101 Hilltop Drive by Jennifer Brinkle

Author:Jennifer Brinkle [Brinkle, Waleed Jennifer L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781483530628
Publisher: BookBaby
Published: 2014-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Four

Over the hill from the Jefferson’s house and two doors down from the Potts’, Kim Johnson sat in her bedroom staring into the night sky. Silently, she counted the constellations pleased that the night was clear. In the city, she hadn’t been able to see the stars; the bright lights and smog were too dense to show their magnificent beauty. It was one other reason she loved Lakeview so much.

She was afraid to go to sleep. Not for the same reason as her grandmother and four friends, but afraid nonetheless. She was thinking about that afternoon when she had been in school and had felt so lost, so vacant inside. Just the thought of her life without Moira made her want to cry. She couldn’t imagine it; didn’t want to imagine it.

And yet her grandmother kept insisting that she must. But why?

She stared at Orion mentally asking him the question. Why was her grandmother acting so strange? Was she sick?

The stars shimmered in response, remaining neutral in their position. That was it. Had to be. Why else would she have prepared everything? She must have had a doctor’s appointment sometime this week. That would explain her unnatural silences at times and all the strange combinations of herbs she had been trying lately. She would have refused medication, naming them artificial and unhealthy. Instead, she would try every remedy she had.

Kim frowned, unhappy with her deduction. If she were ill, why didn’t she just say so instead of masking everything in mystery? And who exactly was this stranger she kept referring to?

Orion shimmered once more.

“Stupid man,” Kim muttered to the stars. What do you know anyway? You don’t even look like a man.”

The hourglass shape hid behind a passing cloud, winking merrily at her through the filmy barrier. Disgusted, Kim closed her blinds, blocking out the star studded sky.

* * * * *

Moira’s hands shook as she pulled the covers over her frail body. Tonight, she feared, would be the last night she would be able to do such a routine action. Her mind squabbled in fear, protesting the inevitable.

She was afraid to die.

Her fear, she knew, was natural. Every living creature was afraid of death. The only people she knew of who weren’t afraid were the ancient Egyptians who devoted their lives to the afterlife. She knew they did not worship death, as many believed, yet cherished life. They were not afraid of where their souls would go because they knew. To Moira, the hereafter was one complex mystery.

She had read countless articles and books on where a person’s soul travels to when dying. All of them were read skeptically. She believed in an almighty God who watched over His children on earth, but she couldn’t place her faith in any one institution either. She had known many people her age victimized by phony preachers. Now-a-days it was too risky for trial and error.

She solemnly lit a stick of incense, hoping its aroma would calm her nerves. She had to be focused for this evening’s journey.

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