age : 8

"Eliza! Eliza Mae Dawson! Come down here right now!"

Stomps were heard throughout the house as the little girl ran upstairs towards her room, locking it before standing in the middle of it. She held her red arm close to her chest while tears streamed down her face. Ignoring the shouts from her dad and her brothers at her door, she continued to cry.

Once the knocking had stopped and her dad had relaxed and her breathing was back to normal, she took a look at her arm. A red burn had started to form, when she had dropped her hot cocoa her brother had made her to calm down. She was working on her grade 3 math homework at the dinner table, her dad peering over her shoulder, clicking his tongue whenever she would answer a question wrong.

Her two older brothers were cleaning up the kitchen since dinner had just ended. An uncomfortable one once again. Their mom had just died a couple months before and they were not used to the empty seat of her presence.

Dylan, her older brother by just 3 years had tried to make their moms comfort hot cocoa, something she used to make when one of her children were distressed, but he put too much hot water and too little cold milk. Little Eliza pushed the drink away in shock from the sudden heat in her mouth, causing the cup to fall onto her arm and her homework.

"I want mommy." Eliza whispered to herself, wishing she had her mom's arms wrapped around her body, rocking her to sleep. But instead a noise at her window grabbed her attention.

Climbing onto her window seat, she looked out to a see a little boy in the next house over, throwing rocks at her window. He waved at her, with a small smile on his face.

Eliza gave him a confused look and waved back. "Hello there!" The boy shouted. Eliza quickly put a finger to her mouth, warning him to shush. She then turned back to her house making sure no foot steps were coming in the direction of her room. Then climbing down from her seat, she went over to her desk, grabbing her sketch pad and some markers.

"Hello." She wrote, putting the sign against the window so the boy can see. The boy smiled before disappearing. Soon coming back with a sketch pad and markers in his own hands.

"What is your name?" He wrote back. His letters sloppy and uneven.

"Eliza Mae. What is your name?" The boy smiled, quickly writing his response. The girl watched in wonder.

"Sam Sullivan." He grinned on top of the paper.

"Sullivan? Monsters Inc.?" She remembered watching Monsters Inc. with her family downstairs a while ago, before her mom strangely disappeared. She was still waiting for her to come back.

"Ya. What's wrong with your arm?" He wrote, his little finger crushed against the glass pointing in the direction of Eliza's red arm.

"Got hurt." She replied. The boy then opened his window and whispered, "Come here! I have some bandages that can cover that red stuff!"

Carefully opening her window, she whispered back, "How do I get over there? My dads mad at me, I can't come over."

The boy face palmed himself shaking his head, "No, you can walk through the tree."  Eliza tilted her head, examining the tree.

Sam scoffed then climbed out his window, walking carefully and slowly on the branches towards Eliza's window, which she watched with wide eyes.

Holding out his hand he told her, "Just hold my hand, and walk slowly, you won't fall."

Hesitant, Eliza's head snapped between her door and the boy. Defeated, she climbed out.

The two held each other's hands tight, Sam focused on making it to the other side while Eliza looked up, terrified to look at the ground.

"See you made it!" The boy said, jumping from the window sill, Eliza carefully following. She looked at him curiously wondering why he sounded different than her.

Ignoring her thoughts, she looked through his window to see her room, she thought it was strange seeing it from a different perspective.

"So what happened?" Sam asked the girl. He crouched under his bed in search for his lunch box that held all the bandages and medicine equipment he used whenever he got hurt while skating.

Eliza sat criss cross on his floor, watching the boy, "I spilled hot cocoa on myself. It was too hot and caused my skin to go red."

"Who made your hot cocoa. They don't seem like they know what they're doing." Sam replied, his fingertips soon coming in contact with the cold surface of the box.

"Dylan. My brother. He's 11. Alex my other brother is 12." She replied. She was biting her nails as Sam got out from under his bed.

He looked up at her confused. "They're your brothers? The one that play in your front yard? But you don't look like them."

Eliza knew she didn't look like her family. They all had brunette/dirty blonde hair while hers were dark, dark brown. Her face looked different from theirs as well. Though she knew she didn't look like them, she didn't feel any different. She felt as equal to the family as her brothers and her parents do, and that's all she really cared about.

"Yeah I know, I don't know why. I've known them for like forever." She replied. Sam sitting in front of her, taking out his supplies to cover her mark. "Why do you have all this stuff?"

"I started learning how to skate and I hate wearing those kneepads and I fall a lot." He told her.

