09- Stars

There was a moment of panic in her eyes as she held her breath and waited for the smaller one’s reply to her confession. She feels like her surroundings are spinning and everything’s blurring out of vision. She gauges Taeyeon’s reaction as the latter stared at her with those dark lightless eyes, examining her like the first time they met.

“What?” was the words that came out from Taeyeon’s lips and she gulped before replying again,

“You’re my childhood friend. The one I’ve been looking for. I love you.” she repeated and Taeyeon once again looked at her with a stone cold face before shaking her head.

“You’re wrong.” The older one answered, eyes now filled worry about something that she knows nothing about. She was sure that Taeyeon was her childhood friend, so how dare she say otherwise?

“I’m not!”

“Yuri, listen to me.” She heard the sternness and strain in Taeyeon’s voice and she felt enraptured to tune in to whatever the older one would say. “I’m not your childhood friend, Yul, and I know deep in your soul that you know it too and that you have an accurate idea of who that childhood friend is.” She looked at Taeyeon in question. “Take a moment to realize. Take me out into account, who does your heart go to? Where does your mind wander? What does your soul scream for?”  She didn’t have to think about it much because she knew the answer.

Jessica.

Jessica was always the answer. Jessica who has the brown eyes she felt so familiar with. Jessica who smiles like the brightest stars in the night sky. Jessica who was there all along but stayed quiet.

“Jessica.” she whispered out and Taeyeon nodded her head, smiling warmly at her before turning serious once again.

“I’m going to tell you a story, Yul, and I need you to listen because everything I’ll say is real.” she nodded her head, “My name is Taeyeon and I’m the eldest child of the moon. Yes, Yuri, you heard it right, the moon.” Taeyeon pointed at the sky where the moon is shining brightly as if saying hi to her, “Every solar eclipse, the moon would drop down a sliver of light to the earth and from this light, we are born. We call ourselves stars. Now, some of us have lived longer than most of you. I’ve been here for at least 300 years...”

“WHAT?!”

“Don’t be too shocked. I’m one of the firstborns. Jessica was just born recently, around 1996, I think.. I can’t remember much of the year since I’ve not been aging since.” she visibly let out a sigh of relief at hearing that Jessica’s almost the same age as her. “We are free to live among people, but we follow a rule, “A child of the moon can only fall in love once, and if that love is not reciprocated, the child returns to its mother.””

“What do you mean--”

“I need you to answer me honestly because you’re the only one who can.” Taeyeon gripped her wrist and she flinched a bit before nodding her head, “Have you been experiencing an emotion you can’t explain these past few weeks?” she nodded, “Can you give me a description of it?”

“I...I’ll try...”

“Okay.” She breathed in some fresh air, closed her eyes, and finally dwelled into the series of despondency wrapped around her very being.

“I felt giddy. Nervous. Like something’s going to happen. Something I wouldn’t like. Then I felt like I’m losing a part of me. Something’s slowly disappearing--”

“Crap.” Taeyeon cussed and it took her a bit off guard. The older one stared her straight in the eye, those dark eyes reminding her of a black hole, her whole, “Did you tell Jessica that you’re going to do this today?”

“...I told her that I’m going to tell you what I thought I’m feeling--”

“Listen to me carefully. Jessica has been acting very off recently and it’s because of this. I should’ve seen it earlier. Seen the signs. Aish. She went out early morning today and I haven’t heard from her ever since. I think she went to the beach, Yuri, you have to go to her quick!” She was alarmed at how urgent Taeyeon’s voice is.

“W-which one?”

“In Gangwon-do. She was born there. She must’ve went back. Yuri, you have to go before she--” Taeyeon doesn’t have to finish for she was already standing up and rushing towards her car. IT was a whirlwind of sensation from inside her and it was all shouting and screaming on top of each other. But one thing stood out from it all: Fear. She knows something is about to happen, her gut feelings were right and she can’t let what she’s been trying to bury deep down inside her to come true.

NO.

