Mary-Lynnette wished one of the new girls would be right for him, draw him out a bit, give him confidence. Maybe she could arrange it somehow....
"What are you thinking about?" Mark asked suspiciously.
Mary-Lynnette realized he was staring at her.
"About how the seeing's going to be really good tonight," she said blandly. "August's the best month for starwatching; the air's so warm and still. Hey, there's the first star-you can make a wish."
She pointed to a bright point of light above the southern horizon. It worked; Mark was distracted and looked, too.
Mary-Lynnette stared at the back of his dark head. If it would do any good, I'd wish for romance for you, she thought. I'd wish it for myself, too-but what would be the point? There's nobody around here to be romantic with.
None of the guys at school--except maybe Jeremy Lovett-understood why she was interested in astronomy, or what she felt about the stars. Most of the time Mary-Lynnette didn't care-but occasionally she felt a vague ache in her chest. A longing to ... share. If she had wished, it would have been for that, for someone to share the night with.
Oh, well. It didn't help to dwell on it. And besides, although she didn't want to tell Mark, what they were wishing on was the planet Jupiter, and not a star at all.
Mark shook his head as he tramped down the path that wound through buckbrush and poison hemlock. He should have apologized to Mary-Lynnette before leaving-he didn't like being nasty to her. In fact, she was the one person he usually tried to be decent to.
But why was she always trying to fix him? To the point of wishing on stars. And Mark hadn't really made a wish, anyway. He'd thought, if I was making a wish, which I'm not because it's hokey and stupid, it would be for some excitement around here.
Something wild, mark thought-and felt an inner shiver as he hiked downhill in the gathering darkness.
Jade stared at the steady, brilliant point of light above the southern horizon. It was a planet, she knew. For the last two nights she'd seen it moving across the sky, accompanied by tiny pinpricks of light that must be its moons. Where she came from, nobody was in the habit of wishing on stars, but this planet seemed like a friend-a traveler, just like her. As Jade watched it tonight, she felt a sort of concentration of hope rise inside her. Almost a wish.
Jade had to admit that they weren't off to a very promising start. The night air was too quiet; there wasn't the faintest sound of a car coming. She was tired and worried and beginning to be very, very hungry.
Jade turned to look at her sisters.
"Well, where is she?"