by A. B. Bloom
My eyes shuttered closed at his words. My energy. I’d only just found it when I’d lost it again. It was a power I did not understand. I was a person I did not understand.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“Yes.” I clenched my hands until my fingernails left stinging, crescent shaped dents in my palms. I waited and waited but felt nothing. When I opened my eyes, he was staring at me—the moon beat down on us as bright as day. I was me. The energy so briefly mine returned and rushed through my veins. Tears fell down my cheeks and Nick brushed them away with his thumb.
“I can’t exist without you, Bronte. I can’t and I won’t.”
Clutching his hand in mine, I grazed my lips over his knuckles. “Good. Because I don't think I can live without you."
We’d been sitting in silence until it felt like time was slowing the universe to a standstill. All the time, he’d held my hand, anchoring me to him, to the present.
My days in Cornwall slipped away like the mist surrounding me since my arrival.
None of this was real.
None of it.
My body shook sporadically every time I tried to get my head around it. My breath came bursts as I tried to work through the shock taking over my body.
None of this was real.
My dad.
My mum wasn't dead.
I hadn't been moving around my whole life.
I'd lived in Yorkshire until Nick had arrived and told me the truth of what I was. What was happening.
A war was tearing the sky into two. I was the last star child meant to stop it . . . How was I meant to stop it when I didn't even know who I was anymore?
“Bron.” Nick's violet eyes, turning silver in the moonlight, watched me carefully. He always watched me and kept me safe. I knew that now. Deep pools of violet pulled me forward. Between the two of us ran a chain. It connected us. As I watched his face in the moonlight, waiting for my spinning memories to settle, I could feel the chain unfurl and anchor us together. It jangled and rang as it reconnected between us. For the first time in days., the ache in my stomach resided.
“Nick?” I blinked up at him. The moonlight enhanced the emotion swimming in his eyes. It pulled me deeper, begging me to dive into forbidden pools.
I couldn’t believe he was here, holding me. The last time I’d seen him I’d been sure I was about to die. But he’d saved me. He’d kept his promise that no harm would ever come to me.
My legs quaked, my knees giving way with the enormity of it all.
“I truly thought I’d lost you.” he brushed his lips against mine and I watched as his violet glow of energy pulsed for me.
My own energy which I’d been missing pulsed through my veins.
“I can’t believe any of this.” My fingers lingered on his face, my skin tingling against the warmth of his. I thought if I let go he would disappear again.
He kissed the top of my head. “You’ve got questions?” His lips tilted into a smile but it didn’t stretch far. “So do I.”
“What’s going on, Nick?”
“They’ve been lying to you about everything.”
My fingers worked their way into his jacket. “Why?” I couldn't believe that Celeste would betray me this way. It stung to my core.
“Because they think if you don’t have your energy that the scales will remain even.”
“But?”
“I think they are wrong.”
I laughed, a nervous squeak that pinched out of my throat. “Good. I’m glad.”
“I missed you, Bronte.”
I sighed as he said my real name. Bronte was me. I remembered something.
“The other girls in my dreams, who were they?”
Nick’s eyes clouded a little, his face dropping. “They were all you.”
“Can you tell me about them?”
He hesitated, his body stiffening. “I don’t know.”
“What do you mean?”
His thumb stroked along my cheekbone and his voice lowered until my insides liquefied. “I mean, I want to, but I don’t know if I can. It’s . . .” he sighed. “Complicated.”
“Isn’t it always?” It struck me that since he'd walked into my life, nothing had been uncomplicated. The connection I'd felt towards him that he'd denied, the talk of destinies and fate. There was nothing uncomplicated about that.
He nodded. “I’m afraid so.” His eyes searched the sea as if he was seeking the answer to the problems we faced.
“Nick.” I called his attention back to me.
“Yes?”
“Who exactly do I have to kill for deciding this was the right thing to do?” I was out for blood. Just as soon as I got out of this wet dress.
