Stuck

By Nathalie Cho

When he shall die take him and cut him out into stars and he shall make the face of heaven so fine that all the world will be in love with night and pay no worship to the garish sun.

- William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet 

I.

A supernova happens when there is a sudden change in the heart of a star. It takes in matter from other stars. Eventually, the star consumes too much matter, which can cause it to explode. 

#

Takeo and June Bushida were reciting the lines of a play their high school was putting on,“Romeo and Juliet.” June was playing the role of Lady Capulet and Takeo was helping with backstage work. 
“Enough of this. I pray thee, hold thy peace! How was that?”

“It was good.”

“It feels wrong. Like I need to be more dramatic, right?”

“Sure.”

“Marry, that marry is the very theme I came to talk of. Tell me, daughter Juliet, how stands your disposition to be married? Takeo, can you read the next part?”

“I don’t want to be Juliet.”

“Please?”

“It is an honor that I dream not of,” Takeo whispered, rolling his eyes.

“And the next part?”

“I don’t know how to say this.”

“Takeo, come on.”

“It doesn’t make sense.”

“Just say it!”

“An honor? Were I not thine only nurse, I would say thou h-had?”

“Hadst. Say it like, ‘hatsed’.”

“This is boring,” Takeo said, coldly. 

“I know,” June replied with a sigh, “can we make popcorn?”

Takeo answered with a nod and got up from her blue-sheeted bed.

“THE GOOD KIND PLEASE!” June hollered after him. 

His mouth curved upwards slightly and he nodded, making his way down the carpeted steps. Traveling downstairs was always a stressful adventure for Takeo. Downstairs was a dangerous place, for it was where The Monster slept. The Monster, as Takeo and June nicknamed her, was their Aunt Ruby. A tall woman who always seemed to have a scowl on her face. Her long, intimidating black hair hung below her chest, and it swayed with every small movement. Every inch he moved, every breath he took, his heart raced faster and faster. Takeo almost made it.

 If it wasn’t for the cord June plugged into the wall the previous day, he definitely would’ve made it. Instead, he tripped and fell. Takeo scrambled to his feet and hid behind the polished, wooden table in the middle of the kitchen. After taking a few quiet breaths, he peered around the table and spotted June’s favorite popcorn hidden in a wooden basket, begging to be freed. He stood up, but fell right back down when the top of his head bumped the underside of the table. He groaned in annoyance.

“Takeo, what are you doing?” He looked up to see his Aunt Ruby staring down at him.

“Food,” he mumbled.

“Oh, what are you going to eat?” Ruby asked. He pointed at the wooden basket that held all of the snacks.

“That stuff is awful for you, eat something else.”

Takeo stiffened.“June wants this one.”

“If she keeps eating that stuff she’ll gain even more weight. It’s really unhealthy.”

Takeo glared, daring to meet her gaze. ‘That’s what you would always say, but it didn’t help her.’ was what he wanted to say. 

“It’s only one time,” Takeo whispered, instead. He moved away quickly, avoiding any physical contact with The Monster.

“After that, no more.” Ruby ordered. He nodded, opening the popcorn and setting it in the microwave.

Takeo successfully retreated back to the safety of June’s room, a bowl of freshly popped popcorn in his arms. His stiff shoulders relaxed with the welcome of June. 

“You’re the best, seriously,” June said, grabbing another handful of her popcorn. He hummed in reply, not taking his eyes off his phone. 

“Oh! The play is in four days, do you know how to work everything backstage?” she asked. He nodded, earning a smile from her.

“Also, the people in the play are writing their thanks to the people that helped them in the program. You wouldn’t mind if I mentioned you, would you?”

“I don’t mind,” he said, looking up from his phone. June jumped up with a huge smile painted on her face. She wrapped her arms around his waist while giggling.

“Thank you!” she squealed. He mumbled something, unwrapping her arms.

“Of course.”

#

The next three days were absolute chaos. The house was left uncleaned every night, infuriating Aunt Ruby. June would run around the house rehearsing her lines at precisely 6 o’clock in the evening, carrying the many pages that would fall out of her arms and blasting dramatic music from a tiny purple and teal speaker that was tied around her neck with a scarf. Popcorn kernels fell out of the bowl that laid on the couch as June jumped up and down, reciting her lines as Lady Capulet. 

“Tybalt, here slain, whom Romeo’s hand did slay. Romeo, that spoke him fair, bade him bethink how nice the quarrel was, and urged withal your high displeasure. Just say your line, this is too much,” Takeo said.

