The Aeon Star

by Hart, Lauren T.

  David came to stand on the terrace just outside his office. Kara was right behind him, chatting away. He nodded and responded as if he was listening, but his expression looked to be a million miles away. Kara slipped her arm around his waist and trailed her fingers up his abdomen and over his chest. He bent and kissed her. More words were exchanged and then he dismissed her with a nod.

  "It didn't come without a price of course," Alicia sighed. "I'll never be able to see the world as I once did." She took a breath and sat up a little straighter in her chair. "But it was worth it. David is worth it," she added softly.

  Several hours later, Genevieve was sitting on the couch in David's office, while David paced. "You have to concentrate," he sighed, exasperated.

  "I am concentrating," Gen growled through gritted teeth.

  "You act like I'm asking you to control your heartbeat or something. Think of it more in terms of breathing."

  "I have to breathe," she countered.

  "Yes. And you've been holding your breath for a very long time now."

  "I can't do it, okay. I just can't."

  "Can't would imply that you're unable." David rubbed his brow in frustration. "Would you like to try another excuse?"

  "What if it doesn't work the way you think it's supposed to? What if there's no way to integrate the two parts, what if it's one or the other?"

  "Look, it may take a little while to get used to, but I really don't think that's what will happen."

  "But you don't know. Most of the time it just feels like a part of me is waking up, but there was this one time, when I was trying to get out of a trip to Italy for some reason I don't even remember now, that it went farther than that and it didn't feel like a part of me was waking up anymore. It felt like a part of me was dying. And I don't even remember it. One minute I was standing in the kitchen, and the next I was sitting in my room. I just don't want to lose who I am."

  "Cousin, you've already lost who you are — don't you see? That's what I'm trying to get back. I realize that you're scared, but if you're going to be strong enough to stand in front of an Ange inquisition and survive, you will need all of your strength. You will need to be Genevieve Evangeline Auberon, the Aeon Princess. Not this fraud you've created to hide behind."

  She stood, glowering, and then fled as fast as she could through the back doors to the veranda, past the pool and to the very back of the yard that was edged with craggy rocks and a very long drop to the beach and ocean below.

  Didn't he get it? Didn't he understand what he was asking her to do? Was it really worth the risk? Or did David have darker motives? Because as far as she could tell, it sounded like he was asking her to kill herself, to destroy everything that she was so that the monster within her could reign.

  It was insanity!

  Crazy alien worshipping cult insanity!

  Chapter 31

  Leap Of Faith

  Genevieve was still standing near the back of the yard, looking out over the ocean, when Paul returned. He came to stand next her bringing with him a beer and an order of Sammie's sweet potato fries. "Marcus wasn't the lead we thought he was." Paul informed, offering her some fries. "He sought out Mike on Nick's behalf. Nick is trying to gather more information about you, who you were, where you came from, that sort of thing. Mike led him to Davin. Right now he's taking them to the estate in Half Moon Bay so they can be witnesses at your trial."

  "Trial?"

  "Well, they're not calling it a trial..."

  "What about... the other thing?"

  "Lord Voldemort? You're not the only one he terrorizes. Marcus claims he saw him last night at Nick's. But that wasn't the first time he'd seen him. He said he's also seen him with Embry Farold." Paul shook his head. "See, the thing is, Marcus works for the Farold's, but he answers to Amaranth, Embry's older sister. He's never been a fan of Embry – thought he was after Amaranth's seat on the Counsel. He probably was."

  "If Marcus has seen him, does he have any idea who he might be?"

  "No. And if Marcus saw him like we saw him, it's possible that even Embry didn't know who he really was."

  Gen helped herself to another sweet potato fry, noticing that Paul's left hand was sporting a sizable bandage, and his knuckles were unusually red.

  "What happened to your hand?"

  "It's nothing... teeth."

  "Teeth?"

  "So you grew up with a guy that works for O'Shara huh? That's pretty cool."

  "What? You're changing the subject. Are you talking about Davin?"

  "Uh-huh. So what about you? Any progress here?"

  "No. And you're still changing the subject."

  "It's fine. I'm fine. Marcus will be fine. How can I help you? You want me to point a gun at you or something?"

  Gen sighed. "It's no good. I know you wouldn't shoot me."

  Paul shrugged. "Maybe I could try throwing you off the bridge or something..."

  She chuckled. "How kind of you to offer."

  "Hey, whatever I can do to help."

  "Paul," her tone became a whisper. She leaned close to him. "What if it kills me? What if this part of me... dies, and all that's left is her? Is it worth it?"

  Paul took a deep breath and a moment to contemplate. "Without thinking about it, answer me this question: What are you, Genevieve Evangeline Auberon, the Aeon Princess, loyal to?"

  "Peace," she heard herself say, before she'd even had time to think about not thinking about a response.

  "This other you, may do things a little differently, but her answer would be the same. So you tell me, is it worth it?"

  They stood next to each other in silence while Paul finished his beer, and the rest of the sweet potato fries. Then he went back into the house.

