Among the Stars Read online

Rebecca said, “Where do you see a safe crossing, though?”

  Sylvia said, “I see a tree bridge a little bit down the river.”

  Jenni asked, “How would we get to the tree from here, though?”

  Sylvia said, “We could climb down at an angle. When we reached the bottom, we’d be at the tree.”

  Jenni said, “What if the river’s too deep?”

  Rebecca said, “It’s not. That river never gets above five feet.”

  Sylvia asked, “So can we try my way?”

  Rebecca said, “We really shouldn’t, but I don’t see the harm. I’m here with you in case something happens.”

  They walked down to the edge of the cliff and sat down. They climbed down and made sure they had a good grip on the cliff.

  Rebecca said, “Make sure to get a good grip with the hand you’re moving to before you let go with the other hand.”

  Everyone moved along the cliff slowly and methodically. They were very careful to make sure they had a good grip at all times.

  Sylvia saw something on the opposite side of the river. Then her attention lapsed.

  She gasped, “Is that my dad?”

  Her grip slipped from the rock. She tried to catch another rock, but she couldn’t. As she tried to grab the cliff, her feet lost contact with the rock. She was dangling from the cliff by her left hand.

  Jenni said, “There’s a tree growing out of the side of the cliff. If you can grab it, you can get hold of the cliff again.”

  Sylvia saw the tree, but it was three feet from her right hand. She’d have to throw herself at the tree to grab it.

  She thought, “I can reach it. It’s not that far.”

  Sylvia threw her body at the tree and thrust her right arm at the tree. She briefly grabbed a branch, but it snapped in her hand. All of her weight was on the tree when it broke, so she had no way to grab at the cliff as she fell.

  Jenni yelled, “No!”

  Sylvia slammed into the river below and the water carried her body downstream. The group paused for a moment, then decided against continuing down the cliff.

  Rebecca said, “I shouldn’t have let you go that way. I know where the trail picks up again. We have to use the trail if we want to have a chance to save Sylvia.”

  The rest of the group followed Rebecca back into the forest. They found the trail a few yards from the cliff. They followed it and went to the downed tree. At the base of the tree was Sylvia’s body.

  Rebecca said, “Check her for a pulse.”

  Jenni said, “She’s been out for ten minutes. I’m not getting my hopes up.”

  Rebecca said, “I’m not giving up until she’s blue and stiff.”

  Jenni checked her neck for a pulse. There wasn’t one. She checked her throat for breath. There wasn’t any. She started crying.

  Rebecca said, “Don’t cry when you can still save her. Turn her face down and pump her lungs. Try to get any water out of her.”

  Jenni obeyed Rebecca’s orders. As she pumped her back, water came pouring out of Sylvia’s mouth. Jenni turned Sylvia on her back and started pumping her chest and blowing into her mouth.

  Rebecca said, “Don’t give up. She could still make it!”

  Jenni cried, “Don’t go, Sylvia. I love you!”

  Sylvia’s heart started beating. She gargled, so Jenni quickly turned her on her chest.

  Jenni said, “Come back to me,” as she pumped her chest.

  Sylvia coughed as she regained consciousness. She was disoriented and confused. She knew how far she fell. She should have died.

  Jenni excitedly yelled, “Sylvia, you made it!”

  Sylvia tried to speak, but she couldn’t.

  Rebecca said, “I called for help. Don’t waste energy. You need medical help. You almost drowned.”

  The forest ranger came to the river and took Sylvia to a hospital in town. Sylvia didn’t understand how she survived another situation where she should’ve died. She was in the hospital for a week before she was strong enough to speak.

  Doctor Culling asked her, “Do you know what happened to you?”

  Sylvia answered, “I fell off a cliff into a river. I’m not sure how I survived.”

  Culling said, “The cliff wasn’t really what got you. You took in a lot of water. Your friends thought you’d drowned.”

  Sylvia said, “I fell from a couple hundred feet into a rocky river. That shouldn’t have been survivable.”

  The doctor said, “The cliff was high, but you were near the bottom when you fell in. You only fell about thirty feet and the water cushioned your fall.”

