"I thought you said half passed seven!" A tall girl cried as she ran down the steps of the apartment. A boy ran after her, skipping a few steps at a time to catch up. "I did say half passed seven," he told her calmly, hopping to the sidewalk. One of his thin eyebrows was raised, though he didn't look confused so much as amused. "If you said half passed seven, then why are we late, Lou?" the girl asked, blowing a lock of hair out of her face. She grabbed the car keys from her friend's hand, opening the door of an old car and sliding into the driver's seat. The boy, Lou, slid into the passenger's, lounging against the door like a drunk sloth. "Marley, what time do you think it is?" She looked down at the old fashioned watch on her wrist, and rolled her eyes. "Half passed seven, I'm on time! How are we late?" He didn't answer, instead leaning over to the car clock and tapping it. The blue digital display read a quarter passed eight. She suddenly turned a shade of red similar to a ripe pomegranate. "Oh," she mumbled, starting up the car.
They began to drive down the busy road, each lane full to the brim with honking cars. The sidewalks were painted with thick, crisp patterns of red and gold. People walked the streets, coats bundled around their shoulders and scarves tied tight. Steam rolled out of the car exhausts and into the air, creating a thick layer of artificial fog set low over the cement streets. "You overreacted," Lou informed his friend after the long pause. Marley ducked her head slightly, brushing locks of dark curls behind her ear. "I know," Lou reached over, ruffling her hair with one hand, and leaned back against his seat. "Next time, remember our saying,"
"It's you're saying, not mine,"
"Tell me it." Lou demanded. Marley paused.
"Lou has the cool head?"
"Lou has the cool head."
After a few minutes of driving down the busy, rush-hour road, Marley pulled the car down a residential street. "So are you excited?" she asked, glancing over to the passenger seat. Lou shrugged. "This is your dream, darlin'," he drawled, putting on the southern accent that always appeared when he was teasing her. "I'm just here for moral support," Marley leaned over to flick his forehead, earning a playful glare from her friend. "Well then I hope you're excited for me, at least," Lou smiled, rolling his eyes at her. "Sure I am. Excited for you, at least," He quoted.
The car finally pulled into a long driveway, the borders lined with neatly cut grass. The driveway twisted and turns, seeming to almost never end. Eventually, they made a turn which ended abruptly in a parking lot. "The wait is excruciating," Marley mumbled to herself, sounding like she was narrating her life. She suddenly felt her stomach drop and her heart rattle. Turning to Lou, she hugged herself across the arms. "On second thought, I don't want to do this. Or-- or we can come back on a day which I'm not terrified! Yep, good plan!" She said quickly, reaching to start up the car again. "Mar," Lou began calmly, "It's just an internship. Nothing can possibly go wrong," He reminded her. Marley sighed, nodding slowly, and took her hand off the ignition. She opened the door, and slipped out of the car.
The observatory was a low hanging building made of dark grey concrete. It looked depressing, with few windows and no colour in sight. The few windows that were there were small and inlaid deep into the wall. Marley thought it was a commentary on how astronomers have no need of sideways-facing windows. Lou thought it was stupid. They walked up the stairs to the large metal doors, which were only really tall to Lou, who had little height on him. They swung the doors open, which led to a long, bleak hallway with dim lighting. The only sound was a faint buzzing from the light fixtures. "Jeez... this looks more like a mortuary..." Lou commented quietly.
At the end of the hall and through another set of heavy metal doors, the sound exploded. People bustled around a large front desk, each one writing notes on sheets of paper and yelling. Yelling a lot. Marley seemed to have regained some of her bravery, as she strode up to the desk, despite the fact that everyone's backs were to her. "Uh, excuse me?" She called, before her voice was drowned out by more yelling. Marley cleared her throat, and then yelled. "EXCUSE ME!"
The people standing at the desk turned, all looking confused at the sudden interruption. "Can... we help you?" A man in the group said, stepping forward to address them. He was half a foot taller then Marley, which was an impressive addition to her six-foot-two. He had a snubbed nose and large eyes that made his face look a little disproportionate. His clothing resembled that of a hipster barista at a cafe. He probably thought he was so cool for working at an observatory. If it weren't for all that, you could say he was handsome, with a thick black beard, dark skin and a clear smile. Or, it would be, if he was actually smiling. When Marley didn't reply, temporarily dumb-struck, Lou spoke up. "We're the new interns."
