Chasing the Morningstar

When the child awoke, she was in a bed she had never slept in before, in a room she had never seen. It was still dark as she tried to look around the room and focus on some of the items, but she couldn't make them out. All she could see was the small amount of light coming from the window. Covered by heavy drapery she pushed it aside, looking up into the dark morning sky. The moon was far in the West, barely exposed, but she could clearly make out a small bright star. She stared at it for a moment, finding solace in its presence. On a cold dark morning, it was a welcome sign in the early morning's sky. She continued to stare at it for a while until it slowly faded from sight. She wondered, where did it go? One day, she would find out! Feeling inquisitive, the toddler scurried out of the room. She entered a hallway which led straight into a large open kitchen and stood staring, half asleep, at the scene before her. Papers were strewn across the table. Cards and photos were cut out and piled on top of a garbage can near the door. She had been working through the night to recreate their lives. Tanya and Rebeccah had just moved in and all their documentation had to state that. The car had been unpacked and a thorough search of the house and car had put together enough food and essentials to last them quite a while, surprisingly. In and amongst the toiletries, she had come across a hair dye for dark brown hair and a large package of red henna. She would use the hair dye on herself and then mix the henna with strong cold coffee and use it on the child's hair. If they had to go into town for anything she'd make sure they were disguised first, Tanya wasn't taking any chances. The child moved slowly into the room towards the wooden kitchen table. It was round with four matching chairs and a small matching hutch, off to one side. The furniture, like the house, was old and needed cleaning, but it was sturdy and intact. "Oh you're up! Come here, Rebeccah and have some breakfast." The child looked confused at the woman and pulled a face. "I'm Poppy, not Beccah", she said indignantly. The woman laughed. "Oh silly you, it`s not Poppy, it’s Poppet." She stressed to the child, "And, you know it's just a nick name, but Rebeccah is your real name. You were named after my mother, our Grandmother, you know that. And, you're such a big girl now, we should start using your real name." She made a face at the child, shaking her head and closed the subject with a wag of her finger. "No more nicknames. Now, come and have some breakfast." The woman busied herself while Rebeccah sat down. "I know you're probably wondering where we are, aren't you?" Tanya asked Rebeccah, sweetly. Rebeccah nodded her head as she bit into an orange slice offered to her and rubbed her eye sleepily. "This is our new home. We are going to live here and you and Mommy are going to be very happy here." She told Rebeccah. "Mommy?" Rebeccah asked her. "Daddy?" She asked as well. The woman shook her head, laughing at the child. "Silly girl, I'm your Mommy!" She emphasized. "Wee-Za was my nickname you called me, but now you must call me Mommy, okay?" The child seemed to accept this change easier than her own name change. "Where's Daddy?" Rebeccah asked, shrugging her shoulders. At this point, her real father, Chase Morningstar was in a jail cell in the U.S., but that was not what the woman told her. "He's gone away now, honey and he won't be back.", was all she said as she turned and continued to tidy the kitchen. From then on, Chase Morningstar ceased to exist in the child's world and slowly, but surely, the two assumed the identities of Rebeccah and Tanya. The house they acquired was a small farm house built some 70 years previous. It had been owned by an uncle of Tanya's mother who left it to her when he died. She'd had no use for it but knew one day it might be a worthwhile piece of property, the farmland surrounding the house was often eyed by area farmers for favorable land to add to their acreage. But Tanya's mother never sold out and having read through all the legal papers found in the car, the land could now be used to rent out and become a source of income for Tanya, which she promptly advertised. Before too long the two neighboring farmers on either side were paying Tanya monthly rent in cash for the extra acreage. This allowed Tanya and Rebeccah to live in almost seclusion only needing to travel into town for groceries or essentials whenever necessary. It also provided Tanya enough time to thoroughly brainwash the little girl into a whole new life as Rebeccah, meanwhile Poppy's death had been discovered and tragically reported, only to fade away in the media and in people's minds. For most, life went back to normal and for two years Tanya and Rebeccah lived immersed in their own little bubble, cementing the transformation completely. Gone were Luisa and Poppy. Gone, but not forgotten. *** Rebeccah, now age 5, awoke in the very early morning hours. She got up and looked out her bedroom window at the morning sky and there it was. Her star. Her morning star. She watched it almost every morning. It filled her with such happiness. It twinkled bright and proud for a number of minutes, but as the sun began its ascension the star faded from sight. She watched until it had gone from sight and then climbed back into her bed with thoughts of stars in her head and quickly fell back to sleep.