“He is a kinsman to the Montague. Affection makes him false, he speaks not true! Some twenty of them fought in this black strife. And all those twenty could but kill one life. I beg for justice, with thou, Prince must give. Romeo slew Tybalt, Romeo must not live!”

“Will you two do that upstairs? It’s causing too much noise,” their Aunt’s voice shrieked from the living room. June whipped her head around like a bird and smiled.

“Aunt Ruby, can you help too?” she asked.

“No, now go upstairs.”

“Just this once?”

“No. I have better things to do,” she snapped. She did not put in the effort to look up from the screen of her phone.

“You’re such a Tybalt,” June snapped, and Takeo could see June hoped to hurt their aunt's feelings. Ruby looked up, catching June’s stare. She hoisted herself out of the red chair and made her way towards June and Takeo, eyeing the mess they had made. 

“What did I tell you about this stuff? You eat too much, this isn’t going to help you,” she said, “I spend my whole day working to support you two, but what do you do for me? Will it kill you to help clean up this house for once?” 

Takeo stared hard at the ground, spotting each and every kernel on the white carpet. June scoffed. 

“Go upstairs!” Ruby yelled. June launched herself onto the couch, the red blanket representing a dress falling off her waist. She held a page of her script out to her frowning aunt. Ruby snatched it, giving her a fearful stare. The terrifying sound of the fresh, white paper ripping wrung in Takeo's ears, as June let out a small gasp. 

“Go upstairs.”

#

As paper tearing echoed in his ears, Takeo recalled a recent memory. A year back, he and June had gone through all of the arts and crafts the two of them had created when they were children. 

“Aunt Ruby!”

“What?”

“Look at what me and Takeo drew when we were little!” June placed a paper on Aunt Ruby’s desk, her eyes sparkling bright as stars. Aunt Ruby took one look at it, and let out a loud sigh of frustration. It was a sloppy drawing of the night sky. The moon was illustrated by Takeo, and the stars were illustrated by June.

“It’s cool, right? I had originally thought that Takeo was the moon, since he lights up my world somehow, and I was the stars, cause the moon is lonely without the stars. Cute, right?” 

Ruby scoffed.

“This is why you’re falling behind. You waste too much time on this stuff. Why weren’t you studying?” Ruby’s voice was gruff. June’s smile faded and she dropped her head.

“I couldn’t focus, so I took a break,” she whispered, sheepishly. 

“Why didn’t you ask for help?” 

The starlight from June's eyes was now gone. Aunt Ruby looked back at the drawing. She flipped it over, grabbed a pen, and started writing out an algebra problem for June to solve. 

 “Stop, get a different paper,” June said, reaching her hand out. 

June snatched the paper out of Aunt Ruby’s reach. “You ruined it!” she yelped.

 “You have to do your homework! Do you want to be one of those kids who gets held back?” Aunt Ruby scolded, “Give that to me.”

“Can’t you let me have my fun?” June cried out, attempting to retrieve the work of art. Takeo winced at the horrible tearing sound when it ripped. His eyes met June, both of them staring at the paper that was now wet from June’s tears. 

“Go back upstairs.” This was the day they began to call Aunt Ruby, The Monster.  

#

“She really does remind me of Tybalt.” June hissed at the printer, as it slowly recreated the damaged page of her script. “You know, Takeo. It would help a lot if you did Juliet’s lines for this scene.” 

Takeo hummed in response. He did not want to be Juliet. 

“I don’t like her,” he replied in a whisper. He could feel June glare at him and it sent chills down his spine.

“Why don’t you like her?” 

“I just don’t.”

“Is it because she’s a girl?” she said, inquisitively. 

“No.”

“Is it because she dies?”

“No,” he said once again. June squinted her eyes. He looked at the script and quickly scanned through Juliet’s part. 

“Please?”

“I’m not saying the speech at the end.”

“How about you say the long part? Just a little bit, I think it’s kind of cool.”

“No. June, she’s planning on killing herself.”

“That’s what feeds into the emotion of it, it's a beautiful line. I wish I could have played Juliet, but no, Miette’s sister got the role. ”

Takeo raised an eyebrow.

“I’m going to bed,” he said, followed by a small yawn. June scoffed, pushing him out of her room. 

Lying down in his dark room, Takeo let out a big sigh. He was nervous but also excited for the next day. It was the day June finally got to play Lady Capulet, the role she practiced so much for. He rolled onto his side, closing his heavy eyes. He scooted towards the wall and could hear June reciting Juliet’s lines.