  Sylvia said, “Why do I remember falling from much higher on the cliff?”

  Doctor Culling said, “You probably hit your head on something when you were in the river. We’ll run some tests.”

  Dr. Culling walked out of the room. Sylvia knew what happened to her. Everything was right about her memory except for how far she fell. This was happening way too often. Something was wrong with her memory, and she wanted to know what it was.

  She thought, “I need to see a specialist. I’ll bet I’m brain damaged. All those beatings my dad gave me must’ve affected my ability to remember things.”

  Dr. Culling started to wonder why so many bad things were happening to one person. Most people came into the emergency room with trauma once or twice in a lifetime. Sylvia seemed to make it her second home.

  He thought, “We should investigate her mother.”

  Chapter Five

  The Range

  One of Sylvia’s favorite things to do was to go to the shooting range and fire guns. She didn’t own a gun because her mother wouldn’t allow one in the house, so she would rent a gun whenever she went to the range. Her mother did, however, sign the permission form. Her friend, Jenni, often went with her.

  , “Do you have a gun yet?” Jenni asked.

  “Nothing’s changed with my mom, so no. Maybe when I turn 18,” Sylvia answered.

  Jenni said, “I’ll wait for you while you rent a gun.”

  Sylvia asked, “Which gun did you bring today?”

  Jenni replied, “The .45, and I brought my hot load ammunition.”

  Sylvia said, “You need to be careful with that shit. I know someone who tried to act all big and bad with those. He hit himself in the head when the recoil brought the gun to his nose. It left ridges in his face.”

  Jenni said, “I’m not an idiot. I always hold my guns with two hands. It’s more important to live through the gunfight than to look cool while it’s happening.”

  Sylvia said, “I’m still going to be way more cautious. I’m just going to rent a .22”

  Jenni taunted, “Don’t be a pussy. Get a .38 or a real gun.”

  Sylvia said, “The .22 is a real gun. Once the bullet hits you, it bounces around inside. It can do some major damage.”

  Jenni said, “My .45 will put a big enough hole in you to run a hose. It’s much faster.”

  Sylvia said, “It doesn’t matter if you get hit by a .22, a .38, your .45, or a 30-0-6; if you get hit hard enough, you’re still dead.”

  Jenni said, “Just go get your gun. I’ll be waiting for you.”

  Sylvia liked the gun range because she liked to imagine that the targets were her father. She wanted to be ready in case he ever came after her again. She practiced so much that she was awarded the rank of expert marksperson.

  While Jenni waited for Sylvia, she prepared her weapons. She cleaned them, inspected the ammunition, made sure her protective equipment was functioning properly and loaded the gun.

  Sylvia said, “I’m here. I took your challenge and rented a .38.”

  Jenni said, “Remember that there’s going to be a little more kick when you fire that bad boy.”

  Sylvia said, “I can handle myself. I’ve been shooting for the past two years.”

  Jenni said, “Yeah, but you’ve been shooting pussy guns.”

  Sylvia said, “I can handle it. You worry about yourself.”

 
They went to their lanes and Sylvia prepared her gun. The targets were placed and they took their aim.

  A voice announced, “The range is hot!”

  They fired their first round, and an electronic scoreboard showed how close they were to the target. Jenni hit a nine of ten, while Sylvia hit a seven.

  Jenni said, “I told you it was different. Now do you believe me?”

  Sylvia snapped, “It’s a brand new gun to me. Of course I’m not going to be as good on the first few shots. Give me a few more, and I’ll be hitting bullseyes too.”

  Jenni said, “Just be careful with that thing.”

  Sylvia replied, “I’m fine. I know what the hell I’m doing.”

  They fired again, and Jenni hit the target dead center. Sylvia hit the target, but only scored an eight. Then she fired again. The bullet missed the target and hit the safety cork at the back of the range.

  A voice announced, “Clear the range. We have to inspect the safety cork.”

  The girls put their weapons on the counter and a range employee checked the cork for damage. It was fine, so he gave the okay to resume firing.

