Sea Stars & Wishes

Chapter 6

Lyrika

Lyrika lays awake in her hotel bed, the blanket thrown aside, hands under her head. She stares at the ceiling. Song's words haunting her thoughts, keeping her awake.

Don't you dare tell them.

I want to watch them lose something they should have never had.

Lyrika sighs and turns on to her side.

I wondered if I ever might have the chance to see my brothers again.

I miss them... I wonder if they miss me or think of me.

Lyrika pushes herself up in her bed. She hangs her head, her hands propping on her temples. How could she sleep after Song opened up to her like that? He's just like the sea stars- dying, and nobody is saving him.

I've accepted this a long time ago

Except... Song wants to die. He's accepted his death.

I wondered if I ever might have the chance to see my brothers again.

She runs her hands through her curly hair, gripping it, and pulling it in frustration. There has to be another way. Song deserves to live. He confided his deepest desire to her.

In a perfect world, humans would have released Song back into the ocean after he healed. But this isn't a perfect world, but it's also not a dystopia. Something can be done. Something should have been done the moment Song was healed. Now Lyrika, an eighteen-year-old high school senior, is stressing over ideas on how to save Song. How could nobody notice his despair?

She gazes out the window where the curtains are fully drawn back, allowing the morning sun to wake her in the early hours to be ready for a full day at the aquarium. Said building is directly across the street, and it gives Lyrika a perfect view of the second story. If the lights were on right now she might even be able to see some of the exhibits from here.

Lyrika sighs again. She doesn't know what to do. Her time is limited since she leaves Saturday morning for the airport with her class, giving her less than 48 hours to act. On one hand, she could break her promise- no, she can't do that. To Lyrika, promises are sacred, an unbreakable bond.

She turns away from the window, flops back down onto her bed, and once more stares at the ceiling. She could try talking to the marine biologist and the aquarium staff. She scoffs. What a joke. Adults listening to a high school student rage about why Song needs to be released back to the ocean. They would simply dismiss her, questioning her insanity for even thinking that she could know more than the professional. But this time, she does.

Lyrika smacks her cheeks, snapping her back to the reality of her situation. Maybe she should just listen to Song. He had told her to not worry... but how could she not? His impending death is suffocating, squeezing her heart until it stops. She flips herself in the bed, shuts her eyes, and forces herself to sleep despite the turmoil within her heart and mind.

The sun wakes Lyrika bright and early, although she barely slept, mostly tossing and turning. The bags under her eyes are darker than usual as she pushes herself out of bed and quickly gets ready. It's still the time of the year where the sun rises a little later, which perfectly aligns with the opening hours of the aquarium.

Lyrika's phone buzzes, alerting her of a new message. She silences it before shoving it into her pocket as she heads out the door with her bag.

The aquarium is quieter than Lyrika expected it to be, but she hasn't been here this early before. She shrugs it off and makes her way to the sea star pool on the second story. She dumps her phone and bag onto the bench and pulls her notebook and pen.