We cried. Me and Sarah both. We cried and cried and cried.

And then we stopped.

Dylan is dead, and it’s all my fault. I’m sure that nobody else will blame me, but all that matters is that I blame myself. If I had been stronger… If I wasn’t such a weakling!

Sarah. She ‘defeated’ Rachel. Sure, there wasn’t any blood. Yeah, there was no fight. But, she was more heroic in that moment than I’ve been in my entire life. She accepted who she was and admitted her faults. She analyzed Rachel and related to her. She stayed calm and exposed all of Rachel’s lies.

If I was half as cool as Sarah then Dylan wouldn’t have…

Simon sat leaning on the giant birch tree that towered over the forest. It was practically already dead. It didn’t have a single leaf on it.

Simon didn’t shed a tear and stayed against the tree while Sarah and I cried.

I take my arm off of Sarah’s shoulder and wipe my eyes, “Are you alright, Sarah?”

Her voice wavers and a few tears continue to fall, “Yeah… I’m fine.”

I guess it’s all over then. There shouldn’t be anymore betrayal. We have all of the gems and I doubt that Simon would try to take them. All he wants is to live.

My eyes are drawn to the five glass gems in Sarah’s lap.

… If I were stronger… If I were…

Sarah grabbed the clear glass and looked up at me, “Rachel died because she couldn’t accept who she was. These gems could kill anyone who’s mind isn’t prepared for them. I can’t make use of these gems now that I don’t have a Delusion. So, Allen, what do you want to do with them?”

Is she… offering them to me?

She adds, “If you don’t want them then we could just bury them somewhere.”

“No!” I responded a little fast there. I slow myself down, “No, I want to keep them. I can still be a hero. I want to be able to continue protecting others.”

Sarah looks at me hesitantly, and then slowly begins to hand me the gems.

I reach over and put my open palm under hers.

Simon watches from the tree.

Sarah drops the gems into my palm slowly.

One by one the glass gems light up.

Luke, Rachel, Christina, Sarah, and Dylan’s.

They began to glow a strong yellow. They glow like the sun and the stars above. The dark forest made their light seem that much brighter. They twinkled and sparkled with my hopes and dreams.

Now, if there’s ever trouble, if there’s ever someone I need to protect, if there’s ever punishment I need to deal, I’ll be able to. I’d venture to guess that my new power should make me the strongest man alive. Sure, that’s not a tough title to take with super powers, but still. I’ll be able to be a hero.

No matter what, I can do it now.

I grasp the gems and put them into my pocket.

For Dylan, I’ll become a hero. I’ll become the person I’ve always wanted to be.

“To think,” A sleepy voice reveals itself behind me, “Rachel would rather die lying than be herself.”

I turn around as fast as possible to prevent a sneak attack, “Kyle!”

“What’re you so excited about? I just came around to congratulate you,” he wears a smirk on his face.

“Why are you acting so weird? Don’t you usually skip straight to the point?”

“I suppose, but that was only so that less people would talk to me. Acting professional is a good way to deter boring people. Now, you all interest me much more. You’re no longer the bland people you started as. Not to me, anyway.”

What is he talking about? Dylan just died. Why is he here chatting it up?

“Go away. We can talk later.”

“But I’m needed now, aren’t I? Which of you three are going to take care of the body?”

My stomach feels horrible just thinking about it. Dylan’s body needs hidden… That just feels awful. I hadn’t thought much of it when it was Luke. Is this how Dylan had felt?

I can’t think of a reply to him.

“Exactly. It would be problematic for me if all of this supernatural business was uncovered. It would be very difficult to explain.”

Me and Sarah sat on the opposite side of the large birch tree from the corpse. Dylan’s dead body laid alone. As bad as it feels to distance from it, being near it would feel awful. I wouldn’t be able to stomach seeing his body again.

“Well I’m glad that you needed my services. Otherwise, it would’ve been hard to explain that it was already taken care of.”

Huh?

He just got here. How could the body already be hidden?

Actually, how long was he here for? He knew that Rachel was the tree…

I can’t help but stand up and begin walking around the tree.