He chuckled and pulled me in tight. “My God, I’ve missed you.” His face dropped and sobered. “I did try to stay away. When they all tell you their reasons later, remember that I tried to stay away.”
I nodded. I could remember all too clearly the stinging hurt and the confusion every time I’d seen him walk away or pass by. It had felt like a repeated punch to my stomach. “I know.” I frowned. “We can discuss that later.”
He grinned, his teeth flashing again and causing my heart to race. “I can work with later.”
I glanced down at my ruined dress; sand clung to the damp silk. “Here,” he held my hand and helped me up off the sand.
“I can’t walk back like this.” I groaned. I didn’t care about the dress; I could have coped without catching the flu. The freezing material clamped itself around my legs.
“No, Bronte. Please tell me you haven’t forgotten all my many skills.”
“What do you mean?” I tilted my head to the side.
With a touch of his hand against my cheek, he transformed the wet rags back into the sleek dress I'd worn leaving the house. How many hours ago had that been? “I had.” I smiled wide, my heart jumping out of my chest.
“Do I need to remind you of all my skills?” he asked.
“Possibly.”
He gathered me in his arms, setting his lips on mine, pulling me in until I felt like I was drowning in his hold.
Eventually though, when I was about to pass out from lack of oxygen, I pushed away from his hold. My mind was racing with what I planned to say to people. I wanted to find out what the hell was going on.
Nick read my agitated thoughts and soothed a hand down my arm, creating a path of goosebumps.
Nick sighed, his fingers weaving in mine tightly. “It won't be pretty,” he murmured against my throat.
“Oh, of that I’m sure.” I steeled myself, standing up tall. He held my hand as we walked back for the steep pathway. “Nick,” I called him back.
“Yes?”
“Please never leave me again.”
His face flickered. “I will try very hard not to.
“Did they try and hide me from you?” It was the only explanation I could find that explained why I’d been buried so deep out of sight.
Nick sighed and his fingers tightened as we walked the path back to the house. I had no idea what I would find there. “They wanted me to keep your energy, that way the hunter wouldn’t find you. They think if we are together, the energy we create together will draw him here.”
“Will it?” I asked.
“I don’t think so.”
“Is that all? Is that the only reason?” I could sense an unspoken thought.
He twitched his nose, which looked truly adorable. “Well, I’m now officially on the Council’s most wanted list.” He threw me a smile but it wasn’t his usual flash of brilliance.
“Who the hell are the Council?” Was there no end to the layers of intrigue that surrounded these Stars?
“People who I will keep far away from you.” His lips set into a straight line and his fingers gripped mine a fraction tighter.
“Why have you stayed away? It was painful for me.” How had they kept me away from him? How had they made me forget? Surely it was impossible that my soul could forget the un
ique hum that flowed between us like an angel singing. Nick’s lips crimped into that firm line.
“It was what I was told.” I knew he was keeping the truth from me. “Do you want the truth?” The violets studied me closely. My skin prickled as I leaned towards him. Why did I think this would be something I might not want to hear?
“Always.”
His fingers tugged me in tight, his chest pressing against mine. His face so close I could see the smooth surface of his olive skin. “You died.”
I heard the words but I didn’t understand what they meant.
He waited and watched.
My brain went blank. Not just a little “can’t think of the words” blank. It went to a black screen like a defunct computer that crashed just as you downloaded the file you couldn’t afford to lose.
“I did what?”
Nick’s eyes searched the sky and the hesitation between us as he found his words was palpable. “It’s hard for me to talk about it.”
“Hard for you?” My tone pitched at least ten notches higher. “Hard for you? I died!” I took a shaky breath. “I bloody died!”
“You always do, eventually. And when you do, I get spun back into the sky and wait for your soul to be reborn. It’s a never-ending cycle.”
The blank screen in my head just buzzed with static. How was any of this possible? “And then what happens?” My words fell like pebbles into a lake.
