Diary of Ivory Black

Chapter 2: The Last Night

    Looking over at the dusty grandfather clock hanging over the corner of her room, Mei was surprised to realize she’d already spent nearly 3 hours reading in her room. She glanced at her phone, it was playing a song, low sound of melody that looms in the room.

    It feels like just now she was at school and socializing with other people, to which she was before she got home 3 hours ago. She glanced once more at the old grandfather clock, it’s 5 pm now. She closed her eyes for a few brief seconds and took off her glasses.

    She marked her book and set it down, then pried her glasses off her face and rubbed her eyes. Everything looks fuzzy and out of focus—well, that’s what happens when you try to cramp two books into 3 hours. She grabbed the underside of her shirt and rubbed the lenses of her glasses. The dust bunnies had gone away, but the annoying smudges were still there. She sighed and put her glasses back on, and glanced around the room to regain her focus.

    Her room was rather small and old fashioned compared to most teenagers, which made it opportune for her to gain inspirations for her habit of writing. Mei sat up from her bed. A small wooden frame adorned with intricate floral carvings along the side painted white and accompanied by a comfortable mattress.

    She picked up her phone and laid back down on her bed. She checked for messages, none. E-mails, none. Other notifications, none. Which was a very good thing for Mei, because despite what people say about socializing, she hates it. She always made sure to have a clean slate on her notifications bar, for no other reason but because notifications always annoy her.

    But as she was about to put her phone back down and resume her reading, she gets a message. Then two, then five, then ten...

    Mei sighed and unlocked her phone once more, it was a text message from a group chat, mainly from Ivory.

    Shithead : Sup asshole? Is my name still Shithead on ur phone?

    Asshole : Hey Shithead.

    Shithead : I’ll take that as a yes

    Bae

: Sup girls?

    Oilve oil : Not much. Just coordinating the choir and band on my own because  SOMEONE skipped school today.

    Bae : Sorry not sorry :v

    Shithead : Violet I swear to this very universe we’re almost done with this hell of a school, so why skip the last day?

    Bae : Just old habits I guess :/

    Asshole : Why am I even here?

    Olive oil : Just to suffer I guess ¯_(ツ)_/¯

    Bae : Btw, can someone please tell me who’s who in this group chat? These nicknames are getting out of hand.

    Asshole : I wasn't born with enough middle fingers to let you know how I feel about you.

    Shithead : I’m Ivory, Mei’s an asshole, Olive oil’s well...Olive. And you are Violet (-_-)

    Bae : Ah, ok thanks

    Olive oil : Why don’t I have a nickname?

    Bae : Your name is a nickname you asshat

    Olive oil : True

    Asshole : Btw, anyone doing anything tonight?

    Shithead : Nah

    Olive oil : Nah

    Bae : Yea I have plans *setting schedule for sleeping, eating, and binge watching TV shows*

    Shithead : Bruh.

    Bae : So, up the hill by 6 pm?

    Olive oil : Yep

    Asshole : As always.

    Shithead : Yall want a campfire tonight?

    Olive oil : Awww hell yeah!

    Bae : I’ll bring the food

    Asshole : You always bring the food, Violet.

    Olive oil : Yo! The firecrackers for tomorrow just arrived

    Shithead : ...and?

    Olive oil : There’s extra

    Bae : Yes

    Shithead : Yes

    Asshole : No, but it’s not like my opinion can change your stupidity

    Bae : Awww...Our momfriend™ is upset

    Olive oil : Don’t be upsetti have some spaghetti!

    Asshole : Why?

    Bea : So, anyway...Just to recap, up the hill by 6 pm, I bring snacks and Olive brings firecrackers.

    Shithead : Yea

    Olive oil : Yea

    Asshole : I guess...

    Bea

: Ok bye : )

    Mei smiled and placed her phone on her nightstand, and placed her book right next to it. Looks like she has a night to look forward to. 6 pm huh, still got an hour left.

    She climbed out of her bed, and opened up her dresser, studying it like she’s never seen a dresser in her life. Should she wear leggings? No, won’t be warm enough. Jeans? Sure, but which one? Ripped jeans? No, that defeats reason number one. Skinny? Yeah, it’s a safe bet. Light or dark? Definitely dark. That’s one down, more to go.

    And as she’s making these very clearly important decisions, she hears her front door opened. She stopped in her tracks as she listens to very familiar tapping sounds made by the old shoes of none other than her father.

    “Mei? Kitty cat, are you home?”

    “Yeah, Dad.”

    “So, how was your technically last day of high school ?”

    “It’s fine, we just sort of did costume practice for tomorrow.”

    “I see. So, how’s the entry for college?”

    “I got accepted two weeks ago, Dad.”

    “Oh yeah, the Japan thing. But who’s paying for your travel ticket?”

    Mei sighed. She knows her father’s Alzheimer can’t be helped, but it can get frustrating at times. Specifically in times where she’s tired or stressed out, i.e this time.

    “You paid my travel ticket two days ago dad.”

    “Oh yeah. And where will you be staying there?”

    “You told me your cousin would let me stay in his house.”

    “Oh yeah.”

    Her father had changed his expression, it seems he’s caught on with Mei’s mood. Not to anyone’s surprise, he’s been known to have the ability to read people like a book. After all these years, Mei’s still trying to determine whether it’s a blessing or a curse.

    He fixed his crooked glasses cleared his throat before speaking up again, “Mei, I know I’m not the brightest light bulb in the house and honestly I-”

    “It’s okay dad, it’s not your fault.”

    “It isn’t your fault either Mei.”

    “I know.”

