-Fireflies-
“There you are guys! You did so well!”
Arashi met them by a silver pickup truck parked outside the school lot. Ecstatic, she embraced each of her kids with a big kiss on the cheek. “I can’t wait to show you the recording!”
Tei waited beside her, camera loose in his hands, watching the other students and families in attendance file out of the auditorium and into the cool autumn night. “I want a costume.”
“Don’t drop the camera, Tei,” replied Arashi, tending to her other children. First there was Max, who fixed his glasses and grinned wide at his mother’s embrace. His sister Yuève stood nearby, wearing a tiara over her tight brown curls, lost in conversation with Raul who carried a golden sword from the prop room with him.
Nellie remained by the bed of the truck, content as she watched the family rejoice. Then Arashi’s pale blue eyes fell on her, “Oh honey come here!” And before she knew it, she was swept high into a bear hug. “I’m so proud of you, my little director!”
Nellie laughed and buried her face in Arashi’s shoulder.
Reem, The Diamond Bolt had been a success, premiering smoothly and on time. The crowded auditorium erupted in applause as the cast bowed, arm in arm, with their leads at the center. In the short moments following the show, the audience of families and students filled the air with praise. But it didn’t take long for that buzzing crowd to move on from the events of the school show and begin chattering excitedly about the arrival of Meteora that night. Families dispersed quickly as their fleet of cars filed out of the school lot and the sky darkened into a bleeding sea of navy.
Nellie’s heart swelled in her chest, thinking back to when she'd been convinced that there wouldn't be a play. I’ll never forget this day.
“Thank you, Arashi.”
Arashi warmed, “Of cours-”
“Tei!” Yuève’s annoyed voice rang into the night, “You can’t have it!”
Their youngest brother was reaching up towards Yuè’s headdress, jumping at her while she did her best to keep him at bay.
“Let me try it!”
“I’m a princess you fool!”
Arashi stepped in. “Tei, quit it! Leave your sister alone.”
He stopped at the edge in his mother’s voice and crossed his arms, grumbling a, “Fine.” Defeated, the ten-year-old slunked off into the passenger seat of the truck and turned its radio on at full blast.
Raul, still laughing from Yuè’s antics, looked towards his mother near the pickup. “Is there food at home?”
Arashi shook her head, “Only leftovers. I figured we should be out celebrating tonight.”
“Yeah!” Yuè jumped as if to affirm her point. She had just pulled a sweater over her head, giving her curls a little more bounce. “Let’s go downtown!”
“Oooooo! If we hurry we can still catch the parade there,” Max beamed. “The engineering club put a lot of work into the school's float and I bet the fireworks show at the end will be crazy!”
“I dunno guys…” Raul seemed unconvinced. “Wouldn't it be better to watch the shower at home? I don't want to be around too many people when the meteors come.”
“Whoa, you're getting way ahead of yourself dude,” said Yuè. “The shower doesn't start 'till midnight. Right Max?”
“Yup.”
“See there's nothing to worry about.” Yuève threw an arm around her brother's shoulders but Raul quickly shrugged her off.
“The Reem crew said they'll be there too,” Nellie added. “It won't hurt to go for a bit.”
“And I really want to eat at that soularritos truck,” Arashi said. She closed her eyes, imagining the savory taste of the exotic tortilla wraps. “I never know when it's coming to town.”
Raul ran a hand through his hair and, after a moment, sighed. “Fine.”
He was met by a chorus of Yeahs! from the others. Arashi chuckled, suppressing a laugh as she moved towards the driver side door. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go, go, GO!”
Nellie was the first to clamor into the pickup’s bed, followed by Max and his siblings. The truck let out a heavy, metallic rumble as it came to life and crawled onto the quiet streets of Comet Hill. This was how they’d ridden for years now, always in the back, no matter the weather. And Nellie loved it. The wind pulled at her hair, whipping her long ponytail to and fro. She was witness to the seasonal change in nature, regarding the clusters of crimson chestnuts and amber-colored aspens whizzing by, smelling of autumn even in the inner city. And though their many conversations were often reduced to nothing but extravagant mannerisms and inaudible hysterics, Nellie couldn’t think of a place where she felt more at home. Her haven had become the Sorairos themselves.
