The stars at night are big and bright (C)

[Firecracker]

Firecracker picked her head up off of her pillow and looked quietly around the girls' bunkroom, a smile coming across her face as she realized that everyone else was asleep. She tiptoed silently across the room and climbed out the window to the fire escape. Careful not to make too much noise, she climbed the fire escape up to the roof and hoisted herself over the edge.

She came to rest on the rooftop's surface and carefully rolled onto her back so she was now looking up at the stars. Wraith is right, she thought to herself as she carefully slid her hands up underneath the back of her head. The stars DO look amazing up here.

Her eyes continued to wander across the sky as she tried to spot what few constellations she knew. She couldn't, however, stop thinking about her new friend and how Tara had mentioned how sad and lonely she had been recently. What could be so wrong with her that she felt that way? Even though Fire knew it wasn't her place, she couldn't help but wonder.

[Wraith]

Wraith wasn't asleep yet, just lying with her eyes closed; prone to nightmares, she often tried to delay sleep as long as possible. She stirred at a soft noise outside the window and got out of bed, slipping out in her nightgown and climbing nimbly up toward the roof. Peering over the edge, she caught a glimpse of Fire that satisfied her curiosity. Not wanting to intrude on the other girl's privacy again, she started to back down the ladder.

[Firecracker]

Fire's forehead wrinkled when she thought she heard a faint rustling sound coming from the direction of the fire escape. "Hello?" She asked softly. Carefully, she got back up, dusted herself off, and quietly walked back towards the metal structure. Peering of the edge, she couldn't help but smile when she caught sight of the other girl. "You again! Can't wait the two weeks to see me, can you?"

[Wraith]

Wraith blushed. "I-I didn't know who it was," she explained softly. "I'm sorry. You'll never find a moment alone at this rate." She smiled apologetically, stepping down a couple more rungs.

[Firecracker]

Fire's face fell just a little bit. Did this other girl think she was mad at her?? "It's... it's okay, really!" She shrugged, nervously chewing the inside of her lip. "I was really only just kidding. You don't have to leave -- unless you want to, I mean."

[Wraith]

"I don't--I mean--that is--" Wraith stammered, blushing harder than ever. "Uh..." She cleared her throat, trying to act like a normal person for just a second here. "Are you sure? 'Cause I...I really do understand the need for alone time."

[Firecracker]

"Really, it's fine," she assured the other girl with a warm smile. In all truthfulness, she was kind of hoping that she would run into Wraith up here. As strange as it sounded, she was really the only person she felt like she could actually talk to without feeling like she wanted to rip her eyeballs out.

Inhaling slowly, she stepped over to the ledge and carefully held out her hand to the other girl. "Let me help you."

[Wraith]

Wraith swallowed. No big deal, right? She reached up and took Fire's hand, accepting her help to get back up to the roof. But their fingers were intertwined, and Fire's palm was smooth and warm, and it was kind of a big deal, much as she tried not to show it.

[Firecracker]

Fire quietly helped her up over the ledge, her hand lightly squeezing the other girl's as she got closer to the ledge. She helped Wraith over and smiled over at her, her hand lingering on the other girl's maybe just a bit longer than it should have.

Trying her best not to make a scene, she simply let go of Wraith's hand and smiled. "It's really nice up here...." she stated, looking up at the sky again. "I really should thank you for opening my eyes up to this place."

[Wraith]

"Glad I could help," Wraith said shyly, her eyes downcast for a moment while the worst of the blush faded from her cheeks. Then she followed Fire's gaze and almost lost herself in the sea of stars. "We've had some g-great nights lately." Her eyes settled on one cluster of stars and widened. "Oh! You can even see Cassiopeia."

[Firecracker]

"Really?" Fire asked excitedly, her eyes lighting up at Wraith's announcement. She looked up at the sky and lifted her hand up, pushing the hair from her eyes. "Where is it? I only know how to find Orion's belt..."

She blushed at this confession, for some reason that she wasn't exactly sure of, and returned to her original spot on the roof. Carefully, she sat back down and leaned back on her elbows.

[Wraith]

"There...right by the Dig Dipper...see the the curve?" Wraith sat down beside her and leaned back too, pointing it out. "We learned the myths in school...I haven't really thought about them in years, though..."

[Firecracker]

Fire tilted her head to look up where Wraith was pointing. "Ohhhhh," she smiled, finally seeing it. "I see it!" She relaxed into her elbows a little more, her eyes falling upon Wraith once more. "What other ones do you know?"

[Wraith]

Wraith searched the sky, trying to remember. "There's Cygnus the swan...and Hercules the warrior...I think he was half-god...and the bears, Ursa Major and Ursa Minor...and the dogs, too..." She scrunched up her brow. "Canis Major and Minor, I think. Oh, and Pegasus! The flying horse. That one was my favorite." She blushed yet again when she realized she'd been babbling on like a (literally) star-struck schoolgirl.

[Firecracker]

"Wow, that IS a lot," Fire replied, quite obviously impressed. "You seriously remember all of those from when you were in school? You could pass for just having learned them yesterday..."

She chewed lightly on her lip, her eyes getting lost in the stars once more. "It's amazing how many stars are up there, don't you think?"