by G. K. DeRosa
Pushing the dark thoughts away, Celeste sat back up and forced herself to concentrate. She took a few cleansing breaths like she had learned in yoga class and thought back to the many days she spent meditating in Stellan’s sunny backyard. In her head, she repeated the mantra, “Astor, Astor, take me to Astor.” Suddenly, a flash of light blinded her, and she was thrust through what she could only describe as an intense roller coaster ride. Her stomach flipped violently, and she had to suppress the urge to throw up. Seconds later she opened her eyes and found herself in the middle of the Council’s chambers. Four pairs of eyes looked expectantly up at her. She immediately recognized them as Dante, Sierra, Seraphina, and Balthazar and her face flushed.
“Celeste, you have not been summoned. What are you doing here?” asked Dante sternly.
She was mortified. “I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “It’s just that I’ve never been anywhere else in Astor, and this is where I ended up.”
Seraphina gave her an encouraging smile. “That’s quite all right dear, just head out through that door and follow the hallway out to the main atrium. You’ll find the exit to the town square right in front of you.” She pointed to a blank spot on the white wall and a door appeared.
“Thank you,” said Celeste, rushing out of the room with her head down.
As she stepped out into the gorgeous sunny day, her mouth dropped open at the beauty that was Astor.
Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.
There was not a single cloud in the perfectly blue sky, and everywhere she looked was meticulously manicured. From the colorful flowerbeds to the flawlessly shaped evergreens to towering glass buildings in the distance, everything was impeccably cared for. And the weather, how could it be so warm in the middle of December? As she stared in awe at her surroundings, a familiar face came into view.
“What do you think, Celeste?” asked Sierra, her long silver hair pinned back neatly.
“Oh it’s amazing. I had no idea that Astor was so extraordinary,” she answered.
“Yes, well, it occurred to me that it may be a bit overwhelming for you since this is your first time here, and I decided to come check on you.”
“Thank you,” Celeste said, unable to keep from admiring the beauty around her.
“Would you like a quick tour?” she offered.
“Yes, that would be lovely.”
As they walked through the main square, Celeste was taken aback by the contradicting elements of classic features enhanced by modern wonders. Tall glass buildings dotted the skyline, but on the streets below she felt the quaint charm of an old Parisian village. Granted, she had never actually been to Paris, but it was just as she had seen in pictures. Celeste watched the passersby in curiosity, wondering what it must be like to call Astor home.
“So everyone here is a retired guardian, right?”
“That’s correct. You can see that our population tends to be on the older side as most retire around the age of forty. But it is not always the case. Some very successful guardians are released from their duty at a much younger age so we do have some young families as well,” she explained as she pointed at onlookers.
“Do all guardians have to come here once their duty has ended?”
“No, of course not. Some choose to live out their lives in the human plane, but it is greatly recommended for them to come here. Once they are no longer on active duty, living in the outside world often becomes too dangerous for them and their families.”
Celeste nodded and noticed a group of children walking together with an elderly guardian leading them. “Is there a school for kids too?”
“Yes, we do have a small population of young children who attend school here. Most of the ones you see ahead are children who have lost their guardian parent,” she said pausing for a moment. “When a guardian is killed in battle and leaves a family, we do our best to keep them safe by bringing them here.”
Celeste looked puzzled. “How come I wasn’t brought here when my father died?”
Sierra shook her head. “It is ultimately the decision of the surviving parent if they choose to come here. Your mother was not partial to the idea.”
As they continued walking, Celeste made a mental note to discuss that with her mother at a later date. She couldn’t believe that she could have grown up in this magical place. Sierra pointed out a few of the main buildings in the town square – the school, library, town hall, police and fire stations, and of course the imposing white marble Council building which sat in the center of it all.
“You have a police station?”
“Of course. Someone needs to maintain order in this place. Although we are a very peaceful society, there are times when things get out of hand, and the police are there for that purpose.”
Celeste found this all so fascinating. She had about a million questions and would have loved to spend the entire day exploring the town. She knew, however, that Sierra must have much to do for the ceremony tomorrow, and she didn’t want to keep her.
As if Sierra had read her mind, she interjected, “I’m sorry my dear, but I must be getting back to work. We have been very busy preparing for the ceremony and even more so when we were alerted about your premonition.”
“I really hope I’m wrong,” she said gravely.
“No matter, we are taking the necessary precautions and have invited an additional hundred guardians from all over the world. Some will be arriving this very evening. Our little town is about to get extremely crowded!”
Celeste smiled. “Thank you so much for the tour. I’m really looking forward to the ceremony tomorrow.” And with a wave, Sierra disappeared back into the impressive Council building.
Celeste wasn’t entirely sure how time passed here in Astor relative to her world, but she figured it was about time for her to return as well. She just hoped she could remember how to get back.
Chapter 6
Celeste’s eyes shot open to the sounds of large wings flapping by her open window. Rubbing them sleepily, she turned in her bed to see a large black falcon perched at the bay window. His beady blue eyes were intent on hers as he peered at her questioningly.
“You can come in, Roman,” she said as she sat up and ran her fingers through her wild hair.
