Stella

by Helen Eve

  Standing before me in an ivory dress that is scorched and charred and childishly stitched back together, Syrena is an absurd replica of the sister it was meant for.

  ‘Syrena was in the tower,’ I say, trying to make sense of moments my therapist hadn’t been able to. ‘Stella and Syrena were both there.’

  Katrina looks at me. ‘Don’t you remember what happened? Stella saved Syrena’s life that night.’

  ‘What’s she doing here today?’ I ask. ‘And why is she wearing that dress?’

  Syrena sits in front of us and smiles at Luke, her teeth denting her bottom lip.

  ‘She’s a Shell this term, and she’s giving the eulogy,’ Katrina says softly. ‘As for the dress, do you think anyone wants to say no to her right now?’

  I shake my head wordlessly as Syrena turns. She pulls up Katrina’s sleeve and winces at the livid pink scar that runs the length of Katrina’s arm. For a second I hear tearing wood and roaring flames; my throat screams with acrid smoke. I see Katrina shield Syrena, twisting her away from the impact as the sky is shattered and the universe burns around them.

  Now Katrina smiles at Syrena’s pained expression. It’s nothing. They briefly touch hands as if they can communicate that way. Before Katrina can roll down her sleeve, Luke takes her bare arm in his as if the scar is a part of them all.

  * * *

  Syrena sashays down the aisle with a maturity she shouldn’t possess to complete a grotesque, ruined triptych of family portraits. A phoenix risen from an annihilated family, she looks ready to find and reclaim the missing sapphire crown as if Stella isn’t dead at all, but merely on hiatus, the underdog who will be forever a step ahead. She looks directly at me as she starts to speak, vengeance blazing like fire in her boundless cornflower eyes.

  Acknowledgements

  I would like to thank:

  Venetia Gosling and everyone at Macmillan for their incredible expertise and enthusiasm, and for offering me and Stella such a warm welcome.

  My colleagues Lucinda and Jenny for their fantastic support, and for their peerless knowledge of all things YA.

  Alice, Anne, Ashley, Danielle, Helen, Jon, Lynn and Matt for offering, variously, generous support and suggestions, valuable feedback on the earliest drafts, and high-quality baked goods.

  SCBWI, the Arvon Foundation, the Summertown Writers, and the students and staff on the Oxford Brookes MA Creative Writing course.

  My mum and dad for their patience, reassurance and encouragement, and for my early introduction to Great Expectations and Estella.

  Paul, who called me a writer before anyone else did, for his unwavering loyalty and faith in me.

  My agent Claire Wilson, whose insights and imagination helped me to sculpt Stella into everything I had hoped it could be, and who has guided me through this process with exceptional knowledge, understanding and kindness.

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  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  STELLA. Copyright © 2014 by Helen Etty. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.

  www.stmartins.com

  First published in Great Britain by Macmillan Children’s Books, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited

  First U.S. Edition: April 2014

  eISBN 9781466841093

  First eBook edition: February 2014