First two chapters of my story, "Falling Star"

CHAPTER ONE - FLIPPED

I didn’t know anything about my past, but when you don’t even know who your parents are, it doesn’t really matter. My adoptive father taught me about the magic in life and that what’s behind you isn’t important. I lived in my own world, where no one knew who I really was, or where there was no one else for that matter. My father is MY father. No matter what my DNA tests will tell me, he is my father whether he adopted me at 2 months or not. He is a nature artist, and his favorite thing to paint is the night sky. I seemed to like those, too. So, he calls me Star.

As soon as I learned to talk he was not “dad”, he was Jay. The Willow Weep orphanage found me on the sidewalk in front of the humble building wrapped in a blanket and cold, a newborn. I had a secret distaste for my real parents, because if they wanted to leave me to fend for myself as a NEWBORN, then they must not be very good people. I mean, what’s not to love about a cute new baby girl, unnamed for you to care for, the ultimate picture of an ideal baby? I guess they thought I was ugly or just downright terrible. But Jay adopted me, single and lonely. He wasn’t looking for love. I was what he had and that was all he needed. Or so he said.

“Jay, I’m home,” I slung my tan messenger bag on the easy chair and headed to the kitchen. “What’s that….Oh.” Jay was standing in front of the stove. Jay was cooking. What medication did he start taking today?

“Hey there tiger,” He took three big strides to get to the doorway and ruffled my hair, “We’re going to have company tonight. We have a new adult student in my art class and I thought she might need some welcoming to shabby old Willow Weep.”

“She? Since when do you allow strangers, and a female stranger at that, into our house for dinner, which is usually something that only me and you could like?” I peeked into the pot that reeked of fatty food. Ugh, Spaghetti. The smell of wholegrain noodles and some generic sauce filled with who knows what. My least favorite modern food. We lived a little back nowadays. We grow our veggies and fruits and eat strictly things that are healthy.

“She’s new, Hannah!” I winced at the sound of my real name. Jay only used that when he was annoyed or I got a bad grade. I gripped the edge of the countertop for support. He sighed. “Star, she was really timid at the class so I thought maybe we could help her out with the new start thing. And guess what? She has a son your age, his name is Liam. Let’s be nice tonight, OK?” I nodded and began to play with a piece of crisp home-grown lettuce dropped from the salad bowls.

“I’ll try.” Before I could say another word the knocker on the front door smacked against the green painted wood. I looked at Jay, who was putting the meatballs in the noodles. “Don’t strain yourself, Jay.” I mumbled under my breath. As soon as I tugged on the cool metal handle a pretty blond rushed into the room.

“Jay!” She screeched. Then she opened her eye shadow smothered eyes and scowled at me. “You, uh, must be Jay’s daughter. Um, nice to meet you.” She frowned at my jeans, ripped at both knees, blue tank top, and messy scarlet curls.

“You too,” I smiled and leaned to the side to see a boy my age. “You must be Liam. I’m Star.” He was cute, very cute. He had curly blond hair that matched his mothers, just touching the tips of his ears.

“Yeah.” He flipped his hair out of his face with a jerk of his neck, just to let it fall back into place when he moved his head again.

“Let’s go eat! I’m starved!” I turned on my heels to face the dining room where Jay was ready to seat us. I was trying to be on my best behavior, though I really wanted to act rebellious so that that woman would leave.

“Hello Jen! You and I can sit on this side of the table, and Star and Liam can sit on the other.” He pulled out her chair for her and pushed it in when she sat. I could see that watching them talk all night was going to seem like a decade, especially when I have to slip spaghetti into my napkin while no one is paying attention.

A long dinner of getting to know each other lasted two hours. I usually eat in maybe one, if Jay is home from his classes and chats with me. But now it was 8:00 pm, and I haven’t even been to the tree house. The tree house is my special place that I built by myself. I hammered, painted, and glued to make the tree house as special as it is. The walls are covered in my own designs inspired by Jay, and candles of many scents are placed around the room so the woodsy smell stays back in the forest where it belongs. I like the natural smell, don’t get me wrong, but I’m really big on the relaxation meets mood thing. Blue candles that smell of the salty ocean for happiness, Purple candles that give off a lavender scent for stress-relief, and different colored fruity candles for everything in between.

“If you’ll please excuse me.” I pushed back from the table, but I think Liam was the only one that heard me. I jumped at the sound of a loud cackle that should have come from a witch’s mouth and my plate dropped into the sink with a clatter. The happy couple kept talking and what-not. The backyard was right up against the edge of the woods and my tree house was right smack in the middle. I heard a click. My head whipped around, but there was nothing. I slipped off my sandals and walked into the trees. Then I heard a footstep. Had that been my own footfall? No, I was standing still. I started to run. I dodged trees and branches until I was hanging onto the rungs that were at eye level on the ladder.

