by A. B. Bloom
I might not have understood her concern, because we truly didn’t know each other, but I believed it. Her pale blue eyes shone as she spoke and the rose glow flickered in soothing waves.
"Okay." I wasn't sure what else to say. "Thanks, I'm all better now," I added, out of forced politeness—Lauren was watching.
Celeste’s eyes scanned over me, her lips pursed. "Yes, I believe you are." Her speech jarred on my ears. It didn't sound quite right and it sent off another one of those jangling bells in the back of my brain.
Lauren turned for the building and I followed her, Celeste dancing along at my side. "Everything okay with you, Bron?" she asked.
"Depends on your definition of okay?"
"I mean the headaches and such like. We have all been so worried."
I scrunched my face, glancing up at the dim sky. "Who's ‘all of you’?"
She waved a slender hand around in the air, her pale skin catching the dull sunlight. "Oh, you know: Lauren, Connor, Nick and I."
My feet skidded to a halt. Lauren didn't notice my sudden stall and proceeded into the building. This was good—she wouldn't have to hear my crazy conversation.
"I don't know who you are." I said simply.
She giggled loudly, but I noticed her eyes flickered around and her rose glow wavered a little. "Don't be daft, Bron, of course you know who I am, we've been best friends for the last year." Her eyes held mine and I wasn't sure if she was trying to convey a message with her determined glance. I ploughed on ahead regardless.
“Nope. Definitely have no idea you are."
"Bron!" She laughed but then lowered her voice. "Be careful what you're saying, you don't want people thinking you are crazy now."
"I believe it's too late for me to worry about that." I refused to be distracted. "Who are you?"
Celeste straightened her back, her lips curving at the edges. Her gaze settling on something behind me. "Do you remember him?" Her hands reached out and gently turned me toward her gaze. Standing the other side of the grass was a boy in black, a shock of black hair standing on end. Violet eyes the colour of heather pierced at me from across the lawn.
That wasn't what made me gasp. What made me gasp was the fact a violet light I recognised surrounded him. It had kept me company for three nights while the dark of my coma tormented me. My mouth hung open. I could only vaguely hear Celeste say, "Thought you might," under her breath.
My feet turned towards the boy in black. The pull I felt toward him was irresistible, like a force of gravity tethering me to him. A heavy tugging sensation dragged on my stomach like it was unravelling age old knots. He watched me coming from under hooded eyes. The bells in the back of my head jangled and the black holes swam around like pieces of a jigsaw washing away in a stream. "I know you," I stated when my feet planted in front of his.
"Do you?" The ring of his voice made shivers run along my spine.
"You came to see me in hospital. You were there every day." He nodded slowly. "Why?" I asked.
"Because it's my job to protect you." The blank pieces of memory twirled and teased. I knew I had to remember something truly important. What the hell was it? He watched and waited. Silence echoed around us. Why did I feel like I'd been here before, that this was all dèjà vu?
His name was on the tip of my tongue, I just couldn't reach it.
Still, he waited. I looked up at his face, his violet eyes were so extraordinary I wasn't sure I would have been able to forget them. Although apparently I had.
I felt that if I could just touch him, maybe it would help jog my memory. I reached tentative fingers through the air until they made purchase with his olive skin. He breathed a long shuddering sigh. "You scared me," he said, the violet eyes pinning me to the spot. His voice was a low murmur.
My eyes glanced to see if Celeste was still watching, but the grounds were clear of all other students. I would be late for class but I couldn't bring myself to care. He smiled, another bell jangled. Louder. The pulling, tugging in my stomach edged me towards him. "She's being discreet," he said.
"Why?" My capacity for speech was surprising.
"Because there are things I'm not allowed to do."
I swallowed. "Like what?"
"Like mess with your recovery." A finger slid through my hair. I thought I saw satisfaction flit across his face as he watched it fall through his hand.
"Yes?"