The man made a small "o" with his mouth, and turned back to the desk to sort out some papers. He then turned to them, walking up to Marley, and shoved a bundle of folders into her arms. "Good. Take these up to Doctor Grisbee's office," and with that, all of the people watching silently went back to their busy work.
Marley backed off, her eyes wide and arms clutching the folders. "What a jerk," she mumbled as she got close to Lou. "Seriously? He's awesome," her friend replied with a grin, hooking a hand around her arm and pulling her into a hallway. "Says you. Do you even know where we're going?" she asked, frowning. "Of course not. I'm as new as you are. The difference is I don't care if we do our jobs badly," Marley scoffed and punched him in the shoulder. "Why did I bring you along?"
"Because you were scared of taking up an astronomy internship. Because that's super intimidating," Lou reminded her, his voice edged with sarcasm. His friend aimed and punched his shoulder again, the hit harder then it was before, causing him to wince. "Ow."
Marley looked down a hall as they strode up to an intersection, feeling lost. "How are we supposed to find some random doctor's office in the middle of a giant concrete brick?" She voiced out loud, choosing a random hall and pulling Lou down it.
"Beats me. But, just a suggestion, we could follow the map?" He pointed to a glass case set up on a wall, featuring a floor plan of the building and a cartoon drawing of Earth with a smiley face on it. It was probably put up for visitors to the building, the ones that really only go to observatories to seem interesting and cultured. "Well, yes, that could possibly work."
They walked up to the glass case, surveying the layers of concrete mass. Lou pointed at a long hallway highlighted in bubblegum pink. "There, offices, let's go," He turned down a hall, beginning to walk away, when Marley called to him. "Hey bigshot, that's the wrong way!"
"No, you turn left and go straight,"
"You suck at directions. You're going the wrong way."
Lou threw his hands into the air, turning on his heals and walking back to her. "Fine Miss Smarty-Pants, we'll do it your way." Marley scowled, her hands moving to her hips. "Miss Smarty-Pants?" She repeated. "Are we in fifth grade still?" She was used to childish responses from Lou. He rarely spoke any word dirtier then damn. It was an interesting parallel to Marley's vocabulary, which was so dirty that you would need seven tons of lavender scented soap to clean it out.
She led him down the right hall, taking each twist and turn in stride. Plaques began to appear on the doors, reading the doctors or astronomers or aliens that work there. With a silent agreement the pair parted, each going to an opposite side of the hall to read the plaques. After a minute Marley broke Lou from his stupor. "I found it!" Which was probably good, since Lou hadn't been paying attention to the plaques and would have probably missed it, anyways.
Marley knocked warily, wondering if the doctor would be as welcoming and charming as the nice people at the front desk. When no one came to the door, she swung it open. The office looked similar to a government facility after the zombie apocalypse. Papers and books were strewn everywhere, on the desk, shelves, chairs and floor. There were cans of soup and beans stacked high on one table, which looked dangerously close to tumbling to the ground. The one couch in the room was outfitted with a blanket and pillow, as if someone spent nights sleeping there. Star charts were pinned to the walls and, in a few cases, even the ceiling. The only window in the room was even boarded up as if monsters could bust in any moment. It looked like a natural disaster.
The pair stepped into the office, taking in the scene. "Holy crap," Marley commented, only answered by a whistle from Lou. He walked over to a table covered in a star chart, tracing Orion's Belt with his pinkie finger. A head suddenly popped out of the side room. "Oh! I'm sorry, can I help you?" A perky voice asked, making the two jump. The woman walked out of the side room, standing in front of them.
She was a dwarf to Lou, who only came to a grand 5 foot 6 inches himself, and therefor a pixie to Marley. She had a mass of frizzy blonde hair cropped to her shoulders, the kind of hairstyle that would have been very popular at 70's discotheques. Her skin was thin and stretched tight over her bony frame, giving her a skeletal look. Despite the fact that she looked a bit like a Saturday Night Fever Zombie, her brown eyes were bright and intelligent, and her small nose and laugh lines made her look soft, though fragile.