Is it really already gone? Kyle’s always struck me as a liar. But, would he lie about something so easily proven false?

My steps slowly carry me around the tree. I can’t help but hesitate. The image of Dylan smiling is frozen in my mind. I can still hardly believe he’s gone. Honestly, I’m still a bit in denial. It feels like I’ll turn the corner and he’s going to be there standing and cheerful.

My head finally peaks around the tree.

There’s nothing.

No body, no blood.

Not even a scrap of all of the body parts that were torn off of Rachel. Not a single piece of evidence remains on the charred grass.

“What’d you do?”

“Nothing. Just got rid of the evidence. How I did it is of no matter. But, it obviously has to do with my Delusion. I am quite skilled at a certain something.”

Hiding bodies?

Teleportation?

Erasing things?

What’d he do?

Somehow, looking at the empty forest of blackened grass is more disturbing than if there were corpses. It’s like everything that happened, all of the tragedy and pain, just didn’t.

My heart sinks as I stare at the empty field surrounded by trees.

I can’t peel my eyes away.

“See? All taken care of. No need to worry about a thing.”

The gears in my mind finally begin turning again, “How long have you been here?”

“I got here in time to watch the whole fight. It was quite the display.”

A display? A display!? We fought for our lives! Dylan didn’t make it! And Kyle calls it a display!?

Unable to control myself, I turn around and quickly walk towards Kyle.

Now that I think of it, if it’s not my fault that Dylan died and it’s not Simon’s… it’s Kyle’s. He instigated every tragedy so far. He’s more at fault than Luke and Rachel are. He told everyone that we would get stronger with the gems and could make our dreams come true. He told us that others would be coming for our gems. He told us that we should be scared and that it was a viable option to kill each other. Without him, we all could’ve been a happy band of friends.

I wind up my fist and throw a hard punch at his face.

Kyle doesn’t even flinch. He just stands there while I attack him.

Right when my fist is about to connect,

Huh?

I begin to stumble and trip, falling onto the ground with a thud.

I could’ve sworn I hit him directly in the head. He couldn’t have dodged. It feels like he wasn’t there. It’s like I passed through him but it looks like I never got close enough to hit him in the first place. He stands significantly farther from where I fell over.

Just what is with this guy?

“Well, it seems we’ve talked enough for now. You’re so worked up that you misread the distance. I’ll give you time to calm down. But, Allen, I have things I want to talk with you about. If you have time, I’ll message you later,” Kyle says with his signature bored voice.

Scrambling back onto my feet, “Just tell me now!”

“See? You’re far too worked up. If you’re really that impatient then we can talk tomorrow.”

“Fine. Whatever. I’ll talk with you later then.”

I figure that if I see him later, I’ll hit him as hard as I can. He’s pissing me off. Next time, I won’t misread the distance.

Kyle walks off while all I can do is clench my fists. He turns his back and puts one hand up to wave goodbye.

It’s dark out. I think it’s already night. I’ve lost sense of what time it is because of how packed today has been.

“I guess I’ll be leaving too then,” Simon stands up. “Earlier today I believed that I’d never be able to see my family again. I didn’t know what to do. I’m not sure what I would’ve done. Maybe I would have had to throw my life away fighting Rachel by myself, just to see them. I guarantee that my life would’ve been awful if we hadn’t taken her out. Well, I guess what I’m trying to say is… Thank you, Allen. I’m terribly sorry for the trouble I’ve caused you. You have my gratitude.”

I’m not sure what to say to that so, “Yeah. Goodbye, Simon.”

I can’t say that he’s welcome, because he isn’t. I hate this new Simon. He’s selfish and the expression on his face feels so unnatural.

Most of all, he stabbed Dylan. If he hadn’t then maybe…

“Thank you, Simon. Goodbye,” Sarah said.

“Goodbye, you two.”

And he walked off. He turned his back and walked away.

‘See you later’ wasn’t an option here. Not in this situation. We all knew without saying that we never intended on seeing Simon again. As grateful as he is to us, he’s still afraid. Above all, he wants to live. Staying for even a second near another gem user is bad news, especially me. I’m the owner of six out of eight gems.

