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“Gwen, get out of here as fast as you can,” I instructed. “Go home.”
“What?” Gwen did a double take. “Surely—”
Her statement was cut short by the power cutting off. I could feel the hush of uncertainty in the other occupants. The emergency lights flickered on a moment later.
There was a resounding clash outside; I headed over to the window to see if I could see what was happening. I never made it.
“What the—” was all I had time to say before somehow managing to duck. The window—along with several others nearby—collapsed at the explosive power. Glass shards went flying throughout the room. Splintering rain came pouring in.
I gritted my teeth with determination as I stood up and (carefully) brushed the broken glass off of my clothes. “Stay here!” I shouted towards Gwen, as I made my way through the mess and out into the awaiting storm. I didn’t wait for her objection.
I was just about to glance back and make sure she wasn’t trying to follow me when I faltered. The sight before me stunned me into unmoving silence.
The sky had changed abruptly; it was black with thick, ghastly vapors, and lightning danced menacingly from cloud to cloud. The wind was whipping through the town in spurts, almost like it was being tossed around by a very confused blender. Tree limbs were seen rolling down the street, and debris was everywhere. I could make just out shadows of people scurrying into the nearest buildings.
Fear crept up my spine. Oh crap. This is bad.
A very depraved laughter rang through the now-empty streets of the city. I looked around to see where it was coming from, but I couldn’t pinpoint the source. The wind had picked up again, and I had to put my hands out to protect my face from the leaves and small twigs suddenly attacking me.
“Plew!” I scrunched up my face as I tried to spit out some of the stuff flowing into my mouth. “Yuck!”
As I saw it, I had two choices. I could head back to the hospital, try to lay low, protect Gwen, and keep my nose out of all of this. I could maybe even convince myself it wasn’t a supernatural event. I could lie to myself forever.
I could give up on Elysian and Starry Knight and destiny all together. I’m sure the Prince of Stars would understand. He seems pretty capable of handling all this with his power anyway, I reasoned.
But ...
The last time this happened, I met the Prince, I remembered. The last time I faltered, he’d been there for me. I was half-expecting him to show up now and tell me to grow up, get a hold of myself, and go do the right thing. The strangest part of all this was his silence, I thought. If I rejected him, was it possible he’d rejected me too?
I had to find out.
Keeping my face from the direction of the wind, I began to creep towards the end of the street.
The ominous laughter cackled again, and I faltered. Fear had seized me at that particular sound of doom.
I turned and looked back at the deserted streets and a sense of incredibility took over me. What on earth am I thinking? I wondered. I must be crazy. Anyone in the world would tell me this is crazy.
I glanced down at my wrist. There was no trace of any hope.
I was just thinking of turning back when I saw Elysian. The dragon was weaving throughout the tops of the building and along the windy ways, his flight pattern slow and twisted but still steady.
“Elysian!” I called out, waving my arms wildly. He never made the smallest indication he’d heard me. And if he had, he’d ignored me.
I watched him go and felt angry. All of sudden Elysian didn’t care about dragging me into danger? When did this happen?
I was quickly jolted out of my thoughts when a lightning bolt flashed to the ground nearby. I jumped and was nearly blown over from the harsh winds. I gritted my teeth again as I (barely) managed to pick myself off the ground.
A large rumble shook the ground, and this time, I actually did fall to the ground. I scraped my hands as I caught myself, but I was too distracted to think about the pain. “No,” I whimpered.
It wasn’t only Eris who had come out to play.
The Sinisters—all of them, from Asteropy’s blazing yellow to Maia’s muffled blue—were here.
“I had forgotten the joy that races through my body at the sign of fleeing humans,” Elektra spoke up as she used her power to blow up a nearby telephone pole.
“I have to disagree,” Maia remarked as she blew her own power onto some humans on the top floor of a building. She laughed as they all fell asleep and collapsed. “They are enjoyable enough when they are helpless.”
“Sisters, hush!” Asteropy scolded. “Do not ruin our fun with your bickering.”
“Hey! We’re not bickering!” Elektra huffed. “As if I would fight with Maia, of all the useless opponents.”
“You shut up, Elektra!” Maia shouted back as she heaved a wave of power at her antagonistic sister.
“Watch it, Maia!” Celaena shouted back, her purple skin dulling as Maia’s lackadaisical aim managed to half-fall on her. “Ooh, you make me so mad sometimes with your incompetence!”
That was all it took to get them started. The fight turned inward as the sisters all started defending or lashing out against the others.
If we’re lucky, they’ll destroy themselves, I thought with a bitter grin.
An arrow of light shot out and pierced through the cloudy miasma produced by the Sinisters’ quarrel. A howl cried out.
Turning around, I saw her again; Starry Knight was perched behind a balcony. I could almost see her smile of satisfaction.
“You fools!” Asteropy grasped her arm, burning from the arrow’s hit. “Stop fighting each other, and get them!” She pointed weakly at their mutual opponents.