"If you're Doctor Grisbee, we were, ah, instructed to bring you these," Marley explained, holding out the bundle of folders in her arms. "Oh! Wonderful!" The skeletal dancer chirped, taking the folders and plopping them down on her messy desk. "I don't remember seeing you here before. Are you new?" The doctor asked, opening a drawer and beginning to sort through the alphabetized papers. "Yep. I'm Marley, this is Louis," The girl introduced, jabbing a thumb at her friend. Lou was staring at his feet, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. "Excuse my friend. He's shy..." she added when he remained silent. The doctor smiled, holding out a thin hand to shake. "Chloe Grisbee, it's a pleasure," the doctor introduced. Marley was about to accept the handshake when doctor Grisbee dropped it, immediately going back to her paper shuffling. "So! Internships, huh? That must be exciting!" She tittered, and looked expectantly at Marley. The girl opened her mouth to respond, "Yeah, I--" she was cut off by the doctor, "Wonderful! Do you have a name, dear? Of course you do, it's Marlene, I remember. And how old are you?" She spoke fast, making it nearly impossible to get a word in. "Im twenty--"
"Oh, so young! I remember those days. Do you two mind helping me with some work?"
Marley and Lou both nodded. "Sure, that wou--"
"Thank heavens! Do you have any hobbies? Why did you want an internship here? Oh, Marlene, can--"
This time it was Marley's turn to interrupt, already feeling agitated.
"Just shut up!" She yelled, her temper getting the better of her. Her heart beat fast in her chest, and she suddenlt felt Lou's hand touching her own. He was trying to calm her down. That's when Marley realized what she had just yelled. Blood rushed to her cheeks, and before the stunned doctor could speak, she decided to hide. "Can I use your washroom?" She asked quickly, pointing to the side room. Doctor Grisbee nodded slowly, and Marley darted into the room.
As soon as she closed the door she walked to the counter and clasped the edge in her hands, breathing hard. She had let herself become to mad, again. Looking up into the mirror, she ran a hand through her hair.
The mirror was placed so low that the top reached to her nose, though if she bent down she could look at herself.
She looked too much like her mother. That was the first thought that crossed Marley's mind. She inherited her mom's eyes, which were large and dark brown with flecks of gold. Her stubborn chin was from her mom as well, along with her thin and short eyebrows. Once upon a time she had her mother's nose as well, but that had changed after Marley broke it in a fight. She had dark brown curls that fell over her shoulders, surprisingly from her dad. But instead of his rich copper skin, she got her mom's deep creamy almond. Her soft features were her own, but were offset by a septum piercing and a white scar that split her lip on the left.
Marley wished she looked more like her dad, with his full smile and eyes that hid humor and delight. Instead she had to look like her uptight, strict mother who rarely talked to her like a normal human being. "Marlena, sit straighter."
"Marlena, what is that makeup on your face?"
"Honestly, Marlena, must you dress like a drunk raver?"
Marley didn't even think her mom knew what a rave was. She snapped out of it when she heard Doctor Grisbee babbling on to Lou, though she couldn't hear a peep from him. Her best friend talked all the time, sure, but rarely in the company of others. She sometimes forgot how quiet and shy she really was, which would take her off-guard when they were in another person's presence.
Marley took a deep breath, and exited the washroom. The doctor was sitting at her desk typing on a computer that had to be a hundred years old at the very least. She still managed to chatter on to Lou, which was actually fairly impressive. Lou just sorted some documents for the doctor, his face like stone.
"Marlene, welcome back!" Doctor Grisbee called in greeting, looking up from her computer for only a moment before going back to typing. "It's actually Marley. Look, I'm really sorry about that outburst. It's just--"
"Don't worry about it, dear. I assure you, I am quite used to it." The doctor said kindly, looking at Marley with a warm smile. "I'd love it if you would help Louis." It was a surprising change. She had gone from being an erratic rambler to a thoughtful worker. It was as fast as a chemical reaction, just a quick snap in personality.
Marley nodded hesitantly and shuffled her way over to the table where Lou stood. He continued to sort the documents in front of him, but reached over to gently squeeze her arm. "Are you okay?" He murmured, keeping his voice low so the doctor couldn't hear. Marley brushed his hand away, stacking a pile of papers with a soft 'thunk'.
