Explosions of red, white, and blue lights burst in the marble night sky above their heads, causing Hanna to reach for her handgun pressing up against the waistband of her sweatpants underneath her sweatshirt. Alarmingly, Clara covers her ears, not sure what the excitement was about. Marissa consoles her, telling her the fireworks are nothing but sparkles of light. She leans forward on the curb, squeezing Hanna’s arm.
“Hanna, we don’t need to use that right now,” she tells her, reassuringly. “It’s okay. The fireworks are suppose to go off...”
“Why is everyone screaming?” Hanna demands, glancing around the crowds of people making such a scene over the explosions.
“They are simply enjoying the show.” Marissa then turns around to gently pull Clara’s hands away from her ears.
More loud, ecstatic booms shoot off with sprays of red, green, and white. Hanna stares at the beauty and color and thinks that the sky has been set on fire. Clara watches, too, with Marissa resting her chin on the palm of her hand, smirking at the girls’ experience with tonight’s light show.