    “Rough day, cat?”

    “No, just tired.”

    “Ah, of course.”

    To Mei’s surprise, her father promptly clapped his hands and went back to his cheery and enthusiastic self again before immediately saying, “Well, let’s change the subject to something you’d like to talk about!” Mei chuckled at her father’s sudden outburst of energy, “Like what?”

    Her father paused for a bit, trying very hard to remember a recent topic to talk about. “Ah!” He piped up again, “Have you been working on any new stories lately?” Mei’s face lit up, mainly because that was the topic she wanted to talk about before the...other topic came up.

    “I’ve actually been working on a new novel lately.”

    “Really? What’s it called?”

    “The knight, the joke, and the sister.”

    He giggled for a second before responding, “You’re always so creative Mei. So, what’s it about?”

    Mei paused for a second, trying to work out her best description for her new project. But it’s proven to be rather difficult, considering she’s only written a few pages. She hasn’t had the time to work out a decent plot, let alone write it. But nevertheless, she still knows the gist of it.

    “Well, It’s about three best friends.”

    “And...”

    “It’s about how they met, and what they went through...” Mei trailed off.

    “And...”

    “And...I don’t know.”

    “Mhmm? Well, it’s okay to not know things at times, just give it time.”

    “Yeah, I know.” Mei sighed softly.

    “Have you thought of a beginning?" Her father asked, trying to keep the conversation afloat.

    "Yes, several, and all are too happy for my liking." Mei mused.

    "Oh, that won't do! Books ought to have bad premise. That way, it could progress into a happy ending!” Her father chirped.

    “How would this do: and they all hated each other, ever since they’ve met?" He suggested.

    "It would do well with most demographics, if it ever came to that." Mei commented, “Maybe.”

    "Ah! And where will they meet? That's what I’m wondering.”

    The conversation died after, but her father couldn’t help but notice the open dresser and the scattered pants beside it. “You’re going out tonight.”

    “Yeah, to the hill,” Mei answered, while simultaneously picking up all her scattered clothes. She silently cursed her bad habit as she was doing so.

    “Ah, 6 pm?”

    “Yep.”

    “Ah, okay. Want me to take you there?”

    Mei thought for a bit before replying, “Sure.”

    Shithead : Girls!

    Asshole : What?

    Olive oil : que?

    Shithead : I’m almost there. I had to change at home first...

    Asshole : I’m already there.

    Bae

: What’s up?

    Shithead : let me guess, you just woke up (-_-)

    Bae

: Yep :v

    Olive oil : I’ve just left the house so...

    Asshole : Anata wa subete hidoi hitodesu...

    Shithead : Oui oui, qui a reçu une bourse d'études au Japon (-_-)

    Olive oil : I had to use google translate to read that...

    Bae : This what happens when all ur friends speaks multiple languages mon ami :3

    Asshole : You don’t speak multiple languages though :/

    Shithead : Yeah, you just know buzz words of our spoken languages (-_-)

    Bae

: Just let me have my spotlight...

    Shithead : Anyways...What are you all wearing?

    Olive oil : A ribbed sweater with side slits, ripped jeans, black ankle boots, choker, and black faux leather boots!

    Bae : We’re literally just hanging out on the hill, why?

    Olive oil : My body, not yours :/

    Shithead : Well she’s right :v

    Bae : Anyways...White short jeans, crop top, long flannel shirt, and sneakers and my fluffy ass beanie.

    Asshole : Do you ever take ur fluffy ass beanie off?

    Bae : No.

    Shithead : Legend has it, beneath her beanie there is paradise.

    Olive oil : Pfttt...

    Asshole : We’ll talk later, gotta get some wood for the campfire.

    Shithead : I’m right up the corner, wait for me!

    Mei wandered around the hill for what seemed like forever. Watching the sky slowly change colors as she tries to find some firewood for the campfire. She occasionally glanced around her surroundings to hopefully catch a sight of Ivory arriving.

    Her father had already left a few minutes ago, so she has time to herself. It may be scary to some people, to stroll around an isolated hill full of trees. But to Mei, the sight was wonderful, especially during this hour. She took off her glasses and rubbed it against her shirt to clean up the smudges on it, enjoying the blurry sight in front of her as she did so.

    It’s been quite a peaceful journey, but Mei begins to worry about the whereabouts of her friends. She checked her phone, messages, none. E-mails, none. Other notifications, none. At any other time this would make her happy, but right now? Not so much.

    Maybe it’s one of Ivory’s pranks again. Like that one time they “ditched” her at the ice skating ring to watch her desperately try to get to the exit. Or that other time when Ivory had left Mei a blank paper while they were at class, which turned out to be a secret message that can only be seen in the dark. It took a full month for her to realize that the paper Ivory had passed her was actualy filled with writtings. She snickered to herself as she continues to replay the fond memories in her mind.

    “Why didn’t you just use regular ink instead of a glow in the dark one?”

    “Because I don’t want anyone snooping around our conversations.”

    The sky was getting darker, she decided it would be best for her to just go back to their usual rendezvous and hope her friends are already there waiting for her. And as she gathered all her previously collected firewood, she heard a noise.

    She hitched and halted her movement, not even considering to breath. She quickly scanned around her surroundings, trying to figure out where the noise had come from. Which proves to be very hard, considering the particular area she’s in has a lot of bushes in it. She scanned around once more, focusing on any odd movements around each bush. And after a minute or two, nothing.

    She sighed in relief, “Maybe it’s just a rat or something.” She thought to herself. But as she was about to walk away from the scene, “c***k!” There it was again!