“Farewell. God knows when we shall meet again. I have a fainting cold fear rushing through my veins that almost freezes up the heat of life. I’ll call them back to comfort me. Nurse! What should she do here? My dreadful scene I needs must act alone. Come, vial. What if this mixture do not work at all?..”

Her tone sent chills down his spine, though he blamed the anxious feelings on his pre-show jitters. He put on headphones to block out June’s voice and within seconds, Takeo drifted off to sleep. 

#

It was the day of the play, people scrambled around the auditorium rehearsing their lines and singing their songs in groups, 

 “What are you doing?” Takeo was in the production booth of the theater, high above the auditorium, trying to figure out the follow spot. He whipped his head around to see the director staring down at him as he fumbled with the unfamiliar equipment. Takeo was good with names, and he knew this director to be Mr. Wright. The young man was much taller than Takeo, most definitely over 6 feet tall. He had dark brown hair that was so stiff it looked as if he had taken a whole bottle of hairspray and poured it on the top of his head. 

“I don’t really know,” he replied, keeping his eyes focused on his director’s forehead. It was a trick June had taught him when they were younger. “If you feel uncomfortable talking to someone, just look at their forehead and they will get uncomfortable and eventually stop talking to you!” 

“Do you need any help?” Mr. Wright asked. Takeo continued to stare intensely at his director’s forehead. As he stubbornly stared, Mr. Wright put his hands in his pockets and rocked back and forth on his heels. 

“Do you mind asking one of the staff members for help? I have to get back to someone real quick,” he said, fiddling with the collar of his black, button-up shirt. Takeo nodded, to which Mr. Wright let out a sigh of relief, walking away. Takeo blinked a few times before turning back to the spotlight.

“Takeo!” He turned around to see June, who was wearing her shiny costume. It was red, with a hint of orange and silver and a rectangular hat, that hid her short black hair. 

“I heard you were having trouble with the spotlight. Why though, it's so easy,” she chuckled. Takeo frowned.

“I’ll burn myself if I touch it.”

"Use the handle, silly." June pressed her fingers to the big plastic level on the back of the spotlight, her eyes sparkling when it lit up the whole stage with a huge, bright light. 

“I’m really excited,” she whispered. Takeo hummed and looked back at June.

“Just point the light at the actor who's talking, and you should be fine,” she said, with a reassuring smile. Takeo nodded as she turned on her heel to walk back to the stage, yelling two words. 

“Love you!” 

Takeo did not reply. 

#

A heavy stomp echoed in the auditorium. On the illuminated stage stood many people in huge, stiff dresses and unattractive suits. Around them was amazing woodwork and lamplights made of cardboard. The makeup they wore emphasized their facial expressions and made them shine brightly with the spotlight directed towards them. It was curious how they were not squinting and scrunching their faces up at the magnificent light. 

“O mournful day!”

“What is the matter?”

“Look, look, o heavy day!”

“O me, O me! My child, my only life! Revive, look up, or I will die with thee! Help, help! Call help!” 

“For shame, bring Juliet forth! Her lord is come!” 

“She’s dead, deceased! She’s dead! Alack the day!” 

June as Lady Capulet let out a painful shriek, filling the ears of every single person sitting in the auditorium. In her arms was the body of her character’s daughter, her body lifeless and her eyes staring at the ceiling. June's tone sounded so realistic, her tears deepening the effect on the scene. “O woeful time!”

Takeo watched his twin sister perform her well-memorized lines on the big stage in awe. He had never seen June perform so well with so much emotion. She had always wanted to be in the spotlight with all eyes on her, and it was happening right now. Her performance kept everyone on the edge of their seats. Her cries sounded like a dagger to the heart. June was mesmerizing. The awed silence that filled the auditorium between June's lines intrigued Takeo. He had never seen such a big crowd be so quiet. 

“O me! This sight of death is as a bell that warns my old age to a tomb.”

An overwhelming silence responded to the last of June’s lines as she slowly made her way off the stage. The pained expression of the grieving Lady Capulet remained painted on her face as she approached Takeo. She did not smile at him, instead, she wrapped her arms around him, squeezing him tight. 

“You did amazing,” he whispered, to which she nodded. Swiftly, she let go of him, making her way towards the exit. He turned around to follow her, a sense of worry making his stomach flip. When he peeked around the corner, she was already gone. 

“You! The curtains!” the director was waving his arms, trying to get Takeo's attention.  Takeo stopped and retreated back, yanking the rope.  The red, heavy curtains closed the stage while the piercing sound of people whistling and the thunderous clapping filled his ears. 

