The Falling Stars of Mooncrest Bay, By Makaila Odoom, Part 2

The Falling Stars Of Mooncrest Bay, By Makaila Odoom 

Part 2

My mom dropped my sister, Chrystie, and me off at the observatory at four, an hour before the party began. She wanted to make sure everything was ready and that we both knew the rules. After we had gone up to check the space, we came back down to say goodbye to my mom. She literally just repeated what she had told us a hundred times before.

“Don’t do anything crazy, no going off the property, don’t be too loud, absolutely do not go near the ocean, and have fun!” she listed before giving Chrystie and me a kiss on the cheek, hopping in her car, and driving off.

Chrystie and I marched back upstairs after our mom’s car had disappeared from view.

The observatory wasn’t very big, but it felt magical all the same. It had actually been built to be a small house of some sort. The first floor was like a motel, with three bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a living room.

The second floor was where you could actually see the stars. It had a domed glass roof, several lounge chairs surrounding a fluffy rug, a gigantic TV resting on a wooden table, and a small indoor garden off to the side. My mom had brought our telescope from home in case we wanted a closer look at the stars.

Everything had already been set up. The banner was hanging, the streamers were up, and the balloons had already been blown up. The cake was in the fridge downstairs.

With everything ready, there wasn’t much left for Chrystie and I to do except wait for everyone to arrive.

I sat down on one of the tan-colored lounge chairs and stared up at the late-afternoon sky. Chrystie sat down across from me and immediately took out her phone.

“Did Grandma warn you about staying away from the ocean too, Chrys?” I asked.

She didn’t even glance up. Her eyes stayed glued to her phone, wide and strangely distant.

“Chrys?” I said a little louder, leaning forward. “Chrystie!”

She finally looked up. “Huh? Oh, sorry… what did you say?”

I raised an eyebrow. “You okay?”

There was an undeniable look of concern in her eyes as she stared at me for a few seconds before saying, “Yeah, I’m fine.”

I repeated my first question.

“Yes… she did warn me,” she admitted.

“And… what do you think?” I asked.

“I agree,” she declared, suddenly finding a spot in the sky very interesting. “The ocean is dangerous right now. I expect you and your friends to stay away tonight.”

I scowled. “Wow. Look at you sounding like your elders.”

She rolled her eyes and stood up.

“I’m just as serious as they are, Lila. Step one foot into that ocean, and I’m telling Mom.”

Then she turned and left.