"I'm fine," she reassured quickly, "I just got a bit angry," Which was a bit of an understatement. Marley had been dealing with her anger issues since she was little. A playmate would take a toy away and she would hit them. Her teacher would scold her and she would scream. Her parents took her to therpists and to anger management classes, but nothing seemed to help. Only two people in the world could calm her down. First, her mother, who would swear and scream threats until Marley got too tired to argue. And then there was Lou. He would be calm, giving her soothing words and protective gestures to stop her from exploding. It was a much gentler touch then her mother used, and she appreciated that. Her friend was always thinking steps ahead of her, as if he could see the anger beginning to boil inside her so he could stop her from hurting someone.
Marley went through the papers, handing anyvwith blue writing to Lou or any with curvy font. A few of the documents were maps of the stars. Both dippers were highlighted in neon purple, and Sagittarius was highlighted like big blue veins.
One of the maps stood out from the rest. Instead of the black diagrams of stars and planets, it had a detailed layout of the mountains beside their city. Portions of the map were circled in red and then crossed out again. "Continue search to east woods. The stream is promising. Stay away from lake, unavoidable occupants. Search forest floor thoroughly until destination is reached," Lou read the side notes over her shoulder. She guessed he was just as curious about the land map as she was. "Why would astronomers need to search the forest floor?" Marley voiced, still studying the map details.
"You know what's really weird?" Lou moves his finger to point at the lake, which had been completely avoided by the swarm of pen notes. "No one inhabits that lake. It's closed off because of a heavy metal leak in the water. That and the surrounding few miles," Lou was an avid hiker, thanks to his interest in photography. He constantly dragged her out into the Rockies to take photos of this cave formation or that natural waterfall. She also thought he enjoyed the complete seclusion of the mountains, but she kept that thought to herself.
As soon as Marley opened her mouth to reply, she felt the map gently tugged out of her hands. She looked up to see Doctor Grisbee rolling up the paper and sticking it in her pocket. "I've been looking for this silly thing forever, thank you, dear." She chirped, before turning and walking back to her desk. Marley followed the doctor, too curious to back down. "What's with the map?" She asked while leaning forward on the desk, her hands clenched into fists that supported her. The doctor looked up and let out a light laugh, the kind that resembles the ring of a cheap Christmas bell. "It's just a map for good stargazing spots, dear," she reassured, before she turned back to her work.
Marley frowned and exchanged a glance with Lou. That was a blatant lie, and both of them knew it. Still, she withdrew, going back to the table to sort documents.
"Stargazing spots? Bullshit," she murmured, only just loud enough for Lou to hear. He gave a quick nod, and went back to work.

°○●°◇°●○°

Marley pulled her friend out of the observatory just as the sun began to set over the Rockies. "You know, before this internship I thought it would actually be, you know, interesting?" She stuck her hands into her pockets, a look of disappointment stuck on her face. Lou veered off of the cement path, walking on to the grass. "You should have considered the late hours. Stars can't be seen in the day," he reminded her, still walking away. Marley made to follow him, her boots making soft sucking sounds in the damp mud below her. "Where are we going?" He seemed to be heading no where in particular, just walking along the building's bleak grey wall. He didn't answer. "Lou?" She pulled her feet from the mud, running to catch up to him. He finally stopped, looking up at one of the small useless windows in the building. "What are you doing?" Marley saud with a long sigh. She was used to this. Once Lou became interested in something, it was like he was in a whole different world. "You noticed the boarded up window, right?" He asked her, though it was obvious he wasn't really waiting for an answer. Yet, Marley replied anyways. "I think it's ao she can use those light observatories, or something," She suggested. "Real astronomers don't use those... so I was wondering... what could she possibly be blocking the view of?" He then turned, his gaze traveling the same direction as the window's. Marley followed it, wondering what he was getting at.
From the window of the observatory you would be able to clearly see the sunset, and had a clear vantage point towards the mountains. A forest stretched out between them, and a glistening river rushed in between the trees, the water sweeping autumn leaves down towards the Rockies.
Marley tilted her head, and looked at her friend. "Does that lead to..?" She trailed off. This couldn't mean anything...
Yet, Lou nodded. "It leads to the lake."