A few more scenes passed by, boring Takeo, for his sister was not in any of them. The end of the show finally arrived, the whole auditorium exploding in cheer. After Takeo turned off the follow spot and tied off the curtain, he scanned the auditorium for his twin, but did not see any sign of her. Takeo thought he saw a glimpse of June's red dress heading for the exit, but when he turned to go after her, a voice called from behind him. 

“Takeo!” He turned around to see a fellow crew member, running at him with a slight smile. 

“Good job! Didn’t it go by so fast?” she said, beaming.‘Her name is Miette and she is loud’ was the thought that immediately came to Takeo’s mind. 

“Yeah, Miette...” he whispered. He craned his neck, but June was gone. 

 “Your sister did okay too! June, right?” Miette said, staring at Takeo’s bewildered expression. Miette threw her bag off her shoulder and reached into it, pulling out a little flipbook. 

“I know it’s weird, but could you sign my program? It’d be cool to look back on it seeing everybody’s names,” she said, holding it out to Takeo. He hesitantly reached for it and grabbed a pen off a nearby table. After flipping through the pages, he found his and June’s picture. Her eyes gave off the familiar starlight and her smile was even brighter. He signed his name in a small font and looked at June’s small paragraph devoted to him, ‘Thanks for being my best friend and biggest supporter up until now. Now I’m going to be a star for real and guide the moon”. 

#

After finishing up backstage, Takeo ran through the huge crowd, looking for his twin. He called out her name every once in a while, but never heard her bubbly voice call back in reply. Every person he asked said the same thing, “No, I don’t think I've seen her....” 

He burst through the back doors, taking a step into the dark parking lot. The frigid air lifted up his dark hair as he called out her name once more. 

He looked around squinting his eyes, for all the stars that lit up the sky were absent, leaving only the moonlight to guide him. He grabbed his phone from his pocket, pressing the screen that let out a light illuminating the area around him. He fumbled through his contacts, tapping ‘june ✮’. ‘Please answer, please answer, please answer...’ was the thought that rang in his head like a bell, and it would not leave. He let out a shaky exhale when it went to voicemail, trying to ignore the thoughts popping into his head and threw his phone back in his pocket, breaking into a sprint. 

#

Takeo sped into the dark neighborhood, passing by small houses, all shielded by uneven white fences. He was trembling, his heart racing even faster than he was driving. He swerved around the sharp corners, almost crashing into the mailboxes, which were poorly placed in front of each driveway. He saw the set of pink painted fences that was planted in front of the house for sale, the image triggering his instinct to turn right. When his house was in sight, he jerked the steering wheel and pulled over the curb with shaking hands. He took a look around- blurry red and blue lights blinked. Tall figures ran in and out of the house with bags and cameras that flashed a blinding white light. He ran to his Aunt Ruby, who stood stiffly on the front lawn. She turned her head to him slowly, her eyes were bloodshot and her lower lip quivering. Her appearance terrified Takeo, for he was so used to seeing her regular glare captured on her pale face. Now, her face was red and her nose was running. When Takeo reached her, he stopped in his tracks, his whole body still as stone. All he could manage to do was stare at her. She grabbed his wrist to pull him to her car, signaling with a swift movement of her hand for Takeo to get in. He ignored her, turned around and staggered forward, his head throbbing. 

“I can’t let you go in there, I’m sorry.” A tall officer was looking at him with pity, the look unnerving Takeo. He took another step forward, determined to find his sister, but froze when he saw a woman speed past, pushing a stretcher with a blanketed figure lying on it. Then, Takeo saw the familiar hand of his twin sister fall from under the cover. A cruel tug at his heartstrings sent a shock through his whole body. He gasped, reaching for June, but another hand grabbed his, and he was pulled away. Aunt Ruby dragged him to the car. In a matter of seconds, he was in her car,  his cries drowned out by the sound of tires screeching and piercing sirens. 

II. 

Black holes are places in space where the gravitational pull is so strong that nothing can escape from it. The most common way a black hole forms is from a stellar death. 

- National Geographic

#

"Why did she leave?" echoed in Takeo's head every day following the tragic loss of his sister. He spent his time rethinking every single memory, trying to recall how June behaved whenever the two were together. Did I miss something? Or was it my fault? The longer he thought about his sister, the more his guilt grew. One thing in particular haunted Takeo: In almost every memory, June always said,  "love you". She had said those two words with ease, as if she had memorized the line for a play. He never brought himself to say it back, yet he had thought it every day. Takeo showed his love by doing stuff for June, because he was uncomfortable saying words. He wasn't sure why, and that made him furious with himself.

