Beyond the Stars

My stomach is spinning like the rings of Saturn. Tears are rolling down my face faster than asteroids. Finally, Mama walks in and before her eyes even can comprehend what is happening, she gives me a gorilla hug. I somehow manage to let out, “Can we go visit her?” Mama lets out an audible sigh. “ I’m sorry this has to be hard, but we have so many things going on right now and..” “And what!” I demand. She looks at her feet musing her every word and thought. Eventually she says, “It’s just not our top priority right now.” I break free of her grip powered  by my tears. I stumble into my room careful not to wake Griffin who is sleeping just a few feet away. After nearly an hour, I tiptoe out of the room and reach for the landline. First I begin to dial Nana and Pap, but before I finish I remember that Nana died three months ago and Pap doesn’t have a phone in his nursing home. Next, I try Dad which almost immediately sends me to his answering machine. Now, my tears of sadness become tears of rage, anger, and confusion. I once again go to my room, but this time I have no regard if I wake Griffin or not. 

I pick up my journal and start writing. Writing to no one. Talking to no one. Like no one really cares. Before I finish my introduction, I hear a knock on the door. My mind races to the conclusion that it is Mama, so I scream “Go away! Please!”. But instead of Mom’s stern and sweet voice saying, “In this family we treat each other with respect. Apologize immediately!” I hear a deep voice with a caring tone to it. One with a New York accent.  “Navy, it's me Kyle. I just wanna talk. Can you open the door? Please?”  I let out one more sigh and then wipe away the last of my tears. I will not him see me cry. I crack the door just enough to see his scruff of a beard, and all the brown in his eyes. “You know if you open the door we could have a real conversation.” I stay quiet, not making a peep. Finally I open the door. He almost fell flat on his face since he was leaning on the door. He catches his breath and sits down on my bed. “I was thinking” I interrupt him there,” When are you not thinking”. He brushes it off and says,” I was thinking that we are not really that tight and we could really use some good quality time. So when your mom started talking about Oregon and everything." He pauses and takes a breath. “Navy, I am volunteering, no. I am asking if I could take you to Oregon.” Happy tears start streaming from my eyes just like asteroids.

Emily is a 5th grade student at Kerr Elm. She loves to . Read . Write . And to Explore!

“Mornin’ Cherry Blossom! How did you sleep?” I don’t know how Kyle is always in a good mood.“ Fine. I guess.” He clears his throat “Drumroll please!” I start tapping on the dashboard. “Todays fun fact is that Jupiter is used to mean journey!” I can tell he is trying to be kind, but it just doesn’t reach me. Last night I had a dream, but not the usual one. No. This was different. I was walking into a hospital room and there laying on the bed was Clover. I ran towards her, but before I get too close, her hand grabs me by my collar and brings me up to her face. Before I can pull away, she whispers in a ghostly voice, ”I know what you did.” I try to speak, but before I get a word out, she flatlines. What really troubles me is that I didn’t do anything, or at least I don’t think. I woke up in cold sweats, unable to think straight. All day as we drove through Illinois, it was all I could think about. Anytime I blinked, I saw the disgusted look on her face. Anytime I thought to myself, I heard her angry shriek.

By mid day, we are in Wisconsin!  We stop at a dollar store and buy some essentials. While I search through the travel section for deodorant and shampoo, Kyle is on the phone trying to book a hotel. There is a little girl grasping onto a Cabbage Patch Kid.  I remember throwing a tantrum when  they first came out. Clover and Mitch got one. I did not. We leave with a candy bar, mints, and a container of toothpaste. I cannot wait to get to Oregon. Every time I think of it, my blood boils with excitement, but then I remember my dream.  We barrel through Minnesota. It is completely uneventful. Odd, but it all makes sense when we enter Michigan. The universe was just preparing me for the trouble ahead. We where driving through Lansing, when I saw a little boy begging on a street corner. He looked about my age. He had messy brown hair that looked like a jungle over his eyes. I stared at them. They stared at me. “ KYLE PULL OVER!” He slammed on the breaks and I rolled down my window. “Mitch?” Tears where flowing down my face and their’s. I guess he was on his own Jupiter.