  Jenni told Sylvia, “You can’t just fire in frustration. You have to think clearly about the shot, or you’re going to put yourself in danger. You might even put someone else in danger.”

  Sylvia said, “I’ll be more careful. I just need to calm down a bit.”

  Jenni said, “Maybe you should take a walk and clear your head. I know you like to put your dad’s face on the targets. You need to calm down.”

  Sylvia said, “No, I’m fine. I can do this. I just need to concentrate and feel the gun’s motion.”

  Jenni said, “You are the weirdest girl I know. You get all worked up with a gun in your hands, then use Zen to calm down. You’re a walking contradiction.”

  Sylvia said, “If I weren’t, I’d be boring as hell.”

  Jenni said, “Maybe that’s why we’re such good friends.”

  Jenni fired a shot. It hit another bulllseye. Sylvia shot, and her gun made the scariest noise a gun can make. It clicked. She remembered loading it, so it wasn’t empty. It misfired.

  Sylvia thought, “Shit! Now I have to take the damn thing apart.”

  Jenni asked, “Are you sure you loaded it?”

  Sylvia said, “I’m fuckin’ positive. Shit!”

  Sylvia disassembled the gun and found the culprit. The firing clip was bent, so it couldn’t make proper contact. She took the weapon to the counter and told them what happened.

  The clerk asked, “What did you do to it?”

  Sylvia answered, “I shot it. I haven’t fucked with it at all.”

  The clerk said, “I saw the misfire, but we’ll have to review the tapes to make sure you didn’t do anything to cause the gun to stop working.”

  Sylvia said, “I assure you, I didn’t. Can I please get another gun to finish my round?”

  The clerk said, “Please be more careful with this one. It’s a .45”

  Sylvia said, “I’ve never shot a gun that big. Don’t you have a .22 or something small back there?”

  The clerk replied, “When you didn’t take your usual .22, we rented it out to someone else. All we have left right now is this .45.”

  Sylvia said, “I guess I’ll take it. Can I exchange the ammo?”

  The clerk said, “Sure.”

  Sylvia gave the clerk the ammunition from her cart along with the gun. The clerk gave her the new gun and a fresh box of ammunition along with a warning.

  He said, “This weapon has one hell of a recoil. You need to be extra diligent with it.”

  Sylvia said, “Understood.”

  She went back to her stall. She showed Jenni the gun she rented, and Jenni was both excited and nervous.

  Jenni said, “So you’ve graduated to real guns. Please be more careful with that gun than you were with the last one.”

  Sylvia said, “I know what I’m doing. I’ll be fine.”

  Jenni said, “Just remember to use two hands.”

  “I said I’ll be fine,” Sylvia snapped.

  Sylvia took her aim and fired a shot at the target. She hit the bulllseye. Then she waved the gun around in a celebratory manner and it fired. The bullet went into her chest.

  Jenni panicked and yelled, “Shooter down. We need help.”

  An announcement came on, “Shooter down, cease-fire.”

  The clerk ran to Sylvia and called 911 from his cell phone. She was bleeding, but still conscious. He gave the operator all the information she needed and waited on the phone until the ambulance arrived.

  Jenni screamed, “I told you to be careful with that gun. Don’t die on me.”

  Sylvia tried to answer her, but she was too weak. She felt everything going black again.

  Sylvia thought, “Is this the day I die, after all I’ve been through? I survive the beating, the cliff and drowning only to accidentally shoot myself?”

  Jenni was talking to her, trying to keep her awake. Sylvia heard Jenni’s voice, but couldn’t make sense of the words. It was like she was an alien and everything was in a foreign language.

  The ambulance arrived and took Sylvia to the hospital. Jenni went with her to try and keep her from giving up on life. Once they arrived at the hospital, she was taken to the same room she had occupied the last time she was there. Then Sylvia lost consciousness.

  When she woke up, she saw a familiar face. The same doctor she had seen the last time stood over her.

  Doctor Culling said, “You’re a very lucky girl. The bullet just missed your heart. We extracted the bullet and sewed you up.”

  Sylvia said, “How did the bullet miss all my organs? It should’ve torn a hole in me the size of a garden hose.”