    This time though, it wasn’t a rustling bush. It was a sound of a broken branch. But, this is a hill! Not a f*****g mountain! Sure it’s isolated, but that’s because all the animals had been hunted down and there was nothing left to attract people!

    Her mind was now racing with thousands of thoughts, scenarios of many possibilities, even the most unlikely ones. But was she scared? No, not necessarily. She’s always been very calm throughout her life, even through the most frustrating times, her poker face stays intact. And despite all her irrational thoughts, she still knows what to do in these types of situations. And besides, she didn’t go to a hill full of trees with nothing. She needs an axe for cutting the firewood anyway.

    She dropped the firewood she’d collected, drew her axe, and listened closely. She focused on each sound she hears. The calm autumn wind, the hushed rustling of nearby bushes, her own heartbeat, the heavy breathing behind her, and—wait for what!?

     As soon as she realized, Mei twisted her head to face what’s behind her. Nothing. She, however, noticed something else. Footprints and a broken branch, several feet away from her. She lowered her axe and stared at the footprints, they led to a tree—excluded enough from others and only surrounded by huge overgrown wild bushes, and big enough to hide a person behind it.

    She straightened up her glasses and slowly approached the tree, not thinking much of what or who’s behind it. She’s currently a foot apart from it, she held up her axe and walked closer. And slowly and not-so-surely, she swung her axe. It made a violent swoosh, the air brushing her hair with it. She was somewhat hoping to hit something in advance, maybe a deer or other wild animals she would most likely never get to see. But there’s nothing there to hit. She sighed in relief and let her axe down, but as she does so...

    “Boo.”

    “AAAAAAAHHHHhhhhhhh!!”

    “Darn it, I can’t believe you got me.”

    “What can I say? I’m the best prankster in town!”

    Both Mei and Ivory couldn’t help but laugh uncontrollably at their shenanigans. It’s been quite a tradition for Ivory to prank her friends, Mei especially. It took a few minutes for them to calm down, and once they did, they carried their stuff and headed towards the rendezvous.

    It was almost six, and the air got breezy. Both Mei and Ivory are never too keen on cold/breezy weather, they get the flu at the slightest breeze. Which was why Mei’s been wearing her favorite cardigan, and Ivory’s been wearing her signature bomber jacket. (which she always wears to school)

    And since it’s almost six, it was also getting dark. And Mei’s poor eyesight didn’t help, if Ivory wasn’t there she’d probably be lost. But, the sky was so beautiful at this hour that she doesn’t bother complaining. The orange and blue sky, contrasting over the trees and bushes, making them feel like they’re in a painting. And the purple cotton candy clouds add a nice touch to the scenery.

    They both strolled through the hill and talked to each other, all the while looking at the wonderful scenery. It’s funny when they were little they used to think this hill was a forest because the place was so big to them back then. But until today, they still think it’s a forest, a special forest all to themselves.

    “So, tomorrow’s the last day huh?” Ivory spoke up first, more often so.

    “I guess so,” Mei answered nonchalantly.

    “Nervous?”

    “Eh, sort of. Not too worried about it.”

    “Yeah, same.”

    “And you? What’ll you do after?” Mei questioned back, in hopes to resume the conversation for as long as possible. Because, well who doesn’t like talking to their best friend in an isolated hill, surrounded by nature and the beautiful sky?

    “I’ll stay in touch. I mean, I’m not going anywhere out of the country. Moving out of town for college is pretty exciting though.” Ivory answered. She doesn't really take comfort talking about her college plans to Mei, as it’s always a sign that they’d be separated. Miles away, across the sea. It’s kind of painful to talk about the future, even though she knows it’s a bright one.

    “Yeah I know right! I’ve seen a lot of great artists there, you’ll fit in just fine! And besides, a college like that makes everything totally worth it. Hell, maybe you’ll even get a scholarship or something.” Mei reassured.

    “Yeah, you’re right. So? How’s your plan to Japan?”

    “Well, you know. I already got all the important papers set up, and my dad already bought the plane ticket too!”

    “Oh wow, I haven’t even looked into anything yet.”

    “And here I thought you wanted to leave this damned town,” Mei commented back with a chuckle.

    Ivory always preached to her about how the town, let alone their school was doomed to become a wasteland of old people with no job and resources in a few years. Part of it is true because almost every teenager in their town had already set up a plan for leaving the town once they reach a more mature state.

    “Oh trust me I do. I just haven’t looked for a ticket yet, but otherwise, I’m all set!” Ivory replied, with a proud and somewhat cocky tone. Her typical ‘Happy grin’ had started to become more prominent in her face.

    “God, you remind me of that time you went to summer camp.” Mei comments with a groan.

    “Hey, it was worth it!” Ivory interjects. “Besides, I got some pretty dope acting lessons from that camp.” She quickly added.

    “Heh, we’ll see. Architect and movie director! Oh, which shall win?”

    “Oh my dearest architect, please spear me thy mercy!” Ivory facetiously begged, while cupping her hands, trying to imitate a beggar.

    “Oh my precious movie director, I have to spare thee an ounce of mercy! Live your life to the fullest and never come back!” Mei played along, putting her hand on her chest and using her free hand to scrub over Ivory’s hair—much like a master telling her servant that they’ve done a good job.

    They both burst out laughing afterward, dropping some of the firewood in the process. For a split second, it felt like there was only them in this world—laughing like there’s no tomorrow and having fun like they always do. Damn, they’re going to miss these types of moments soon.

    The laughter soon turned into soft giggles and heavy panting. They soon realized that their two friends must already be waiting for them at the rendezvous, so they picked up their stuff and quickened their pace. And after a long silence, Ivory finally spoke up.