Mama always says that if I was the Sun I would be too shy to shine. Rebecca Lesley says it looks like a horse kicked me in the face, but that’s not important. Clover says that if I was the Sun I would blind everyone. Rebecca says that Clover is as weak as a donkey, which I don’t understand cause Mama says that donkeys are actually very strong. Clover didn’t quite like it when Rebecca called her that. They both got three weeks detention. Don’t get me wrong Clover is the nicest person I know. I don’t know that many people. She just doesn’t let other people boss her around.

Nine months ago Clover just stopped acting like herself and soon after, she was diagnosed with stage four blood cancer. I felt like my entire world was falling apart. My only friend is terminally ill, my mom’s boyfriend is a jerk, and every ounce of attention is going to the new baby and any remaining goes to Griffin. Oh and by the way I’m Navy, Navy Will.

As we pull up to the hospital's visitor entrance my heart leaps up to my throat.  Standing at the entrance is Mrs. O'lee. She greets us with warm welcoming hug. "Clover is laying down in her room. It is room 135" I'm practically racing down the halls. I32, 133, 134, 135! I walk in and see Clover laying on a bed hooked up to various machines. Her face brightens as I enter the room. "Navy!" After she starts wheezing. "Did you hear Freddie Mercury's new song?" She starts playing hammer to fall on a radio beside her bed. " Uh duh!" The first day consists of us singing Queen songs and catching up with each other. She shows me a toy she got in the gift shop called a Koosh Ball. I can't wait to come back tomorrow. Before I leave Nurse. B  walks in and hands Clover a paper cup full of pills and a glass of water. We bid our farewells and I leave. I stop at the gift shop to see if they have any of those puffy ball thingies. They end up having whole display of them full of different colors. I decide on getting Clover and me some. Perhaps even matching ones.   Even though when I'm with Clover I act like everything is fine it isn't. I did not tell her about Mitch because I knew it would just trouble her.

The next day I stopped in on Clover. She was looking better than ever. She was even humming her favorite tune,"In the morning the sun will shine. In the morning the Sun will smile. And the stars will shine again." As I made my way to the gift shop, I pondered what color Koosh Ball I should get her. I ended up getting two green ones. Lime green being at the center, which slowly faded in sage. It was perfect. I was skipping down the hall with excitement. Then out of the blue an announcement came over the intercom. I thought nothing of it, but when I reached Clover’s room Nurse. B was standing outside the door looking frantic. “What is happening!” I tried to push through her to get inside, but it was no use. I let go and burst into tears. I looked up and saw Clover swimming upwards. Floating upwards. Floating towards the stars.

And everybody out there who finds love in literature

My family is like nothing else on Earth, my mom and dad are divorced , my three year old brother ,Griffin, is too sweet for this world. Sunshine, my half sister, who is now four months old, has everyone wrapped around her thumb the second she even grabs something. Kyle, my mom’s boyfriend, is a jerk with a dumb New York accent, and my dad is a screw up. Well me, sometimes I fear I’m a screw up too. Clover always gets mad at me when I say that. Anyways a letter came from Clover all the way in Oregon. She had to move for better treatment.

I haven’t read it yet since I’m waiting for Mom to have some free time to open it with me. I have my entire Saturday to spend waiting, but by the end of the day, it still lay on the kitchen counter gleaming in the moonlight, almost like it's asking for me to open it. Finally, I cave. I tear open the envelope eager to see what it holds but the second my eyes lay on the first word my heart drops.

Navy, Oregon has been dreadful, and Clover misses you very much. Her condition is rapidly declining and her only wish is to see you. And so I ask for you to come visit. I will even offer you a complimentary hotel room. I truly ask only one favor of you and that is to make my little girl smile again. I am excited to meet you and whoever escorts you to Oregeon! Sincerely, Mrs. O'lee

The same thing every single day. Nothing ever changes. Mama says it because with everything that has happened, I just need routine. That I need to know what is gonna happen next. Over time, the days blur together and so do my dreams and reality. Sometimes I have dreams that Clover, Mitch, and I are still all together. Frolicking around. Happy as ever. I’ll miss you Clover. You are my Sun, my Earth, my Saturn, my Jupiter, my Venus, and my Mercury. You are my universe. I love you. You can finally see what is beyond the stars.

