like him. You just told me you've been spaced out more often because of him. You like him too," Delphine teases. 

Fauna's face was red as she thought about Atlas. 

Yes, he was handsome, aloof, funny, determined…

"Oh no.." Fauna says as Delphine nods 

"Oh yes, sister, you have a crush on a prince!" She bounces as she laughs 

"Fauna and…and… what is this prince's name?" Delphine pauses, singing the kissing tree song 

"His name is Atlas, and please don't start singing that song," Fauna groans as Delphine ignores her friend and proceeds to sing. 

"Fauna and Atlas sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G~" She sings, running a bit ahead. 

Fauna thought more about how she felt about the Prince. 

'He has been kind to me and knows how to make me laugh…what am I going to do?' Fauna thought 

"How am I going to face him now, knowing how much I like him?" Fauna thought out loud 

"Well, from what you told me, I am 100% sure he likes you too. Hell, if I lived on the moon and found someone I like here, rules be damned, I'd see them every chance I'd get," Delphine said as they started to head back. 

Later that night, Fauna was in her backyard waiting for Atlas. She had no clue what to do with her feelings, so she wouldn't act differently until she was sure he liked her. 

Just above her, Atlas was preparing a small gift for Fauna. 

Atlas went to the marketplace and got Fauna a bracelet. It was a small silver chain with gems lining the brace. The oval Jericho gem was ombre purple with a starburst cut on the back. It resembled a star if it were encased in the gem. Putting it away in the soft velvet bag, he tucked it into his pocket before venturing off to see Fauna. 

A soft light encased the Prince as he appeared in front of Fauna. 

He expected her to have a blanket and snacks, but instead, she stood against the brick wall. 

"No new snacks today?" Atlas asked as Fauna shook her head. 

"You've seen enough of my backyard. Tonight, we are going on an adventure," Fauna says.

Atlas followed the girl to the creek where she and Delphine had been earlier that day. The trail was dark, but Atlas noticed little lights appearing around them. 

"What are those lights?" He questioned 

Fauna looked behind her to see Atlas entranced by the fireflies 

"Those are fireflies. They are little bugs that will randomly light up during the summer." She explains that some bugs started to light up more around the prince. 

Fauna watched Atlas smile as one of the little fireflies landed on his finger before flying off again. 

"Do all of Earth's bugs glow?" He asked as Fauna laughed 

"Sorry to disappoint you, but no. They are the only ones that light up like this," she explained as she started to walk past the trail. Atlas was puzzled by her going off the path but followed her regardless. 

"Where are we going?" He asks, moving the branches of the various bushes and trees. 

"You'll see," Fauna says as she bolts up a small hill. 

Stunned, Atlas rushed to follow her. 

"Wait up!" he says as he breaks out of the foliage and stops in his tracks. 

In front of him, illuminated by the moon, was a clearing covered in fireflies with the sound of rushing water nearby. Distracted, Atlas spun around, looking at everything. He stopped when he noticed Fauna watching him explore.

"Do you like it?" She asked him 

"Very much; you can see the stars here much better than in your backyard," Atlas said as Fauna nodded and walked up to him, staring at the sky 

"Exactly. This is one of my favorite places in the world. Only a few people know about it; there's more to show you if you want to see," Fauna suggested 

"There's more?" He asked 

"On earth, there's always more. Come on," Fauna says, taking Atlas's hand and guiding him to another one of her favorite spots. 

The Prince's face felt warm as he looked at their hands interlocked. Fauna guided him through a long-forgotten path, and they came up on a hill as she stopped. Atlas looked up to see a river littered with different plants and rocks. In the moonlight, it was beautiful. 

"Here we are; I have some stuff to unpack, wanna go explore the edge of the river?" Fauna suggested as Atlas looked back at her and thought for a moment 

"I guess so, but I'd rather help you if you don't mind," He said 

Fauna was stunned that he didn't want to venture off like she thought. 

"Sure, here, can you set up the blanket over there? I'm gonna grab some lights and the snacks," she instructed as Atlas walked a few feet away and gently laid out the blanket. Soon after, Fauna came up behind him and turned on a small lantern. She also set down a tray of goodies with various crackers, fruits, and cheeses. 

Together, they sat back and enjoyed the serene night. The sounds of crickets were heard as a soft wind blew over them. 

Atlas cleared his throat

"So, anything interesting happened today?" He asks 

"Yes, actually, so I hope this is okay, but I told my friend about you," Fauna says as Atlas's eyes widen. 

"You told someone about me?" He questioned 

Was she not supposed to? Fauna was hesitant to speak.

"...yes," she said, afraid he would tell her they couldn't see each other anymore, but Atlas beamed. 

"What's their name? " He asked, turning his frame. 

"Her name is Delphine. She is the best friend anyone can have." Fauna said as Atlas smiled.

"We have been friends since 7th grade. Without her, I don't think I could have survived Middle school or even High School. I finally told her about you, and she was interested in meeting you," Fauna tells 

"She sounds interesting. It would be nice to meet another human." Atlas says 

An idea popped into the Prince's head

"Hey, I have an idea!" Atlas starts, "I'll meet Delpine, and you can meet my best friend!" He says. 

Fauna's eyes light up. 

"Really? Another being like you?" she beamed 

Atlas and Fauna began to plan a small get-together in a week. The pair were buzzing at the thought.