Rewrite the Stars
@rubb3rducklov3r
Nova peeked around the wall of the balcony that looked over the lobby. Thankfully, no one was up yet, but it wouldn’t be much longer. She went back behind the wall and slunk to a sitting position on the ground. Unwrapping him from her belt, she pulled her stuffed puffin into her lap.
“It feels like the first day of school again, Sir Jorgenbjorgen…” she murmured to her friend. “I don’t know why I feel so afraid. I asked for this. I volunteered to be a therapist and Charlie said she would introduce me to everyone in the morning…”
Her head hit the wall with a thump, “And here I am talking to my stuffie like I’m five years old…”
Sir Jorgenbjorgen was a very well loved plushie. He had been squeezed thin from the many years of being held during nightmares. His once bright orange beak was now faded. His right wing had been reattached with new stitches. Nova had no idea how he managed to make it down here with her… maybe it was because she was holding him when she died in that plane crash…
“But, we’re all we have for now,” she softly said as she stroked the puffin’s head. “At least until we get back to mom and dad…”
She felt a few hot tears roll down her cheeks and she wiped them away with the back of her hand.
“Have a cry,” she softly reminded herself, before she rose to a stand.
“Pick myself up,” she added before dusting off her jeans. “Dust myself off. And keep going. The show must go on!”
Nova softly sighed as she tied her plush back to her belt. She looked back around the corner… to find the lobby still empty.
“I’m not gonna be the first one down there,” she scoffed.