(Jake)
I was sitting outside on my old swingset, I did that sometimes, sit there and pretend everything was normal. That I was a kid again who could be happy with kid things like swinging on a swingset, playing basketball, watching TV, without having a mind haunted with horror. I looked up and the starts and cursed them silently. Yeah that's right, all of you go to hell, be blotted out of existence for all I care. Then I looked away, back to my feet, the ground, earth, my planet and my burden.
I closed my eyes against it all. Then a felt a soft touch on my shoulder. I jerked and looked up quickly. It was Cassie, her face was illuminated by the moon, beautiful. She sat on the swing next to me.
"You're mom said you were out here," she said.
"Yeah, I go out here to think sometimes." I said looking over at her. She looked at me and touched my cheek softly.
"What's the matter?" she asked worriedly. I shook my head.
"Nothing," I said, looking away from the probing gaze of her lovely eyes.
"Jake, I know you, please, tell me what's wrong," she said. I wanted so bad to tell her, it was like something was growing inside me, a pressure, I was being torn apart from the inside by wanting to tell her and being crushed by the burden of my responsibility, which included protecting her.
"Really Cassie, it's nothing." I said. She put one hand on my far cheek and turned my face until it was pointed towards hers.
"Jake, tell me what is wrong," she said softly. I looked into her eyes, silently begging her to let it go, she refused. "Just tell me," she said.
"It's like I am being crushed, its so much to bear alone. I don't know if I can do it anymore. Being the leader, the decisions, they, you all don't understand. I am afraid too, I feel the same pain that you do, the horror and the fear, but I can't show it. The weight is always getting heavier, its like I carry the earth and the stars on my back." I said desperately. Pleading with her to understand, not to condemn. Tears filled her mahogany eyes.
"Jake, I am so sorry. I should have known, we all should have. We lean on you too much. But your wrong about one thing. You're not alone, you'll never be alone. I'm here, and I'll carry them with you, together forever," she said, getting of her swing to sit on my lap and hold me tight. I buried my face in her neck, she smelled like the outside and some more elusive scent, lavender maybe. She stroked my hair softly and cradled me in her arms gently.
"I love you," she whispered in my ear. I held her tighter.
"I love you too, so much." I replied. She leaned back and moved her face in front of mine, I closed the gap and kissed her gently, she kissed me back and smoothed the fallen hair from my forehead in a gentle caress. We pulled away slowly and looked into each other's eyes, then I pulled her to my chest in a tight hug and looked back up at the stars, then back at the earth. Their weight didn't seem quite as heavy anymore.