The Star Caster

by Jamie Loeak

  The man begins to walk back over to me. I can tell that he knows that my questions are going to continue. He sighs as he sits back down on the cold, hard ground. His grey eyes stare at me as he figures out what he is going to say to me. “I aided them,” he admits. “However,” he adds when he realizes that I’m not going to freak out, “I did not plan your kidnapping.”

  I nod, understanding. They must have forced him into it. Whoever these men are, they disgust me. However, I figure that this man doesn’t trust me enough yet. I can’t ask him if he’s been kidnapped. He could have some sort of wire or microphone. He might not want to tell me, considering I will end up in the same life. I sigh, wondering where to go from here.

  “What more do you want?” he says after a minute.

  “I don’t know,” I say. “I guess I want to know why I’m here, in this cage. I could be in a cell, in a room with a lock on the outside.”

  “It is safer to keep you there,” he says. The man leans back again, waiting for me to process this information. Was it safer for them – my kidnappers – or me? And how would this prison be safer for me anyway? It could never be safer than a simple cell.

  “Why me?” I ask before my brain can catch up to my mouth.

  “You are the person they are after. That is all there is to it. I do not know who you are to them. I suppose neither of us will until after the metamorphosis. Don’t you agree?”

  I shrug in understanding; I did see his point. “What is your name?” I ask him a moment later. I almost feel rude for not introducing myself but realize, once again, where I am. How could I have forgotten? Oh, because we were actually having a nice conversation. I didn’t think that kind of stuff happened in times like these.

  He smiles. “My name is Sterren. And what is your name?”

  “Danika,” I state.

  Sterren stands suddenly and does something very unusual and unheard of in this time period. He bows to me. His hand, palm first, touches his stomach, and he just bends in half. I almost laugh, but blush instead. This was not a normal kidnapper-kidnapped relationship. He must have been forced to help them. But didn’t I come to that conclusion moments ago? Why am I pushing so hard?

  “Do you know if I’ll be here forever?” I finally ask.

  Sterren shrugs. “I do not know what they want with you,” he repeats.

  I sigh and whimper as I accidentally lean against my enclosure. I watch as Sterren moves so that he is squatting in front of me. His grey eyes stare at me and his brow furrows. In one swift movement, Sterren is standing over me, his grey eyes sad and angry. He turns away and leaves me staring after him, my mouth open.

  What the heck was that? He is one strange guy. Why would he be so polite, and then just walk away with no acknowledgement of my existence? He didn’t even say goodbye to me. Oh well, I guess he’s not that different than the others.

  I lean my head down; my forehead rests on my arms so that my eyes are bathed in complete darkness. I’m so tired, but it’s impossible to sleep here. This is absolutely ridiculous. Safe? Nothing is safe when barbed wire is involved. I sigh, frustrated, and allow the tears to fall, warm and quick, down my face. I’m so happy that I’m alone right now. This loneliness is best at times like this, times when you’re too weak to keep it together.

  The stress of this, of this whole mess, collides and forms one huge problem. I cry over how I got myself into this, how I’m stuck like this, and how Sterren is simultaneously intriguing and annoying me. There’s nothing I can do to get myself out of this mess, and this hopeless feeling, combined with my other reasons for crying, drives me crazy. I spend the next half-hour crying like this. The only reason I stop is because there are no more tears to shed.

  Footsteps rouse me from my sniffling. I sit up, knowing that I won’t let myself look weak in front of whoever is coming to taunt me. I wipe the tears from my face, hoping that the dim light doesn’t draw attention to my puffy eyes and red cheeks.

  “It’s just me,” Sterren states as he walks into the light. He looks around and behind him as he walks toward me, and I raise an eyebrow at him. “Technically, I’m not allowed to do this,” he adds as he gets closer, and I can see why. Sterren is carrying a blanket, along with cheese and crackers. I’m hoping the cheese and crackers are for me, but lose my hope when Sterren lays the blanket across the dirty floor.

  “What are you doing?” I ask him.

  “I need to keep you awake until they come to retrieve you,” Sterren answers.