    “Hey.” Ivory suddenly spoke.

    “Hey?”

    “Subete ga umaku ikudarou.” The older of the girls spoke in a cheerful tone, her fair face dusted with blush, presumably from the cold.

    Mei chuckled at Ivory’s failed attempt at Japanese accent, “And where or who did you learn that from?” Mei asked.

    Ivory chuckled at her response, almost taking pride in it. “I learned it from you Mei.”

    “Ah, no wonder the sentence had no fault in it.”

    “Hey cut me some slack! I just recited a sentence that you made up almost a year ago, with no faults!” Ivory joked.

    “Yeah, you’re right. Besides, watashi wa subete ga umaku iku koto o shitte iru.”

    “Qu'est-ce que tu dis? Je ne comprends pas du tout.”

    “Ha-ha, if you’re saying something along the lines of ‘I don’t understand you’ then my reply would be, ‘same here’. But then again you could be something totally different so...”

    “Nah, you nailed it.” Ivory answered with a smile.

    “Christ, where have you two been?” Ivory scolded. Because apparently, despite Ivory and Mei’s shenanigans, Violet and Olive still came out late.

    “I told you, I just woke up when you texted me,” Violet retorted nonchalantly, knowing full well Ivory would eventually forgive her. She then switched her attention to Mei, who was currently giving a “speech” to Olive about time and responsibility.

    “And here I thought me and Ivory were late,” Mei commented, prompting a chuckle from Ivory but an unimpressed look from Violet.

    “Awww jeez, lay it off, you two! It’s technically our last day together! Besides, we got firecrackers.” Olive, retorted. Trying to lighten up the mood with her cheerful and optimistic attitude as always.

    “True,” Violet added.

    They continued to chat as they set up the campfire together, and the previous topic quickly slides by.

    It’s 7 pm now, and they’ve all settled down around the campfire. They decided to save the firecrackers for later, and just eat snacks and chat. So Violet has been unpacking all her favorite smores and chips for the past five minutes to settle for the “perfect” one.

    “Yo, which smores do you all want?” Violet finally spoke up, holding two bags of smores that made her process of elimination.

    “Definitely the puffiest one.” Olive piped up, her French accent becoming prominent for a second. It was expected of her anyway, considering she’s been studying French for months now—and she’ll soon be going to France for college.

    “Same.” Both Ivory and Mei replied, almost at the same time. And as soon as they replied, Violet tossed one of the bags to a nearby bush and opened the bag of their agreement. Mei couldn’t help but let out a light chuckle at her adorable friend.

    “So, you’re all ready for tomorrow?” Olive spoke again, as she tries to stick three gigantic smores to twig she just found nearby.

    “Yeah, I guess so.” Ivory commented. “Honestly I’m not really up for it. Like, I’ll do anything to stay in bed tomorrow.”

    “Same.” Everyone chimed in.

    “What about college though? Everyone already had everything set up right?” Mei asked as she straightened up her glasses. It appears she’s going stick to that topic for the night.

    “Yep, France here I come,” Olive spoke, in the happiest and cheerful tone a teenager could possibly make—though everyone knows that she isn’t too thrilled to be going to France.

    “Yep,” Ivory adds, “This s**t’s gonna feel like summer camp all over again.”

    “Literally no one goes to summer camp but you, Ivory.” Olive remarked with a groan.

    “Right.” Ivory replied as she rubbed the palm of her right hand with her left thumb.

    “Well, not all of us are set for college you know,” Violet mumbled, more to herself at this point. It’s no secret that she almost didn’t graduate, and her grades have made it difficult for her to get accepted into the college that she wants. Or any college for that matter. In fact, she’d rather not talk about college or education anytime soon, even with her closest friends.

    “Hey, it’s alright. You still have plenty of time, and we’ll help you along the way!” Olive retorted while placing her hand on Violet’s shoulder.

    “Yeah! And if another college decides to decline you, I’ll make sure to murder them.” Ivory facetiously remarked, earning a chuckle and a soft smile from Violet. But that smile didn’t last long, as it quickly dissolves into a sulk, and the conversation died.

    “Look, let’s just change the topic. Okay?” Violet uttered soon after, putting on her happy mood back on. She didn’t want her friends to sulk with her after it’s her problem.

    “You sure you’re okay?” Olive asked, her tone concerned.

    “I’m fine.” Violet lied.

    Her friends, however, have been around her long enough to know this. So they did what she asked and changed the topic. And as time progressed, the mood lightened up. And the middle of the many topics of the conversation, Ivory had voiced something that peaked everyone’s interest.

    “So...I’ve been thinking.” Ivory started.

    “Well, that’s dangerous,” Violet snorted.

    “Let her talk in peace mon ami. She’s gonna explode if she doesn’t.” Olive retorted, while simultaneously nudging Violet’s arm multiple times. They all chuckled in unison.

    “Anyways, what I’m about to ask is pretty important.” Ivory declared. And as soon as she declared it, they all immediately calmed themselves. Because all of them knows, every time Ivory says that sentence, a serious, deep, and thought-provoking topic is about to come up. But nevertheless, they still kept eating their smores.

    Now that everybody has settled down, it was almost quiet. There was only the sound of the burning wood in the campfire, soft rustling of nature around them, and the night insects. And as the sky turns darker for the night, Ivory spoke up again.

    “What would you do, If you die.”

    “When?” Olive asked, almost too soon for her own preference.

