The Star Moon *SECOND IN THE MOON SERIES*

Five|| Emmy

"I'm okay, though. Uncle Evan takes care of me. Anna is my Mom now." The girl told me. "My name's Emmy. What's your name?"

"I'm Taylor." I said. The girl couldn't be older than seven or eight, but she was so grown up.

"Who did you lose?" She asked.

"My brother, Thomas. He was my twin." I said.

"Anna tells me that if I draw picture of us happy, I'll remember us happy, and then I feel better." Emmy told me. "It took a little while, and I still get sad, but I do feel a little better."

"How long ago did they leave?" I asked, careful not to say the 'd' word.

"Almost one year ago." Emmy replied. "I draw lots of pictures, but I burn them now."

"Why?" I asked. Why is the kid near fire?!

"So that the ashes will go up to the sky, and my family will see the pictures." Emmy said. She pulled a blue crayon out of her pocket and began to draw another person.

"Who's that?" I asked.

"This is Thomas." Emmy said. "Your brother."

She showed me when she was done, and I smiled. Emmy got off of the bed and took my hand, leading me out of the room.

She led me through the suite, and up to the fire place.

The fire was lit and it was flaming.

"Who lit the-"

"Anna did. She does this every day before dinner for me." Emmy said. "So my family can have them set up at the dinner table, up in Heaven."

My heart warmed and broke at the same time for the brave little girl.

"I want you to put it in there with me." Emmy said to me. "So your brother can see it with my family at dinner."

It broke.

I broke.

Together we tossed the drawing into the fire, and we watched it burn.

I heard the door close, and saw out of the corner of my eye as Evan and a middle aged black woman approached slowly, trying to be quiet do Emmy wouldn't notice.

"Will you eat dinner with me?" Emmy asked.

I looked down at myself. I was in sweats, a hoodie, and my hair was in a very messy bun.

Not dinner ready.

But I still said yes.

Emmy hugged me and went over to who I assumed was Anna. Anna took her hand and led her out of the suite.

I watched the flames flicker, a single tear streaming down my cheek.

Evan came to sit beside me, and he put an arm around me.

"Did you set her up to that?" I joked half heartedly.

He chuckled. "She asked me why you hadn't come down yet. I told her you were sad, because you lost someone. The rest she decided by herself. She told Anna she wanted to help you the way Anna helped her."

I inhaled deeply and sighed. "I guess I should go get dressed, and at least try to look a little less like a zombie." I joked, and he laughed.

"You don't look like a zombie." He said to me. I deadpanned him.

"You're lying."

"I'm not." He shook his head. He stared at me intensely, and looked like he wanted to say something, but he said nothing.