We decided to set up camp instead of riding through the night. We tied the horses around the camp as Henry made a small fire. We had stopped in the middle of a field, an idea which I had disagreed to, but Serah didn’t seem afraid of being found by anything or anyone. Her fearless nature often kept us going, but I secretly wondered if there was a reason why Serah aways stayed out in spacious places. Her house itself was not very large, but very open, with the kitchen, dining room and living room all together. She usually slept on deck of the ship, and sometimes even climbed out to the roof of Henry’s house when she stayed over.

“Do you like seeing the stars when you sleep?” I whispered to her as we all settled down to sleep.

She blinked at me, and shrugged, “They remind me of a place I used to call home.”

“The castle?” I turned on my side to face her.

But she shook her head, “When you guys lived in the orphanage, and after I had run away, I used to live out in the country, by myself and a single dog. Colten had left and was still usually out on the seas, but I liked the quiet country. I used to sit outside with my dog, her name was Betsy, and we’d watch the stars. There were these three stars, all in a row, and they were always directly above our house at one point in the night. Whenever I’m out on the sea, and I see the three stars, I think of Betsy. It’s dumb, I know. But she was the best thing that happened to me after Sam…disappeared.”

I smiled gently, “It’s not dumb. Did she die?”

Serah nodded, “She was a sweetheart. She had mixed eyes. One was brown, one was blue. She was really big too.”

She sighed contentedly as her eyes drifted shut, “Goodnight Lydia…”

The circle was silent as everyone started to drift to sleep.

“Where does the sun go after it sets?” Elizabeth interrupted the silence.

“What?” Henry asked.

“Elizabeth, are you stupid?” Serah shot back at her, wide awake.

“No. I mean, seriously, where does it go? Does it go out, like a candle?”

“It just disappears from view.” Tanner replied patiently, “It’s like we’re on a big ball that turns and now we’re like, hanging upside down facing a bottomless pit of darkness.”

“At least the view’s nice.” Perryn commented, “since we’re hanging from the earth.”

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

“What if we let go?” Elizabeth asked, “we don’t fall, so how are we upside down?”

“Something’s holding us up here.” I said.

“But why can’t we feel it pushing on us?” Elizabeth sounded confused.

“Maybe because we’re just used to the pressure.” Serah said.

“What’s going on?” Amber asked.

“Elizabeth always has deep night thoughts.” I explained, “The best way to get her to shut up is to answer them.”

“Hey!” Elizabeth protested, “It’s a serious question.”

“Now I’m curious, are we really hanging upside down?” William asked.

“No, because our hair doesn’t stick up. It falls like normal.” Serah said.

“Well, how else would you explain the sun vanishing? We would have to be on a ball that turns in the sky, we’re now upside down, facing away from the sun.” Tanner retorted.

“But what are the stars?” Elizabeth asked.

“Maybe they’re other suns, that are just far away.” Serah replied.

“Is our sun moving closer to us?” Elizabeth continued, “Do you think it’ll kill us one day?”

“I don’t think it’s coming closer.” Tanner replied, “We’d experience a lot of temperature changes if it did.”

“And what about the moon?” William asked, “What is the moon?”

“I heard somewhere that it’s a big circle of cheese.” Henry commented.

“Where’d you hear that from? The town crazy lady?” Elizabeth demanded with a laugh

“I think it’s a sun that died out a long time ago, and now it’s just the remnants of what was once a burning flame. It lights our night, while the new sun lights our day…” Serah said wistfully.

“…Deep.” Elizabeth muttered.

“But what color is light?” I asked, “The sun looks yellow, but then when you look around, nothing else is yellow, it’s just…lit up.”

“What color is light?” Elizabeth asked.

“Yellow.” Serah replied.

“White.” Henry continued.

“I think it’s all the colors mixed together, it just looks white.” Tanner commented.

“That’s actually really smart.” I noted, “That could be a thing.”

“What’s on the other side of the world?” Elizabeth continued her questioning.

There was a moment of silence as everyone pondered this.

“Maybe more people.” William replied.

“Maybe it’s a land where there’s no magic, and you don’t have to walk down the street fearing that a sorceress might turn you into a dog.” Sam spoke for the first time that night.

Elizabeth snorted, “I’d love to live there.”

“I want to go there someday.” Serah said simply.

“To a no magic land?” I asked.

“No, well, maybe. I want to explore the whole world, and see everything it has to offer. What if they have larger ships on that side of the world?”

“Or more sea captains that you can beat up.” Tanner added. We snickered at this remark, but Serah only smiled softly, her expression gentle, but utterly unreadable.

“Maybe they have more hot guys over there.” Elizabeth remarked.

“Are we not enough for you?” Tanner asked.

“Considering that you just counted yourself into the ‘hot guy’ category, no, there’s definitely not enough.” Elizabeth retorted

“Maybe we have doppelgängers over there.” I muttered.

“Maybe everyone lives in trees.”

“Maybe they live under the water!”

Now everyone was throwing in ideas.

“Maybe animals rule that side of the world.”

“Maybe animals can talk!”

“Maybe they’re all secret geniuses, and I must’ve come from that side of the world because the rest of you are really stupid.” This was Serah.

“So many maybe’s.” I said, “Can we maybe go to sleep?”

“Maybe.” Was the reply that I received.