The Falling Stars of Mooncrest Bay, By Makaila Odoom, Part 1

The Falling Stars of Mooncrest Bay, By Makaila Odoom

Part 1

I never thought stargazing could be dangerous—until I learned I was wrong.

Hi, my name is Lila, and last year I turned fourteen. My astronomy-loving self decided I wanted to have a stargazing party at my local observatory. My mom planned it, invited my friends, and helped me set up the place for a night under the stars. What was even better was when I found out that my party would be happening on the night of a meteor shower.

The afternoon before the party, I was sitting in my room, finalizing the activities list for the night when my grandma walked into the room.

“Hey there, Lily,” she said, using her nickname for me.

“Hi, Grandma. Everything okay?” I asked when I saw the worried crinkle in her forehead.

She sat down next to me.

“Everything’s just fine, Lily. I just wanted to tell you to be careful tonight. More stars have been spotted, and since you’ll be so close to the ocean tonight, I want you to be cautious.”

I sighed. Something weird had been happening in my town for the last month. Stars had been tumbling from the sky into the ocean, making it feel like a sauna. There hadn’t been enough stars to make the ocean scorching hot, but it was still far warmer than it should’ve been.

I could understand why my grandma would be nervous. The small beach in our town was right below the observatory, which rested on a rocky cliff. But the observatory was literally down the street from my house. If we had an emergency, it would only take two minutes to bike from here to there. Plus, my eighteen-year-old sister would be supervising us.

“I know, Grandma. I’ll be careful,” I said.

“Promise me you won’t go near the water.”

I huffed. “But Nana—”

“Lila. Promise me.”

Her voice had taken on an insanely serious tone. She never called me Lila.

“Okay, okay. I promise,” I sighed.

Any trace of my worried grandma immediately disappeared. She smiled. “That’s my Lily.”

She got up from the carpet and gave me a kiss on the forehead. “You’re going to have a blast tonight!”

I smiled as she walked out and closed the door, not realizing how drastically the night would change the meaning of the last words she said to me that afternoon.