MILO
Alright, here's the deal.
If you ever find yourself sneakin' out of an old creepy orphanage past midnight with your two best pals, lemme give you advice: don't step on the loose boards. It squeaks louder than Jay when he stubs his toe.
"Watch your step, man," I whispered, waving my hands like i was some secret agent or whatever "stay low. Be cool."
Behind me, Jay-aka foureyes was tryna tip-toeing like a baby giraffe learning to walk. Dude's got thick glasses and an oversized hoodie like it's armor or somethin', and his messy black hair's always lookin' like he just woke up...which, to be fair, he probably did. "I am cool" he whispered back, all sarcastic and kinda annoyed.
And then there was Tessa — red hair braided down both sides. She acts all chill, but she's got this kind vibe too, like the kinda person who'd steal you a cookie and share it without sayin' a word. Always rollin' her eyes every time I open my mouth. "If we wake up Old Man Stan," she muttered, "I'm blaming both of you."
Old Man Stan. The warden. Dude's got ninja hearing and anger issue. If he catches us, we're not just scrubbing dishes for a week - he'll probably makes us clean under the floorboards or something.
"We were on a mission.
Not some world-saving hero stuff or whatever." Tonight wasn't just about sneakin' out for fun.
Adoption day is coming.
Some kids are pumped. Some are freakin' out. But for us?
We are also feeling that ya'know what I am saying but still it feels like the end of something. Like someone's gonna get picked, someone's gonna get left behind, and everything's gonna change.
So we had to do this.
One last mission. One last sneak. Back to our hideout - behind the old fence, past the dead tree with swing that nobody uses.
The hallway was darker than a blackout, and colder than freezer in the back kitchen. My toes were going number, and Tessa kept elbowing me every time I made a noise - which, okay, maybe was a few times too many. But come on, I was nervous. We reached the back door. The old, rusty one with the "AUTHORIZED STAFF ONLY" sign that nobody listens to anyway.
I looked at them. Smirked. "Showtime."
And I pushed the door open real slow - and yeah, of course it creaked like a horror movie.
But then we were out.
Out in the night. And for a sec, everything just… stopped. The world got real quiet. Real big. Like we were ants under the stars, but for once, it didn't feel scary. Just... calm.
Tessa ran ahead and hopped on the old swing, the one that creaks like it's gonna snap but never does. She started swinging real slow, and outta nowhere, she began humming this soft little tune.
"Red Bright Flower," she sang, barely louder than the breeze.
"I don't know how I know it," she said, real soft. "But it makes me feel… safe. Like maybe it's from before. From when I was little. I dunno." I wasn't really sure where she was going with all that—but man… it hits different under the night sky. Gave me goosebumps. The good kind.
Me and Jay just stood there. Not talkin'. Not movin'. Just listenin'.
Her voice floated in the air while her hair waved around in the moonlight like it was part of the song. I don't know what happened to me, but I—I was…
"Hm-HMM!" Jay cleared his throat, loud and on purpose.
Busted.
I snapped out of it and looked away fast. Too late.
Jay looked at me, smirking like he just caught me hugging a teddy bear or somethin'. "Daaaamn," he grinned, glasses glintin' like some anime villain. "Didn't realize you were tryna fall in love tonight, Romeo."
"Shut up," I muttered, my ears goin' full tomato mode.
Tessa stopped singing and jumped off the swing, landing with a soft thud. She looked up at the sky for a bit before speaking.
"Adoption day is coming," she said, her voice dropping just a little. "Maybe we'll all be part of families... but maybe that means we won't be together anymore."
"I hated that thought. Like the world was about to press 'shuffle' on our lives." But something about the way she said it hit hard. Like someone tugged at my chest.
Jay stepped forward, all cool but not playin' around anymore. "Hey," he said, "doesn't matter what happens. We're best friends. That don't change."
"Yeah," I added, nodding. "Even if we end up in different houses or cities or... whatever. We're still us."
Tessa didn't say anything right away. But she smiled a little.
And right then, under all those stars and all that silence...
We made a silent promise.
No matter what—we don't forget each other.
Ever.