Between the Stars

Chapter Two

Going for a walk was his mom's idea.

"If we're going to be here all summer, we should get to know the area!" She'd said that morning at breakfast.

Sam wasn't too thrilled, but he didn't really have a choice. He could tell his mom was using her desire to memorize the town as another excuse to get him out of his room. She'd made a habit of doing that on her days off, and he'd quickly learned it was easier to go along with her plans than spend hours trying to fight them only to do it anyway. That, at least, hadn't changed since moving. Even still, he made a point to trudge behind his parents as unenthusiastically as possible as they made their way into town.

Sam's eyes couldn't help but find the faded sign for the drugstore as they passed the main road. Was Charlie there today? She'd crossed his mind more than a few times since they'd met. There was something about her— it was almost like she could see right through the walls he had up. It was unnerving. And yet, he couldn't help but feel intrigued. How was she able to be so friendly, just like that? She'd treated him like they were old friends catching up, instead of two strangers whose lives brushed past each other like cars on the highway. He wasn't the most approachable person either, he knew that. Was it something that came from growing up in such a small town, he wondered?

The thought tumbled around in his mind as they crossed the road to the trail that ran along the edge of the lake. The paved path hugged the sand until it disappeared into the woods way down at the opposite end of the beach. Kids ran along the edge of the water, shrieking with glee as their parents watched from under their umbrellas. Sunbathers stretched out on colorful towels amongst the numerous sandcastles that littered the ground. A couple jet skis shot past, well beyond the people who bobbed in the waves near shore, and even further out a few boats skimmed back and forth along the horizon.

The sounds of the jet skis and children faded into the background as Sam followed his parents into the trees. The shoreline disappeared from sight as the path tilted gently upward, leading them further from town. He tilted his head to look at the light filtering through the leaves and listened to his mom and dad murmur quietly to each other. He could barely hear them over the sound of the waves hitting the shore below. Sam leaned over and tried to peer down the hill to the lake. A flash of white caught his eye—something was down there. Maybe a building? No, it wasn't big enough for that. Maybe an abandoned boat?

He looked around, trying to find a way down the hill. The trees around him were all but impenetrable. Frustrated, he walked a little further until he noticed a path that branched off to the right, nearly hidden by the undergrowth. He shoved through the ferns and followed the thin trail down the slope.

"Sam?"

His mom's voice echoed after him but he didn't stop. He kept walking until the path ended at a thin crescent of sand that wrapped around a small bay, closely shielded by the thick trees. A long concrete pier jutted out from the center of the beach into the water, edged with rotted pylons and rusted metal siding. An odd frame of a structure stood out at the end; Sam would have said it was a lighthouse, but it looked as though someone had abandoned it before they added the outside walls. The rust-streaked scaffolding barely looked strong enough to hold up the dirty white cabin at the top and a broken ladder hung down from the underside.

A flash of movement caught Sam's eye as he noticed something among the bars. Without thinking, his feet began to lead him down the stretch of concrete. In the back of his mind he heard his parents' confused calls, but he didn't stop until he was at the foot of the tower. There among the shadows in the scaffolding sat a lanky figure lounging casually fifteen feet off the ground. Copper hair glinted in the sunlight.