The pictures placed around the Lake house were the typical photographs every family had around their houses. There was an image of little boy blowing candles with a birthday hat on top of his head, two bodies behind him with smiles on their faces. There was another one with a baby girl in the arms of the same boy from the birthday picture, only a few years older. The most beautiful picture was probably the one placed on a wall, with four people, smiling brightly. The older woman, with her strawberry blonde hair down perfectly and a summer dress, smiled as the teenager right next to her held a tiny girl, tickling her so she would laugh. The oldest male in the picture also had a smile, but his face showed an ironic expression as he looked at the camera.
It was probably the most precious moment captured in that family. A shame it was outdated by five years.
Sometimes, the little girl, who was in that fase where she wanted to tell everyone how not-little she was, would stare at that picture and miss the brother she had, while wondering about the moments they could have had, like how he could have been the one to teach her how to ride a bike or the one who would share her enthusiasm with the Star Wars movies.
Sometimes, she would get so angry at him that she’d almost throw one of the stones she had found by the lake at the frame. He should have been there for her. He should be the one telling her everything would be ok when her grades started falling in math, he should be the one admiring her drawings and helping her get through whatever was happening in her life.
But then she reminded herself that it wasn’t his fault. And she would forgive him and go back to missing him all the time. She tried not to think about the grave without a body, and how her big brother had turned to ash.
He was a hero, everyone told her, but she already knew that. But in all the books of adventure she had read, the hero was always alive at the end and the world was safe.
None of those seemed real at that point.
Sometimes, she would look at the sky and admire the stars, hoping he was there, staring at her with his bright brown eyes.
At every birthday, Morgan wished for him to magically come back, like the heroes always did in her books. She never told anyone, but she knew that her parents wished the same on their birthdays.
The dinner table had four chairs, and even though five years had passed since the decimation, the fourth plate was always set, and would always be. And every August 10th, they baked her brother’s favorite cake and lighted a candle.
Her room was full of stuff that once belonged to Peter. An old camera, a Midtown High Sweatshirt, his barely used headphones, a baseball cap… Morgan loved having those around. They helped her feel a little less lonely when the night fell and the stars seemed far away.
Sometimes, she would share a tear or two for her brother. But then she’d stop. He wouldn’t want her to cry. Because Starks were made of iron.
§
One day, her father spent the night awake. It wasn’t uncommon for him to pull all-nighters, but, that time, it felt different, she didn’t know why.
“Shit" he had said, with his eyes wide and watery.
“Language” she had answered. The man looked at her shocked, Morgan wasn’t supposed to be up.
“What… What are you doing up, little miss?” He asked, his voice distant.
The truth is, she didn’t know. She couldn’t seem to fall asleep. The stars were too bright that night.
“Hungry" she lied. Her father smiled and got up.
They ate ice pops outside, looking at the stars.
“I miss him” she told her dad. He looked at her with a small smile.
“Me too”
When he tucked her into bed that night, he seemed different, hopeful.
“I love you tons”
“I love you three thousand”
Dad was gone even before she woke up.
§
A week later, her mother had to rush somewhere and Happy stayed home with her. Morgan was worried and confused. Her uncle was a lot jumpier than he usually was, always checking his phone, hoping for updates. That night, when her parents didn’t come home, she put on her brother’s old sweatshirt and tried to sleep.
She dreamed of churros and ice pops.
In the evening of the following day, with the stars just starting to show up in the sky, her mother came home, with her father by her side. They looked tired and beat up, but she didn’t remember ever seeing them with smiles that bright.
Morgan hugged them as tight as she could.
“What happened to you?” She asked.
“Hey, Morgunna” her father said, pulling apart so he could face her “I brought a surprise for you”
She tilted her head, confused.
From his behind, he pulled a red fabric and put it in her hands. It was a mask, with white eyes and a webbing pattern in a subtle black. Morgan felt her eyes tear up.
“Do you know what this is?” Her mother said, brushing the girl’s hair away from her face.
“Yeah…” her voice sounded weird, her heart raced.
She knew her brother had been Spider-man, she had seen the pictures, but never the suit, her parents never let her near his suits. Probably because they couldn’t get near them as well. It hurt too much.
So, having that in her hands for the first time felt good, another item to make her few closer to her brother.
“Do you know whose it is?” They asked, already knowing the answer.
“Yeah, it’s… It’s Peter’s" a smile formed in her face. She missed him so much.
Her mom glanced at her father, a mischief Morgan wasn’t used to seeing with the older woman.
“Do you like the surprise?” Pepper asked, carefully.
“Yes!” Morgan answered, with enthusiasm.
“And how about that one?” Her dad pointed at something behind her. Morgan turned quickly, not prepared to see who was there.
He was wearing jeans and a long sleeved shirt, he looked pale and had some bruises in his face. His brown hair was all messed up, but his eyes were the same bright brown eyes she remembered.
Peter hadn’t aged a day.
She dropped the mask and ran to him, jumping into his arms.
Morgan didn’t even realize she had started sobbing.
“Hey, baby girl.” he said, crying as well. His voice, a little high but playful and his “Look how you’ve grown”
“I'm not a baby anymore” she answered, hugging him tighter, so he wouldn’t go away again “I missed you”
“I know… I missed you too” he whispered, kissing the top of her head “I hope you didn’t finish that Lego set without me. If you did, I’m gonna be really pissed.”
A day before he disappeared, they had been building together a new Star Wars set, but it got so late they had to go to bed. Morgan remembered trying to continue building it after a few months, but she couldn’t. Another day, she was so mad he was gone she destroyed the whole thing.
“I think we’re gonna have to start again” she laughed.
“That's okay.” He smiled “We have a few years to catch up”
She nodded, burying her head in his shoulder.
Morgan felt her parents join the hug as well. She was sure that, from now on, the stars would never be too far or too bright, because the brightest star came back to her, and that was all she needed.
F. R. I. D. A.Y took a picture of that hug. They hung it on the wall, right next to the summer one.
Finally, the family was complete.