    “Like...Tomorrow, or something.” Ivory answered vaguely, realizing that she’d not thought this question thoroughly. Because this question of hers was not planned, in fact, she’d never thought the conversation would go this far.

    “Well, I wouldn’t mind dying tomorrow for starters.” Violet soon stated. “But what I’d do before that is probably spend more time with my loved ones. You know, to say goodbye.”

    “I would probably lock myself in my bedroom, just writing,” Mei added, prompting Ivory and Violet to share a concerned look on their face.

    “About what?” Olive asked because lord knows the conversation would be too tense without her speaking up.

    “Well...Everything.” Mei answered, almost sounding desperate. “My will, letters to my loved ones, all of my unfinished projects...” Her voice died down after her last sentence, as she realized she’d been talking a bit too loud.

    “You can go on if you’d like.” Ivory offered with a calm and reassuring tone.

    “No, I think I’m done. That’s all I had to say anyway.” Mei answered, as she looked down and examining the campfire that they’ve built. “What if one of us did die tomorrow?” she thought to herself, imagining the possibilities. And since she’s quite the visual person, her imagination can take her quite far from the place she was currently in. But luckily, someone decided to speak up and snap her train of thoughts.

    “Well, I for one would probably live my day as usual,” Olive spoke again, desperately trying to lighten up the awkward mood. “You know. Attend the graduation ceremony, and go to prom...Just acting like nothing’s gonna happen.”

    “Yeah, that sounds like you alright.” Ivory remarked, earning a light chuckle from the group.

    “What about you, Ivy?” Mei asked. Using Ivory’s nickname for the first time tonight.

    “Me? I’d probably spend my last moments killing everyone I hate.” Ivory remarked in jest, all though she’d probably do that if she has the ability and strength.

    “But on a serious note, I’d probably just hang with the three of you on this hill. This hill is my favorite place in the world.” Ivory answered with a small smile. Making everyone in their little circle say, “Awww...”

    “But what about your family?” Violet piped up, while simultaneously stabbing her 30th smore on her twig. It’s quite odd that Ivory seemed to notice it, even for Ivory herself.

    “Yeah, blood is thicker than water,” Mei added, nonchalantly.

    “Actually, that’s not how the saying goes.” Ivory retorted.

    “What do you mean that’s not how it goes? It’s been like that for who knows how long.” Olive exclaimed, in a joking manner.

    “I mean, that’s only half of it. The original saying is actually, ‘The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb’ or so they say.” Ivory replied, with a wide satisfied grin plastered on her face.

    “Ah, life makes so much more sense now,” Mei commented while swinging her currently burning smore. Which she eventually did, revealing a charcoal black burnt smore—which she quickly tossed to a nearby bush. Which for some bizarre reason, made Olive laugh for a solid five minutes—which in turn, made everyone else laugh with her.

    “Anyway,” Olive spoke up, after finally calming down from her frenzy. “Who want to light up the firecrackers?” More of a statement than a question for everyone to be honest, because as soon as she had said that, everyone cheered and started violently unpacking Olive’s bag to get the firecrackers out of it. Breaking one of the zippers on it.

    One might think that four teenage girls would fear firecrackers, and would probably choose the milder squibs. But no, these badass females had been doing these types of things for years now. So, they're very much used to it.

    Every holiday, every celebration, every end of a semester, every time there's something special—they'd celebrate it by going to the hill and playing with some dope firecrackers.

    But for the past year, they've been busy preparing for graduation and looking for colleges, so this was their first time doing this after a very long time. Which very prominent in their facial expressions while they're holding the squibs. Nervous and awkward, like a child trying to ride a bike for the first time.

    But those nervous faces of theirs quickly change into joy after a few minutes, as they regain their feel for the action. After a while, they started doing some cool tricks with what they have.

    The Roman Candles were always Ivory's favorite. Roman candles are long tubes of firecrackers that, when lighted at one end, shoot off colorful balls of fire. Some of the shots crackle, flash, or explode. One may, but not advised to hold these in their hand as they fire off. Once again, it's not in any way recommended, but many people do it; i.e. Ivory. Because of this ability, many young nincompoops use Roman Candles to engage in a mini firearms battle. Which was what Ivory and Olive are currently doing. If Ivory wasn’t staring and laughing uncontrollably at Mei, she’d be playing roman candles with Olive.

    Roman Candles, however, are not Olive's favorite. Sure, she enjoys lighting it up and watching the colorful sparks fly towards the currently laughing Ivy, but it was never quite her favorite. She prefers The Ground Spinners. The name of this firework sums it up quite well. After someone ignites a ground spinner, it will spin around on a random pattern on the ground.

    A variety of ground spinners exist. The small version of ground spinners is often called Jumping Jacks. A larger version of a ground spinner is the Blooming Flowers. This firework spins and shoots off colored sparks so that it looks like a colorful flower is blooming from the ground. But so far, Olive still prefers the Jumping Jacks over the Blooming Flowers, as the small size helps her with being able to light up multiple of the particular firecracker at the same time.

    Olive knows a spectrum of tricks to accompany this firecracker. But her preferred trick is to spin the firecracker like a spinning top, before setting the fuse on fire. The action causes the spinner to look like a fiery spinning top sent from hell—on a quest, to ravage and destroy all that a person could ever know and love. Which is not the reason Olive likes the damned thing, she just thinks it looks pretty.

    Mei, on the other hand, is a Fountain firecracker type of gal. The Fountain is usually a cone shaped device that sits on the ground and shoots off a shower of colorful sparks. To be honest, as a kid, she always thought fountains were quite boring. The sparks don't go up very high and it doesn't last very long. But if one were to look for a mild, yet pretty firework to shoot off with the kids, this is a good one.