"And this." He swept forward and gathered me into his arms, his lips searching for mine. All too quickly, my memories came back. His kiss by the gates, the blinding white light that consumed me alive, the days of him watching me by my side.
I kissed him back, it tasted so sweet I thought my heart could burst. My stomach pulled again and I knew it was the chain I contained within me that was binding itself to him. It tethered me to him. I wasn't sure if he could feel it. My hands grasped hold of him, hoping with my life that he could.
He pulled away. "I won't be able to do that again, Bron." My heart hurt with his words but I remembered too much to challenge his decision.
"I know, Nick."
He grinned and it was adorable. "You remember me?"
I nodded, my words getting lost in my throat. "I remember what you are."
The violets pierced me. "Do you remember what you are?" His hands held my shoulders, his thumbs rubbing circles on the tops of my arms.
I took a deep breath. My body shook like a tumble down leaf in the breeze. "I'm the last of the star children."
His eyes echoed a wound I didn't understand. "That you are."
A slow clap filled the air and Nick spun me, blocking me from view. He sighed a little, which seemed at odds with his defensive stance.
"Well done, little brother, you got her to remember her destiny."
"It wasn't like that." Nick's voice was as hard as ice, no bells within hearing distance.
"Oh, by all means, don't mind me. You know it's just the fate of the world that weighs in the balance, and here you are, swaying the deciding vote."
Nick drew in a breath so deep I'm sure it made his lungs want to burst. I peeked around his shoulder to see who was upsetting him. Standing a short distance away was…well, he was a star, there was no doubt about it. Apparently they were all beautiful. This explained why I was only half a star and clearly got my looks from my less appealing human side. He was tall and broad with a mass of sandy hair and vibrant blue eyes like wildflowers. I wondered how these beings walked around the school with no one questioning them? None of them looked like your standard student.
Nick turned his head a fraction towards me. "Remember, we can block ourselves," he murmured.
I tutted loudly. "I've also just remembered that you can read minds." His lips quirked into a smile. For a moment I forgot that the other star was standing there as an unwilling audience. "You haven't got your cap on."
Nick titled his head to one side. "It's only temporary." He flashed another killer smile, I was sure each one got more and more gorgeous. "Anyway, you've seen my true self now, and survived it." He paused for a moment. "Just."
I let out a small gasp. "The white light?"
He chuckled and relaxed his protective stance, stepping to my side. "No, that was all you." His violet gaze flickered, though, so he didn't convince me he was telling the truth.
"Me?" I tried to keep the scepticism out of my voice. "I was the white light?"
The other star edged around. "Yes, yes. If Nick had been doing his job properly all along, instead of letting you carry on like nothing was happening, you would have learnt it." He stepped closer with his words and I noticed a smattering of freckles across his cheeks that looked like stardust. "I'm Connor, and can I just say, I would never have let you explode into white energy."
"It wasn't me, it was the damn necklace." Nick gritted his teeth.
"Always an excuse with you." Connor narrowed his eyes at Nick, an action that Nick threw right back at him.
"Okay." I held my hands up at them both. "This is all lovely
and what have you, but I'm late for class. If I don't make it to class my mum will home school me forever."
"Love." Connor looked at me, his eyes making startling contact with mine. "If you don't access your powers then there will be no forever."
“Hey." Nick edged towards me a little bit. "She's just woken up from an overload of energy, give her a chance. She couldn't even remember her heritage until a few minutes ago."
"La-di-da-di-da." Connor stifled a pretend yawn and I decided that I really didn't like him much at all.
"Hold up." I caught Nick's attention with a wave of my hand. "That was an overload of energy?"
"Shall we talk about this later?"
Connor crossed his arms. "May as well chat all you like now." He focused on Nick. "You're off Bron duty."
"Excuse me?" I whirled and demanded. "What do you mean, ‘off Bron duty’?"
"As in, he no longer needs to sit on your windowsill all night wasting his time."
