Under the Stars Read Online Free Page A

least she stops weeping afterward.
    Standing in the desert again, I search for Malik. He’s the one person I want to say goodbye to before we begin our trek. Maybe he’s still upset about those vagabonds. I’m surprised it hasn’t weighed on my conscience. Not nearly as much as I had thought it would…
    The wagons begin to move one by one. He’s not coming, I think. The caravan of gypsies disappears into the wall of rising heat, and then out of sight. No more than a mirage on the horizon.
    “Well, it’s just us now,” I say.
    Mama pulls Mattie close to her waist. “We have a long day ahead of us. The sooner we get started, the closer we’ll be to Legora.”
    Even after I can’t see them anymore, I gaze in the direction the gypsies departed.
    Mama touches my arm and says, “C’mon. We need to get going.”
    With the roasting sun on our backs, we start toward our destination. I warn Mama and Mattie to keep a strong eye for sand creatures—they burrow deep and come up when they smell blood. I call them the sharks of the desert.
    We walk until the blisters on my feet have popped and oozed. My skin is burned, and tormented by an unseen fire. My legs have no energy, barely able to take another step.
    But I have to fight it. This is what Mama and Mattie need. This is what I need. Our new life is about to begin, and I don’t want to be the one who delays that from happening.
    Mama’s face cringes, sweat drops caressing her temples. Mattie wheezes each new breath.
    “Let’s take a break. Rest for the night. We’re all exhausted,” I say. “The sun—it’s too much.”
    They agree, and we return to our routine of constructing the tent. This time, though, we have enough food to fill our stomachs. I won’t have to watch Mattie crunch through two-week-old bread, or watch Mama faint from dehydration.
    While I pull out the rods and tent covering, Mama and Mattie build a campfire with the stray pieces of wood we picked up in the desert. The funny thing? This barren wasteland was once home to forests. Some debris can be found jutting out of the sand, at times. We’re lucky.
    “Oh, your father would’ve loved this,” Mama says, bringing my thoughts back to a bleak reality. Her eyes dance while gazing at the sky. “He loved to travel. When we were young, we went to many places—England, Italy, Japan, Brazil. They were all so beautiful in their own unique way.”
    “I never knew you traveled.” They had never spoken of trips abroad.
    “Ah, yes. Your father wanted to see the world. It was one of his goals in life. He had many, and few were achieved.”
    I stop piecing the tent together to listen. “How come?”
    “Well, after some time away from home with traveling, we learned I was pregnant with you, so we settled down. I guess life took over after that, and traveling was put on the backburner.”
    “You shouldn’t have stopped because of me,” I mumble.
    “Oh, honey, I didn’t mean it like that. Your father and I were very proud to have you. That was the road we were destined to take.”
    I continue with the tent. Part of me feels like I crushed the dreams of my parents. Another part of me says it’s not my fault.
    Mama continues. “And later, Mattie came along. Unexpectedly, I might add, but your father and I welcomed him all the same.”
    I only nod to that.
    Mama clears her throat and says, “Well, it won’t be much longer until we’re able to call Legora our home.” She runs her fingers through Mattie’s unkempt hair, straightening out his bangs.
    “You excited, Mattie?” I ask, with an inkling of hope he might respond.
    He doesn’t.
    Instead, he gives me a look from beneath his full, black lashes. His eyes linger on mine for a moment, and then he redirects them. I can’t read them like I used to. I know one day he’ll reply to me.
    But not today.
    “Well, I, for one, am ecstatic,” Mama says. “I’m sure there are plenty of opportunities waiting for us in Legora.”
    “Jobs, you