  She watched the sun make its way across the remainder of the sky. She felt her temperature rise as the sun began to sink into the ocean, turning it red.

  "Cousin?"

  Genevieve turned to see David, with Paul a few steps behind him. "I have a plan," she said.

  David came to stand beside her. "I'm listening."

  "Stay right here," she directed. "Don't move from this spot. And... hopefully, you'll know what to do."

  "Oh... kay," David said tentatively.

  "Paul," she took his hand and walked toward the house a few steps. "If this doesn't work out... will you..." She cleared her throat. "Promise me you'll tell Nick how much I love him. And this," she patted the pendant. "Tell him I never took it off, and... make sure he gets it back."

  Paul nodded then shook his head. "But wait Gen, what are you planning?"

  She let go of his hand and ran at full speed toward the cliff's edge. Passing just within arms reach of David.

  "Genevieve! No!" Paul's screams echoed in her ears as she launched herself off the side of the cliff—

  Six seconds later — more than twice the time it should have taken her — she landed on the sandy beach below. She instinctively crouched to absorb the descent of the fall but it was an unnecessary response.

  The sand displaced, acknowledging her landing, but much like the bullets that passed right through her, the combination of gravity and ground did not cause her to crumple as physics otherwise would have demanded.

  She took a moment to enjoy her new view of the world as she strolled to the edge of the water. She turned, casting her gaze to the topmost edge of the steep rock wall. She wanted to be there...

  And then she was.

  David stood in front of her, smiling broadly, holding her body, unconscious in his arms.

  She smiled back.

  "That was a terrible plan!" Paul shouted. He marched past her, and wrenched her physical form out of David's arms. "We're going inside," he scowled.

  "Was I right?" David asked. "Can you be reintegrated with yourself?"

  "I believe so, but it won't be easy. I've been trying to reawaken slowly, but she fights it as much as she wants it and I'm afraid I may have made some foolish decisions while I was away." Her brow furrowed confused,
as she realized that what she had said hadn't made much sense. "Too many I's there. But we're not different people. Not really."

  "She's afraid she'll be lost."

  "I know."

  "Will she?"

  "I hope not."

  "Are you really a physical shift?"

  Genevieve laughed and put her hand on David's chest.

  "Amazing," he smiled, reminding her of Xavier.

  She kissed his cheek, hoping he wouldn't notice her wet eyes. "Let's talk inside," she said, linking her arm through his.

  Eventually everyone had gathered in David's office, discussing the plan for tomorrow and the roles they would each play.

  Eventually she returned to the solace of the pale gauzy room. She watched her physical body lying peacefully in a state akin to sleep amidst the pillows.

  She knew what needed to happen next, and knew that time was short, but if the girl who had been Jenny Taylor was willing to throw herself off the side of a cliff just to free her, maybe it was worth the effort and the risk.

  Chapter 32

  The Return

  Genevieve woke several times during the night, in more pain than she had ever known before. It was the kind of pain that made slamming her head with a sledgehammer a few times in order to alleviate the pain, sound perfectly reasonable. She was sure that Paul had been there at one point, and Amber, but she also had vague recollections of it snowing at one point, of being on fire, and of being at a nude beach on Mars and taking off all of her clothes.

  The sun was just beginning to rise and the sky was a hazy hue of pink and orange.

  She groaned, still hot, despite the falling snow. She rolled onto her side, onto a cool patch of the bed, grabbed a pillow and clutched it to her.

  Nearby hands adjusted the sheet that covered her.

  "Snowman?" Genevieve's eyes shot open. Too bright. She shut them again, groaning.

  "Shh, it's okay," said a soft voice, Amber, as she brushed her hand across Genevieve's furrowed brow.

  "I'm naked." Genevieve groaned.

  "What did she say?" Paul's voice chimed from across the room.

  "She says she needs some water," Amber said.

  Paul left to get water and Amber helped Genevieve slip into a satiny robe.

  The cruel reality of an entire wall's worth of mirror, slapped her mentally every time she dared to even glance in its direction.

  Paul returned with a tall glass of water, "Here you go, Cupcake."

  She drank the entire thing then lay back down. "I just need a few more minutes," she said. "And maybe some painkiller... or a sledgehammer..."

  "Still hallucinating?" Paul chuckled.

  "Not hallucinating... I was naked... maybe a brick... or a rock. There are lots of rocks around here. And a water, with some lemon."

  She woke again a few hours later. She twisted and stretched, forcing herself to move. She still hurt, but she had somewhere she had to be. She couldn't quite allow herself to admit that she had her reasons to want to be there; she'd been foolish enough already.

  She'd learned her lesson from earlier and avoided the mirrored wall instead turning toward the bathroom; she forced her self out of bed.

  "Good morning, Princess," Paul said from behind her.

  "Don't make me kill you, Paul," she grumbled.

  "She's fine," Paul said. She didn't turn to see who he was talking to.

  She showered and dried her hair then dressed in faded jeans, a pale colored top, and low pointed heels.

