Chapter Text
Chapter 1: Wish upon the stars.
SONG TO LISTEN TO IF YOU CAN: 🎵 To Build A Home — The Cinematic Orchestra
2026.
The wooden bench beneath Jade creaked once her fathers co-worker had finally walked away. But not before he shot her an empathetic glance. It had become something she had gotten used to and it carried nothing of meaning for her. Not anymore. Not after she had gotten the devastating call two weeks ago. Her parents had died in a car accident. Jade stared numbly towards her parent’s caskets. She knew this day would come. But she had no idea that it would be this early in her life. The undertaker quietly approached her. “Ms. Moreau. We’re ready for the burial” She didn’t look up at him, she just nodded. At the same time her heart dropped and shattered into a million pieces. She didn’t think that was even possible.
She did not move as four men from the funeral home came and carried her parents' caskets away. The undertaker instructed her to walk behind them. He handed her a small frame containing a picture of her parents and she held it close to her chest. After a short walk Jade stood in front of two empty, freshly dug graves. The undertaker stood by her his hands folded respectfully in front of him, his head low. Jade watched silently as both caskets disappeared beneath the earth.
Jade stood there, silently. Long after everyone had left. Her hands balled into her sleeves as the cold fall weather hit her face. It was a typical, cold and grey day. It wasn’t anything new for her. It was typical Belgian weather. It looked like this 128 days of the year. But today, somehow, it has become colder.
Jade jumped when the undertaker appeared next to her. She finally met his eye. “Again, my deepest condolences, Ms. Moreau. And if you need anything at all… please don’t hesitate to call.” he placed his hand on her underarm as a token of sympathy and then he slowly walked off. Leaving her completely alone.
Jade looked up and took a deep breath, her eyes closed. The crisp autumn wind caressed her cheek. That was it. She’s on her own now. No family left. No siblings to keep her company. It was just her and the sky.
Her feet dragged her toward the parking lot, the picture frame still clutched tightly against her chest. With her free hand, she searched for her car keys. As she fumbled with the door lock, she heard footsteps approach behind her. “You know,” a voice said quietly behind her, “most people stop looking up after funerals.” Jade took a sharp breath and turned around, her key still stuck in the car door.
“What?”
She looked at the man standing in front of her. For some reason, she couldn’t quite make out his features. The closer she looked, the harder it became to focus on his face.
“Tonight, when the stars fall, make a wish,” he said softly. “And all will be well.” Jade felt highly uncomfortable. There had been a faint buzzing in her head all day. She had blamed it on grief. But this time it was different.
“Wha-” Jade placed her hand over her head, hoping the pain would stop. But when she looked up, the man was gone. So was the headache.
She looked around but there wasn’t anyone around anymore. “Merde” she muttered as she tried to find her footing. Still deeply unsettled by the situation, Jade decided to shake it off and try to open her car door. This time, the key turned without resistance.
Jade quickly climbed inside, eager to escape the cold. She placed the photograph carefully on the passenger seat before she started the engine. The engine sputtered for a minute “Come on, don’t fail me now” she hit the steering wheel hard, turning the key once again.
It took her 15 minutes and a human sacrifice, before she finally managed to drive home. It was a quiet drive, not even the radio was on. She couldn’t bear it.
Jade parked the car on the driveway and got out, her purse carelessly hanging on her arm. It was her mother’s old purse. Jade had lugged that thing around for as long as she could remember. So much so, that her mother would quietly scold her when she had put it somewhere it shouldn't've been. Only for her father to interject and tell her to just give her the purse.
Jade sat down with a big sigh as she threw her purse on the table, her phone falling out. 6:15 PM. She inhaled sharply, the sun had already set by now. She should get up and get dinner or do something, but she didn’t have the energy to do so. Instead she stared at the bottle of wine that stood there, unopened. It had been there since before her parents passed.
They were supposed to come home after their short stay in France, but somewhere on the Highway between Paris and Ostend, her parents never made it home.
Jade wasn’t typically a drinker. She didn’t like the taste of it, especially the red wine. But her parents loved it. In fact everything reminded her of them. This house, the purse, the smell.
God. Did she miss them. Jade looked out toward the garden. She could no longer bear the silence inside the house. Grabbing everything from the table, she rushed outside.
Tears blurred her vision as she collapsed onto the grass, scraping her knee against the cold ground. She barely felt it.
“I just want them back,” she cried, clutching at her chest.
“Please…” She looked up at the dark blue sky, tears running freely down her face. “I don’t want to be alone anymore.” Jade closed her eyes.
The buzzing in her head returned all at once, with a vengeance. She pressed both hands against her ears as the garden lights flickered violently behind her.
The air in her lungs suddenly felt heavy. It felt wrong on so many levels. It was too heavy, too loud, too bright.
Her phone screen lit up beside her, glitching violently against the grass. The stars above her began streaking across the sky. Jade’s breathing hitched as she felt the world spin
She fell down, the buzzing in her head finally taking over her whole body. Underneath her, the earth vibrated as her body finally gave out beneath her. Looking up at the stars. “I don’t want to be alone” she sighed before she lost consciousness.