  Dr. Culling said, “I don’t see why. It was only a .22”

  Sylvia said, “No, it was a .45. I remember distinctly firing a .45. That’s why I was acting so cocky.”

  The doctor said, “I don’t know what you remember, but I definitely pulled a .22 caliber bullet out of your chest.”

  Sylvia was confused as hell. She vividly remembered shooting a .45 because the .38 misfired. She asked for a .22, but the range was out of stock.

  She thought, “This is happening way too often to be a fucking coincidence. Something’s going on.”

  Dr. Culling left the room and returned a short time later. He had the bullet in his hand.

  He said, “This is what I took out of your chest. It was a very traumatic incident, so your memory might be a little different than what actually happened.”

  Sylvia, not wanting to appear crazy, said, “That’s probably it. It’s been a long day.”

  Jenni came into the room as the doctor left. She was waiting for Sylvia to come out of surgery since they arrived in the ambulance.

  Jenni said, “What the hell were you thinking. You were waving that gun in the air like a maniac. It wasn’t like you at all.”

  Sylvia said, “I was excited; I’d never fired a .45 before.”

  Jenni said, “You didn’t. After the .38 misfired, you traded it for a .22. I didn’t understand why you were celebrating like an idiot.”

  Sylvia thought, “Why the hell do I remember firing a .45, and no one else does? I must be going fucking crazy.”

  She thought it was just the doctor, but if Jenni remembered it that way too, it must’ve happened that way.

  She thought, “Maybe it was a dream that I fired a .45. There must be some logical explanation for this.”

  Jenni asked, “Are you going to be alright?”

  Sylvia replied, “I’ll be okay. I just have to figure out what happened today.”

  Jenni said, “We’re all worried about you. Your mom called and I told her what happened. She wasn’t happy.”

  Sylvia said, “It seems like she’s never happy with me lately.”

  Jenni said, “Maybe because you’re getting reckless. She doesn’t want you going to the range any more for a while.”

  Sylvia said, “But I have
to keep my skills up.”

  Jenni said, “You didn’t do a very good job of putting them to use today. She wants you to think about how dangerous what you did was. I kind of agree with her.”

  Sylvia said, “I thought you were on my side.”

  Jenni said, “I am on your side. I just think you need some time to reflect on today.”

  Sylvia said, “You’re probably right.”

  She thought, “You don’t know how right you are.”

  Chapter Six

  Brian

  Brian Sullivan was the most handsome boy in Sylvia’s life. He didn’t know who she was. She dreamt about being his girlfriend. He spent most of his time in a pack of other boys.

  Sylvia thought, “I wish I looked as pretty as the other girls. Maybe he’d notice me if I was prettier.”

  Jenni noticed Sylvia gazing at Brian. Jenni walked over to her, but Sylvia was too focused to notice her friend.

  Jenni asked, “Hey, what’re you staring at?”

  Sylvia jumped. She was so focused on Brian that the rest of the world fell away from her attention. Jenni’s sudden appearance was quite a shock.

  Sylvia said, “Damn, you scared the hell out of me.”

  Jenni said, “I know. I saw you trying to pull Brian over here with your eyes. Why don’t you just ask him out?”

  Sylvia said, “He wouldn’t go out with me. I’m not a cheerleader or one of the pretty girls.”

  Jenni said, “You’ve got some major issues. You’re gorgeous, and Brian Sullivan would be lucky to land you.”

  Sylvia said, “That’s easy for you to say. You’re the prettiest girl I know, and you have a never-ending stream of boys to choose from.”

  Jenni said, “But I don’t say yes. They just want me because I’m pretty. They don’t really care about me. They just want a trophy or someone to have sex with.”

  Sylvia said, “I’m not saying I want to have sex with him; I just want to be with him. I don’t think he’s like that.”

  Jenni said, “All guys are like that. Once they get in your pants, they lose your number.”

  Sylvia said, “You have trust issues. I’m sure there are guys that are interested in girls to who want something real.”

  Jenni said, “Yeah, right. Why do you think I spend so much time at the shooting range?”