Born of starlight and shadows

~Part three~

                                                                              A long distance away...

He could still remember the exact moment when he saw the girl's face. He doubted he'd forget it anytime soon. How could he?

This was the face of one of the Star Child that had somehow avoided being found for years. And, if the data from the scanners was any indication, a powerful one, too.

So it was disconcerting to see that she was, after all, just a child, really. But, then again, all of them were "just children."

Yes, but none of the others could haunt him as this girl had done.

Once the initial shock had dissipated, disbelief took its place. Then fear.

How was this possible? How could she be one?

He now felt a different emotion: doubt.

He told himself that it had, after all, been many, many years since that night. This could all be some sort of coincidence. But he didn't think it was.

Regardless of if he was right or if he was wrong, one thing was certain: the girl was in danger where she was. He knew this, and he could do nothing about it.

Not true, in fact, there was one thing he could do. He didn't know if it was the best thing or the worst thing, however.

Either he made a move, or someone else did.

But even if he did, he knew he wouldn't be able to guarantee her safety. No, with as much of that odd, almost otherworldly energy inside of her veins as she had, she could never be safe.

Even if this place did not exist, he was certain someone else would have discovered the power of the "Star Children" and wished to understand it.

Understand it, he thought bitterly. If only.

Maybe in the beginning. He doubted that had ever been the case, however. Of course, then he had known next to nothing. So it was possible that this started out with slightly more honorable intentions than he was now witnessing.

Possible, though not plausible.

Because in order for someone to wish to understand the power of the "Star Children" they first had to actually see it.

He knew firsthand that, aside from their...unusual abilities, the only way to tell if one was a "Star Child" was by the marking each one of them had.

Sometimes they were shaped like stars, as the name suggested, but not always, or even often. Some markings were more distinct than others-he could recall a boy who'd been brought in a couple years ago having a marking that covered nearly his entire back-but for the most part, from what he had seen, they could be concealed with relative ease.

So, unless one knew what they were looking for, there was no way for them to tell that someone was, in fact, a "Star Child" just by looking at them.

Which meant that the first "Star Child" that had ever been found was likely caught using their...ability. An odd mark could be dismissed as a tattoo or a birthmark. But actually witnessing someone defying the very laws of nature, well, that couldn't be overlooked.

He had never actually seen one use their ability before, but he could guess how one might react, especially one who didn't have the knowledge he did.

First, curiosity and wonder. How was such a thing possible?

For instance, he knew there had been a girl, a Star Child, who could manipulate the weather.

But he also knew that as the emotions of each Star Child grew stronger, so did their power. Thier control, however, did not. It weakened considerably.

So a little display of asking the wind to blow in a certain direction could turn into a full-blown hurricane, in the case of that girl. Within seconds, too.

Unfortunately, that was one of the first things that had been learned about the Star Children-how quickly their power could grow out of control. And that little spark of curiosity could soon turn into something else.

If there was simply "a spark of curiosity," in realizing that Star Children could pose a great danger to those around them, it had vanished.

Could pose a great danger. That didn't mean any of them actually did. He had no more idea than then anyone else, of course, how the Star Children had received their abilities, but he didn't think any of them wanted to be that way.

For all he knew they felt as forced into their lives as he did.

But he didn't know. Not really.

There was no getting around the fact that he had to walk past those dimly lit hallways every day, of course. Until now, though, he'd always pretended they weren't there. He'd kept his distance from the madness of it all as much as possible.

He knew it was impossible, but it felt like the photo was staring at him from across his desk. And he knew he could no longer deny who she was.

He'd known about this for years and he had done nothing about it. Why had it taken this to motivate him?

Nothing to be done about it now. No, not when he had a choice to make, one that he knew he would be dealing with the consequences of for a long time after.