“And then when you are reborn, I fall again. Repeatedly.” His eyes searched mine. “For you.”
“Wow.” I would never wrap my head around this. I could live until I was ninety-nine, which seemed highly unlikely in the circumstances, and I would still never understand. “But I haven’t been reborn. I’m still me.” I scrambled around trying to make sense of it all. “Admittedly, I didn’t know who I was until a few minutes ago but I’m definitely me. What happened?”
His eyes swept over me and I felt my blood tingle and warm. “That you are.” His voice pitched lower and the chain in my stomach rang and yanked until I took an involuntary step closer. “I was lost up there for a while, but the truth is Bron, they would never have been able to hide you from me for too long.” His eyes burned with a fierce flame of determination. “My pull towards to you is like gravity with the full force of velocity weighing it down.” I knew I would need to talk about this more, that I wanted to find out every moment of our history, but I also knew there were other things we needed to face. The war still splitting the sky for one. The sky that Nick just fell from in his bid to find me. How he knew where I was, was another question I’d store up for later. I filed it in my “Ask Nick” box.
“So now what?”
“Now we find answers.” His hands gripped mine tightly.
I remembered my promise of earlier. “And now I beat the hell out of Connor.”
He grinned and I stood open mouthed staring at him. “And that, I can’t wait to see.”
“Dad, I’m home.” I banged through the front door, Nick slipping in, like a shadow, behind me.
I didn’t know who dad was, but he was about to get a piece of my mind, regardless. It was easy to boulder my way in with Nick’s hand placed on my back for support. I motioned my head to the hallway leading to the kitchen.
The kitchen which wasn’t in my new home at all . . .
I blocked all the confusing questions from my mind and focused on making my way down the hallway.
In the kitchen, I found Connor and Celeste leaning against the island with dad. Or rather, my so called Star friends, along with the stranger pretending to be my dad in some weird head game.
Celeste stepped forward, her arms reaching for me. Nick stayed out of sight and I took a deep breath, stepping away from the security of his touch, and stepped into room. “Oh my goodness. I was so worried, where did you go? I looked for you everywhere at the dance,” Celeste gushed, her hands pulling me tight to her chest. My eyes glanced over her shoulder to Connor, whose face relaxed. A tight strain around his eyes easing as he glanced me over.
“Well, someone tried to kiss me.” I pointed at Connor who grinned outright at me. "And it pissed me off."
Celeste turned for Connor. “Connor! You know she said friends only.” She sounded like she was chiding a small child.
“Cut the crap, Celeste.” I stepped away. “You have got a shit load of explaining to do.” I glared at Connor. “And as for you, salad my arse!”
To my horror, Connor winked at me. “I was winning you over though, wasn’t I?” Marching over to him, I curled my fingers into a fist, which I connected onto the side of his face with a satisfying smack. “Never kiss me again.” He rubbed his jaw. “Ever,” I added.
Nick chose that moment to step into the room and Celeste groaned. “Should have known you’d have a hand in her regaining her memories.” She shook her head. Fleeting sadness chasing across her face, it turned into a frown and I thought for a moment she may cry. I wanted to ask why she was so sad but Nick pulled my attention. In the warm lighting of the kitchen, he looked amazing, powerful, lithe, and strong. Again, I wondered how they had made me forget him, he was too beautiful to forget. His lips flickered into a small smile as he stepped forward and I remembered all too late that he could read my mind.
I gasped. They could all read my mind, to one degree or another. It was a skill the Stars were created with. I stifled a groan. So, all the time I thought I'd been hiding the boy in black leaving heather in my room, the memory of the dreams, and they'd known it all. They'd known everything the whole time—every single pathetic, bewildering thought I'd had.
I wanted to punch every single one of them. Connor sniggered and I could feel the intrusive sense of him filtering through my mind. "Get out," I hissed.
"Oh, but Bron. It's so much fun in there."
I spun and faced him. "I actually hate you. Just so we are clear, and you don't need to read my mind to find that out. I'll say it as it is. I. Hate. You."
