Wonder World

Chapter One: 8

Stellair had always wondered about the world. Wondered if the birds and bees were actually best friends, if hippos and elephants were relatives and had gigantic family reunions. Now some of you might be thinking that wondering is simply a state of inquiry, of heedless questioning, however it was far more than that for Stellair. She was often in the world she'd made up in her head, and though she was very aware the things in her head did not exist outside of her wondrous mind, they were no less real. Stellair believed in a world where the trees were her cousins and playmates, the wind whispered her secrets and stories, the rhythm of fire taught her how to dance and the stars kissed her goodnight at the end of each day. 

The sky that morning was a delightful shade of periwinkle as the darkness of night faded and the light of day began to spread across the horizon. Today was was an exciting day for it was the eve of her eighth birthday. The Freeman household held a tradition of sending off a birthday wish on this day, by writing it on the face of a balloon and releasing it into the night. Stellar had been perfecting her birthday wish all week, knowing that every word had to be right, or it was unlikely to come true.

The year before she had wished for her Nana and Papa to take her to meet elephants and lions. Though her wish came true, as her grandparents took her to the Metropolitan Zoo, it was not a wish come true, for she was surprised by how much she disliked being there. Seeing the animals locked up in cages and behind walls of glass made her sad for the creatures and angry at those who had thought of the miserable idea. This year, however, her wish would be much different than years past.

The smell of Papa's eggy in a basket and Nana's freshly squeezed OJ, swirled throughout their small home. Her younger sister, Sonnie, woke her jumping and screaming "Happy Burfday sissy, c'mon Papa's made our favorite!" Sonnie and Stellar were four years apart, but they acted like they were twins. The sisters did everything together, from pulling pranks on their Papa to helping Nana make candles and soaps for the shop.

Stellair was only five years old when their parents died, but she remembered what memories she had of them with great fondness. Her mother, Stella Marshell Freeman, was determined, courageous and had a free spirit. She'd take the girls to help feed the homeless on holidays, and let them paint signs for the peaceful protests she'd organize in the city. She remembered how brave their mother was and hoped that when she was older she might be too. Their father, on the other hand, was not quite as serious, but a man made of smiles and laughter. Although Evan Don Freeman was a jack of all trades, and he occasionally played drums at a jazz club in town, he was the perfect stay-at-home dad, cooking, cleaning and building the girls' imaginations to be taller than skyscrapers. Their father would act out bed time stories as he tucked the girls into bed every night, while tapping out a tune on any surface he could reach. These were Stellair's favorite memories, and she replayed them like a movie whenever she felt the sting of missing her beloved parents.

Everyone knew that the quality of water in Fellow County was not great, but no one had ever thought that the water treatment facility had been hiding such a nasty secret. Word spread all over the country about how the Fellow County Water Treatment had been sixty percent higher in lead than legally allowed. When Mr. and Mrs. Freeman had found out, they organized a peaceful protest that had the local government under great scrutiny. When the cops had shown up to break up the rally, the Freeman's and many others, refused to leave the premises. That was when the guns started going off.

There was a video recording on the news from someone who had survived the rally that played on repeat during the weeks that followed. That sound, guns cracking and people screaming for their lives, haunted Stellar. Twelve people died at that protest; all because the water had become undrinkable and the people wanted a voice. Stellair was glad that Sonnie didn't remember those treacherous sounds on the television. Though Sonnie was upset, she was too young to understand what had happened, and too young to miss their parents.