The falcon flew into her room and by the time Celeste blinked, Roman in full male form was standing before her. Looking at him now, she only saw her friend, her trainer, her protector, and the love of her life. But when she closed her eyes, the horrible images of Roman covered in the blood of some helpless victim refused to disappear. He stood silently watching her as her heart and mind struggled to make a decision. He knew her so well, he undoubtedly sensed that something was wrong.
Celeste patted a spot on the bed beside her. “Come sit,” she said, looking up at his troubled expression. He crossed the space between them in a split second, and was sitting next to her staring at her anxiously. She took a deep breath and began.
“I wasn’t entirely honest with you when I told you about my premonition the other day. I mean I was, but there was just more to it than I told you. I think I saw a vision from the past too – your past,” she fumbled. Roman put his hand on her thigh to steady her, but she flinched. He quickly pulled it away, the hurt written across his face. “I’m sorry,” she said, noticing what she had unintentionally done.
Roman stood up and walked a few paces toward the open window. Then he turned around to face her. “What did you see Celeste? How bad could it have been that you recoiled from my touch?” There was a hint of panic in his eyes. He knew very well that there were many things he had done long ago that could have caused such a reaction.
“I saw you Roman, but it wasn’t anything like the you I know,” she said as her voice began to tremble. “It was horrible! Your face was covered in blood and there were bodies scattered all around. And your eyes were black as night, and so empty. I’ve never been so scared in all my life. You were a monster!” As she let out the last word, she began to s
ob. She buried her head in her hands and cried and cried. He had always told her that he was a monster, but she had never believed it. Not until she had seen it with her own eyes. And now she wished she never had.
At the sight of her crying, Roman’s first instinct was to rush over to her to comfort her, but now he wasn’t sure if that’s what she wanted. She had seen a side of him that he had hoped would remain forever hidden from her. Intense feelings of guilt washed over him. He tried so hard to forget about the terrible things he had done in his life, and now to have them all out in the open, in front of the girl he loved more than anything, was just too much to bear.
Roman dashed across the room and kneeled on the floor in front of Celeste. He laid his head in her lap and pleaded, “I’m sorry Celeste. I’m so sorry, please forgive me,” he implored as tears ran down his cheek. “That wasn’t me. That’s not me anymore, not since I met and fell in love with you. I could never be that thing that you saw. I swear it!”
Celeste wanted to believe him, she wanted for it to be true with all her heart, but she suddenly couldn’t look at him the same way anymore. Something had changed, and with that realization she felt a tiny chasm split open across her heart.
“Say something, please,” he said, lifting his head to look at her.
“I love you, Roman,” she said, a shadow of a smile crossing her face. “I’m just going to need some time to move past this.”
“Okay,” he said, clasping her hands in his. “I can give you time, I can give you whatever you need. Just please give me another chance.” His bright blue eyes stared at her intently. “You were right about all the supernatural stuff, and you being a part of it – we are meant to be together. You are my life. I can’t live without you. I won’t.”
Roman slowly inched his face toward hers, and Celeste gazed back at him, her heart beating erratically. She closed her eyes as he neared. Before reaching her lips, he lowered her chin with his unsteady hand and planted a chaste kiss on her forehead. She opened her eyes as the warmth of his lips faded away, and he was gone.
“Did you find what you were looking for in those old Guardian journals?” asked Dani. Stellan had been tucked away in his study for hours, and she was bored.
“No, not exactly,” he said, shaking his head wearily.
“What are you trying to find anyway?” she asked, her head curiously peeking through the doorway.
“You remember the light that burst out of Celeste’s sword when Fabian and Alek attacked a few months ago?” She nodded her head. “Well, there is no mention of anything even remotely like it in any of these books. I’ve gone through at least a hundred years of notes from a multitude of guardian families, and I’ve come across nothing.”
“Maybe Celeste is just special or something,” said Dani with an indifferent shrug of her shoulders.
“I suppose. I was hoping that I could find a definitive answer, especially with the Induction Ceremony and her ominous premonition looming ever closer.” Stellan adjusted his glasses and bent his head back down over the journal in front of him. Dani took the hint and left him, shutting the door silently behind her.
“I don’t want to talk to anyone. Leave me alone!” said Celeste. Her voice was muffled by the pillow where she had buried her head.
“But you have a visitor,” said her mom through the door.
Celeste picked her head up off the tear-stained pillow, and rubbed her eyes. “Who is it?” she asked, a part of her hoping it was Roman.
“Her name is Marie. She said she’s a friend of yours from college. She’s waiting downstairs in the living room for you.”
Ugh. What is she doing here?
With everything that had just happened with Roman, Marie was probably the last person Celeste expected to show up. She forced herself out of the bed and caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were puffy and bloodshot, and she had a ring of mascara above and below her eyelid. She splashed some cold water on her face and attempted to make herself look a bit more presentable.
Trudging down the stairs, she found Marie sitting in her living room. Her long auburn hair shone in the mid-afternoon sun and perfectly contrasted the emerald green of her eyes. Marie’s pink lips formed into a sweet smile as she saw her approaching.