"Are you going to do that instead?" I demanded. "Or, has the threat of the hunter who slaughtered all the other half-borns, passed on by? Is the hunter no longer looking for me?" I was hankering after my innocence of a few minutes ago. Hunters and wars still seemed too far-fetched to get my head around.
Connor smiled. "I like her, she's feisty” he spoke to Nick before turning his attention back to me. “No, what I mean is that Nick here won't have to sit and watch you all night because you are joining us at camp."
"Excuse me?" I folded my arms across my chest.
He raised his brows. "Oh, I think you heard, darling."
"Camp? What are you, a bunch of travellers?"
"And witty, too." Connor grinned at me.
"Stop it," Nick warned.
"Camp?" I repeated.
"Yes, love," Connor said, "this is a war, remember, and you are our most important asset." His attitude stank and I decided I didn't need to stand there and take it. I walked for the building's entrance. Nick fell into step by my side.
"He's just trying to make a good first impression," he said.
"Good?" I chuckled a little. "His idea of good and mine are rather different."
"He cares about you in his own way." Nick's face flickered and his lips turned down a fraction.
I felt the urge to change the subject in the hope I could lift his expression into one of his blinding smiles. "So, what's this camp I'm being held prisoner at?"
My attempt failed. "It's not a prison, Bronte, we want to protect you."
"From the hunter?" I asked.
"Well, yes. We need to keep you safe while you make your mind up."
My feet faltered. "Are you sure it's really me?"
Nick's body angled towards mine but we didn't touch. "You can feel it, can't you?"
"Feel what?" My breath came out a fraction faster.
"The power?” “It’s coursing through you, I can see it." His eyes lingered a moment too long on my face. I leant in towards him, it was an impulse I had no chance of controlling. I closed my eyes. When nothing happened, I opened them again but Nick was gone.
Home room was still busy which surprised me; I should have been at least five minutes late. I glanced at the white and black clock on the wall, and sure enough, it was still five minutes until the register. Time had effectively stood still so I could speak to Nick, kiss him, try to kiss him again, and for Connor to annoy the hell out of me. I shook my head but nothing surprised me. Nothing would ever surprise me again.
I was a star. Well, half a star. It was enough to make me want to roll around on the floor, laughing hysterically. That was if I was sure the laughter wouldn't soon turn to hysterical freak the hell out tears.
I thought about Nick's question before he ran away. Could I feel the power? I could, I'd been feeling it since I woke up in the hospital. A new charged energy sourcing through my veins. How to turn that into something useful, I had no idea, maybe I should go to their camp and see what they could teach me? I couldn't bear the thought of being near Connor, though. I had the clear impression that we weren't going to get on in the slightest.
"No one gets on with him, it's not just you." Celeste perched on the chair next to mine.
"You can read my thoughts, too?"
I can do this as well. I jumped ten inches out of my seat when I heard her voice in my head.
"What is that?" My heart stomped an erratic beat in my chest.
She flung her silver blonde hair over her shoulder and checked her nails. "One of my many skills."
"Wow, can Nick do that, too?" I leant forward.
She frowned, her lips pursed. "Okay, listen, I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but you've got to let this thing for Nick go. It won't work and it will not happen. He won't let it."
My cheeks flamed. "That wasn't what I asked." I sat up a little straighter.
"No, you asked me what his skill set was, because he's the only thing you think about."
'Well, that's not true, is it?" I drummed the table with my fingers. "I only knew about him again about five minutes ago."
"And before the coma?"
"He annoyed me."
"Connor's annoying you now."
I recoiled. "Ugh, that's different."
Celeste smiled. "My point precisely." My face must have fallen, because she reached forward and touched the necklace that clung to the skin around my throat. "Few of us have ever seen their moonbeam; it makes you very rare, Bron. I mean, rarer than the last star child still standing." She paused, her eyes focused on a far distant spot in her mind. "There's got to be a reason your father did this. Maybe he knew what would happen?"