It had been a month after June passed, Takeo had not attended school once in that time. It grew progressively harder to wake himself up every day, and his room was a mess- his clothes were left in the same pile in front of his bookshelf, the curtains remained closed at all times, his bed was never neatened, and random pieces of trash were scattered everywhere on the gray carpet. He had kept his door locked whenever he cowered in his room, making sure Aunt Ruby could not talk to him. She had tried to approach him numerous times, to which he ignored her. 

He laid on his bed with his arms covering his face. He been swallowed by a black hole of his thoughts, and there was no escape. But the sound of gentle knocking pulled him out and back into reality. He removed his arms from his face to see Aunt Ruby looking down at him. In her hand was a straightened paper clip, and he inferred she had picked the lock of his door. 

"Takeo? How are you doing?" she asked. He frowned. He expected her to scold him for hiding in his room, but to his surprise, she sat herself on the foot of his bed with a sad smile. 

“Takeo, please let me talk to you,” she whispered. When he didn’t respond, she started to speak.

"How are you feeling?" Takeo squinted his eyes and thought about the question. How was he feeling? Miserable. Confused. Frustrated. Angry. Many words came to mind, but he ignored them, replying with a quiet, "fine".  He felt her hand rest on arm, giving it a small rub. She had scooted closer to him, her legs crossed. It was an unfamiliar gesture coming from Aunt Ruby. 

“I can’t put it into words how much she loved you, Takeo.” 

He shook his head. He did not want to hear anything from the one who made the only person he loved take her own life.

“This is your fault.” 

The words came out before he had time to think. 

"I know, and I’m so sorry for how I treated you two. It’s all my fault, and I can’t take it back. I was always exhausted, but that does not excuse the way I treated you both. I understand if you don’t want to talk to me, but I want you to know that I’m sorry, and that I love you."

“It doesn’t matter now,” he whispered. She raised her hand to his shoulder. 

“To me, it does. I want you to be happy, and in order for that to happen, I want to start things over with you.” A weak sigh left Takeo’s mouth and he looked back up at his aunt, who was closing her eyes with a frown. 

Aunt Ruby brought her hand down to his arm and gave it a comforting pat before standing up and leaving the room. 

He couldn't fight the deathly feeling of despair that was pushing him down. He let it take control of him as he struggled to hold back a sob.

His mournful cries made everything around him completely still. He had not cried since the day of June’s death. As much as he hated it, he could not help himself, and yet, it was relieving as the tears slid down his face one by one.

#

A few days later (it had been about a month and a half since June’s passing), Aunt Ruby left a short note on Takeo's door before she left for work. “Today is your locker cleanout, do you think you can go? If you go later there won’t be many people, and it should only take a few minutes," He frowned at it, feeling helpless. 

Takeo trudged past the tall flagpole that rested in front of his school. He looked around for people and a feeling of relief washed over him when no one was in sight. The familiar scent of old library books and hand sanitizer greeted him when he stepped onto the shiny tiles of the school floor. He froze, for the simple scent brought back many memories. He looked down at the floor to see the wrinkled carpet that he and June had dragged their feet on every winter morning to get the snow off their shoes. To the right, he saw the pillar that June would lean on after school waiting for him. . . and right next to it was the bench that they would sit on in the morning before the bell rang. He took several steps forward and stopped in front of the vent with the metal slightly sticking up. The metal was one that he would always trip on and June would be the one to stop him from falling, always letting out a laugh. His eyebrows furrowed and his eyes stung. A booming voice in his head screamed at him, begging him to run away and cry, but he ignored it and held his chin up as high as he could and traveled forward. 

Takeo jumped when he heard quiet chatter coming from the auditorium. He stopped and turned to see a vivid light coming from inside it. Poking his head around the door, he saw none other than his beloved sister sitting on the edge of the stage. He gasped and jumped back, covering his mouth with his hand. His heart practically stopped, then sped up again as he rushed into the auditorium, then dropped again when he found an empty stage. 

He let his belongings fall to the ground and ran towards where June had been, looking around in hope of finding something, anything. Then, on the wooden floor of the stage, he saw a trail of footprints. They were footprints that sparkled with a beautiful shade of pale blue that led Takeo backstage and up a spiral staircase. As he opened the door in front of him, he entered the roof of the building, gasping. All around him, the sky faded from pink to purple to blue with a hint of yellow, trillions of blue-white stars accompanied the moon in the darkness of the galaxy, and glowing white clouds were spread out all over. It was almost too overwhelming, but he could not bring himself to blink, for he felt that if he did, the sight would disappear. Was this a hallucination?

