I had never been able to sleep well. Not since the accident at least. In the orphanage it didn't matter as much, if I couldn't sleep at night then I would just sleep during the day.  There wasn't much to do during the night however, so I would stare up at the glittering night sky.

I always thought it was interesting, especially the stars. I'd spend my nights trying to count the stars, and the days sleeping it off.

When I first got out of the orphanage there was something about the darkness that terrified me. I couldn't sleep, and it was no longer due to the noisy kids, or the terror of being beaten. It was the darkness. 

Katie had said that my fear was probably because of the time I spent alone in the darkness during the accident. When I had first arrived she bought me a cheesy nightlight with stars on it that brightened the entire room.

But as I grew older the idea of having a nightlight in my room seemed childish. So I traded it in for glow-up stars to make my own little 'night sky'.

"Mm" 

Twisting and turning a groan escaped past my lips and into the pillow. I guess I wouldn't be sleeping tonight either. Glancing at the red digits on my clock I let out another groan. 2:40.

It was two fucking forty and I am still awake. Jesus

Not to mention that tomorrow is a school day. If I didn't want to end up falling asleep in class and getting in trouble then I should do something to go to sleep...

Pulling myself out of the warmth of my sheets I stood up, eyes readjusting onto the night sky just out my window. Maybe a walk would help, or a drive.

Well, even if it didn't I suppose anything would be better then getting in trouble again. Katie being involved with my legal documents wasn't the best seeing as she didn't have any rights as my guardian.

I don't know how she had managed to get past the social workers at the orphanage and take me out of it. But whatever she had done I was thankful for.

Glancing in the mirror a frown made its way to my face. My eyes were drained with dark circles evident underneath, and my pale skin glistened under the moonlight. My hair stuck up in weird places, and no matter how much I tried to push it down ends still stuck up.

Letting out another groan I turned, making my way downstairs and into the kitchen. Glimpses of moonlight made its way through the window, lighting up the usual dim room.

Pictures scattered the walls of the kitchen. Most were of the kids who Katie had helped over the years, but there were a few pictures of Katie and I scattered about. One caught my attention.

It was a picture of Katie and eight-year-old me sitting in a theater full of stars. A wide smile etched across my face, eyes glistening. Just the thought of that day made a smile rise to my face.

That day had been my birthday, the first birthday without my parents by my side. Katie had been out that entire week on a case, so I had the thought of me being alone for my birthday engraved in my mind.

But instead I woke up to the smell of waffles, fresh waffles and syrup. Katie had surprised me that day with not just being there. But a day full of memories. The two of us had breakfast, and upon hearing about my last birthday trips to see the stars with my family she had one of my own.

She took me to see the stars.

And after losing my family she took me to see the stars, and told me that my parents were up there watching me. That I would never be alone. 

With every trip she went on came more adventures for the two of us upon her return. I was never worried again that she wouldn't come back, because it was on that day that I realized I had someone I could count as family.

The smile on my face slowly fades away as a strange sound emits throughout the house, making its way to me. Slowly, I set the carton of milk back into the fridge and glance around, hoping to see whatever had created the noise. But there's nothing abnormal. 

My eyes trail outside the window, expecting to see whatever could be creating that noise but instead am met with nothing but the backyard lit up in patches by the moonlight. 

"What the," I mutter as I set the glass of milk down, deciding that sleep wasn't an option if there was a creepy noise lurking around the house.

The house was old sure, I knew it was prone to strange noises. But even so, I felt as if I had heard it all in my ten years of being here. And this one wasn't on the list.

I walked around the hallway, slowing down at Juniper's room. Was the sound coming from her room? Silence came from the room, so I could only guess that June had better luck than me when it came to sleeping.

I continue walking throughout the hallway, following the sound. When I got to the living room the sound seemed to get louder...although it was now muffled.

My heartbeat began to pound against my chest as I slowly peaked out of the corner of the hallway. The living room seemed normal. There was a TV, the chair, coffee table, and the cou-

I blinked a few times, eyes adjusting to the silhouette resting on the blue couch. Startled I took a step back, backing up into the plant in the hallway causing a crash to echo throughout the hallway.

Fuck

The sound I had been listening to stops in an instant, and upon turning the corner I'm met with two glassy blue eyes staring at me intently. Juniper...

So she wasn't in her room? Guess I was right in thinking that she couldn't sleep. None of the kids could when they first got here. But then again, none of them stayed long enough so I guess I didn't see there process. They had all found families over time.

"Couldn't sleep?" I asked her, giving her a sad knowing smile. It's too late for me to run upstairs and stare at the stars, she had seen me. 

Juniper nodded, sniffling as she moved her legs from off the couch and onto the floor, making space for me to sit.

"It gets better, for the most part at least. The nightmares go away if that's what you're worried about" I took a seat on the couch, turning towards her. It's then that I get a glimpse of her, an actual glimpse.

Her hair is straight, with small waves at the end bouncing up as if a wave. Her crimson hair captures her oval face perfectly, and small freckles dot her pale skin. The freckles aligned with that of the stars, and it was at that moment that I believed my father was right. 

When I was younger I had asked him what it felt like, meeting my mom, how he was sure she was the one. He had said that all the signs pointed to her. That "the stars had aligned", and when it came to questioning what to do in order to keep her safe. He always chose the right choice. 

She came first, before anything.

I must have been staring for a moment too long, because cheeks began to turn a light shade of pink under my gaze, causing me to immediately turn away.

"It does?" she whispers, her voice sounding so childlike, so naive, filled with an unmeasurable amount of hope that causes me to freeze up.

I didn't want to lie to her

But I didn't want her to think she would be stuck like me either. Sure, the nightmares had left over time and I no longer was scared when getting in cars. But I couldn't sleep, I couldn't look people in the eyes. I wasn't the same, and I shouldn't give her false hope that she would be either.

"It does" the words seem to spill out automatically, even with the doubt of it on my mind.

"Promise" Juniper asks me as she tucks a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Promise," I say in a heartbeat, and its at that moment that I begin to believe it. That she made me believe it.