My voice was small. "Nick said no one was sure who my father was, that what he did in creating me went against the laws of the sky."
She frowned. "Nick told you too much, you have to come to your decision by yourself."
"How am I supposed to decide between night and day? I don't know if there is a choice to make." Her eyes went to that far off place again before she shrugged. "I guess that's what you've got to work out."
"What side are you on?" I was desperate for someone to tell me what they were thinking.
Her lips pressed into a firm line, which reminded me of Nick's determined expression. "I wish that no one had to die." Another shrug. "But they do, and that's life, I guess."
I lowered my voice further. "Who do you think my father is?"
She didn't have time to answer before Mr Granger walked in with the register. "Welcome back, Bron,” he said when he saw me, causing me to cringe, and burn a shade of red which was hot to touch on my cheeks. Celeste chuckled. I wanted her to answer my question but I became distracted by the turquoise of Mr Granger’s glow. The colour seemed too lively for someone who spent all day boring kids with facts they didn't want to know.
I looked up at the class for the first time and realised Celeste had been keeping me focused on her for a reason. The room was an overpowering sensory overload of different colours. So many colours they were all mingling together and making dark smudges, like paints that shouldn’t mix. Oh crap. I focused on the plain wood of the tabletop, refusing to lift my eyes. That would take getting used to. That’s if getting used to it was even possible?
A piece of paper slid into my vision. Celeste held it in place while I read, my eyes still singing from the onslaught of gaudiness. Her handwriting was the most beautiful copperplate script. Come to camp later and we can talk more.
I shook my head and scrawled back, my words practically illegible compared to hers. No way mum will let me out.
She winked and her hand flew over the page. Don't worry, I can take care of that.
I wasn't convinced but I scrunched the piece of paper and shoved it into the depths of my bag. I wondered what else the rest of the day would bring, because in all honesty, it couldn't get much more mind blowingly weird.
Lauren and I walked home together, as per the agreement I'd made with mum and Aaron. Lauren was casting sidelong glances in my direction by the time we'd
walked up the lane to the house. I knew there would be a star not far behind us, one of the three but probably not Nick. He hadn't been around the rest of the day. A disappointing fact I'd tried to block from my mind, lest anyone knew just how deep my obsession with him was becoming.
In Nick's place had been Connor, dutifully following me around. Why he needed to when Celeste was gossiping by my side, I didn't get. Celeste was making a good effort at fitting in with the humans. She was gorgeous, a simple fact which no male student, or teacher, had ignored.
"What's with you?" Lauren called my attention back onto her.
"Sorry, I was just thinking about that English Lit lesson." I grimaced with my lie. What I was trying to work out was how I was going to live on a daily basis and contend with that level of sensory overload. It was a good job my migraines had vanished, because that amount of stimulation would have been a definite trigger.
"Oh, I know, right? So dull. I feel like I've aged about fifty years."
I made a show of looking at her face. "About fifty-five. Definitely more wrinkles."
Lauren squealed. "No!"
"No, not really."
"I mean what's going on with you? It's like since you've come out of hospital you are a new person? This morning I saw you skip, for goodness sake. Tomorrow you will participate in a Phys Ed lesson and enjoy it!"
I shook my head, noticing out of the corner of my eyes my hair swinging and shining in the fading sunlight. I definitely wasn't opposed to that side effect of having star energy racing through my veins. "That will never happen. We all know exercise is for overachievers, of which I am not one."
Lauren laughed. "It's good to have you back, Bron."
"It's good to be back." I linked my arm through hers and we walked in silence for a while.
"I see you remembered Celeste?"
"Sorry?" I wasn't sure what she meant. I hadn't met Celeste until this morning.
"Remember yesterday, when you couldn't recall them being here for the last year?" She rolled her eyes like that was such a typical Bron thing to do.
"Oh, yeah." I fidgeted with my bag. "Temporary amnesia I'm guessing."
We were outside my house. "Well, don't forget to come to school tomorrow."