Bending Light

2~Stargazing

The museum ended up being directly across the street from the Priest Hole, which was nice because there was less space between Point A and Point B for (Y/N) to be kidnapped, not that being alone ever scared (Y/N). Inside, she found her parents talking to the curator, whose name was Martin. He showed them around a few exhibits, and (Y/N) particularly liked the picture titled "Cairnholm Under Siege." It was very interesting, thinking about how the people in Cairnholm would've felt as they watched bomber planes fly overhead. Terrified, obviously, but whomever it was that took that picture must've felt some sense of awe as well. (Y/N) knew that she wouldn't have had time to snap a photo while panicking and running for her life.

Throughout the walk around the museum, (Y/N) couldn't forget the half-argument that she had heard at the Priest Hole. She wondered who the strange man was, because she hadn't seen him come in on the same boat as her and her family. She figured that he must have gotten there before they did, but still, it wasn't like the ferry to Cairnholm came often.

After the museum visit, (Y/N) and her family headed back to the "hotel" for some dinner, which was exactly the same as lunch. The only difference was that while (Y/N) and Elise drank water, their parents shared a beer. The sun was sinking, so everyone went upstairs to do some last things before darkness fell.

(Y/N) had asked to go stargazing, and so everyone else got ready to go see the sunset on the crest of the hill. They had decided to accompany (Y/N) until sunset, after which she would stargaze for a bit and then head back home after them.

When they reached the hilltop, everyone laid out blankets on the grass, then gathered some on top of themselves as well.

"Ugh. The mosquitoes are ridiculous right now!" Elise complained.

(Y/N) got out some bug spray and her sister eventually shut up. When the sun finally set, it sent out an array of reds, oranges, yellows, blues, and even some purples. It looked like the sky was on fire, and it was beautiful. This was the best sunset that (Y/N) had ever seen. She hoped she would get to see more like that.

After a few minutes, nature's second act started: the fireflies. They lit up and danced around for a while, which was a pleasant surprise.

As (Y/N)'s family packed up to leave, she laid back and got out her star charts. She may have been a historian, but she was also a scientist—and a lot more too, as she would figure out. After arranging a pillow out of extra blankets, she got unpacked.

First, she opened up the summer chart, then looked for the sun to find East so she could line the chart up to the sky. She started by finding Orion; he was easy enough to see without her binoculars, which she suddenly remembered to get out. Then she found Ursas Major and Minor, and from there, Polaris. Some of the other constellations, like Cassiopeia and Draco, were easier to see with binoculars, and after locating them, (Y/N) scanned the sky for some of the brighter planets, such as Mars.

"Scorpio, Sagittarius, Taurus, Aquarius, Pisces, Virgo, Libra, Capricorn, Cancer, Aries, Leo." (Y/N) stopped. She couldn't find Gemini for a moment, but then she laughed at herself; it would be behind the sun until June 21.

Suddenly, (Y/N) heard a twig snap. She whirled around, and ended up facing the strange man from underneath her window at the Priest Hole.

Hey guys! Hope you're enjoying my story so far! Please comment or PM me if you find a grammar or spelling mistake—I'm working extensively to root them out.