#pyromanticpyrope

So you weren’t surprised when you found anempty bed and an open window roughly an hour after midnight. At first you hadtried to go back to sleep, fully aware she’d come back once dawn broke, butcuriosity got the best of you and it didn’t take long until your eyes wereaccustomed to dimmed lighting of Alice’s room. Now you sat there, basking inthe oddly comfortable silence of a place where such concept was foreign. You’reactually amazed at the soothing effect the night gave to the other’s bedroom.Maps, globes, spare parts, all were lit up by the light coming from the window,while her drawings remained hidden in the shadows. You hesitate before decidingto get up, putting on a jacket from the backrest of Alice’s chair and shovingyour hands in its pockets.

It isn’t until you’re making your way to thewindow that you notice it wasn’t your jacket.

The closer you get to the window frame the moreyour senses start waking up. It was raining. Not hard enough for you to inchaway from the opened window but enough for the sound to fill the empty house.She’s not sitting on the window frame like she usually is, of course. Sometimesyou wonder why you allowed her to get the only room with easy access to therooftop.

You reach for the hoodie of Alice’s jacket anthrow it over your head, determined to walk into the rain to check on your—Err,friend.

 Yeah. Your friend.

When you pop your head out the window you’remet with the calmest expression you have ever seen on your best friend’s face,and you’re almost tempted to accuse her of being an impostor. You have to twistyour neck at a weird angle to see her, since she’s sitting above you, legsdangling from the edge of the rooftop, completely soaked from head to toe andlooking at the numbers of constellations shining in her clouded eyes. Sheseemed to be having an intriguing conversation with the moon, probably in hernative tongue. It wasn’t rare, she had a tendency to mumble to herself underher breath, but this was different. She seemed…happy. You throw your legs overand lean against the window frame. From there you can clearly hear Alice aboveyou and the rain falling softly against the rooftop. Any other day you would fussabout her getting sick but tonight you decide to let her be. Just for tonight.  You close your eyes and don’t notice herswitching languages halfway through. She speaks to a vacuum about dreams,aspirations, battles, victories, the things that make her eyes shine more thanusual. You’re only half listening and it’s soothing.

She talks about her day like she does thisevery night and the moon listens.

“Look after her, will ya? In case I don’t livelong enough to see things get better. She deserves to see that change more thanI do.”