“I told my parents that I was on a road trip. It was the only thing I could think of at the moment. I thought that we wouldn’t get closure so soon. Should I go back anyway?”

Sarah still had teary eyes. I don’t know, but if she needs someone to talk to then I need to be there for her. That’s my job. As her boyfriend.

We never went on that date, did we?

Well, not like we can make up for that now. We’ve both just experienced what is probably the most tragic thing to happen to us.

But, since Sarah isn’t great at expressing her emotions, I don’t want to miss the time when she needs me. I need to make sure that it’s alright for me to leave.

In all honesty, I don’t know if I am ready to leave her. I definitely can’t talk to my family about this. She’s the only one. She’s the only person in my life that I can relate too. I’m that person for her too.

“If you wanted, you could come back to my place. My mom might be home, but that’s only a might. She’s never really around. I don’t know where she goes and she doesn’t know where I go. Even if she’s home, you won’t see her. Still want to come?”

“Sure,” Of course. I guess I was right the second time.

It was me who wanted to be with her.

We walk through the dark forest together.

I feel the back of her hand touch mine. She moves her hand back reflexively. Sarah seems a bit embarrassed so I reach over and grab her hand.

It’s warm.

She looks down at the floor and avoids eye contact.

When we finally leave the forest, the night sky opens up. My eyes can’t help but look at the bright stars. A million different stars light up from millions of light years away.

It’s absolutely gorgeous.

***

My fingers lock with Allen’s. I’ve never had much of any social relationships so jumping straight to this point is scary. But, it’s nice. His hand is warm and comforting.

I stare at my toes to hide my face. I know my cheeks are red and I can’t let him see that.

We step outside of the forest and I look up for a moment. Allen looks so enthralled by the sky. It’s strange. The sky doesn’t seem too interesting to me.

In fact, it’s actually really weird because-

Sadly, we get to the car and we have to let go of each other’s hands. I liked it.

I take a seat in the passenger side of the car. Allen sat beside me in the driver’s seat.

“This is your mom’s car, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Will she be needing it?”

I figure that he may have overlooked that detail. If he comes back to my house in this car then his mom won’t be able to use it for a while.

“She shouldn’t. Both of my parents go to work at the same station anyway. They always drive in the same car there. Their police cars are always at the station.”

I guess that makes sense, “I see.”

I keep my hands folded in my lap while he drives me home. Holding my own hand feels so different.

The car pulls into my driveway and slows to a stop.

“We’re here,” Allen says softly.

We didn’t say much on the way here. There’s too much in our minds right now. At least, in mine.

***

I open my car door and walk outside. Sarah leaves too and begins to walk to the front door.

I stare into the sky beside the car. I haven’t taken a step since I left it. The stars dance before my eyes and all I can think about doing is reaching up and grabbing one. I can feel my hand about to grab the stars. I’m so close.

“Allen, come on,” Sarah calls out to me.

I snap out of my little day dream and notice that I had been reaching my hand out to the stars. Actually, maybe that would be a night dream?

“Sorry,” I say as I jog to the door.

We both walk in careful not to make a sound. Neither of us know if her parents are home. We tip toe our way inside.

“Where should I sleep?” I whisper.

“…”

“Where?”

“…” I can’t see her face through the darkness, “Well, we only have two bedrooms. My parents are in one. You definitely can’t sleep in the living room. If you did, my parents would be confused when they wake up.”

“So your room?”

“… yeah. It’s gotta be.”

Yeah. It has to be. Well, if I don’t have another choice.

This will be my first time in a girls room!

Now that I think that, at age seventeen that’s a little sad.

Sarah walks a distance ahead of me and moves fast. She keeps her head down and swiftly opens her door.

Without turning on the lights, she walks over to her bed and stands beside it.

It smells like her in here.

I can barely make out her silhouette in the darkness.

We both stand silently for a few seconds. I stare directly at where I think her face is. Is she looking at me too?

Eventually, she lies herself down on her bed.

I grab a blanket and pillow and lie on the floor.

“Goodnight,” I whisper.

“Goodnight.”