If I was a planet I would be Pluto. Nobody cares about me, and when they do its all arguing. “Leave her alone!” “Don’t just ignore her!” It is all pointless. Kyle spends the rest of our budget on plane tickets home and drops car off at some dealer. Mitch will probably never know. Rebecca will just keep on making fun of me especially since I’m alone now. When we get back, Mrs. Jefa tells me to stop being so pouty and just smile. I smile and smile, but at night when I’m alone I let the fake smile slip off my face and let everything out, tears and sometimes screams, not loud one quiet ones. When I feel really really sad, like more than usual, I talk. It’s more like a whisper, a very very quiet whisper,” Hello, it is me, Navy, I miss more than anyone will ever know. I think of you every second of the day. Well your probably trying to sleep. Goodbye Clover. Goodbye.” It is always the same word for word. At 9:00 on the dot. I wake up and every morning, I turn on the news. It seems like everyday another tragedy strikes. Today it says  “Missing boy declared dead. Body found in Georgia. More at 11:00” I sigh. Same as always. I pop a piece of bread in the toaster and get out some peanut butter and jelly.  I stick it in a brown paper bag. Write a note, and settle back down on the couch.

At first,  Oregon might have seemed like it was just down the street, but now it might as well be Neptune. Griffin is sitting on the mat layer out in the middle of the room practically smashing my old Beanie Babies on the ground. I wouldn’t dare let him near the nice, new ones. I am plopped onto my bed, turned to my side, trying to cram all of my stuff in the suitcase that is about ready to burst at the seams. Then unannounced Mama barges in, she seems to be in a rush. “ Navy! Can you watch Sunny for me?” She waves her in my face. “ What? No! I need to pack!” I watch as fury flares through her eyes. “ Me and Kyle are going out. You are getting older. You babysat the O’Donalds just fine. And you should be able to the same for your own family.” I almost start to giggle, “ Well first off the O’Donalds paid me. They only have a 5 year old and 2 year old. I had nothing else to do that night and was asked two days in advance!” Now she is really angry, but instead of yelling she just sets Sunshine down in the play pen and walks out. “We will be back at 9:00pm. Dinner is in the fridge. Oh and you're in charge of Griff too.” 

The second Mama leaves, Sunshine bursts into tears, but I already hear Kyle walking down the complex’s hall. I lurch forward to pick her up, but then my mind takes me somewhere else. I’m not in my room anymore. I’m at the old apartment on second street. I hear screams “ Stop! What is wrong with you!” It’s a lady. “ I’m not your child! Let me live my life!” This voice was a man. “You have a life! And two children!”  The woman responds. “That’s not enough!” The man sounds angry now. “ Go say that to their faces!” That is when it hits me. The voices, they are Mama and Dad. “Leave me alone!”, I have no idea who is talking this time, but I assume it is Mama.There is an angry grunt. Then I hear glass shatter. I poke my head out the door and see Mama crying and Dad stumbling around. There is all of the fine china and photos on the ground. If it could be broke, it was. Then I hear a cry coming from a crib. I lean over the edge to look inside and I see a trembling one year old Griffin. Someone breaks through the door and slams it into the wall leaving a dent. It was Mama. Her face red as a tomato. She wished Griffin out of his crib and rocked him. Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth. Then as fast as I had went in I came out. There I was leaning over Sunshine’s crib. It  was like my body had been here, but my mind, it was in Neptune.

“Girls go to Mars to get candy bars. Boys go to Jupiter to get even stupider!” Clover would always love that tune. She used to get the death glare from Mitch, but they would just walk it off. Clover, Mitch, and I would always hang out. Until one day when Mitch just stopped showing up to school. It was like he had disappeared from the face of Earth. Now I once again hear that song, but not with Mitch or Clover. We are driving past the playground behind our apartment complex, and there is a group of little girls playing patty cake, while the boys play catch. It reminds me of all the times we would do the same, except Rebeca would be screaming “Ew! There are cockroaches! And they are plotting together!” The whole time she would be pointing at us laughing. Soon enough, my fantasy is over. We take the exit to the interstate, and from then on, it's just a lifeless concrete jungle. We speed through states by the handful. By nightfall, we are in New York at a small hotel in the countryside. Even though I’m exhausted, I can’t sleep. I lay awake thinking about what I have signed up for, but mainly I think of Mitch. A sweet little boy with a brown mane that is fluffing up over his head and eyes. Sometimes I swear I see his picture around town. Kyle and I are