As if on cue, Yuève let out a horrible wail. Her diadem had flown off her head and into a semi, where it was flattened immediately. Nellie’s eyes widened. Then Max and Raul burst out laughing as Yuève wept mock tears, “My crown!”
“That was a rental!” Nellie cried back at her over the wind.
Yuè blinked and immediately quit the sad act, “Yeah, I'm not paying for that.”
The others erupted into laughter once again. Nellie found Raul in that brief moment, beneath the passing streetlights. He was dark and handsome like his siblings, but his hard face was too contemplative and serious for a sixteen-year-old. It felt an honor catching him like this, carefree. He found her hazel eyes studying him and gave her a grin in return as the truck pulled into a crowded lot close to the transit terminal downtown.
Arashi paid the parking fare and a small drone detached itself from the entrance terminal to guide them toward an open spot in the lot. “Unbelievable,” huffed Yuève, shaking her head as they all hopped out from the bed. “You’d think they could at least give us free parking for Meteora.”
“This is it guys,” mused Arashi. She and Tei climbed out of the cabin and joined the rest of their rag tag family members in conversation. “The world will know the gift of Instruments in just a few hours. Are you all set on which meteor you want?”
“Yes!” Nellie had to be first. “Lightning!”
“Fire!” Raul followed.
Tei rolled his eyes.
“Psychic,” gleamed Max.
And with a devious grin, Yuève answered, “Dark.”
“But they’re all great really.” Nellie blushed, she couldn’t help herself from adding more. “I’ll take any one.”
“Yeah,” Max nodded, “Odds are so slim as it is. I’ll be happy just to see the meteors flying so close to us.”
Raul arched an eyebrow at his brother. “C’mon dude. If one of those bad boys gets anywhere near us you have to do your absolute best to put yourself in a path to be hit.”
“I dunno about that.” Yuè crossed her arms. “I’m not putting myself at risk for an Instrument like earth.”
Nellie shot her a look, “Earth’s like the best Instrument.”
“Nuh-uh!” said Tei, finally speaking up.
Arashi’s laughter cut into the conversation next, rising over the cacophony of the parade nearby. “Eight years and you guys haven’t changed one bit. It looks like the celebrations have already started, help me carry the harvest over to Maggie’s so we can join.”
Maggie owned a bakery downtown whose main attraction were fruit pastries made with produce gathered from Comet Hill’s local growers. The others didn’t stop by much, but Nellie was always around and liked to give a helping hand if Arashi was visiting. The Tennkā woman loved her job at the observatory and had plenty of great colleagues there, but when she first moved into town Arashi had focused on building a small garden at home as a way to meditate and hold onto some of the Sorairo’s agrarian heritage. She gathered all of her materials, plotted out the land and decided on which crops to grow with the seasons before she ventured downtown in search for seeds and ran into Maggie who immediately offered her help.
“Raul, didn’t you make this?” Tei asked, pointing to a painted tapestry that hung behind the cash register. Nellie and the Sorairos were the only ones in the store that night. Maggie was visiting family in The Pharum for a couple of weeks and had entrusted Arashi with a key for emergencies and general maintenance. The kids didn’t waste any time. They dropped their batch of clementines in wicker baskets near the back and whirled, racing past the aisles of flour, sugar, and dough, eager to return to the Meteora celebrations outside.
Raul let out an, “Ugh,” in response as his mother locked the shop’s door behind them. “She needs to take down that piece of crap. It’s amateurish.”
The painting depicted the morning sun rising over their town and its surrounding areas. Raul had found inspiration for the piece years ago, after one of their many tours of Arashi’s job at the observatory. The tapestry was a favorite of Nellie’s, and she had told him this many times, but she knew how Raul was about his art – ever the perfectionist.
From Maggie’s they ventured further into town in search of a quick bite for Arashi and Tei. Nellie was sure that they could’ve grabbed something from the bakery if they really were that hungry, but Arashi was adamant about her soularittos so who was she to say anything. This was a night for everyone to treat themselves after all, and they still had plenty of time. Arashi more than deserved it.