  “Oh,” I say simply. Well that’s unexpected, and I can’t seem to grasp the idea that Sterren is staying until I see him recline, his hands resting on the blanket. “Why are you doing this?” I ask after he relaxes. I hope that he isn’t here to trick me into trusting him and instantly pull my defenses back up. I shouldn’t have let them slip in his presence in the first place.

  Sterren opens the crackers and the pre-sliced cheese. I watch as he makes himself a cheese and cracker sandwich and sticks it in his mouth. Then, he makes another, this one with two pieces of cheese in the middle. I stare at the food, jealous and a little angry. He swallows the first one, then sticks the second in his mouth. My jaw nearly drops open in shock. Wow, he’s rude and inconsiderate.

  I lower my head until my forehead is resting against my knees. I open my eyes and look into the dark cave I’ve created and trace the hem of my jeans as I bite my lip. Maybe Sterren wouldn’t look so comfortable working with these crazy kidnappers if he was a little nicer, a little bit more like a gentlemen.

  “Here,” Sterren whispers. I look up to find that he’s holding out a cheese and cracker sandwich, his fingers waiting carefully on the other side of the barbed wire.

  “Why are you doing this?” I ask him.

  “You’re hungry,” he says matter-of-factly. He waves the sandwich and I reach forward. The cheese is still pretty cold, the cracker is rough and salty, and my stomach growls, even though I attempt to contain my hunger. I don’t want Sterren to feel like he owes me some food.

  “Thank you,” I mumble in response.

  Sterren nods, sensing my discomfort with the situation, and I silently thank him for letting it go. He hands me another cheese and cracker sandwich, and even though I ask him not to, he hands me a third and fourth cracker.

  Afterwards, Sterren leans back on his blanket. His long legs are extended in front of him and he rests on his elbows; his light blue shirt hangs loosely on the sides, tighter near his chest now, and I can see his lean muscles more closely. Sterren leans his head back, stretching his neck, and the material of his shirt rises so that I can see the bottom of his flat stomach. His skin is tanned and I can see his defined abdominal muscles. This guy has a six pack.

  Forcefully, I blink so that I can refocus. “Aren’t you going to fall asleep?” I ask as I turn my head away. I can’t stare at his body anymore. It’s too distracting, too good.

  “Not at all,” Sterren replies. He clears his throat afterwards and I listen while he changes positions.

  I sigh before turning slowly. I’m almost afraid to see him. A vision flashes before me, and I imagine Sterren lying on his side, positioned like one of those underwear models. I snort – an attempt to contain my laughter – and swallow. When I do turn, Sterren’s sitting up again, rubbing his elbows. “It’s uncomfortable,” I state.

  Sterren nods. “I can’t believe you’re able to contain yourself,” he says as he looks up at me. “I would be driven crazy by the noises, the atmosphere.”

  “There’s no point,” I answer.

  “You are right,” Sterren agrees.

  I blink at him, curious. It was almost as if he was a normal person, or at least it was like he was one a moment ago. I can see now, though, that he’s closing himself off. Sterren is hiding something from me, and he isn’t planning on telling me what it is. Whatever; I don’t need Sterren to get me out of this mess. Besides, why is he even here if he plans on being cryptic the whole time? He has no reason to be here. But then, why is he her
e? I roll my eyes. I’m being stupid. He doesn’t have to have a reason to be here.

  I lean back, wishing that I was anywhere but here. I had done well, getting myself into this mess. Now, I was stuck in this cage for who knows how long. I bite my lip as the familiar burning sensation rushes through my throat, a flash of pain and vulnerability. I won’t let myself cry in front of Sterren. I don’t want him to think that he wins this round.

  “You have no more questions,” Sterren says.

  I sigh aloud but don’t answer him.

  “There is nothing more?” he presses.

  I tighten my grip on my arms, getting annoyed with his seemingly persistent talking. “No,” I mumble, more to get him to stop talking than anything.

  “I understand,” he says honestly. What was with the honesty thing? Couldn’t he just stop it already? I didn’t really need him. It wasn’t like I asked him to be here with me.