Each Sinister turned, only to have Elysian’s fire burn into them from behind.
As the battle around me raged, the buildings surrounding me started to crinkle; a few cracked along the top and bricks and siding, metal and glass all started to scatter down to the street.
I raced to get around the corner, but I only ran into a more deadly intersection. I held my arm protectively over my face as I hurried to dodge objects being blown in my direction.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of light. For a moment I thought it was just another bolt of lightning. But a second later, I realized it was different.
Starry Knight and the Sinisters were headed towards the center of the city. I shook my bitterness off, and hurried after her on foot, not even really fully understanding why I was running towards the fight instead of away from it (surprise, surprise), or what I was supposed to do when I got there.
I managed miraculously to make it to the heart of the city battle without getting any permanent damage done to my body. My leg was bleeding, and I was pretty sure a rib was broken, but I’d managed to make it to the battle scene alive.
I watched from behind the corner of a building as Starry Knight fought against the Sinisters. All of them seemed to determine her to be the bigger threat, I noticed. Elysian, for all his size and firepower, was outshone by the pretty girl wrapped in light.
A disturbing sense of déjà vu hit me full force. I had seen this before.
Starry Knight stumbled, taking a hit in the chest. I cringed. As much as I didn’t like her, I felt pity for her; I was pretty sure the blow had fractured a rib or two. Even Starry Knight seemed to feel the pain; her face crinkled as she tried to fly away.
Elysian came to her rescue a moment later, and while her expression cleared, I noticed her ferocity had dimmed ever so slightly.
I was so intent on watching the battle in the sky I didn’t noticed someone had appeared behind me.
A moment later I regretted my intense fixation; five sharp claws raked across my back, causing me to scream in pure pain.
Tears flecked across my vision, but I knew who it was. “Get away from me, you monster!” I yelled, trying to scurry back.
Eris laughed. “You foolish boy! You should have run away when you had the chance!” She grabbed me by the neck and held me up to her face.
My vision cleared as I gasped for air. I saw her face and felt all the viciousness inside of me bubble up. A desire to live and to fight (and brutally!) boiled deep within me. “You—”
Her eyes glinted as she smirked. For the first time in my life, I understood why teachers hated it when I smirked. She tightened her grip. “You have such a bright soul,” she murmured thoughtfully. “Normally you can’t see it in humans, but you must be a rare, luminous one.”
My brain was going fuzzy. I grasped weakly at her arm and glanced at my wrist. I suddenly felt like groaning. I was about to be killed and my supernatural mark was still not going to show up?!
“Your jealousy and fear sparkle so deliciously,” Eris murmured, almost breathlessly.
Before I could curse (silently, of course) I was released. Abruptly.
Not by her choice, I noticed; her short shriek of surprise roared as I fell hard to the ground once more.
I sucked up a large breath of air before looking up to see Starry Knight grasping her bow in front of me.
“Leave him! Your battle is with me!” Starry Knight shouted.
I wouldn’t deny I am a skeptical person by nature. But even as I looked up at Starry Knight, I was doubtful she could hold up much longer.
Starry Knight had really taken quite the beating. I almost smiled, seeing she was nowhere near as graceful as she usually was. Her hair was a mess, her feathers were burned and brittle in some areas, and her stance was tense, probably as a result from that blow to the chest area.
Eris unleashed a whirlwind of dark light before anyone could say anything else.
I felt myself moving; I also heard a small choke of pain, and saw a blinding explosion even as I shielded my eyes.
Amidst the twisting strands of pain wrapping around me, I felt a cloak of safety enfold me. I glanced up warily to see Starry Knight had encased me in her bruised wings and was holding me close to her.
I was at first repulsed by this; I didn’t like being around Starry Knight, let alone this close to her. She even smelled funny, I thought, as the odd aroma of sweet bitterness tickled my nose.
My knee-jerk reaction was to tell her to go away, but as I looked up at her, to see her in pain, while protecting me, not even knowing I’d betrayed her before ... I suddenly felt like throwing up, disgusted with my own actions.
Before I could hold onto her, the flow of energy stopped. I twisted away and ducked, my head before my lunch made its first reappearance.
Starry Knight wobbled as she awkwardly stood up. “Get out of here,” she told me. “You’ll be all right. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
My eyes met hers briefly before she took off again. And then I doubled over and let out the rest of my stomach’s half-digested contents. I whimpered softly as I felt my vomit burn into the cuts on my leg. Get out of here? I thought bitterly to myself. How? What a stupid order! I could barely move.
I weakly turned back to the battle. I watched as Starry Knight fought with the Sinisters. It was awful.
Elysian had been blown into the ground so hard, the gutter had collapsed in part of the street. A helicopter in the sky, probably belonging to a news station, was also suffering as another Sinister or two was attacking.
