Reach for the Stars
Chapter 11
*Present*
Mr. Sir laughed and marked an X in the hard dirt. "You are to dig here. Five feet by Five
feet. Use your shovel as a measuring stick." Star nodded and turned to her task at hand. She tried
to shove her shovel into the dirt. It was too hard. She then tried jumping on it, but she had gone
too long without really eating. She didn't weigh enough. Laughing Mr. Sir walked away.
Ignoring him Fairy kept trying to break the surface. "Need help?" Someone asked casting
a shadow across the ground. Star looked up glaring at Squid.
"I am fine." Fairy snapped, turning so her back was to him. She dug her shovel into the
ground and jumped onto it again. It fell over causing her to fall to the ground. Pulling herself to
her hands and knees Fairy huffed. She brushed her hair out of her face and noticed a hand. "I'm
fine." she snapped again.
She reached down to her sock and pulled out her switch blade. She began to repeated ly
stab at the ground.
Squid backed away slowly as the others stopped digging and watched her. They all
exchanged bewildered looks. "Why would a girl have a switchblade?" "Why would she have
one?" Armpit asked Magnet who was next to him.
Magnet shrugged. "Tough life maybe."
Armpit nodded. "Yeah that could be it."
Zigzag had over heard the conversation and rolled his eyes. "Well duh." he muttered
under his breath.
Satisfied Fairy closed the blade up and stuck it into her sock. She then picked up her
shovel and dug it into the dirt. It sunk into the now loosened sand and she tossed it away from her
spot. She looked up at the group watching her. "What? Didn't think I would be able to handle
it?" Didn't think I could do it on my own? Well I can. I don't need nobody. I may be a girl, but I
can take care of myself." She glared at the group until they turned back to their digging.
Fairy turned back to what she was doing, a small smile on her lips. Grabbing her ponytail
holder from around her wrist Star pulled her wavy curls back into a messy bun. As she did this
she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. She looked over and there was Zero grinning
at her. Star let out a small quiet laugh and then turned back to her hole. She still had a long way
to go.
*Other Flashback*
Star looked down at the two small hungry faces peering up at her. She then looked back
up at the empty cupboard in front of her. Closing the doors she moved to the next one. Empty.
Sighing Star moved on and paused in front of the last cupboard. Shutting her eyes she slowly
opened the doors afraid of what she might find. Or even more accurately what she wouldn't find.
Opening her eyes slowly Star sighed in relief. It wasn't completely empty.
Reaching up she grabbed the bag of spaghetti noodles and the bottle of ketchup and set
them on the counter. She then turned to the girls and smiled. She lifted the small 5-year olds up
onto the counter one at a time. "We will have spaghetti for dinner." She told them pulling out a
pot and filling it with water.
Star walked over to a lose floor board and gently pried it up. She pulled out a few torn
and tattered books and some paper, she returned to the girls and jumped onto the counter in
between the girls. "Time for your lessons." she said opening up one of the books.
Stephanie and Sandy pushed up against Star's sides and looked down at the books. Star
smiled and kissed Sandy on the top of the head. "You go first hon."
Jack walked into the house and smiled as she walked into the kitchen. The three of them
were perched on the counter bent over the books. Star looked up and smiled at Jack. She jumped
down off the counter then turned to the girls.
"Lesson's done." she said lowering them to the floor. "Go play." she said giving them a
gentle push towards the bed room.
Jack was stirring the noodles as Star walked over to her. Jack smiled and turned off the
burner. "How are they doing?"
Star smiled. "They are catching on." Star then sighed and grabbed Jack's hand. "I need to
talk to you Jack."
Jack nodded and led Star up to the roof. Jack sat down on the ledge and pulled Star down
next to her. "What is it hon?"
Star leaned her head on Jack's shoulder. "We aren't making it Jack."
Jack stroked her friends head. "I know we are struggling Star, I really do, I don't know
what I can say. I don't know what we can do."
"I think we both need to work full time." Star swallowed her head still on Jack's
shoulder. "I have thought about it and, the girls can take care of themselves. They are old enough,
they know enough that they can stay home while we go out." A tear ran down Star's cheek.
Jack lifted Star's head off of her shoulder and gently wiped away the tear. "Is that what
you want?"
Star shook her head. "What I want is to not have to worry about when the next time we
will be able to eat is going to be. What I want is to be able to actually sleep at night, in a bed, not
the floor and know we are safe. What I want is to see my best friend, my heart sister happy, truly
happy." Star began to sob uncontrollably. Jack held her tight rubbing her back. "What I want.."
Star said muffled against Jack's shoulder. "What I want is for you to one day show emotion, to
one day realize that you don't have to be strong like this. But it doesn't matter what I want."
Jack had to fight back the tears that tried to form in her eyes. She wouldn't cry. She
would let herself.
Star let out a frustrated yell and jumped up and stood in front of Jack. "Why won't you
just let it out. Just let it out. Let it out dammit." Star yelled in her friend's face.
Tears then began to slowly stream down Jack's cheeks. Star pulled her up into a standing
position and straight into her arms.
The two girls held onto each other tight as they cried for everything. Everything they lost,
everything they had to fight for, and everything they wanted to gain.
******************************************************************************
Sweet AK sorry it took me so long to write this chapter. I hope you enjoy it.
Trinity hey I hope you still like me even though it took me forever to write this chapter. I had a
major bout of writers block
Ob hey baby...I love you...I know how I am going to end it...yay..can't wait...then I have to work
on our mission.
