Except for the sound of the waves and the faint cries of cicada every now and then, the island was completely quiet. The stars still twinkled above, and the black eyes of the boy who was staring at them did not seem to reflect that light. Seeing a fly flying near his company, the black-eyed boy busted a leaf and fanned it away.

"Hey Simon, the stars are nice today. You'll like them," Roger tried to lift the corners of his mouth up again, but then felt like he could not without seeing the other's open eyes, so he stopped trying, "Simon, wake up and look at the stars."

He felt the corner of his eyes getting wet again.

"Simon, I can't smile anymore, not without you," his voice was cracking, "so please wake up." He grabbed a tanned arm, and began shaking it ferociously, "wake up."

Roger turned to face forward, his arms wrapped around his knees, and his head was buried in the two arms. His black eyes stared at the soil below his feet.

"Wake up," he whispered to no one.

"Can't sleep?" A voice coming from next to him made Roger lift his head. He wiped the warm liquid off his eyes, then looked at Maurice until the boy with broad shoulders sat down on the soil.

"I'm supposed to keep this place a secret."

"Promised a friend, didn't you?" Maurice glanced at the body next to Roger, then saw the frown on Roger's face, and smiled, "not your fault. I followed you here. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

Roger nodded, then continued watching the stars, but Maurice did not want the silence to extend.

"This place is quite nice. You can see everything from here. But if you want to come here, you'll have to walk pass—" Maurice choked at the word, it was forbidden from ever being mentioned "—the sacrifice," he continued.

Roger only nodded.

"Where did you find.."

"The beach."

Maurice received a glare from Roger, telling him not to mention that subject. The silence was unbearable, but Roger was not the social kind, and Maurice knew that. He examined the place, his fingers drumming on the soil. The frequent sound of the sea crashing into shore, and the cries of cicadas echoed in his ears. It was the first time he noticed these noises. Suddenly, Maurice saw a weird star constantly moving. He stared at it, questioning himself. Then, with a suddenly revelation, he cupped his hands, and caught the insect. He lifted one finger to peek in, and saw a faint light emitting from the creature.

"Hey Rodge, look." Maurice let Roger, who was looking at him curiously have a peek inside his palms, "a firefly. I bet S— I mean he will like it."

Roger received the firefly from Maurice, and brought it close to the tanned boy next to him.

"Simon, open your eyes, there's a firefly," his voice was a soft whisper, only enough for Maurice to catch some fragments of his words.

But the other's eyelids did not even flutter.

Roger looked down to his closed hands. He heard a faint voice inside of him that told him to kill the creature. Because Simon didn't want it. The voice said. But there was another voice, a fainter and softer one echoing inside his head.

Don't kill it, at least for me.

Let it go.

Roger hesitated, then opened his hands. The firefly flew out, its fluorescent light twinkled like that of a star.

"Chief won't like that."

"Like what?"

"You talking to another one like that," Maurice suddenly looked serious.

"Why?"

There was a sense of hesitation in Maurice's eyes.

"Because he likes you," he said this in a fast pace, "not like a friend, it's a different kind of like, I think. You know, the fluttering feelings in your stomach when you see a certain person."

Roger was silent, so Maurice continued.

"I guess so. He looks at you differently, and notices and talks about you a lot, and I can feel he is a little nervous around you, he favors you more, and the search for you this evening, too. I kind of know, because I used to feel this way for a girl before we went here. I never got the chance to tell her though, and I thought when Jack pushed you into that tree, he was going to tell you," the words came out and faded away just as quick as Maurice's heartbeat, for he felt the guilt from saying something he should not have. "I guess when you like someone, there's just no real way of hiding it."

"Just like when I'm around Simon," Roger murmured.

Maurice froze. He looked at the raven-haired boy next to him in disbelief.

"Chi— I mean Jack won't like that either."

"Where do you think that firefly come from?" Roger changed the subject, his black eyes staring at the obsidian-colored sky.

"It flew here, I think. Or it's just always here, and we've never noticed enough to see it."

Roger nodded again.

"Promise me you'll never tell anyone about this place. He'll be mad if he knows someone else found out about it."

It was Maurice's turn to nod.

..

"Roger's been weird these days," Jack chipped away more wood from his spear, trying to sharpen it.

"How weird?" Maurice sat by him, his legs dangling on the edge of the mountain.

"He isn't interested in hunting anymore, and he wears less face paint. I think he's also trying to avoid me. I don't know why."

A sudden feeling of guilt rushed into Maurice.

"Maybe he's.. tired." He said, his fingers starting to drum the soil.

"No way, he isn't sick anymore, he should be strong," Jack stopped chipping the wood from his spear and looked at Maurice, "or did I not feed him enough? Do you think we should've given Roger more meat? I mean he doesn't eat much, and that's bad already."

The chief's constant ramble about the raven-haired boy annoyed Maurice, but, at the same time, he still felt the guilt from something, not the fact that he was hiding Roger's secret hideout, or that he knew Roger liked a dead person, but because he knew Jack liked the other boy, but he had not been acknowledged yet, or had been denying his disobedient heart. He started breathing out loudly, trying to decide if he should let Jack realize it himself, or acknowledge the chief of his obstreperous heart. He looked into the chief's eyes, and decided to open his mouth.

"Do you like Roger?" Maurice mumbled, his voice was only enough for Jack to hear him.

"L..like?"