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Almost a year had passed since the black Tezcatlipoca had been sealed away. Things had been chaotic in the days following despite the immediate danger having passed. The four adults had scrambled to get the young group of spirits taken care of while dealing with their new situations. They had split up a few weeks afterward. Ixtlilton and Xipe Totec stayed up north while Xochipilli and Xochiquetzal brought Ichabod and Calamity (so dubbed by Huey) back down to Hollow to see their parents. While there, the twins had been able to update their friends at Vineyard to the situation and had been quickly directed toward the sign language professor who had started teaching a few semesters prior. Several months later they were already able to hold basic conversations again and were learning quickly.
It was apparent that Calamity was restless being back in the city and was only getting herself into more trouble than usual with the locals. Things were not getting better as public opinion of spirits only continued to deteriorate after the scare with the black ick. It was decided that she would accompany the twins back north to be with the other spirits her age and that Ichabod was welcome to follow suit. He made excuses about the research he had yet to do in Hollow, which was partially true. What he didn't say was that he was still unsure of his place in all this and was not eager to leave Hollow for the wilder landscape and small towns of the north.
Things were getting settled into the new normal. Some small cabins were already being constructed for longer term shelter between the towns of Hatfield and McCoy. Amaroq had returned to McCoy in the days following the contract, while Huey split his time between the town he called his own and the group sticking together near the woods. Ixtlilton, being the god of children and a bringer of good dreams, had his work cut out for him lulling to sleep the small band of young, traumatized spirits. Xipe Totec tried to help out but she was not particularly good with children. She was, in fact, terrible with children. It did not help that she was also distant and perpetually exhausted following her loss of immortality. So while Ixtlilton was thankful for her watchful eye and assistance with shelter, he was incredibly relieved when Xochipilli and Xochiquetzal returned- even if it was with another tiny handful. The nickname Calamity was well-earned, he thought.
Several months later it was quickly approaching a full year since the near end of the world. Ichabod was alone in his makeshift observatory above his parents' home in Hollow. He had just had another argument with his mother regarding his duties as a spirit. Previously he had largely shared his mother's view on most occasions. He certainly wasn't one to stand out or risk looking like a superstitious fool in front of his peers. But he didn't understand why they couldn't take his warnings seriously. He had proven time and time again that, while he was still learning, he did usually know what he was talking about. He was growing increasingly unsure of his place here in Hollow and where his future would lead. He glanced around the empty room nervously and shifted into nagual form for the first time since returning to Hollow. He looked back out toward the twilight settling down over the horizon and the single star that had emerged so far. It reminded him of a song he had heard Ixtlilton sing a handful of times years ago, back when he was smaller than Chalchiuhtlicue was now. He wondered if she had grown since he last saw her. Ichabod had never been one for singing, but his studies and the influence of the older spirits in his life were quickly giving it a more prominent role and he was in dire need of some comfort now. He let out a tired sigh and began to softly murmur the half-remembered lyrics to himself.
One little star, all alone in the sky
Do you ever get lonely as the twilight drifts by?
Ixtlilton sat across from his siblings around the fire. The last of the sunlight had just disappeared below the horizon. Some of the kids were nodding off. Paula, Kitty, and Quetzalcoatl had taken to sleeping in a pile and were now in a cozy lean-to a few feet back from the fireside. Ixtlilton could feel Huey fidgeting as always to his side and hear Quetzalcoatl rattling slightly as he dreamed. The youngest spirit still had trouble sleeping through the night and that rattle had begun to wear on his nerves as it frequently preceded wailing. He took a deep breath of the cooling night air. Although he could no longer see the sky, he knew that the last traces of sunlight would be on their way out about now. He tried to picture it and suddenly remembered an old tune he hadn't thought on in years.
One little star, in the darkening blue
Do you long for another just the way that I do?
Xochipilli poked his sister from where he was propped against her side and signed a question at her indicating their brother. Xochiquetzal signed back with a smile, relieved that she could do this simple thing again.
Several meters away, Calamity was perched on her favorite rock that stuck out over the surface of the pond. The tall reeds hid her well in this spot to be alone with her thoughts. She'd been coming increasingly often as the weeks stretched on and her brother still refused to join them. She leaned back from where she'd been watching a small frog and looked upward at the single star that had appeared. She could picture her brother observing it through his telescope miles and miles away. A moment later the sound of Ixtlilton singing by the fire reached her. She suddenly felt overwhelmed by emotions she had trouble identifying. She just knew she missed Icky and didn't understand why he wasn't there with her. She sang a low addition to Ixtlilton's tune floating to her through the reeds.
Sky begins to fill; darkness ends the day
Someone who I love is far away.
She gazed back into the water at the little creatures there as the song continued by the fire.
One little star, reaching far through the night
Do you shine on my someone? Are we sharing your light?
Oh, one little star, shine on us both tonight.
Ichabod was staring through his papers, lost in thought and not reading. He started whispering to himself forlornly. "I wish Ixtlilton was here to sing one of his lullabies. Or Chalchiuhtlicue was here and we'd be together. I should be the one keeping an eye on her. I wonder what they're doing tonight..."
Across the miles the three of them created an unintentional harmony.
One little star (one little star)
Reaching far through the night (reaching far through the night)
Would you shine on my someone (shine on my someone)
So we're sharing your light? (please, share your light)
Oh, one little star, shine on us all tonight.
