The Summer Sky Novels & Stories

Just a full tank of gas, six impossible teenagers, and a year we already named ours. The sun climbs higher. The marks on our wrists flare once (bright, proud). And somewhere above the Ozarks, thunder laughs like it’s been waiting for this exact moment since the day we were born. Summer is over. The sky? The sky just got started. The Sky Court Sends an Invitation September 3, 2029 – somewhere west of Amarillo, 2:14 a.m. The sky cracked open at 2:14 a.m. and started bleeding auroras.

Summer suggested, practically vibrating with excitement. I nodded, grabbing the thick blankets I'd had prepared by the door. We stepped out onto the private terrace, the cold air immediately nipping at our exposed skin. I wrapped a blanket around Summer's shoulders before pulling her against me under a second one. Above us, the aurora had expanded to fill the entire sky—swirling, pulsating, alive with cosmic energy. Summer tilted her face upward, the ethereal light playing across her features, transforming her into something otherworldly and magnificent.

It was very sunny today. Summer wore sportswear with her hair in a high ponytail. She was so fair that the sun was reflecting off of her. Casper coughed lightly. He had seen many beautiful women before, but he had rarely seen a woman who shone from her soul, like Summer. "Sir, can I get back home by tonight?" Summer asked cautiously as she considered what lies to tell to trick Jasper.

“Totally thrives on this. Loves every second.” I nod. “Yep. And Josh… well, he’s chaos incarnate.” We both laugh softly, glancing at the boys and then back at Gavin, noticing the subtle way he shifts his weight, always quietly aware, letting the antics play out around him. “And that,” Gemma whispers, grinning, “is why summer will never be boring with this crew.” I chuckle, letting the thought settle in. “Never boring… definitely not.” Eben stretches dramatically, still dripping, and grins. “By the way… bonfire tonight. Full-on chaos. Fire, drinks, music—the works. Don’t worry, it’s going to be wild.”

Our soft smiles fabricated silence, as we all gaze up to the night sky, praying that whoever is living there may our best of intentions be heard. Today marks the end of blazing Summer and the beginning of taciturn Fall, as all face, this new season of shedding and letting go, may the unfriendly howls of the notorious winter worth the struggle before we reach the gift of spring. However, there is nothing more that I really want, and that is to stand here once again with everyone, happy and complete. I moved my head to take a glance at everyone’s smiling faces as they watched the hundreds of lanterns fly up to the sky. I painted their very faces into my heart until my gaze is stuck on David, w

For the first time in months, a genuine smile formed on my face. My firm, steady voice carried over the airwaves into the distance. "The runway is open. Permission granted for takeoff. Wishing you a smooth flight." All those years of shame, suffering, and resentment had passed like a storm that had finally cleared. Above me stretched a vast, open blue sky. This time, I was no longer a caged bird gazing upward. I had become the sky itself.

However, he never showed himself, leaving me with no chance to vent my frustration. This absurd routine continued until the Snowcrest New Year. It was the grandest festival on the Snowcrest Plateau. To my surprise, John did not show up. By the time the sun was setting, I overheard people talking. Another avalanche had struck the Skyspire Mountains. My eyelid twitched. A moment later, the neighbor’s daughter spotted me and asked in surprise, “Dr. Summer, isn’t that handsome guy with you? He went to get you a gift, didn’t he?”

"I can be Spider-Man and Batman? Best day ever!" He turned and bolted up the stairs two at a time, already lost in his own joy, completely unaware of the storm gathering beneath our roof. Alone in the hallway, my fingers drifted to the pendant resting against my collarbone, the one I had worn every single day for ten years. I didn't need to look at it to know the words engraved across its surface. 'Next summer, find me if you can.' I had written that promise for me and Miguel, believing it was the beginning of a love story.

Yet somehow… my mind still drifted toward a stubborn eighteen-year-old girl with pink bandages and reckless eyes. Ava. Even after three days away from her, she still found a way into my thoughts like she belonged there. And that was the real problem. I exhaled sharply and grabbed the whiskey bottle from the table, pouring another glass. Outside, Pasadena glittered beneath the night sky. Beautiful. But inside the hotel suite, I already knew the truth. This summer was becoming dangerous in ways I never expected.

According to Hunter, Blake’s highly-ranked beta was murdered and he hasn’t brought down the law on the murderer yet. No one with the guts to injure one of my men who see the sunset, that I promised. *** “There you are!” Summer came from behind a tree. She was dressed in a long coat. It was too hot out for it but it made my imagination wonder what was underneath. “Why didn’t you tell me you didn’t want to go to the party?” She lifted a shoulder. She dug into her coat and pulled out a bottle of scotch. “I thought this would be more fun. Did I get your brand?”