  Janie and Kara caught her just as she was leaving the bathroom and persuaded her to let them finish the look, which included changing everything but the shoes. She was now wearing a different pair of jeans, and a red top.

  Janie clipped several swatches of hair, mostly blond and pink, but also blue and purple and brown among Genevieve's own — making it much longer, and much more colorful. Then she bumped a few casual curls into the ends while Kara applied smoky eye shadow, pale lip-gloss and a beauty mark on her chin.

  She grabbed Nick's hoodie, and finished the look with a pair of oversized sunglasses.

  Nick's hoodie wasn't the best disguise but she needed it, she needed him, and it was the best she could manage at the moment.

  Kara presented her with a gaudy purse filled with make-up necessities, a new cell phone, and a California driver's license identifying her as Amberly Shaye Moyes.

  "Amber?" she asked.

  "We were in kind of a rush," Kara explained. She wrapped a colorful scarf around the hoodie and tied a bright blue ribbon around the end of one of the pull strings.

  It was getting late in the day, Genevieve had overslept, and she was concerned about the amount of time it would take to get to wherever it was they needed to be in Half Moon Bay.

  Janie insisted that she eat and then she went to find David. He was in his office with Alicia. It felt like a personal moment and she didn't want to intrude so she hung back, waiting outside the door. Not that she was trying to overhear, but she was listening.

  "I would give you the stars, my love."

  A warming shiver ran through her.

  'My love.' David's love encompassed many, but she – Alicia – was not just someone he loved, she was his love. The one he longed for, sacrificed for, lived for.

  "I love you too, David,"

  She peeked just a little, as David held Alicia in his arms and kissed her.

  A deep ache swelled within her, her hand brushed along the pendant around her neck. Remembering soft kisses, the heat of his breath, the caress of his hand, and—

  "Cousin." David was suddenly standing before her.

  She brushed away the memory with a shake of her head and a slight smile.

  David looked uncomfortable in the confines of his tailored suit. He took hold of her hand and kissed her on the forehead. "Are you... worried?" It almost wasn't a question.

  She was pretty sure she was headed towards what would inevitably be her own execution. And the best she could hope for was that it would be at gracious hands. "No. I'm ready."

  Everyone was gathered in the foyer. Janie had her arms full of long mounds of white material lined with thick blue decorative edges: cloaks. Kara sat on the steps, with Lucy in her lap; her focus was on her phone.

  Janie handed out the massive cloaks to Genevieve, Amber, and Alicia.

  They would work for walking, only in that the hood obscured everything but a view of the floor.

  Paul wore jeans, a T-shirt and a casual jacket, his hair was messy and his face stubbled.

  "I've picked out a dress for you," Amber said, holding a small travel bag. "I can't wait for you to see it."

  She wouldn't need it. Clothes in her shifted form were an illusion; but she thanked her anyway.

  "The helicopter will be landing in five," Kara announced.

  Genevieve had just the slightest notion that she had been on a helicopter before, but it had been so long ago that the details were more familiarities than anything else, the whir of the engine, and the thumping heartbeat of the blades. She was grateful for the distraction of the noise, lulling her into thoughtlessness, which is really just a poetic way of saying it was too loud to think.

  "Here," Paul offered Gen a stick of gum, just before they landed. "Royals don't chew gum."

  She stuck the gum in her mouth and pocketed the wrapper.

  Her heart leapt as an unfamiliar Star Soul, rushed toward the helicopter, to open the door and direct them safely into the — enormous — Auberon Estate.

  Throngs off onlookers, Ange, Daémon, Star Souls and even some humans, stood several yards away, watching as Prince Xavier, three figures cloaked in white, and Paul disembarked and were then quickly escorted inside. The sheer mass of souls was overwhelming. The crowds maintained a sense of cautionary reserve, but their cameras still flashed.

  They were escorted to David's office - Lewis Xavier's office really. Pictures of David and his younger sisters were strewn about the room. The only thing that marked it as David's was th
e inclusion of a photograph of Alicia, Amber, Janie and Kara.

  Genevieve ditched the cloak, donned her sunglasses, and linked her arm through Paul's.

  Paul and Genevieve made their way to a roped off line to wait with other Star Souls. They both made an extra effort to talk about really mundane things, while clinging to each other as though they were ridiculously in love.

  "The more shallow and sweet the better," Paul told her. "That way people are less likely to give us a second glance unless they have too." Most of their conversation consisted of how much sweeter than something the other one was, and how they should get a puppy together and name it something cute and ironic like, Bunny. It was easy to see why people would ignore them.

  Gen had primarily been concerned about how her particular aura would be received, but both Paul and David assured her that she would be much harder to detect in a crowd, as there was a sort of cumulative effect.

  After what seemed like hours, but was probably only about 20 minutes, they were asked to give their names and show ID — to make sure they were on the list — and finally, they were directed to their seats on the balcony above the ballroom.

  Genevieve's breath caught when she realized where they were.

  "Are you okay?" Paul pulled her close.

  She nodded, suppressing her tears. "It's just... different from the last time I was here."