‘I’m going crazy,’ he thought. He ran his fingers through his hair and swung his head back to look at the heaven-like sight painted across the sky, but was met with big black eyes staring down at him at close range. He collapsed onto the cold stone roof and covered his face with his hands. Through the gaps of his fingers he could see a hazy light moving from above him to his side.

“That was overly dramatic of you, don’t you think?” Takeo removed his hands to reveal his widened, teary eyes and alarmed expression. He turned his head slowly and in his field of view was his sister, sitting beside him with a smile full of pearly white teeth. 

Her body was barely visible, but she shone with a brilliant light that was a pale shade of blue. Her normally short, heavy hair was now flowing with the cold breeze that blew onto her pale skin. He gasped again, and June laughed.  Her laugh had a sad tone to it, but nevertheless, she wore a proud smile on her face. 

“Hey Takeo,” she whispered. His heartbeat picked up its pace and a wide pained smile stretched out on his face. He let out a small chuckle even though tears streamed down his cheeks. 

“You okay?” she asked. He closed his eyes in disbelief saying, “No, I don’t think so. I’m hallucinating my dead sister on the roof of my school.”

 June rolled her teary eyes at his sarcastic response and replied, “I thought you would be more excited to see me. I’m not a hallucination.” 

Takeo opened his eyes to take a look at her again. She wore her Lady Capulet dress, but it looked light, and billowed softly in harmony with the wind. The harsh red color was now a pale rosy-pink, and the pearls and gems that were scattered all over the outfit were beaming with a faint light. Everything was silent for a few seconds, and then June stifled a giggle. 

“It's weird, right?” she breathed out, “I’m still not used to it.” It was obvious that she was trying to get her brother to talk or at least lighten the mood, but nothing seemed to work. She blinked rapidly and gripped onto the skirt of her dress. She blurted, “Takeo, I think I’m stuck,”

He snapped out of his trance and turned his head to look at her.

“I don’t know what to do, this whole thing is so scary,” she whispered, her voice cracking. She struggled to breathe in and out, and the light emitting from her started to slowly fade. “Say something, please,” she sniffled in between her words. When his silence remained, she whimpered, her lip quivering. “Please.”

“Why did you leave?” was the only thing that he was able to say. Tears fell off the tips of her glowing white eyelashes. “Did I do something?” he asked. 

June shook her head vigorously, gasping the word ‘no’. 

“Then what?” Takeo stared at her through his watery eyes for a few seconds before turning away to frown at the ground.

“I kept having these thoughts about things that were just too much and I wanted so desperately to stop thinking. There was all this stress building up inside of me, I might as well have just exploded. But I didn’t realize what it would do to you,” she said. Her words were slow, and she spoke quietly. When her tears fell, they lit up the ground around her. “I’m so sorry.” 

Takeo’s frown softened and his eyes squinted. He finally gave up on trying to fight the excruciating pain building up in his chest. 

“I want so badly for you to be happy. I know it's hard, but can you please just try? And Aunt Ruby, it was not her fault. It was completely unrelated. Yes, she said some bad things, but you and I never realized how hard she constantly works for us. Things will make a lot more sense to you if you try talking to her. I will always be here for you, all you need to do is call me.” she said.

“Takeo-” she said. Then she was gone. . He turned his head quickly and felt his heart immediately sink when there was no sight of his dear sister. He buried his face in his hands.

#

The refreshingly cold breeze blew Takeo’s hair out of his face as he walked up the path leading to the front door.  After tripping on the steps, he fumbled with his keys, before unlocking the door. He jumped back, when he realized Aunt Ruby was waiting for him just inside the door. 

“Did you get everything? What took so long, I was worried,” she said. Takeo swallowed and averted his eyes. 

“I saw her, Takeo. I don’t know if it was real, but she was floating, her whole body was glowing blue. I tried to communicate with her, but she kept asking about you. She told me she was going to visit you as well. Did she?” she asked, her hands locked onto his elbows. Takeo recalled what June had told him about Aunt Ruby, and he gave in.

“I saw her,” he mumbled, picturing the glowing June, sitting next to him on the roof of the school. Aunt Ruby exhaled, loosening her grip on Takeo. 

“What did she say?” she asked.

“She told me she was stuck, and that I should try to be happy. I don’t remember much of what else she said,” he admitted, searching his brain for everything that she had told him. Suddenly, Aunt Ruby engulfed him in a tight embrace, crying into his shoulder. 

“I’m sorry,” she apologized, over and over. Takeo’s arms curled inward. He had never seen Aunt Ruby cry before June’s death, and had never felt her arms around him. It was unusual, but comforting. He did not pull away. 