She can’t let that happen. She can’t. Because if what she felt, is feeling, comes true, she would lose her. She would lose her childhood friend.

She was halfway through the ride towards the beach when she decided to dial Jessica’s number. It rang a few times before she heard the ever so familiar voice that could take away her unease.

“Hey, Yul~” Jessica greeted her, sounding way too cheerful but she can hear the underlying lassitude in it. “How did your confession go?”

“Sica, where are you?”

“Hmmm. Yul~”

“Jessica, wait for me okay? Wait for me?”

“I’ve been waiting for you, Yul. I’ve always been waiting.”

“I know, Sica, I know. I’m on my way, please, please just wait a few more minutes.” she begged, stepping on the gas, trying to minimize her distance with her other half.

“The stars are pretty tonight, right, Yul?” she heard her whisper after a few moments. She was by the beach side now, looking to the right for signs of Jessica. It wasn’t long for her to see the petite figure, standing near the shores and looking up at the sky. She stepped on the breaks and quickly parked by the side, clicking the hazard button before exiting and running towards the illuminating figure, the words from Taeyeon ringing in her mind.

Not reciprocated.

Return to its mother.

“No, please, don’t.” She whispered, panting as she ran faster to close the distance between them. “Jessica!” she shouted and the girl turned her head, their eyes met and everything seems to return to her. The feeling of drowning in those brown orbs, submerging herself in the warmth of it all. She finally reached her, quickly grabbing Jessica’s hands.

“Hey, Yul~”

“Jes...Sica..” she said between fits of breath. Jessica looked at her, wrapping her in the love shining there, she smiled sadly.

“Let’s sit down and look at the stars.” She croaked out a sob and Jessica caresse her face. “Shhh, it’s okay, Yul. Let’s sit down.” she nodded her head as she let her first love guide her, nuzzling herself and holding Jessica so close to her. “Did Taeyeon unnie tell you?”

“S-she didn’t.. tell me it was you… She j-just helped me real-lize it.” She answered in between sobs, the feeling of losing something--Jessica--still seeping into her every being.

“You told her you love her?” Her grip on the smaller girl tightened.

“I love you.” She felt Jessica smile and she looked up, eyes filled with tears. They both stared at each other, drowning, brown orbs to brown, and she feels the fire inside of her burn and yet she’s still enveloped  in dispossession and it’s only getting stronger. She blinked and Jessica looked opaque.

“I love you too.”

“S-Sica?”

“You can feel it too, right?” she sniffled, nodding her head and embracing Jessica tighter and it feels like she’s holding cotton. “Taeyeon unnie used to sing me the song, you know.”

“..............”

“Want me to sing it for you?” she nodded, pulling away from the embrace and holding Jessica’s face with both hands, closing the gap a bit so that their nose are touching. Jessica began to sing.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star
How I wonder what you are
Up above the world so high
Like a diamond in the sky
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
how I wonder what you are.

Her tears were spilling and Jessica was feeling more like satin to touch.

When the blazing sun is gone
When the nothing shines upon
Then you show your little light

Jessica’s been the light that she wanted, she needed. She’s the warmth she wants to hold for the rest of her life.

Twinkle, twinkle, all the night
Twinkle, twinkle, little star

“D-Don’t leave me, Sica. Don’t..”

How I wonder what you are

She closes the gap, soft lips meeting soft, she opened her eyes and saw Jessica’s cloudy figure, those brown orbs still so warm.

“Wait for me, Yul.”

“I will, forever. I love you.” she whispered as Jessica slowly disintegrated and turned to stardust in her arms as tears spilled endlessly from her eyes and everything started spinning around her, the smell of the ocean, the cloudy night sky, the cold fresh air, blending together and intoxicating her, overwhelming her senses. There was a paroxysm of feelings enveloping her and she was in pain. It was a blur to her.

Until it wasn’t.

----

This is the last chapter for Children of the Moon. 
Next up will be the Epilogue

I updated a day early because I might not be able to update tomorrow~

See you next week for the last part of this story~~