Warning! Extremely sad drabble coming up! Again, courtesy of angel on wings! This one's all you, girl!
Action Figures Part 16:
Reflections
The next week, after doing some talking with the owner and some shopping, Starling came home to her base with an action figure for each of the Storm Hawks. But to make things even better, she had also come home with an action figure of herself.
So now, home alone at her dining table, she set the Storm Hawks and herself out on the table. She didn't speak, for she found that somehow it sounded silly out loud, but she thought of each character's words in her head, where it didn't seem silly at all. She imagined Aerrow was saying they were all gathering at the table for supper and Piper was giving her some of her delicious cooking. Everyone was laughing and talking, and Starling was included in the conversation.
Starling stood up the Starling doll and imagined the doll giving a speech about what a great squadron the Storm Hawks were, telling them about all of their strong points: Aerrow's bravery and willingness to due right, Piper's smarts and talents, Finn's enthusiasm and fun, Junko's kindness, Stork's brilliance, and Radarr always being there to bail the others out of trouble. Then she imagined Aerrow telling her right back, But Starling, you forgot a Storm Hawk. You're just as great as any one of us.
The real Starling froze. She didn't know where that thought came from. Perhaps it was because Aerrow seemed to say that in the real world . . . not with his voice, but with his eyes.
All of sudden, Starling wasn't seeing the Storm Hawks there anymore. She was seeing a very different set of characters. All were men, all about her age. Two of them took the place where Finn and Junko sat side by side. One was blond and buff with hair that stuck up like a flower, and another had a dark tone of skin, high cheek bones, and short hair. The two men were laughing together. Another one with spiky blue hair and a sharp mind took the place of both Piper and Stork. And where Aerrow and Radarr sat, Starling saw instead a young man with plain brown hair who gazed at her with loving eyes.
All of them wore the purple emblem of the Interceptors.
A tear rolled down Starling's cheek. She quickly stood up, took the dolls, and stuffed them in the trashcan. They were a bad idea, anyway.
But then she stopped, as if she couldn't bear to part with them. Carefully she took them out of the trashcan before deciding at last to stow them in a box under her bed. After all, she had bought them. Might as well keep them.
Memories and possibilities slipped underneath the bed with them.