“What’s up?” asked Celeste brusquely, in no mood for niceties.
“Sorry, I hope I’m not intruding, I just came by to – ” she stopped mid-sentence having noticed the look of misery on Celeste’s face. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” answered Celeste, avoiding the girl’s questioning look. “You were saying?”
Marie paused for a moment, second-guessing her decision to come over. “I was just at Brian’s, and he filled me in on your premonition about the ceremony,” she said tentatively.
“He did?” she interjected, her eyes wide. Celeste was annoyed with herself for not having done the research on the fairies like she had wanted to. The old books that Stellan had lent her still lay unopened on her bedroom desk.
“Yeah, we had this big talk about the supernatural world and all that. He had a lot of questions about me and the Fey. I think it went pretty well though, and I think we’re dating,” she said with a smile.
“So Brian’s okay with all of it?” she asked with her arms folded defensively across her chest.
She nodded. “I guess I should thank you. If you hadn’t introduced him to all the supernatural stuff to begin with, he probably wouldn’t have been so open to me. So anyway, I thought maybe I could help you.”
“How could you help me?” Celeste asked, annoyance building inside of her at Brian for sharing her secret with a perfect stranger.
“I can go with you to Astor. I know that you usually hunt with Roman and Nico, so I thought I could be your back up. Brian’s worried about you going alone, so I promised him I’d try to help.”
This was so not what Celeste was expecting. “How can you get into Astor? Aren’t fairies supernatural creatures? You shouldn’t be allowed either.”
“I can get in,” she said with a wink.
Celeste contemplated her offer. On one hand, she didn’t trust Marie and knew practically nothing about her, but on the other, her fairy powers could prove useful if the Council was attacked. And it would give her the opportunity to spend more time with her – get to know her better. But if it was the Queen of the Fey that had sent the Bacillus demon after her, Marie could be working for her and this could all be an elaborate trap, she reasoned. Celeste’s curiosity finally won out and she said, “Okay. Be back here at 7pm and we’ll go.”
As she opened the door to let Marie out, Natalie came strolling up the porch steps with a grocery bag in tow. She ran to Celeste and wrapped her arms around her. “I’m so sorry. Nico just told me what happened.”
Marie’s ears perked up, but Celeste gave Natalie a warning look and she quickly shut up. The two girls acknowledged each other with a smile.
“You’re Natalie, right?” asked Marie.
“Yeah, I remember you from Ralph’s,” she responded. “Nice seeing you.”
“See you in a few hours,” Celeste said to Marie trying to hurry her along. Marie turned and walked away, and Celeste pulled Natalie inside her house.
“So you guys are on a break?” asked Natalie. The two girls sat in the kitchen with a large bowl of ice cream in front of each of them. Maraschino cherries, chocolate syrup, rainbow sprinkles and whipped cream covered the kitchen counter. Natalie had come prepared.
“I don’t know. I guess,” answered Celeste despondently.
“So this thing that he did in the past that you won’t tell me about, is enough to break up over?”
“It’s bad, Nat. I just can’t look at him the same way right now. I need time to figure it out,” she explained as she shoveled a spoonful of chocolate sundae in her mouth. She hated not telling Natalie the truth; she was probably making it sound like Roman had cheated or something. She would have never guessed in a million years that he was
a brutal killer.
“Hi, Nat. I didn’t know you were here,” said Celeste’s mom, appearing in the kitchen. “I’m so glad you got her out of bed.” She put an arm around her daughter and kissed her on the top of the head.
“I’m looking out for her, don’t you worry about a thing, Mrs. Wilder,” said Natalie.
“Thank you, sweetie. That does make me feel a lot better,” she said with a warm smile. “I have to head out to the hospital, but your aunt is upstairs taking a nap. Are you girls going to hang out at home tonight?”
Celeste’s eyes opened wide. “No, I actually have somewhere I need to be tonight.” Her mom and Natalie looked at her in surprise. “With Aunt Maddie. She’s taking me out for some family bonding.”
Her mother nodded knowingly, but Natalie looked disappointed.
“Thanks for the ice cream, Nat. It was just what I needed. But I do have some important things I have to do with my aunt tonight.”
“Oh sure,” she answered. “We’ll pick up where we left off tomorrow then?”
“Yeah, that would be great,” she said. If I’m still alive by then.
Once Natalie pulled out of the driveway, Celeste raced up the stairs to her aunt’s room. It was getting late and Stellan and Marie would be here shortly. Her aunt still hadn’t given her a definite answer on whether or not she would be coming. Celeste hoped desperately that she would.
Celeste knocked at the door of the guest bedroom, quietly at first, and when her aunt didn’t respond, she knocked more forcefully then gave the doorknob a jiggle. It was locked.
“Aunt Maddie? Are you awake?”
She heard footsteps in the bedroom and finally the door swung open. Her aunt stood before her in a bathrobe with disheveled hair and eyes almost as puffy as Celeste’s.
“Is everything okay Aunt Maddie?”
“Of course, I just must have fallen asleep,” she responded, her voice raspy.