The I is the only prison that can bind the Soul

- Henry Vandyke

Sky

Burns’ friends are really nice and I can see that they’ve known each other for a long time.
Especially Ocean is close with him. I wonder if that’s what it’s like to have a sibling.
The house is coming together nicely. We’ve been working for a few days and we’re almost done painting. All that’s left now is moving all the furniture into the right rooms.

Ocean started her new job this morning. She’s a lifeguard at the local pool
Burns and Core are discussing where to go on their next fieldtrip. I’m happy that they get to go together. I know he’s missed his friends, living so far away.

 I miss mine too.

I’ve called Reads the Stars last night to tell him not to hold my apartment. I plan on staying here with Burns. I want to get to know him better. I could almost feel Reads the Stars smile when I told him. He asked me to come visit soon so they’ll get to meet Burns.
I can’t wait to show him the Observatory. He’s never been to one, so I’m sure he’ll be excited.
He and Reads the Stars will have so much to talk about.

“Earth to Sky,” Core’s voice pulls me out of my thoughts. He smirks at me. “What were you dreaming about?”
“I was just thinking about Toledo,” I say.
“You miss your home?” Burns eyes me concerned.
“Well, yes,” I say, “a little, but I was mostly thinking about all the places I want to show you when we visit my friends.”
Core chuckles. “Planning a romantic getaway?” He winks at me.
“Don’t tease her,” Burns says, but I laugh.
“I don’t mind,” I say and I sit down next to Core on the couch.
“See?” Core grins. “She knows how to have fun. She’s exactly what you need.”
That does make my face heat up and I feel something contract inside of me.
“Don’t be embarrassed Sky,” Core says. “I’m not making fun of you. You two are a great match.” A pillow lands on his head and he gasps in mock insult.
Burns shakes his head at him and sighs. “If only Ocean were here…”
“She’d completely agree with me.”
They start a good-natured argument, giving me the time to compose myself. My body has calmed down, but I’m still confused. I’ve been confused ever since coming here, but I can’t say it’s unpleasant.

***

A knock on the door makes me look up. “Come in.”
Burns looks around the door and enters the room. I smile at him. “What’s up?”
“I was thinking about what you said today,” he says, “about going to Toledo. We can go if you want.”
I blink. “Are you sure? I mean, your friends have only just moved here. Don’t you want to spend more time with them?”
“The whole purpose of them moving here was to be able to visit them more often. They’ll still be here when we come back. Besides, I’d love to meet your friends now that you’ve met mine. And I can’t wait to visit the Star tower with you.”
He really wants that? I feel like dancing.
I suppress the upcoming worry about going back to Toledo. What if my body acts the same like last time? It would be hard to hide that from Burns.
But these last few days I haven’t noticed anything out of the ordinary and I wonder if I haven’t imagined everything after all.
“Sky?” Burns asks carefully.
I beam at him happily and before I can stop myself I wrap my arms around his neck. “Thank you.”
He laughs surprised and after a moment of hesitation, I feel his arms lock around my back. “You’re welcome,” he says softly and his breath tickles my ear.
A pleasant shiver works its way down my spine and I close my eyes before letting go of him.
“So that’s a yes then?” he asks.
I nod vigorously. Then my face falls. “Is it alright? With your Calling?”
“Don’t worry,” Burns assures me, “the advantage of my Calling is that I can travel whenever I want. I can hand in my work at any Research Center on the planet and they’ll process the data.”
“So what is it exactly that the Center does with all your research material?” 
“All kinds of things,” Burns says, “teachers use it to educate students. It helps new Souls adjust to the planet and it tells the Souls on other planets what they can expect if they choose Earth as their home.” He smiles. “And of course it’s interesting for myself too.” 
It’s funny. I’m so used to having all this information at my disposal, every time we choose a new home, but I’ve never asked myself where all that data came from. “So I’m here because of you,” I smile.
He looks uncertain. “I’m not the only Researcher,” he says.
“I was just teasing you.”
There’s a wary smile on his face. “So you want to go?”
“Definitely,” I say.
“Good,” he says, “I’ll go tell Core and Ocean that we’re leaving tomorrow.” He smiles at me again and heads downstairs.
I can’t contain my enthusiasm now. I haven’t realized before how much I’ve missed my home.
Yellow Leaves and Reads the Stars are like parents to me. They will be so surprised when Burns and I will knock on their door.
I turn to face the mirror on the wall. Sparkling eyes stare back at me. My own reflexion.
Maybe I’m finally settling down on this planet. I think I’ve found my spot in this lifespan.
Earth might not have been a poor choice after all.

***

“Have fun!” Ocean hugs me tightly, “and come back soon. Next time we’ll make sure to have some girl time.”
“You can count on it,” I smile. I let go of her and give Core a quick hug. “It was great to meet you two.”
“Same here,” Core smirks. He winks at Burns.
We have decided to go back to Burns’ place first. We’re not sure yet how long we’ll stay in Toledo so we’ve decided to pack enough for two weeks.
“Coming Sky?” Burns asks.
I smile and get into the passenger’s seat of the car. “Bye!” I wave through the window. The car turns the corner.
“We have a flight this afternoon,” Burns tells me, “it should give us enough time to get everything organized.”
I nod. “I can’t wait to show you around.”  I lean back against the seat and look out of the window. For the first time since coming to Earth, I feel completely relaxed.
“Have you called your friends that we’re coming?” Burns asks while turning onto the highway.
“No,” I answer, “I want to surprise them.” I blush when he looks at me amused. “What?” 
“Nothing,” he says while focusing on the road again, “it’s just nice to see you in such a good mood.” 
I smile to myself and turn on the radio. There’s an interview with a girl from the Flowers. She works at travel agency. It’s really interesting. She says that most Souls seek out destinations that look like the planet they previously inhabited. See Weeds seek out places like the great Barrier Reef. Flowers tend to go to tropical destinations and Bears go to Iceland and Alaska or Canada.
It’s funny now that I think about it. Earth seems to have a bit of everything.
“I wonder where Bats go,” I mutter.
Burns casts a look at me. “Hm?” 
I point at the radio. “For vacation,” I explain, “I was wondering where Bats would go.” 
“I don’t know,” he says puzzled.
We’ve reached his home now and he parks in the driveway. I eye him curiously when I catch him glancing at his neighbor’s house. He seems nervous somehow. “Is something wrong?” I ask concerned.
His face relaxes and he smiles. “Nothing’s wrong. Let’s go inside.” 
I blink confused, but nod and follow him into the house.

We have a few hours before the plane lifts off. I walk across the room, contemplating what to pack. I realize I don’t have a lot of personal belongings.
My hands move over the shelves, picking up each item to examine it, until they reach a small, oddly shaped object. When I take a closer look, I recognize it as Burns’ prism.
How did that end up here?
My hand starts to tremble for reasons unknown to me.
Before I know it, the object lands in my bag.

And I close the zipper.

---

A/N So, a bit of conflict will be arising in the next few chapters >.>
As for now... Roadtrip!