I watched as Starry Knight glanced towards me again. I felt like telling her I was okay where I was (because admitting I was in too much pain to move would have been too painful), but I didn’t get the chance to even not to be able to try.
Starry Knight’s second of distraction had cost her. She was flung into the ground, close to the middle of the street, as the Sinisters’ power managed to strike a hit.
“No!” I strangled, half-gasped cry of despair barely cried out.
There was a moment of standstill. It was as though time had stopped, unable to process what was happening. I just watched, hoping fervently, that she would move.
Her fingers twitched a moment later, and I felt the breath rush out of me. I hadn’t noticed I’d stopped breathing.
She straightened a moment later, and something on her cheek sparkled dimly. Teardrops.
The sensation of déjà vu struck me again, as real and as painful as the pain in my own body. I struggled to sit up.
Eris closed in on her, grabbing Starry Knight by her throat, much as she’d done to me earlier. “I see you’ve disposed of your little sidekick. Was he really your greatest weakness?” Eris laughed.
Starry Knight clenched at Eris’ hands. “You leave him out of this.”
“That silly boy? Her greatest weakness?” Alcyonë laughed from a short distance away. “You’re still not strong enough to fight us, sister dear, even if you are a Guardian Star.”
“Once I’m finished with you, I’ll have to go see him,” Eris murmured playfully. “Don’t you agree, Alcyonë?” She giggled.
“Augh!” Starry Knight’s hands gripped Eris’ even more tightly. Power unleashed from her, trapping Eris. The power forcefully exploded, and I watched, amazed, as Eris imploded; suddenly she was gone, her laughter still hanging in the air. Starry Knight, wide-eyed and breathing heavily, turned to face Alcyonë. “I won’t let you hurt him.”
I felt all prickly; even as I was glad to know Starry Knight wasn’t after harming me, her power was much more intimidating than mine.
“Kid, you need to get out of here.” Elysian had gone unnoticed while he had slithered up behind me. But now he was tugging on my leg with his claws, pulling me as much as he could away from the battle.
“Elysian, what’s going on?” I felt myself ask, even though I was pretty sure I knew.
Alcyonë appeared unimpressed with Eris’ demise. “You’ll still have to stop the rest of us,” she glowered.
“So be it.” Starry Knight began to glow. She whispered something; I wasn’t quite sure, but I thought she said, “I have no choice.”
That really scared me. I’d never felt this afraid before. “No!”
“Hamilton,” Elysian grumbled.
My cry of angry fear and dismay, along with Elysian’s reprimand, was drowned out by the eerie silence. All seven Sinisters fell silent as an immense light poured from Starry Knight, and bubbled around her and began to draw them in closer to her.
I could stop it, if I just had my power! I glared angrily at my wrist when I saw it was still not there.
Okay, Wingdinger isn’t going to show. No choice, I thought. Hamilton would have to suffice. I prayed it would be enough.
I shoved Elysian off me and crawled as fast as I could (which was not very fast, all things considered) to the edge of the light now swirling around. I looked up but I couldn’t see its end; later on, pictures would show it was almost like a star, circular and wide, giving off flares.
Looking deep into the middle of the light, trying not to worry about going blind, I could just barely make out the slim shadow of Starry Knight. I pushed at the resilient force, feeling it repel me. Bearing down, I marched forward into the torrent winds of her energy.
The pressure of Starry Knight’s power pushed hard against my advance. It figures she wouldn’t cooperate, even now.
After much moaning and silent cursing, I finally made it to Starry Knight. I felt the fear in me rise once more. She was very solid and focused. Her eyes had brightened over with violent energy, and her skin was speckled with power and light.
If she wasn’t careful, she was going to use all her power to fight, taking the Sinisters and the earth and everything in it along with her.
Shoot. That’s what she is going to do. Exactly what she is going to do!
I reached over and tugged on her hand. “Stop!” I tried to tell her. My mouth wouldn’t seem to make any noise. I grabbed her wrist, trying to draw her attention. She didn’t move. She seemed lost in the chain reaction of her own power.
With more difficulty than I would’ve thought possible, I stood up, and grabbed her shoulders. My wounds burned as though the light was full of acid. I tried to shake her, but I couldn’t move her. Not even an inch!
“I tried.” I flinched at the silent voice. What was that? Was it her? I felt something wet on my hands and looked up. Her tears. What are you crying for? I thought. This is all your fault! I’m the one who should be crying, not you!
“You stupid girl!” I mouthed, still without a voice. Despair took me. I was going to die without finishing high school! Along with all the other important things I wanted to do in life.
A new sense of desperation overwhelmed me as I stood there, in the middle of a star, in a world where time had no measure. And then suddenly there was more. A familiar scent of heavenly fields. The heartbeat of a song. I found every layer of myself chiseled away, the blackened cynicism of my heart breaking open and oozing the kind of fear which only stems from the deepest sort of longing. “Don’t leave me.”
And then I kissed her.
☼20☼