#

The seasons of summer and fall had passed, which had felt longer than the years Takeo had lived. Ever since that night of the encounter between June and him, she had been appearing almost daily, keeping his mood as high as she could. It was like she was alive and living with him happily. A couple of days ago, she made him smile. Takeo replayed the memory to himself. 

“Takeo, I made popcorn!” June cheered while walking towards his desk. Takeo looked at her glowing figure, and she was hovering at the side of his desk holding a bowl of her favorite popcorn. He stretched his hand out toward the bowl, but quickly retracted it when it went right through it. 

“Hey! Make your own! I spent so much time on this,” June huffed, shoving a handful of it in her mouth. Takeo rolled his eyes and looked back at his book, a sad look appearing on his face. 

“Hey, cheer up! It’s our birthday soon! What did you want to do?” she asked. Takeo glanced at her translucent figure and sighed.

“I don’t know.” June groaned and flipped upside down. 

“You’re so boring, if I were you I would make a list of things I wanted and beg Aunt Ruby for a cake. She wouldn’t say yes to me, though she probably would to you,” she suggested. Takeo slightly smiled, nodding at the idea. Shortly after the giggling stopped, he looked at her only to find his empty room. 

#

“Takeo! Wake up!” a voice hissed at him. He opened his eyes, rapidly blinking at the sight he was met with. Ruby was standing at the foot of his bed with a small smile on her face. When she saw that he had woken up, she walked over to his window and threw open the curtains. Takeo sighed and flipped over, hiding himself with pillows and blankets. 

“Happy birthday! Please Takeo, wake up. I’ve got a lot of things planned and you’ve already skipped most of them since it's afternoon now.” When there was no response from Takeo, Ruby picked up the pillow covering his face, and threw it at him. “Please, it's 2 o'clock.” 

Takeo stumbled down the stairs and into the kitchen, where Ruby was making lunch. 

“Good afternoon,” she greeted, rolling her eyes. Takeo moved toward her and took a seat at the table. 

“You should be a little nicer, there’s a lot planned for you,” a voice whispered in his ear. Takeo jumped, and turned to see June staring at him with a stern look. He turned to Ruby to clarify if June was visible to her, but Ruby continued to cook.

“Okay,” he simply said. 

After lunch, Ruby dragged Takeo out of the house, and into the car. They ventured through the streets before arriving downtown. 

“Well? Where do you want to go?” Ruby said, gently shaking his shoulder. They both wore heavy coats and long, thick scarves as they walked further downtown. Takeo shrugged, brushing off the snow that continued to land on his dark hair. 

“We could go to that bookstore you and June really liked? Or we could go shopping? Watch a movie?” she suggested. Takeo quickly nodded at the idea of a movie, since it would be the one involving less talking. 

“Okay, I’m not really sure where the theater is.” 

“It’s up here,” he replied, taking the lead. 

Takeo and Ruby stood stiffly in front of the revolving door that was planted in front of the theater, watching as two kids pushed the doors as fast as they could. Their excited shrieking made Takeo smile, but quickly look away. As soon as the kids noticed a group of people building up at the door their smiles faded and they exited in embarrassment, both swaying side to side and grabbing onto each other. Takeo stared as they collapsed next to him. 

“I think I’m going to throw up,” one of them exclaimed, and that was when Takeo threw himself in the spinning doors, staying behind Ruby as she watched one of the children grab onto a trash can. She let out a laugh before entering the theater. 

Takeo followed behind her, looking in the big theater. He stood in front of the door mindlessly until something caught his eye, the sequel of Isolated. It was the movie that June and he had attempted to watch when it came out. It was June’s idea of course, but both of them chickened out in the middle of it. 

“Can we watch this one?” he asked Ruby, who sighed.

“Sure.”

Ruby purchased tickets and concessions and took their seats in the theater. By the time the movie started, Ruby had already finished the majority of the food. Takeo kept his eyes on the screen the whole time and thought about when he and June had watched it. June had been shoveling popcorn into her mouth, begging to turn on the lights. He refused, because it wouldn’t be as scary with the lights on. But the further they got into the movie, Takeo had regretted his decision, for the both of them were already on the verge of tears. He smiled at the memory. 

“Why’d you pick this movie?” Ruby questioned.

“I was going to watch it with June a while ago, but it was too scary,” he replied. 

“Oh,” Ruby said. Takeo nodded.

“I remember the three of us went to the movies to watch a horror movie, I can’t remember the title, but there was a jumpscare, and June’s popcorn got all in your face because of how high she jumped,” Ruby whispered. Takeo smiled, knowing exactly what she was talking about. 

