Rooftops

This story is for anyone who has wanted to go on a grand adventure; Go for it!

• Fiction

								
Lampposts lit the dim street, a light breeze blowing through the crisp autumn evening. It was the eve of the birthday gala for Tamara’s step-father; it was also the anniversary of her mother’s tragic disappearance. She couldn’t bear to go down to that infernal party. She would much rather stay in her room, looking at stars. Her mother had told her the most wonderful stories about them. 
Tamara wanted so badly to see her again, but the best she could do was see their favorite thing. She found astrology fascinating, but her step-father did not approve. Looking out her window, she saw a shooting star whiz past. 
Out of nowhere, a discordant shuffling noise resounded and caused her to jump. There was an ominous bang on the rooftop. The noise continued, then silence. Spooked, she decided to investigate. 
Tamara had to be sneaky getting on the roof, or her step-father would force her back to the insufferable company of strangers. Creeping lightly down the stairs, party-goers gazed at her. Her yellow locks cascaded down her head as her sapphire ball gown grazed each stair.  She walked swiftly through the dining hall. Her father sat at the head of the table, looking for small details that might interrupt his pleasant night. 
Trying to evade him, she turned away from the table and came to the ballroom. Ladies in colorful gowns danced with partners, while the music continued its monotonous tune. It would be nearly impossible for her to reach the other side without someone noticing. Luckily, she knew a secret way to the roof. 
The dumbwaiter in the dusty guest room was a tight squeeze, but she didn’t think anyone would follow her. Sitting in that tiny box, she breathed a sigh of relief before grasping the rope and pulling herself up. 
The rooftop grew closer. When she reached the peak, starlight flooded the darkness. In awe of the lights she almost forgot why she came up here in the first place. 
The roof had a slight incline. Carefully balancing, she misstepped as a result of a muffled sneeze coming from behind the chimney. Before she could fall, a hand caught hers and pulled her to safety. 
“Did I startle you?” he asked.
Shaken from the fall, she almost didn’t believe her eyes. A boy with chocolate brown hair stood before her, a mischievous look about him. 
“Who are you, and what do you think you’re doing on my roof?!” she yelled in his face. 
“Excuse me? I just saved your life!”
	“I-,” before she could reply, the door to the roof slammed open. There stood her father.
	 Still holding onto her hand, the boy hid behind the chimney. She wrenched away and faced her father. Fury flashed across his face. His steely eyes bore into hers. 
	“F-father, I-,”
	“Tamara Amelia Jenkins, what do you think you’re doing?” 
	She winced. He never addressed her this way unless she was in serious trouble. He waited for an explanation.
	“Well?”
	“I-I heard a noise, so I decided to look into it.”
	“A noise?” He looked at her like she was mad. “Well, along with leaving the party, did you at least find this noise you speak of?” 
	He seemed to mock her. She glanced at the chimney and looked back at her father.
	“N-no, I didn’t.”
	“Ah, well, that is disappointing. Come on, let's go back downstairs.” The tone in his voice told her it was an order, not a suggestion.
	She bowed her head before following him back into the house. 
	The party was as gloomy as she thought it would be. Despite the revelries, the remaining night was filled with hollow greetings and constant smiles. 
	After the party ended, she escaped to the comfort of her room. She sat on the window sill and thought she saw something out of the corner of her eye. Looking down to the street, she was startled when a pebble hit her. 
	It was the boy she had met that night, his head hanging over the side of the roof. “Hey…” he said. “Uh- I just wanted to thank you for not ratting me out.”
	She nodded, dazed from the fright he gave her. 
“Would you like to come up to the roof, so I can explain myself?”
	She sighed, “As much as I would love to hear your explanation, I can’t. My father might catch me.”
	“So? I don’t see why that’s a problem. Come on, live a little.” He reached out his hand; she hesitated before taking it. 
	Stepping onto the ledge, her breath caught in her throat. The ground seemed to be hundreds of feet below her.  
	The boy sensed her fear and tightened his grip, instructing her where to put her feet. Once she reached the top, she breathed a sigh of relief. 
	He smirked.
	“What?” she asked, confused. 
	“Uh...” She had caught him slightly off guard. “Nothing.”
	“So would you like to explain who you are and what you're doing on my roof?”
	“My name is Killian.” He pointed upward. “I lost my balance and slid down the roof when I came to watch the stars.” 
	“I’m Tamara,” she smiled.
Every night for the next month he helped her onto the roof. She told him she wanted to be an astronomer; he told her his dreams to see worlds beyond their own. 
	Their bond grew. He became her best friend, someone she knew she couldn’t live without. 
That's why the news from her step-father hit her like a brick wall. 
He called her into the study. Sitting in front of her father, Tamara felt his eyes look through her. He explained that she was to be sent to one of the finest finishing schools in London and was to have her bags packed by tomorrow evening. 
She argued with her father. The only thing keeping her from getting away from him was Killian. Tamara didn’t want to go to this school filled with pompous girls who would nag at her imperfections. But she knew she had to tell Killian. 
She climbed to the roof where they had spent many nights. Sitting there, she realized she was going to miss this. The boarding school was in the city where the noise and light would drown the tranquility of the night sky. Worst of all, Killian would not be there. Goodbye would be painful. 
“Hey, I brought this book on galaxies, and I thought you might think it was interesting, Then, of course, you were always partial t-” he stopped mid-sentence. “Tamara, is everything ok?” 
She didn’t respond. Turning towards him, her grief-stricken face surprised him. He hurried to her side and grasped her hand. “You know you can tell me anything, right?” 
“I know, and that's what makes this so hard.” She took a deep breath. “My father is sending me to a boarding school in two days.”
Sitting in silence, Killian said the last thing she expected him to say. “You should go.”
“What?” 
“You’ve always wanted to get away from your father. This is your chance. You need to take it.” He choked back tears. 
“No! I would rather become a pariah than go to a school filled with haughty girls. I just don’t know what to do?”
Yet again, silence. Her heart pounded as she looked at Killian, waiting for some sarcastic remark but none came. He stared into space as if trying to find the answer to an unsolvable problem.
	She needed him to be there for her, at least while she still had him. His embrace reassured her that everything would be alright. 

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