The vendors and food trucks had all setup shop in a park near one of the town’s canals. It was quieter there, allowing attendees the space to eat, mingle, and play music away from the parade and other festivities. As Arashi left to place her order at a truck painted with bright purples, greens, and oranges, a couple dancing in the crowd caught Nellie’s attention. She watched them laugh, twirl, and stomp their feet in rhythm before she turned to Yuè and asked, “Have you heard from Sarah? Are you guys still hanging out tonight?”
“Oh, ummm…” Yuève blinked and stole a glance towards Arashi, who was still waiting for her order beneath the fairy lights strung throughout the park. “Yeah, she messaged me and said that she couldn’t make it out tonight. Apparently she got stung by a horseshoe crab at the beach. She and her friends went there after the game.”
“A horseshoe crab?” Max furrowed his brow, doubt clear in his voice. “Are you sure she didn’t mean a sting ray?”
Yuè seemed to take offense to this, her chest puffing with an air of incredulity. “No, they didn’t go out into the water. She said it was a crab.”
“Well that’s the thing,” began Raul. He placed a hand on her shoulder, as if to soften the blow of what he would say next. “Horseshoe crabs don’t use their tails as a weapon. They’re not poisonous or anything, the only animals you’ll find at the beach like that are sting rays.”
“Yeah,” Max continued. “The tail helps horseshoe crabs with balance and navigation. They can even use it to turn themselves over should they ever get knocked onto their backs. These crabs are harmless honestly; they don’t have teeth or a jaw, so it’s not like they can bite anyone either.”
Yuève rubbed her temples as if they ached. “So Sarah’s lying to me?”
“Not necessarily,” said Nellie.
Max worried at his lip. “Maybe she stepped on the crab’s shell? Their backs are jagged and sharp so stepping on one would definitely hurt.”
“Ugh, I’ll just text her and clear things up.” Yuè dug into her pockets for her phone and sulked away from the others, typing furiously. Nellie knew she would be okay though. The meteors were their priority that night; they would all feel better once they had Instruments to wield.
“Guys c’mon!” It was Tei calling for their attention. He held a strawberry lemonade in one hand and in the other, a cheese wrapped burrito that was falling apart from how hastily he’d started eating it. Arashi strode beside him, delighted by the burst of savory flavors that reminded her of the regions close to home, close to Tennkū. “Let’s go to the fireworks!”
The parade was a burning snake, a flame in colors and warmth. It ran down the town's main hill, ending at a square in front of the harbor and a squat, white-washed building known as city hall. From the moment they joined, Nellie and the Sorairos were swarmed by music and revelry.
Children chased one another, smearing handfuls of dye on whoever and wherever they could. The adults, while just as excited, were a little more tempered in their celebrations. If they weren't caught in conversation, they were throwing beads, cheering, waving fans, or rattling off wild melodies with Instruments like the guitar, saxophone, and trumpet. Arashi jumped and sang for Tei's attention as a group of musicians drew near, but her son shrugged her away, trying his best to glimpse past the people around him to the view ahead.
Leading the procession were eight floats built by the denizens of Comet Hill. Nellie knew that the governor had a float, and the school too, but she had been surprised to learn that the energy sector had come together to participate in the parade as well. For the past month, Perry had come home frustrated that his team was the only one focused enough to attend meetings and do the job properly – the others would rather waste time and resources on an event that lasted only for a single night. When Nellie brought up the fact that most parades only lasted for an hour or so, her dad turned on her as well, once again expressing his vehement disdain for the meteors.
The float nearest to them was vibrantly red in color, sculpted entirely out of glass, and resembled a forge in the middle of an explosion. Caught in the blast were scriptures that detailed some of the best novels and poems of the past four hundred years and facades that portrayed every Eden to have served since the last meteor shower. The town’s librarians walked in front of the float, arm-in-arm with the artisans and glass-blowers that had helped piece the sculpture together.
“Man, how cool would it be to end up on one of those vases?” Yuève’s eyes gleamed with wonder as their group drew near.
“As an Eden?” Raul scoffed, “Fat chance.”
“No dude, I want my own legends! After these meteors tonight, we’ll be able to do anything!”
Max laughed, offering a smirk that he hoped would further provoke his sister. “Lame.”
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