“That was, ‘The Conjuring 2’. We were almost kicked out of the theater because of how much June was screaming,” he said. 

“Yeah, and after the movie was finished, we got several mean looks from the other people who had watched. I think June’s screams were scarier than the actual movie,” Ruby replied, chuckling. Takeo laughed, reaching into his popcorn. As he tossed the popcorn into his mouth, he jerked in his seat, for the bloody face of a zombie jumped straight at the screen. He heard a wheeze come from Ruby.

“Your popcorn got everywhere!” she whispered, aggressively. Takeo bent over to look at the floor, sighing as he spotted the popcorn scattered all over. 

The movie ended after what felt like centuries, and Takeo pushed the doors faster than the little kids from earlier. 

“That was a great movie, right?” Ruby said. Takeo smiled and frowned at the same time replying, “No.” 

Ruby chuckled and checked her watch.

“That was longer than I thought it would be. Are you hungry at all?” Takeo nodded, earning a happy sigh from Ruby.

“Great, I know a restaurant we can go to.” 

#

After the movie, they had a quiet car ride and shared a near-silent dinner. After Ruby paid for dinner, the two walked in uncomfortable on the sidewalk, Takeo staring hard at the ground. 

“I know I’ve said this before, but I just wanted to make it clear.” 

Takeo looked at his aunt. Her eyes were watery, sadness written all over her face.

“I’m sorry for how I treated both of you. Whenever I looked at you guys, I saw my sister. You guys were a spitting image of her, you know that?” she laughed, “When I took you guys in, I wanted to take good care of you, but I didn’t realize how much I’d be working to build a good life for you two. I was always tired, and it didn’t help how you two tore up the house everyday and refused to cooperate with me. My actions cannot be forgiven, and now I feel as if I’ve failed my sister.” She looked up at the sky.

“I want you to be happy, Takeo.” 

Takeo stayed silent, biting his cheek. He realized he had never thought about his Aunt’s point of view, for he had decided he disliked her the moment she made June cry when they were little kids. But now, he thought about June’s words, “Things will make a lot more sense to you if you try talking to her.”

“It’s okay,” he said, “June said it wasn’t your fault, and I believe her.”

Aunt Ruby sniffled, nodding. She wrapped her arms around him, whispering, ‘thank you’. After the two pulled away, Aunt Ruby realized that she had left her purse in the restaurant, and she dashed off to retrieve it. Takeo blinked as he watched her retreating form take off. The street grew quiet and a bright light appeared on the ground, forming a trail. He followed it upwards to the night sky, which was lit up by countless sparkling dots. The sight blurred in and out, making him lose focus on everything around him. 

“Psst! Takeo!” a voice hissed to the side of him. Takeo immediately turned to see June, floating in the air, a shining yellow aura engulfing her body. He smiled, and said a quiet, “happy birthday”. She nodded.

“Takeo, I’m so proud of you. I guess it really has been almost a year.” He nodded in reply. “You've gotten so much stronger. It’s amazing,” she said. “I know it’s been hard, and I’m so sorry. But you were able to pull through all of this, and that makes me really happy.” she said.

“Is something wrong?” Takeo blurted out. He watched as June’s expression slowly shifted into a frown. 

“I think I have to go, Takeo,” she whispered. She looked from the ground and back to him with a slight smile.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that I’m not stuck anymore. Seeing you better was what I really needed,” she said. Takeo shook his head. June nodded hers. 

“Takeo, you don’t need me anymore.” June declared.

“Yes, I do,” he said, seriously. 

“You think that you do, but you don’t,” she said. Takeo parted his lips to argue, only to be hushed by her. After a long silence, June finally sighed, dropping her head down. She ran her fingers through her glowing hair and lifted her head to look at him. She smiled.

“Takeo, I love you.” The heavy drop of his heart and the closing of his throat trapped him. It was not until June called his name that Takeo looked back at her, eyes shiny. He stalled for as long as he could bear the guilt piling up inside of him. 

Finally, he said.“I love you too.” 

He opened his eyes to the sound of June sighing, and froze to the sight of her figure being split into countless shining pieces. Her eyes were closed, what looked like tears flowed down her face like a weak waterfall, and she was smiling. He forced himself to watch as the millions of pieces were pulled away from him, to the sky. 

“Takeo, do you remember my favorite quote from Romeo and Juliet?”

He blinked away his tears and gazed upon the night sky. A sudden feeling of emptiness washed over him like a tidal wave as he admired the constellation of stars dancing freely, high above him.