I didn’t step on the creaky rung at the very bottom, it had become a habit. I breathed deeply once I was sitting safely in the tree house. I had plenty of stones for the slingshot if anyone tried to come up here. That’s when I heard the noise of somebody’s weight being put on the bottom rung. My lungs contracted. I stopped thinking. Who had been following me? My hand gripped three rough rocks, the perfect kind from the cave. I didn’t know where the slingshot was, but I was ready to defend my special place and me. I closed my eyes when I saw the top of a head just above the floorboards and hurled the stones.

“Ouch!” I opened my eyes. “You’re lucky I put my arm there or I would only have one eye!” It was Liam. Thank God.

“I am so sorry! You scared me!” My hands unclenched the new rocks I had grabbed. My bare feet padded against the floor as I went to help him into the room.

“This is really cool, you know that?” He examined the little shells I collected from the river.

“Thanks, I built it myself.” I felt the blood rush to my cheeks when I couldn’t think of another word to say. He laughed at the sudden redness of my face.

“So, Star? Why that name? Why did your parents name you that?” I cringed at the words “parents”. People who know me know not to say that. Liam…

“Um, I don’t know my parents.” I twisted one of my curls around my finger over and over again. I glanced his way and his eyes were wide.

“So you’re adopted? Or is Jay…?” Poor guy, he didn’t know what to say.

“Yes, Jay is my adoptive father. My parents gave me up when I was first born,” He looked down. “You didn’t know, it’s ok. I get that a lot.” I smiled and touched his arm.

“My mom thinks you’re a freak,” His green eyes looked past mine. “She says that Jay is, too. So I don’t really know why we’re here.” He shrugged off my hand.

“So you think I’m a freak, too, right?” I looked at the place where my hand was and my cheeks got warm again.

“No, no! It’s just, then when my mom started talking to Jay, she acted like she used to with my dad, before the divorce. Like she was…in love.” Liam touched my little finger with his.

“I know what you mean.” Electric currents shot through my arm and I shivered. The clock on the wall said it was 8:30.

“Did you know that you are my first official friend here? And I live just down the road on the next block.” He smiled a swooning kind of smile. I was about to say something just as witty when I was interrupted by a loud beeping and jumped. He pulled out a thin silver phone. Stupid piece of plastic and wires.

“Sorry, it’s my mom,” He mumbled into the phone speaker, then snapped it shut. “She said I have to go, they finally finished talking.” He jumped from the edge of the tree house instead of using the ladder.

“Bye.” I waved.

“You aren’t coming?” He looked confused.

“No, I think I’m going to stay up here for a while. I went over to the window when he started to walk away. I looked up through my telescope at the sky.

“Goodnight, Star.” I looked towards Liam.

“Goodnight, Liam.” And that was how my world got flipped, along with my heart.

CHAPTER TWO – SHOWING

Liam and Star. Star and Liam. That was literally all that crossed my mind all weekend. Liam and Jen were coming back on Monday. Jay and Jen were going out to dinner, so Liam and I would be alone at home. I wanted to show him so much, tell him so much. Now it was early Monday and I was thinking. What does this mean? If Liam is the only thing that I can think about, then does that mean that I might possibly, like him? Like him more than a friend? He was gorgeous, after all. But our parents were dating. We wouldn’t do this. But I couldn’t help but wonder if he felt the same.

They arrived at four. They were going to be an hour away in the next town, so they would be back around 9:00, including a movie, dinner, and the time it took to get to and from. The doorbell interrupted me getting a popsicle out of the freezer.

“Hello, Jen, Liam.” I had planned when I saw Liam again so many times I had my words memorized.

“Hello, Hannah.” Jen scowled at me. I tried to dress normal until they left in short sleeve polo and jeans, even in almost 100 degrees.

“It’s Star.” I said slowly, to make sure she knew what I was saying.

“I am going to call you by your given name, not some stupid nickname created by an in-over-his-head artist.” Did she just insult Jay? Her DATE for the night?? Oh no she did not. Then the man of the moment walked in.

“Hey, Jen, darling!” Tears welled in my eyes but I blinked them back. “What were you all talking about in here?”

“Oh Jay, just getting to know your fabulous daughter!” What a liar. That dirty, rotten, sneaky, little…Whoa. I got a little overwhelmed. Why is she doing this?