"Oh- are you new here?" She asked again. Eliza realized that she had never seen him before.

"My family moved here two weeks ago." He answered, placing a bandage gently on the soft red skin.

"Oh." Eliza's shoulders slumped, feeling bad she never noticed the new neighbors next door. "I've never seen you."

"I've seen you. You always sleep next to the window." He admitted. He first noticed the girl on his third night in his new home. Opening his blinds since the night was so hot. His eyes resting on the sleeping girl laying in the shine of the moonlight, a light blanket rested on top of her body. He then saw her laying there every night. "Why do you always sleep there?"

Eliza straightened her back, something her mom always reminded her to do. "I like sleeping under the moonlight." It was true. She didn't like her bed in the dark corner of her room, far from her favorite window, so after goodnight kisses her parents then only dad gave her, she would sneak across the room with her blanket and sleep under the stars. She always found comfort under the natural light.

Sam chuckled lightly as he finished putting the last bandage on her arm. Eliza watching him cover the last of her red skin. "Thank you." She whispered.

"No problem. Do you want to hang out a bit before you go back?" Sam perked up, hoping to make a new friend. Eliza quickly nodded her head. "Okay we have to be quiet though, my parents don't know you're here."

The two talked for what felt like hours to them, but in reality it was only 20 minutes. They talked about where Sam was from, England, which explains his accent. Eliza talked about her getting in trouble over her math homework at the dinner table. Almost becoming a nightly routine for the little girl. She just simply couldn't understand word problems.

Eliza started to talk about her school when she heard her name being shouted from her window. The two quickly got up. Sam pushing her body through his window and watching her quickly walk across the branches and back into her window seat.

They quickly shared a wave before Eliza ran across her room opening her door. Two tall looking boys compared to Eliza walked in, Sam hiding behind the wall next to his window, peeking a bit to see the scene.

"Liza, are you okay?"

"I'm so sorry Liza Mae, I didn't mean to burn you."

Her brothers poured out to her. They all sat in a row on Eliza's bed, their backs to Sam. Eliza's body hugged her brothers, quickly forgiving them. She could never stay mad at them, especially Dylan.

"It's okay. It didn't hurt that much. I'm a big girl." The girl comforted them. Alex, her oldest brother making a face, "But weren't you just cry-" He wasn't able to finish his sentence before Dylan elbowed him in the stomach.

Eliza looked through the gap of the bodies belonging to her two brothers, making eye contact with the boy behind the wall in the next house over. The two shared a smile.

✰✰✰

The next day, Sam and his family went out to Ikea, in search for the last of their furnitures to put into their house.

Sam was holding his mom's hand, while she carried his 5 year old sister. His dad pushing a cart in front of them.

Sam looked around in boredom. He had grown tired of these furniture stores and wanted to see the toys, "Sam Sullivan, you have to be patient and wait until we get to that section, you hear me?" His dad repeated to him, during their walk throughout the building.

They were in the kids bedroom section now, Sam's eyes darting around in little interest at the stuff he could put into his semi empty room. He looked around until they landed on a light structure. Specifically in the shape of the moon. He pulled his mom towards it, ignoring her cries for him to slow down or to let go.

"Mom, I want this one! I need this one! Please! Please!" He pleaded over and over until she finally agreed. Sam even helped his mom put it into the cart, satisfied with his "treasure" of the day.

Arriving home, Sam quickly ran upstairs, dragging the big box behind him. It was almost 6 pm which means it would get dark very soon and he had to have this moon built before then.

Sam sat on the floor crowded with parts and tools and instructions. Determined to get this moon up and shining. He ignored his parents call for dinner, even dessert, and continued until he had finally finished.

Sam joyfully put the lantern of the moon, right in front of his window. Directly facing his neighbors room. He kept his blinds closed for the final surprise, peeking through a small corner until he saw the girl climb onto the window seat, making herself comfortable. It was then he revealed it.

Turning it on to its brightest level, he smiled at the girl. Her face full of happiness and glee. He loved that smile on her face.

From then on, Sam turned on his moon light at exactly 9:08 pm just for Eliza everyday. Even when they got into fights, even when they had sleepovers at each other's houses. He turned it on every single day.

༄ THE LONG WAITED PROLOGUE YAY

anyways jo march demanded for this to be published when i'm halfway getting ready like okay damn😐 but anyways hope y'all are having a lovely and amazing day ! don't forget to eat and drink water ! love you <33

- jules