We stood by the bus stop, my teeth chattering madly, Kenny's as stiff and still as the pole he leaned against. The sun was beginning its descent and the moon was on the rise. Nighttime was our time, my brother's and mine. It was where I felt most alive, as vulnerable as the day I was born. It was where Kenny felt most like...well, Kenny.

Kenny was quite a guy. He was insecure and unsure of himself and had little self-esteem. His chivalry complex and shyness kept him humble, yet intriguing. Despite his apprehension of people as a whole, he could be very personable if you were worth his time. But the best part about him was that his appearance showed none of his personality traits, save his love for darkness.

At 6' 4", Kenny looked rather imposing. His sweeping blond hair fell down his back like a straw-colored waterfall. He wore dark clothing, and the occasional set of Army fatigues. His shoes were always combat boots and his jackets were always military-issued or leather trench coats. His features were sharp and striking and set off his pale skin, which in turn set off his dual-colored eyes: one green and one brown. They did amazing things.

From where we stood waiting, I had a clear view of Kenny's apartment building across the street. There was an eerie glow about it that night. Low-hanging clouds drifted about, skimming the rooftops in the complex. The sky was darkening from pinky-orange to cerulean and to an inky, midnight blue. It dawned on me that moon wasn't yet visible, though I could see its white glow in the distance. "Hey, Kenny?"
"Hm?" he grunted, jamming his hands down further inside his cavernous pockets.
"Where's the moon at? I can't find it and it's bugging me." He gave me a look that said I was being paranoid and I should stop it because it was bad for my health. I hated that look. It reminded me of how many years apart he and I were, almost 16, and it said that he was treating me like the little sister I was. He turned his head to face the apartment building, his brown eye gazing at the sky, his green eye staring at the structure. They did that sometimes, his eyes. "We'll see it in a minute. Just watch."
"Hey, Kenny?"
"Hm?"
"Do you think she'll show up before the bus gets here?"
"She? Oh, you mean the moon... Mhm. Yeah. Absolutely."
"I hope so...Jesus, it's cold out here."
"I'm not Jesus...I'm Kenny."
He seemed unperturbed by the temperature and his last comment showed it. But then again, he was wearing layer and layers of clothing. I was wearing skinny jeans, a fitted tee and a light, patterned pink sweater. Compared to Kenny, I was naked and because of my impracticality, I was freezing to death. And just when i thought it couldn't get much worse, a great wind rose up and chilled me from the outside in. It lifted up my coppery curls and whipped them about my face, lashing at my cheeks and eyes.
"Gah, Kenny! Why is it so cold?" I groaned.
"It's mid-winter in Nebraska which generally means it's freezing outside." He gave me "the look" again. "Here. Lemme turn around and block that nasty wind. We don't need you getting sick again; Melissa wouldn't like it." He turned his back to me and faced the wind full on. I knew he was thinking about Melissa, his girlfriend. They'd been together for eight years or so and he was waiting to pop "the question" until her parents could afford to come down from Alaska for the wedding. She was his polar opposite in every way that didn't matter. His hair was blond and hers was mouse brown, but the length was the same. She had bangs and he didn't, she was short and round, he was tall and burly. Melissa was the pickiest eater alive and he ate everything you can imagine.

I knew he was thinking of how he wished she was standing outside with us and how he wanted to hold her and never let her go. I knew because he couldn't stand to be away from her for too long. They'd been together for too many years for him to ever want to lose her. He felt so much, but showed so little. Kenny was just a big, scary-looking guy and he kept everything on the inside. I swear he could've been a Norse God in disguise.
"Thanks, Kenny.î"
ìNo prob, kid. It's my duty as your step-brother. Besides, this weather doesn't bother me; I'm literally twice your size, so how could it? Oh-oh! Look there it is! See? I told you." He pointed up at our building. I didn't see it at first, but when I did, it was like seeing for the first time. The Moon herself was rising before our very eyes and she was the most gorgeous being I had ever seen.

She crept up and over our apartment, gliding upwards and to the right. Her freckled face shone down on us, bathing us in pure, glimmering moonbeams. I squinted my eyes; barely able to see through the luminosity that was she. I was in a trance and didn't see the bus pulling up to our stop. I didn't realize I'd begun striding out into the middle of the right lane on Q St. I didn't see the bus's headlights and I didn't hear Kenny scream for me to stop. I didn't feel the bus's impact, nor did I feel myself crash down into the pavement, nor did I feel the tire crushing my skull. All I saw was her and her light; that pale, pale moonlight in the sky.