Today was packed. I’d guess that it’s the worst day I’ve ever had. I can’t believe that he died. It feels so fake.

I’ve only known him for a few weeks, maybe a month, but he felt like he’d been my best friend forever. He was my second friend in such a long time, I had forgotten what it was like to have friends. Yet, as quickly as he entered my life, he exited. The entrance was the gems, but that happened to be the exit as well. To think, the same gems that granted me the wish of having friends and becoming a hero also stole my best friend away and humiliated my attempts at heroism.

But, now I have the power. I have to. Just five gems made a liar turn into an abomination with so much power. Rachel’s ability was only to shape shift, but after obtaining so many gems even an ability like that felt unstoppable.

Well, I’m sure Dylan would have been able to defeat her on his own if he wasn’t wounded…

Every time I think that thought I get angry. I hate Simon. If I saw him again I don’t know what I’d do. I blame him for the deaths of both Christina and Dylan. He just let Christina die, and he stabbed Dylan!

Then there’s Kyle. I blame him for everything that has happened so far. It feels like he strung us along this path of death. He claims to be looking out for himself, but he constantly makes our lives more dangerous. He incentivized us to kill each other and even told Luke that he could save his family before any of us. There’s no way he didn’t have malicious intent.

But, more than one person can be at fault. Yes, I blame Simon and Kyle, but most of all, it’s my fault. It’s all my fault. I was so weak. I couldn’t save Dylan on two occasions. I couldn’t save Sarah when she was kidnapped. I couldn’t save Christina when she was killed. I couldn’t punish Rachel when she betrayed us. I couldn’t punish Simon when he abandoned Christina. I couldn’t punish Luke when he attacked me. I was utterly useless.

This whole time… I haven’t done a damned thing.

Now, I have to be unstoppable. With this many gems I can only imagine how strong my punches are. If I ever need to deal out justice, I’ll be able to. Except, can I really?

I have the gems but I still feel so weak. I fell on my butt when I tried to hit Kyle. I still feel like just some kid.

If I was a little stronger…

If I had all of the gems then I could be the ultimate hero. I wouldn’t hesitate to kill Simon or Kyle. They’re both scum. They’re responsible for the deaths of others. There’s only one way for them to atone.

But, there’s no way to kill Simon. Because of that, I can forget about the chance of getting more power. There isn’t much else I can do. Even if I had Kyle’s gem, I couldn’t get the complete set. There’s no point if I don’t get true power.

It’s no use. I can’t sleep.

I get up as silently as possible so that I can avoid waking Sarah. This feels familiar. Oh, right, I did something similar with Dylan once.

I open the door slowly and walk out.

I continue downstairs and open the front door.

The fresh air fills my lungs. I take a deep breath in and out while I stare into the bright night’s sky. The stars above shine so brightly. If only I could grab one. They feel so close but I almost feel like I’ll never be able to get one. The stars are just too far away. I’m weak. I’m useless.

But I don’t have to be.

A million stars line the sky and fill my vision. They give me hope that I’ll achieve my aspirations.

I take another deep breath in. It’s chilly out so I can see my own breath.

***

From the darkness, I watch a silhouette move across the room and open the door. Where could he be going so late?

I stand silently and follow him.

I keep my foot steps silent and maintain a far distance. I figured Allen only wanted a snack, but it seems he’s going somewhere else.

The front door opens and shuts behind him.

Where is he off to?

I slowly open the door and walk out to him.

“Hey,” I say.

Allen stands on the steps and stares up into the sky. He looks like he’s watching something amazing.

“Oh, Sarah. Did I wake you up?”

“No, I guess you couldn’t fall asleep either then?” I really couldn’t.

“Yeah. I always watch the stars before bed.”

I walk beside him and look up. It only takes a few moments before I’m bored.

Seconds pass before I realize that I was staring at his face. I hope he didn’t see. That’s embarrassing. But, to me, his face is much prettier than this sky.

Still, it’s bothered me for a while now.

We live in a pretty suburban area. There’s plenty of people here and plenty of streetlights.

What I’m trying to get at is,

It’s actually really weird because-

It’s cloudy and there isn’t a single star in the sky.