    And now that Mei’s all "grown up", she likes to light multiple of them at the same instance and face her back towards them, while dancing and singing. Imagining herself in a non-existent music video. Which in turn, always made Ivory and Violet stare and giggle uncontrollably at her. Though, who wouldn’t?

    And if one might be wondering about Violet's whereabouts in this scene, she’s currently setting up some Lady Fingers and Sparklers into a gigantic smiley face. Ivory offered her help by trying to add some of her Roman Candles to the arrangement, which in advance has made the large array of firecrackers collapse like a pile of dominoes.

    It's a relieve that Violet hasn't set the fuse on fire when the incident had happened. Despite all of that, Violet wasn't upset. In fact, she surprisingly managed to take advantage of the situation to rearrange the currently destroyed smiley face into a heart symbol, while occasionally glancing back to what Mei was up to.

    After a plenty amount of time, they decided that it's time to stop playing games and light up "The Big One".

    The Big One is a gigantic and mysterious firecracker that always buy at the end of a school year. They never knew where it came from, who always sold it to them, or why does one else know about it. They only know how and where to buy it, how to play it, and it's very ambiguous name. But that was never a problem to them—because as long as they have fun, and no one gets hurt, everything's fine.

    One of the unique things about The Big One, is that it needs exactly four people to fire (unless they've been doing things wrong this whole time). One to set it up, one to hold it down, one to put the powder inside—because this particular firecracker needs to have its powder separated so it will explode properly. And lastly, one last person to hold and light up the fuse.

    And all it takes are a few good minutes to set things up, and then, three…two…one.

    Boom!

    Their anticipation had risen in sync with the high-pitched, and very loud screeching was created in the night sky by the resonance of the emitting gas. The rapid bursts of the gas from the fuel had vibrated the air many hundreds of times per second, causing the very familiar whistling sound in their ears. It's sound felt familiar, original, and very satisfying to hear.

    Before the tradition had occurred, Olive had always thought that the sound made by fireworks were just a soundtrack or possibly an ensemble playing behind the fireworks—thus why she never liked fireworks as a child. But now that she’s done this so many times, she’s come to love the sound. As it reminds her of all the fun and wonderful memories she had managed to create with her three best friends: Violet, Mei, and Ivory.

    But the show didn’t stop there. And soon after the yellow trail of light had stopped, the firecracker exploded into a giant ray of shells, containing a few smaller “comet stars” arranged in such a way as to burst with large streaks of light, producing a bursting flower-like effect, much like the Blooming Flowers. One might also see a burst of color inside the burst; given by the insert of the shell, which was relatively small. Violet had always adored this part of the tradition, watching one spark of light explode into what seemed like billions of stars, decorating the beautiful night sky.

    And as they hollered and awed the bright ray of light, the second act begins. From what's remaining from the first explosion, becomes another before it truly dies. "Like a Phoenix dancing in the sky." As Mei once remarked.

    Ivory recalled the effect's called multi-break shells. Where a large shell containing several smaller shells of various sizes and types. The initial burst scatters the shells across the sky before they explode, causing the explosion to multiply over time.

    As they admire the glorious sight, they started replaying all the wonderful memories from when all times they did this. As they grew older and older, and as time passes—the tradition and the joy that comes with it never wore off. Which, they're very grateful for. The narrative of their lives, from every single one of their perspective. They built such a strong relationship and memory over the past six years that the thought of them separating, is simply unfathomable to them.

    And as the clock strikes nine, they packed and went on a journey to the bottom the hill together. Ivory and Mei leading the way, as they know the path better—even though it's night, and Mei was clearly having trouble seeing the path despite the help from everyone and their bright yellow flashlights.

    As they walk and talk to each other, having lots of laughs and cracking their favorite inside jokes—someone had stopped walking, Violet. She just suddenly stayed at her spot and looked up. And Olive, who was the closest person to Violet, acted first.

    "Vi? Mon ami, are you alright." Olive asked, confusion written all over her face.

    "Vi? Hello, earth to Violet." Ivory soon followed.

    "Girls, I think I know why she stopped walking," Mei spoke up, face looking straight to the sky. Ivory and Olive soon followed her actions, and as they looked up—and they are greeted by the most beautiful ray of stars in the sky. They are left speechless.

    The sky was a cocktail of deep indigos. A wonderful mix of various shades of blue, purple, and jet-black, making it the perfect scenery. It looks somewhat mysterious, eerie, calm, tranquil, but most of all entrancing. you can't help but look at them and wonder if there is another life up there or if you have a meaning at all.

    Serene night as the luminous moon gleamed and the white twinkling stars gave harmony at the obsidian and navy sky. The stars, the stars! The way they shone is just always captivating, it's almost like a dream—like a dark curtain just suddenly fell over the land, twinkling spotlights adorning the velvet texture of the night.

    Stars appear as there were hundreds or even thousands of white pinpoints of light in an otherwise black sky. It’s true potential unseen to the naked eye, as they all appear to be equidistant on a dome above the earth.

    As Mei glanced, she saw her star, Orion. It sits up north, as it's been waiting to be discovered by her. It had taken its place for the night amongst a thousand other celestial constellations known and unknown, real and imagined. And as time flies, it succumbed to the veil of cloud cover. Patiently, it waited for the nebulous cirrus clouds to pass, it waited for the perfect time it would shine brightly once more.

    "You're welcome by the way," Violet spoke up suddenly, her sentence earning a ball of laughter from her three of best friends. They ended up staying in that place for a while—lounging on some stray logs, admiring the night sky accompanied by their favorite people.