  “Why don’t you just lie to me?” I ask finally. “Isn’t that what you criminals do, anyway? Please, just stop talking to me, because I can’t handle any more of your truth.”

  This time Sterren sighs. “I cannot lie,” he says simply.

  “What do you mean?” I ask as I lift my head again. Once again, I’m enthralled by Sterren’s grey eyes. I let myself look into them, look deep into his soul, or whatever was supposed to be within them. His light eyes sparkle with golden flecks. A light brown ring frames his pupil, and a darker brown ring frames his iris; it is mesmerizing the way his eyes do that.

  “I cannot lie,” he repeats.

  “Okay,” I offer as I look back down at my arms. I blush slightly and sigh inwardly. What in the world am I doing?

  Sterren leans forward. He bites his sensuous lower lip and traces circles over the blanket that he’s sitting on. “Who are you?” he asks me.

  I open my eyes wide in shock. Never in my wildest dreams would I think that Sterren would ask me a question. “Well, I’m a pre-law student,” I answer. “Well, I was a pre-law student.”

  “What kind of law?” Sterren asks, avoiding my last comment. “I mean, what kind of lawyer did you want to be?”

  It doesn’t pass me, the fact that he used the past tense. “Well, I was deciding between environmental and criminal law; however, I don’t think it matters anymore.”

  “What about your friends?”

  “I didn’t really have any friends,” I say.

  “Why didn’t you have any?”

  I shrug and turn my head away so that I can think. I don’t really know why I don’t have any friends. My thoughts turn back to my classes; I didn’t talk to the other students. I studied alone. My time wasn’t spent in the library or coffee shops with study groups. I preferred to study by myself. “To be honest, I don’t know,” I say more to myself than Sterren. “I guess I never felt like I needed someone.”

  Sterren nods. He looks like he is about to say something to me but turns his head as the familiar sound of footsteps on gravel reaches us. He stands quickly and pulls his blanket off the cold ground, looking toward the source of the noise the entire time. His blanket is now tossed over his shoulder. His hands are held in fists at his sides, and he looks like he is deciding on his next move. Sterren looks toward me for a moment, nods in confirmation, and walks past my cage to the left and into the darker corners, past the extent of my vision.

  I turn my head from Sterren’s general direction, knowing that I must keep his position a secret. This new person isn’t talking and it’s hard to trace his location. I don’t want him to be watching me without my knowing. That would be creepy and unfortunate. And even though I don’t fully trust Sterren, he’s all that I have right now. I sigh and lay my head down on top of my crossed arms. The sound of the dripping water makes its way back to my ears, and I count how many drops there are until I see a figure step into the light. He’s wearing dark shoes, along with a dark, hooded cape, and his eyes are hidden. I counted up to twenty.

  The person before me is much shorter than Sterren, with pale skin and a wide frame. His face is defined; a strong jaw and large nose protrude from the shade of his hood, making me think of some sort of wizard. His thin lips are a pale pink, almost tan or light brown. His hands are almost translucent, and I shiver, afraid of what he wants. “What is your age?” he asks.

  I stare at this man, and recognize his voice instantly. He is the man that was supposed to have all the answers; the second man in the conversation that I heard earlier. What was he doing asking me questions? Was he having trouble providing answers? I look at the ground and think about how I will answer. Should I just give him the answer?

  Tell him.

  “I’m eighteen,” I utter automatically.

  The man’s thin lips curl into an ugly smile. “When did you turn eighteen?” he asks. His hands are clasped in front of him.

  What the heck was that? I didn’t mean to just give him the answer. That was just plain stupid to me. Why would I do that? I needed some sort of leverage. I didn’t need to give him everything he needed.

  Just tell him.

  “Today,” I state.

  “At what time?” he pushes.

  “I don’t know,” I stammer, growing nervous. “My mother never told me when I was born. She never found it important,” I claim.

  The man nods.

  “Please. Please tell me when I can leave this cage. I’m growing tired and can’t fall asleep because of it. Can you please take me from here?”