Chapter 11
*Present*
Mr. Sir laughed and marked an X in the hard dirt. "You are to dig here. Five feet by Five
feet. Use your shovel as a measuring stick." Star nodded and turned to her task at hand. She tried
to shove her shovel into the dirt. It was too hard. She then tried jumping on it, but she had gone
too long without really eating. She didn't weigh enough. Laughing Mr. Sir walked away.
Ignoring him Fairy kept trying to break the surface. "Need help?" Someone asked casting
a shadow across the ground. Star looked up glaring at Squid.
"I am fine." Fairy snapped, turning so her back was to him. She dug her shovel into the
ground and jumped onto it again. It fell over causing her to fall to the ground. Pulling herself to
her hands and knees Fairy huffed. She brushed her hair out of her face and noticed a hand. "I'm
fine." she snapped again.
She reached down to her sock and pulled out her switch blade. She began to repeated ly
stab at the ground.
Squid backed away slowly as the others stopped digging and watched her. They all
exchanged bewildered looks. "Why would a girl have a switchblade?" "Why would she have
one?" Armpit asked Magnet who was next to him.
Magnet shrugged. "Tough life maybe."
Armpit nodded. "Yeah that could be it."
Zigzag had over heard the conversation and rolled his eyes. "Well duh." he muttered
under his breath.
Satisfied Fairy closed the blade up and stuck it into her sock. She then picked up her
shovel and dug it into the dirt. It sunk into the now loosened sand and she tossed it away from her
spot. She looked up at the group watching her. "What? Didn't think I would be able to handle
it?" Didn't think I could do it on my own? Well I can. I don't need nobody. I may be a girl, but I
can take care of myself." She glared at the group until they turned back to their digging.
Fairy turned back to what she was doing, a small smile on her lips. Grabbing her ponytail
holder from around her wrist Star pulled her wavy curls back into a messy bun. As she did this
she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. She looked over and there was Zero grinning
at her. Star let out a small quiet laugh and then turned back to her hole. She still had a long way
to go.
*Other Flashback*
Star looked down at the two small hungry faces peering up at her. She then looked back
up at the empty cupboard in front of her. Closing the doors she moved to the next one. Empty.
Sighing Star moved on and paused in front of the last cupboard. Shutting her eyes she slowly
opened the doors afraid of what she might find. Or even more accurately what she wouldn't find.
Opening her eyes slowly Star sighed in relief. It wasn't completely empty.
Reaching up she grabbed the bag of spaghetti noodles and the bottle of ketchup and set
them on the counter. She then turned to the girls and smiled. She lifted the small 5-year olds up
onto the counter one at a time. "We will have spaghetti for dinner." She told them pulling out a
pot and filling it with water.
Star walked over to a lose floor board and gently pried it up. She pulled out a few torn
and tattered books and some paper, she returned to the girls and jumped onto the counter in
between the girls. "Time for your lessons." she said opening up one of the books.
Stephanie and Sandy pushed up against Star's sides and looked down at the books. Star
smiled and kissed Sandy on the top of the head. "You go first hon."
Jack walked into the house and smiled as she walked into the kitchen. The three of them
were perched on the counter bent over the books. Star looked up and smiled at Jack. She jumped
down off the counter then turned to the girls.
"Lesson's done." she said lowering them to the floor. "Go play." she said giving them a
gentle push towards the bed room.
Jack was stirring the noodles as Star walked over to her. Jack smiled and turned off the
burner. "How are they doing?"
Star smiled. "They are catching on." Star then sighed and grabbed Jack's hand. "I need to
talk to you Jack."
Jack nodded and led Star up to the roof. Jack sat down on the ledge and pulled Star down
next to her. "What is it hon?"
Star leaned her head on Jack's shoulder. "We aren't making it Jack."
Jack stroked her friends head. "I know we are struggling Star, I really do, I don't know
what I can say. I don't know what we can do."
"I think we both need to work full time." Star swallowed her head still on Jack's
shoulder. "I have thought about it and, the girls can take care of themselves. They are old enough,
they know enough that they can stay home while we go out." A tear ran down Star's cheek.
Jack lifted Star's head off of her shoulder and gently wiped away the tear. "Is that what
you want?"
Star shook her head. "What I want is to not have to worry about when the next time we
will be able to eat is going to be. What I want is to be able to actually sleep at night, in a bed, not
the floor and know we are safe. What I want is to see my best friend, my heart sister happy, truly
happy." Star began to sob uncontrollably. Jack held her tight rubbing her back. "What I want.."
Star said muffled against Jack's shoulder. "What I want is for you to one day show emotion, to
one day realize that you don't have to be strong like this. But it doesn't matter what I want."
Jack had to fight back the tears that tried to form in her eyes. She wouldn't cry. She
would let herself.
Star let out a frustrated yell and jumped up and stood in front of Jack. "Why won't you
just let it out. Just let it out. Let it out dammit." Star yelled in her friend's face.
Tears then began to slowly stream down Jack's cheeks. Star pulled her up into a standing
position and straight into her arms.
The two girls held onto each other tight as they cried for everything. Everything they lost,
everything they had to fight for, and everything they wanted to gain.
******************************************************************************
Sweet AK sorry it took me so long to write this chapter. I hope you enjoy it.
Trinity hey I hope you still like me even though it took me forever to write this chapter. I had a
major bout of writers block
Ob hey baby...I love you...I know how I am going to end it...yay..can't wait...then I have to work
on our mission.