“Jay, me and Liam are going to leave now.” I walked to the sliding door. I looked back at Jay, who was whispering something to Jen so low I couldn’t hear. Whatever he said made her laugh that nasty witch cackle again. Icky. Liam cleared his throat.

“Yeah.” My voice cracked and I instantly regretted speaking.

“Let’s go to the tree house.” He stepped outside and the wind made his curls dance in the breeze.

“I need to change out of my good impression clothes. You can come see my room.” I motioned for him to follow and headed down the hall. We didn’t speak again until I heard the car roll down the street, far away from us. I opened the door a crack.

“Are you ready?” I opened the door a bit more.

“Star, Do you seriously think I’m not ready to see what your bedroom looks like?” Liam threw his hands in the air.

“No.” I made the door fly open to reveal my not so “Star” room. The room was rather plain, not really what someone would expect. The walls are white, the bed is blue, I have a desk in one corner, a lamp on my bedside table, and a little glow in the dark solar system is on my ceiling. I shuffled across the hardwood floor to the closet where I grabbed a pair of cutoff denim shorts and a green tank top.

“This room is yours?” He sounded alarmed. “I pictured it more, I don’t know, Fantastic?”

“Liam, why in the world would you think the room where I simply sleep and get dressed, would be fantastic?” I went into the closet and changed. He spoke again when I stepped out.

“Well, maybe because everything else that involves you is.” Wow, Liam knew how to sweet talk. Suddenly, all of those words I had memorized over and over before he got here disappeared, all because of that sentence.

“Um, do you, uh want a popsicle?” Was that all I could say? I am such a loser. I fiddles with my fingers in the silence. “Well, do you?”

“Yeah, do you have orange?” He began to walk out of the room. Then he stopped, turned around and examined the room again.

“What?” My hands dropped to my sides.

“I bet,” He raised one brow. “That you have some kind of, I don’t know, secret laboratory or something in here.” I couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“So now I’m an evil scientist? C’mon, I thought you knew I wasn’t into the modern technology thing!” Liam laughed with me.

“I do know that, that is why I turned off my cell phone and stuck in my underwear drawer. I want to get a taste of how life is for you, to see why you live it that way.” This was going well…

“When people live a life full of technology and the latest ‘thing’,” I was going to explain this right. “They lose sight of the magic in life, and only some people can still see it.”

“Are you one of these people?” I expected the comment to be sarcastic, but his face was focused and his voice was serious.

“Yeah, I guess I am.”

“Could you show me?” He looked at me with sincere hope, and I knew this wasn’t just me anymore. It was Star and Liam. “The magic, I mean.” I walked up right next to him and put my lips at his ear.

“Follow me.”

We forgot the popsicles and went out the sliding door. As soon as my feet hit the tall off grass, and his bare feet were beside mine, we took sprinting. He kept beside me, being sure not to get in front so he could know where to go. We ran past the tree house and didn’t stop until the river was in view. Leepike River was of medium size, not a stream and not a monstrous rapid. Calm, yet deep, and clear, yet full of life. I sat on the bank and patted the ground beside me. Liam sat down, too.

“I thought you were going to show me the magic?” He actually thought I would trick him into coming here, and not do anything.

“I can’t show you the magic,” I put my feet in the water. “I have to teach you.

“Then show me.” He demanded. This takes time.

“Teaching you all the magic I know is going to take a very long time. You aren’t going to be able to get it right off the bat.” Did he learn things automatically before school got out a week ago?

“Then I guess I have to walk here every day so you can show, I mean, teach me.” He corrected himself.

“Liam, why would you do that? The popular kids that go to the pool everyday and go shopping all the time would love for you to join their clique.” This was so confusing, everyone would choose them.

“That’s a very good question. They wanted me to, they invited me. But I turned them down.” Oh my goodness.

“WHY? That could have set your teenage life in a perfect picture. They could have made you the guy everyone wanted.” If he didn’t want the popularity, then what did he want??

“Star, Star, Star,” He shook his head as he said my name. “All that glitters is not gold.” Then he jumped into the water, cannonball style. I heard myself gasp when I realized what he meant. And I jumped in, too. The cold water gave me goose bumps when I opened my eyes under the surface. I swam up for breath and looked around. Liam was treading about five feet down from me. I swam to the bank and padded to a rock under the sun. I shook out my already drying ringlets and shivered. It was plus 100 degrees and I was shivering.

“You OK, Star?” Liam Sat in front of me on the grass.

“You know what?” The suspense of my question made his eyes grow. “Lesson number one – All that glitters is not gold.” Then I pushed him back into the icy current.