    It all reminded them of the first time they’d met each other, though not in the literal sense however. It all reminded them of the time Ivory had introduced them to the hill, and the first time they had a glimpse of the real them.

    “Why didn’t you tell us about this place sooner?” They would ask to Ivory. But the raven haired girl would only flash a soft knowing smile to them as she answered, “I suppose I won’t ever tell you that, won’t I?”

    They would sneak out of their houses at midnight, still wearing their white night gowns and pajamas. And they would always sit down by the very top of the hill, where the night sky would be so vivid and lively that it almost felt like they could touch it with their hands. And they would held up long and deep conversations, with everyone listening in with intent on what the other had to say. They were young, happy and unrestrained.

    Soft yet unbreakable,

    beautiful yet strong,

    youthful yet wise,

    but not yet fulfilled.

    "Anyone want some extra chips?" Violet offered as her friends started to make conversations to each other about the stars. Because with the type of quantity of snacks she brought tonight, there was no way in hell that the group would’ve been able to finish it in one sitting.

    "No, we're good." Both Mei and Ivory responded, almost at the same time.

    "I'll have some!" Olive soon followed.

    "So. What’s all of your signs?" Mei suddenly asked.

    "Scorpio." Ivory responded casually.

    "Gemini!" Olive exclaimed.

    "Aquarius for me." Violet soon answered.

    "And you? What's your sign?" Ivory asked Mei.

    "Mine? Um...I actually don't know." Mei answered the realization had suddenly dawned upon her—that she doesn't know her own sign. She took off her glasses and wearily rubbed its lenses.

    "Alright filles, the mission of the night! Discover Mei's mysterious star sign!" Olive exclaimed, excitement written all over her face like a child on Christmas morning.

    "Right, we all know her birthday is on January 16th." Violet retorted.

    "So... Capricorn?" Ivory questioned.

    "Or Aquarius?" Olive soon followed.

    "I think both." Violet finally answered, in a tone which made her seem like she's thinking or trying to remember something.

    "What?" Ivory spoke, extending the "a" in the word.

    "Oh! I think I've heard about that once." Mei exclaimed with enthusiasm. “The cusp of mystery and beauty."

    "What's a cusp though?" Olive asked.

    "A cusp is a person who has more than two stars," Violet explained. "No one has two Sun signs. But, if you were born within a few days of the Sun's move from one zodiac sign to the next, this means you were born "on a cusp," and you'll feel the influence of both zodiac signs." She added.

    "Ooh, ok. Makes a lot more sense now." Olive responded, somewhat satisfied with Violet's explanation.

    "People with these type of sign, often struggle to balance the two very different sides of their personalities. They are reserved yet social, security-craving but independent, and traditional yet offbeat." Mei added.

    "Well if that doesn't spell "Mei" in your head, then I don't know what does." Ivory remarked in a joking manner, earning a warm laughter from everyone.

    "By the way, do any of you remember that old song?" Mei suddenly spoke up, changing up the topic.

    "What song?" Violet asked.

    "Yeah, what does it sound like?" Olive added.

    "I don't know. But it's about some friends, watching the night sky, or…Something like that. Ivory used to sing it to me." Mei explained.

    "Oh, I think I know which song that you mean." Ivory piped up. "It's that one song I made for you years ago."

    "Yeah, that one, but I can’t seem to remember any of the lyrics," Mei answered.

    "Then allow me to enlighten you." Ivory hummed as she's about to sing the first few lines of the song—which to be frank, were the only lines she remembers.

     It’s a lonely world out there

    Just you and me

    Against the city

    Oh, will we ever find what we’re searching for?

    In this lonely world, out there...

    “Ah, I remember now!” Mei exclaimed as she clapped her hand happily.

    “Do you remember the rest of it?” Ivory asked, her face flushed red after having to sing something in front of her friends.

    “Oui, I’d really like to hear the rest of it!” Olive exclaimed.

    “Same.” Violet retorted.

    “Well, some of it is coming back to me, but it’ll take some time for me to remember the whole thing,” Mei answered.

    “By the way…What time is this?” Ivory suddenly asked.

    They all glanced at their watch in unison, and quickly stuffed their things and ran to the bottom of the hill. It’s ten o’clock.

    As they descended from the hill, they are met with two pair eyes, filled with cold anger and sarcasm, ice cold with no such thing as remorse in it. As usual, it’s Mei’s father—who had agreed to pick them up and drive them all to their own homes. And even though he has Alzheimer, everyone knows that he’s always very peculiar with appointments and time in general.

    Everyone had decided to leave Mei with her father for a few seconds to sort things out. Well, sort thing out as in saying sorry so that they wouldn’t be abandoned by the hill.

    “What time did you told me you were going to be done?”

    “Nine.”

    “Correct. Now, what time were you actually done?”

    “Ten.”

    “Good, now you know.”

    “I’m sorry dad.”

    “It’s fine, just get in the car. Don’t do it again, kitty.”

    “Okay Dad.”

    “That was the most boring father-daughter talk I’ve ever heard,” Olive remarked in jest, prompting everyone to laugh. At least that lightened the mood.

    They all went in the red caravan that is Mei’s car, and drove away from the hill and into the night. Having probably the quietest and most awkward car ride in their lives.

    The radio was broken, and so was the air-conditioner—therefore, the windows had to be pulled down to let some air in. The action causes Ivory and Mei to be extremely uncomfortable throughout the car ride because their skin was now exposed to the cold and harsh flowing wind.

