The Haunted - Jessica Verday [68]
But my clothes were too confining. I sat up and started to take my shirt off, when something greenish caught the corner of my eye. That’s weird. Tilting my head back, I looked up… and gasped when I saw the maze of stars that covered my bedroom ceiling.
Stars, moons, planets… It was my own personal solar system located directly above my bed.
I pulled my shirt back down and got up to turn on a light. As soon as the lamp flickered on, the constellations disappeared, and little waxy pieces of plastic were left in their place.
Standing on the bed, I reached up to touch one. It was stuck fast. I turned the light off and watched as the room glowed again. Clapping my hands together in delight, I stood in the middle of the bed and just stared and stared and stared at them.
Stars stretched from one end of the room to the other. I’d never seen so many all in one place. My father had bought me a pack of glow-in-the-dark stars once at an air-and-space museum, but there had only been five or six of them in there. This had to be dozens upon dozens of stars.
I couldn’t believe it. Did Caspian do this? Who else would have?
Happiness flooded through me. I wanted to dance around the room. This was wonderful.
And romantic. And perfect.
A sharp, crackling noise at the window had me spinning around. Then it came again, and it sounded like the glass was going to break. I moved closer to it, wary that I might come face to face with some crazed flying nocturnal animal.
I peeked out the window but didn’t see anything, so I cracked it open and looked out.
A small pebble suddenly came flying up out of nowhere and flew right past my head, landing with a soft thump on the floor next to me.
“Hey!” I said, leaning out even further, to get a clearer glimpse all the way down. Caspian was standing there, next to the house, with his hand lifted, ready to throw another rock.
“Abbey!” he said. “Sorry, I was trying to get your attention.” He looked sheepish. “I didn’t hit you, did I?”
I shook my head no. “Why don’t you come up?”
He quickly dumped his handful of rocks on the ground, then climbed up the lattice. I stepped back from the window once he reached the low roof, and he hauled himself into the room.
With him here, standing in my room, I suddenly felt vulnerable. Come on, Abbey, I told myself. It’s not like he’s never been here before.
“Astrid,” Caspian said, smiling slowly at me.
I smiled back. “Have you come to look at the stars with me?” He nodded, and I walked toward him, immensely grateful that I’d kept my clothes on. That would have been… awkward. Fun, my mind whispered. But awkward.
My cheeks burned, and I hoped it was dark enough that he couldn’t see me blushing or read my expression. I spread one hand out and waved it around me. “This? You? How?” He grinned a wide, happy grin then. “Happy belated birthday. I thought you’d like it.”
“Are you kidding me? Who wouldn’t like it? But how did you get in? And how did you put them up? And where did you get them all?”
“Your window doesn’t close all the way,” he said. “I noticed it while you were gone. I just climbed up and opened it a little. Luckily, your mom keeps a step stool in the kitchen. I don’t think I could have gotten them up without it.”
“So you climbed into my room while I was gone, used one of our step stools, and stuck plastic stars to my ceiling?”
He ducked his head. “Yeah. Are you mad?”
“Mad? No. This is the coolest thing ever. I’m just surprised you didn’t, I don’t know, wait for me or something.”
Caspian looked horrified now. “Wait in your room without you? It’s one thing to stop by for a surprise project, but I’d never stay here without permission.” I shook my head at him and smiled. “You are a strange boy, Caspian Vander. But you have my permission to come in here whenever you want.” He looked uncomfortable. “I think I’ll wait for you.” Then he looked mischievous. “Unless I