THE LION KING III: A MILLION HOLES IN THE TABLECLOTH
My eyes shot open, the sound of a loud thump and an even louder giggle jolting me from my sleep. I lifted my head from my pillow and brushed kinky curls of sandy blonde hair from my face. The numbers on my digital clock glowed with an eerie blue radiance, informing me that it was two o'clock in the morning. I sighed, getting out of bed to find the source of the noisy disturbance.
I stumbled around the floor of my bedroom, wiping sleep from my eyes, and grabbed the brass doorknob roughly. The door flung open without a sound. Although my vision was blurred and distorted by the darkness and my overall lack of energy, I could clearly make out the silhouette of two people, a guy and a girl, sneaking out of the house. They were trying to keep quiet. They kept shushing each other through their laughter, but it was apparent that stealth wasn't their first priority. I watched from my doorway as one figure opened a window, and the second figure effortlessly shimmied her way through the hole in the wall. Figure number one followed after her, closing the window behind him. It was obvious that they had done this before.
I carefully tiptoed across the floor to the window that the pair had just escaped through. It was easy for me to tell who the couple was when they were running across the yard under the light of the moon. It was my younger brother, Kovu, and his girlfriend, Kiara. They looked like they were racing each other. I wondered where they were going, a little sour that they had not included me in their late night adventure. Curiosity rushed over me like an angry wave of saltwater, bitter and overpowering. I cautiously opened the glass pane, being no stranger to sneaking out of a house in the dead of night, and flung myself into the backyard, landing on the ground seamlessly. I closed the window, leaving it open a crack so I could get back into the house later.
Outside the house, the sky was a dark navy color. So dark blue it was almost black. The bit at my skin, leaving my cold and uncomfortable. The moon offered a large dose of light over the Pridelands, definitely enough to see which way Kovu and Kiara went. They ran quickly, but I knew Kovu was letting Kiara when the race.
"How… cute," I muttered, sarcasm dripping from my lips like venom. I started jogging behind them, far enough away from them to stay hidden, but close enough to spy on them. I saw how the moon reflected in Kiara's round eyes and I saw that Kovu was admiring her as he ran. It pained me, it really did.
Kiara was beautiful, that was no lie. I couldn't help but feel pangs of jealousy when she entered a room. I couldn't stop myself from bubbling over with anger when I saw how boys would watch her. The way their eyes would become fixated on her. It made me sick when I realized my brother was one of those boys. I thought he was strong. I thought he was independent and strong, but he was just as weak as all of them. Kiara had a power that Zira and Scar could never teach. She had beauty. She had elegance. And above all, she had innocence. I wanted that. That incorruptibly pure smile she had, I wanted the sweet essence she had. But I didn't. I was an Outsider. Even in the Pridelands, I was still an Outsider.
They held hands, walking close to The Watering Hole, a creek that kids would go to when they were skipping school. It wasn't the nicest place, it was littered with beer cans and was always crowded during hot, summer days, but on a cold morning at two o'clock, it certainly had a romantic spirit to it.
I was baffled, hiding behind a rather large rock that was on the edge of the creek, out of the sight of the two lovers. I was an Outlander, I was different. I could never obtain the qualities that a Pridelander had. But if Outlanders and Pridelanders were so extremely diverse, how could Kiara and Kovu fall in love? They were different. He was strong, dark, scarred, and she was so light and delicate. They were complete opposites, yet they were a perfect match. Why? He chased her into the shallow water of the creek. Why wasn't she scared of him? She screamed that the water was freezing. Why didn't her shrill cry annoy him?
I watched as Kovu splashed Kiara with the cold water. She screamed, but it wasn't an angry scream, it was a blissful scream. She ran from the Watering Hole, but Kovu chased her, splashing her every chance he got. Their laughs were explosive, filling the empty wind with life. They chased each other on the sandy ground before collapsing to the floor, barely visible in the tall grass.
They talked to each other in hushed voices, too quiet for me to hear. Then their tones changed and their laughs changed. They sounded the same, but different. I parted the grass, wanting to know. Wanting to learn. Kovu was on top of her, pulling her clothes of her. Kiara laughed, doing the same to him. I watched them engage carelessly in an act that seemed so precious to everyone else. I tried to peel my eyes away, but I couldn't. I wanted to know…
Kiara screamed Kovu's name and then it was over. Just like that, it was over. They just stayed there, entangled in each other's limbs. I stood from my hiding spot in the thick grass and began walking home, wherever that was. My stomach kept turning with every step I took. I wanted to feel what Kiara felt. The love, the sex, the admiration, all of it. Just for a day, just for an hour. I would be so happy… but no one cared what made an Outsider happy. So I walked home, my fingers laced together. The wind was colder than it was before and I shivered no one to keep me warm.
Up above me, the sky sparkled with white, bright stars. They were like pinpricks in a black blanket. A million holes in a black tablecloth. One brilliant star shot across the sky, leaving a glittering trail of dust behind it.
"Please, Please, Please…" I pleaded, wanting my wish to come true more than anything I had ever wanted in my life. I closed my eyes tightly, and thought about my desire, keeping it clear in my mind. I prayed that my wish would come true, my wish for true love.