He clutched a hand to his chest. "Oh my heart, how it breaks."
"Loser." I muttered under my breath. My tirade was cut short by Nick stepping up to Celeste and Connor, I watched wordlessly as he moved towards his brother and sister. I was expecting Nick to be angry but instead he grinned and pulled them both into a tight hug. “I thought you’d been killed on the moor.”
Connor snorted. “You bloody wish.” They all looked at each other for a long moment. The pulsing colour of their souls flickered and flared as they reconnected. Rose for Celeste, blue for Connor and Nick's stunning violet, each unique and breathtaking. I got the impression that the connection between the three of them went deeper than I’d ever realised. That was until Nick stepped back and clocked Connor straight on the jaw. His punch painted the same spot I'd aimed for but with an impressive angry red blotch.
“Don’t touch her again.” His words were a feral growl. Nick straightened and relaxed his shoulders, ghosting me a smile as I watched him open mouthed.
Connor straightened up and I gasped. It was going to be another Star smackdown. The last time they'd fought, they'd destroyed the entrance to my school. Connor gave a slow nod in Nick’s direction. “Fair enough, Brother.” But then he grinned. “She’s still fair game though.”
“Bleugh.” An explosive noise not of the English language exploded from my lips. “I am no game.” I glared at Connor before softening my stance a little. In truth, he hadn’t been all bad during the last few days. “There is no game, Connor.” I tried to explain. “Not for me.”
His eyes flitted between us. Nick's hand had settled back on my skin once his strike at Connor was complete. Connor focused on it. “I see that.” He smiled wide. “But I’m an eternal optimist.”
Nick produced another growl that made me jump. This was a side of him that I'd never seen before.
“Okay, boys, pack it in.” Dad stepped forward, well not dad, whoever he really was. Nick’s whole body sagged behind mine and his hand fell off my back. “I see you stayed away as you were told for a wh
ole three days.” Dad looked disapproving. “You know when the council come for you, which they will, I won't be able to protect you.”
Nick’s fingers worked their way around my elbow and held on tight. I glanced at the door, expecting to see mysterious council members with long flowing robes come and drag Nick away.
“Kale, I can’t fight it and neither can she.” He cast his eyes to the floor. “I know this isn't what you would have wanted. But a lot has changed, I’ve changed, while you’ve been away.” Nick glanced at me. “I think things have changed.”
This was killing me. Was anyone going to talk in anything other than a riddle?
Kale / Fake Dad smiled and grasped Nick to him. “I’ve been searching for Ash. Sixteen years goes quicker than I thought.”
“I know.” Nick’s words were heavy and laden with intent.
Kale / Fake Dad’s eyes settled on my face. His soul was an intense red, I’d seen nothing like it, it was powerful and commanding. I couldn't drag my eyes away from it. Didn’t mean that I could ignore the fact he’d lied, nor the fact they'd tricked me into living with a stranger for days. “Who is Ash, and more importantly, who the hell are you?” I demanded.
Kale / Fake Dad smiled. “I’m your father, Bronte. Your real father.”
For a long moment, I stared open mouthed. This man who’d been pretending to be my father, was my dad.
Moments ticked by as I allowed this thought to run through my head.
A bubble of resentment expanded in my chest. “You’re my real dad? Seriously?” I stepped back, and Nick watched me, a line forming between his eyes. His hand reached for me but I danced out of his way. “I’ve been living with you for days and you couldn’t tell me? Am I supposed to just welcome you with open arms? You created me even though it wasn’t allowed. You left me to fend for myself, left me living under the same roof as a psychotic hunter pretending to be my step dad!” I backed away towards the kitchen door; outside, the dark of night seemed welcoming when faced by a room full of liars and deceivers.
“It’s not like that, it’s confusing and messed up.” Kale reached for me and in my head I saw the dad of the last few days. The dad who I believed had only come to find me because my mum was dead. I gasped.