    Everyone was quiet most of the time, having sudden small talks a few times here and there, but that was it. But certainly, the last thing they felt like doing was starting random conversations with him, but it's a must in breaking the ice. Thank the odds that, their house was near each other because they don’t know of how much more silent treatment they could take. It was probably their own fault for being in this situation in the first place, so they never complained.

    Since Ivory’s house is the farthest from the hill, she had the misfortune to stay for the rest of the ride, undoubtedly longer than others. Not to mention going home much later than others. Well, this is what you get for not being on time. So much for a happy night atmosphere.

    About ten minutes after dropping off Violet at her house, they finally arrived at Ivory’s house. But, that wasn’t always a good thing. 

    As they approach, she could see her own house standing from the other houses. Her house exteriors were painted mostly white, (which she always find very ironic for her family) different from the other houses around it. As she glared at her own house, she started recalling the interiors of her house out of instinct.

    If one were to look inside, one would easily find a hall, a quite lengthy one at that. On the right, there is a kitchen. Opposite the entrance door, there is a sitting room and on the left, there is a corridor to the bedrooms and the bathroom. Everything was mostly colored white or cream, it was her mother’s second favorite color to green. (Ivory still wonders why she would even recall such trivial information about her mother)

    The kitchen is small, but it’s big enough for Ivory and her mother. In the kitchen, there is a window. It's curtains are turquoise, which is Ivory’s mother’s favorite color. There is also a stove and a washing machine. Opposite there are a fridge and a sink. In the middle, there is a white table and two white chairs. Oh, there are some cupboards, too. For pots and pans, dishes, and so on.

    Next, to the kitchen, there is a sitting-room and a dining-room. On the left, one would be able to see the dining-room. There are a glass table and four sable colored iron chairs. There is a piece of furniture with some glass decoration and DVDs. There were also some photos on the walls, and by some, one would mean exactly three family pictures on the walls. The photos themselves were constantly changed over the years, but the number of photos always remained consistent. Why three of all the possible numbers? Ivory may never know.

    On the right, one would find the sitting-room. It has a burgundy couch and two green armchairs. Opposite the couch is the TV set. Ivory sometimes goes to sleep in front of the TV after lunch. There are some cacti plants and there is a big window. This room also happens to have a lot of light, which is why Ivory loves it.

    The first room is her father’s old office. There isn’t a bed. It has three bookcases and a lot of books. There is a desk and there is a personal computer on the desk. There is a printer, too. There are a CD player and a lot of music CDs. There are a lot of pictures, family photos and photos with friends. And once more, there were always three pictures. Three pictures with their family, and three pictures with their friends.

    Next, on the left one would find the study room. Because, since everybody in the house loves reading, they ought to have a study room filled with infinite amounts of books. There is also a computer there, but no one really uses it as Ivory usually uses her own computer, which is located in her room.

    There are three bedrooms in the house: The master bedroom, Ivory’s room, and the guest room. In each bedroom, there is a double bed, an in-built closet, a long mirror, and two bedside tables with small lamps. And a painting/picture on the wall. It’s very simple, and that means Ivory loves it.

    Opposite this bedroom, there is a bathroom. It has no windows and the walls are brown. Ivory was never too keen on this. There is also a toilet, a washbasin, a bathtub and a mirror. It quite ordinary to be honest, and there’s really nothing more to say about it.

    At the end of the corridor, one would be able to go upstairs. There is an attic. It’s very big and it has a lot of light. There are two single beds, for spooky sleepovers with friends. There is a small toilet, too. There are a computer and a music equipment. There are a lot of books and music CDs that belonged to her father.

    As they pull through the sidewalk, Ivory’s mother was already waiting for them. The front light of the car turned off, as she kept tapping her right foot furiously. After Mei’s father had managed to park the car properly, Ivory immediately grabbed her bag and opened the door. She knew if she wasted any more time, her mom would probably lock her out.

    “Bye Mei! See you tomorrow.”

    “You too Ivy, chikoku shinaide kudasai!”

    “Trust me, I won’t. Oh, and thank you for taking me home Mr. White!”

    Mei’s father chuckled, “It’s okay dear, good night! You too Mrs. Black.”

    Ivory’s mom stayed silent, the car drove away. And as soon as it’s out of sight, they both walked up to the porch step that leads to the front door. It wasn’t locked, Ivory assumed her mother had gotten too lazy.

    As soon as they got inside, Ivory proceeded to rush upstairs—and her mom went to her room. Nobody made a sound—and to be quite honest, none of them wants to. So, this only makes it easier for the two females, leaving each other to their own devices.

    Sure, it does get lonely sometimes, since it’s only the two of them. No father, not even a sibling, not that they ever had another child. But Mr. White…It was a plane crash. Ivory always blames herself for it, and so does her mother. Sometimes, they resort to alcohol, but they always know when to stop. Besides, they wouldn’t want to relive the past.

    After about an hour and a half of crawling into their pajamas and trying to sleep, they both finally get the rest that they deserve. They both know that they’re going to need all the energy they could get for tomorrow.

    And as the night sky shifted, their peaceful and serene dreams blocked out the dangers of the outside world. No emotion, time stands still as one’s mind blocks out the horror and pain lived out every day. Their soft breathing making the world seems to stand still.

    And as the rich black velvet sky changed colors over time, and as the lights of the world turn of. Everything seemed to have settled down, like gunpowder dust after the war. There was no noise, no movement. Like a beat without a melody, where everything was free like a dream, yet still sync ever so slightly. One way or the other, it’s all connected.

    And as everything was entrapped and caged, absorbed and lost in its own personal and beautiful dreams. The world was quiet then.