forced to share a bed. I stare at the wall contemplating every decision that got me here.   Is this really the right thing? What if Clover doesn’t need me? What if she doesn’t care? I stop myself there. I care about Clover and she must care about me. The next morning we stop at a diner. It is called “Skips”. The sign claims that they have the best apple pie in all of New York. To be honest, I doubt that it's that good. A women walks over, she looks about 30. “ Hi there folks can I get you started with some drinks? Oh and by the way I’m Jessica and I’ll be serving you today.” She slides some menus towards us. “Um can we have a few more minutes?” “Sure thing sugar.” I can tell Kyle feels uncomfortable. As she strolls off, I can hear her heels clip clopping and her wad of gum being slammed against her teeth. Kyle smiles. It’s not a big one, but more like a grin. “ I think we should get the apple pie.” I have absolutely no idea why, but I grin too. We leave Skips with a to go container of the apple pie. “Was it good“ I asked  Kyle. “ Not even close. But it's a nice experience.” We drive all day until we reach Indiana. That night, we sleep in the car. Before we go to sleep, Kyle says ”Our intergalactic journey comes to a halt.” Even though traveling with Kyle is nice, I still miss when we all would go to Mars.

Mitch used to call me Venus. It was the name of the Roman goddess of love. I haven’t heard it since, until now. “Navy . It’s you. Venus. “ I step out of the car and sit on the ground next to him. “ Where were you? I’ve waited and waited for you to be halfway across the country!”  He collects his thoughts and says” I ran Navy. I ran.” We would always plan to run away. I never thought that Mitch would actually run away. Yet here we are. “ While it was more like I got lost. I hitched a ride on a train and ended up here. ‘ Didn’t expect to be so far from home. How’s Lucy doing?” At that moment my heart shattered. Lucy and his whole family had died in a plane crash. They where moving to Colorado to start a new life. Most people thought he was gone, since he had been missing for so long. “ Their Their gone” His face dropped “What do you mean gone?” It was hard to keep myself together. “ I mean they are dead. Gone.” He stared up at me. “Well how is Clover.” That is when it hit me. He had idea. I could not contain myself any longer. Tears rolled down my cheeks harder then ever. “ She. She. She’s sick. She lives in Oregon. That is where we are going now.”  Before he could respond Kyle beeped the horn and signaled for me get in. His little green van that made him look like a hippie, or so Rebecca says, which he called Matilda, was out of all things going to tear me away from Mitch.

"See you tomorrow?" " Sure" Kyle speeds off to our hotel. We both slept like babies that night, so I wake up early, sure to get there on time. Though when I come upon the street corner nobody is here. I check my watch. 9:00 on the dot. I see a paper floating by so I snatch it from the winds grasp. It reads, "Dearest Navy, I have left Michigan looking for a new life. I plan to travel to Uncle Jim's in Florida, but who knows where the world might take me. Off to the woods I go to loose my mind and find my soul. I'll miss you. My Venus." The next two days feel empty. I lost Mitch. What if I lose Clover too? When we enter Oregon, Kyle proudly states, " I present to thee Oregon!" He makes fake trumpeting sounds like we have entered a castle. I should be paying attention to the landscape, but instead I think of little Lucy. She was only 3 when their plane went down in New Jersey.  Of Mitch who had to fend for himself for years completely oblivious to what was happening back home. And of Clover who is suffering terribly right now. I wish somebody could be my Venus.

Thanks to: Katya. P… Inspiration Dorie. R… Inspiration Mrs. Hackett… Editing Cadence. B… Inspiration &lt;3

“Do you ever wonder what is beyond the stars?” That voice still rang in Navy’s head. Navy a 13 year old girl, who lives in Maine with her mom, brother, half-sister, and her mom’s boyfriend. There are both friends and foes. Foes definitely out number the friends. One is ill on the other side of the country and the other has practically disappeared from the face of Earth. Clover has stage four Cancer and her condition is on the decline. When news reaches Navy she begs every last person she can find to take her to visit. Finally, Kyle, her mom’s boyfriend agrees to take her. Is Navy ready to go "Beyond the Stars"

“ It is a great literacy piece!” - Dorie. R

“ I wish it ever ended. I grew so attached to the characters!” - Katya. P

“ It was a very well written and definitely a page turner!” - Mrs. Hackett

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