  Those pale lips curl back up into a smile, and I realize that I’ve said too much. That was stupid of me, but I couldn’t help but continue with the truth. Why?

  The man just shakes his head; his smile remains while he does this, and I feel a deep fear fill my veins. Who is this man and what is he doing to me? “There is one more question that I have before I depart,” he states. “Who else has come to see you? Has anyone come?”

  Tell him.

  No! I think. I bite my tongue as it tries to form Sterren’s name and push my lips closed so that I cannot betray him. Every muscle in my jaw continues pushing me, but I hold myself together, knowing that I am stronger than this man is. I sit in silence for about thirty seconds, agonizing silence, and then the throbbing ache leaves me. “No one has come to see me,” I claim. “Only you and your leader,” I state.

  The man says nothing; he turns away and leaves; his shoes scrape against the gravel, growing quieter as he departs. As usual, I can’t help but stare after him. It’s either that or stare in the general direction of Sterren, and since I can’t let myself do that, I listen until the intruder leaves us.

  Chapter 3

  “How did you do that?” Sterren whispers from my left.

  I turn to face him, curious at how he made it to me without my knowledge. He must be pretty stealthy, considering the fact that I heard him coming every other time.

  “What are you talking about?” I ask. I shake my head a moment later, realizing that I’m whispering, too. “Why are we whispering now?”

  Sterren shrugs and stays on that side of me. He must be worried about another visit. He leans forward, looking into my eyes intently, like he thinks his answers will lie somewhere within them. “You lied,” he says matter-of-factly.

  My brow furrows, but I don’t say a word to him. Instead, I settle on looking at him like he’s insane. Of course I lied. People do it all the time. There’s no reason why I shouldn’t have lied to that evil looking man, anyway.

  Wait. There must be something more here. “What are you talking about?” I ask finally.

  Sterren smiles at me, a warm smile that celebrates my ability at making connections. I feel almost childish for a moment, but shrug it off, knowing that Sterren isn’t exactly normal. “Could you feel him?” he asks.

  I sigh, knowing that he’s not asking me if I felt the creepy man touch me. He’s talking about something else. So, I close my eyes and take a deep breath, so that I can think. I remember that voice inside my head, speaking to me, ordering me. It must have
been that man, but that’s just unnatural. There’s nothing like that in the real world; but how could I, a rational and mostly normal woman, have felt it then?

  “You could,” Sterren whispers.

  I open my eyes and look into his grey ones. “What was that?”

  “Telepathic manipulation,” he says.

  “What?”

  “He was controlling you, forcing you to tell the truth, by manipulating your mind,” Sterren explains slowly. He looks at me, his gaze never wavering, as he waits for my reaction.

  “How is that possible? Things like that don’t exist.”

  Sterren nods slowly. Why is every movement slow now? Does he think I’m a mental patient that’s going to crack at any moment? Because he’s sure acting like it.

  “How does something like that exist, Sterren? Tell me the truth,” I order.

  Sterren sighs but speaks. “Magic.”

  “That’s all you have to say about that?” I toss my hands in the air, exasperated, and yelp when my right hand snags some of the barbed wire. I pull it to my face so that I can examine it and wince when I see it. The cut isn’t deep, but it’s jagged and bloody. “I hope that I don’t catch Tetanus or HIV,” I mutter.

  Sterren bursts into a fit of laughter. I stare at him as he clutches his stomach and wipes his cheeks as tears fall down his gorgeous face. My mouth falls open as he pulls his hair from his face for a moment. He doesn’t have two grey eyes; one of his eyes is golden, like the color of the sun in the evening, right before dusk falls over the earth. I pull my mouth closed as he realizes that I’ve noticed. “It’s nothing,” he says to me.

  It doesn’t look like nothing, I think. However, I let it go.

  “Sorry,” Sterren says. “I didn’t mean to laugh like that. I haven’t laughed like that in a long time,” he whispers.

  “Why?” I ask, letting him change the subject. I make a mental note to go back to the whole magic thing, though. I plan on asking later, when he’s ready to tell me about it.

  “Nothing is funny,” he says.