Star Beings: Dawn

Shattered

After the little hair fiasco, things have been uneventful.
I'm still not allowed outside, though.

I sit on the couch, Apollo playing with something while propped up in my lap. "Whatcha got there, bud?" I ask, reaching for it.
I stare at the toy. It's a tiny stuffed bear, with a little black diamond stitched into its chest.
I feel a sense of familiarity pound against the back of my brain.
"This was mine." "Anai! Quiet down Apollo, will ya?"
I snap back to reality. Apollo is crying. "Anai?"
Elian stops dead when he sees me holding the bear.
"I shouldn't've given him that damn toy." He mumbles, picking up Apollo with one hand and holding the other out expectantly.
"Give it here." "No. This is mine, isn't it?" "It hasn't been since you were four, give it here." I stare into my uncle's golden eyes.
"No." I jump off the couch, bolting to my room and locking the door.
I hear Elian bang against it moments later.
"Anai, open this door!" He yells.
"No! I'm not letting you take it!"
"GIVE IT BACK!!! PLEASE!!!!"
His voice cracks, a new tone ripping through what seemed like anger.
Desperation.
"Why?" I ask, my voice quiet.
I hear my uncle sigh. "It's all I got, Ani. When you were much younger... Something terrible happened. Because of that, I wasn't able to see you for a very long time. But, I had that toy. It reminded me of the niece I loved oh so much. I gave it to Apollo thinking I might be able to finally move on. But then I got my niece back."
I unlock the door, opening it silently.
"For a long time, it was all I had left." "Now it's all I have left, Elian. I feel like I'm constantly looking at the shattered pieces of a mirror. I can see all these shards of someone I used to be, but I can't grab any of them because they'll make me bleed. This is something I can actually hold onto."
Elian sighs, then nods.
"Ok. I... I wish I could tell you more. I really do, Ani. But I'm not allowed. The Star Beings believe you could be dangerous if you learn everything at once. For now, you'll stay in the dark."
Star Beings? Why does that ring a bell?
Silhouettes dance across my mind, peeking into the edges of my vision.
Each has a color.
Green. Sarcastic and frustrating.
Purple. Loud.
Orange. Unpredictable.
Teal and Silver, always together.
Pink. Calm, yet terrifying.
Yellow, who seems weak. But appearances aren't everything.
White and red, the siblings. Tricksters.
And Blue. Only one word comes to mind when I see that silhouette:
Danger.

"Anai? Are you ok?" "Yes. I'm fine. Just... tired from all the yelling. I need a moment alone." My uncle nods, then steps away. Elian picks up Apollo and disappears into he and Hera's bedroom. I close my door.
Star Beings....
Why does even the thought of the blue one scare and anger me so?
What did they do?
Another memory scratches at the back of my skull.
A flash of blue.
The sound of a blade piercing flesh and fabric.
Green letting out a shuttered gasp.
Blue standing, hand outstretched, and panting. A strange dark figure, falling to the floor.
And a scream, building in my chest that I can't let out. Someone's voice commands me to be strong and steady. As I stare at the blurry figure lying there, a single word pushes its way into my throat.
"Father."

My head spins and the memory, like a strange fog, retreats. I look around my room in a daze. "Why can't things just make sense?" I groan, collapsing onto my bed.
I lift my hand up, and study it.
"Was that scar always there?" I mumble, clenching my hand into a fist.
I punch it upwards, not really sure what I'm doing or why I'm doing it.
It bursts into black flames.
And I, like any sane person, start screaming.

"Anai are you- shit." I stare at my Uncle in confusion. "YOU'RE NOT EVEN SLIGHTLY CONCERNED ABOUT THIS?????" "Anai, calm down. Take deep breaths." "HOW IS THAT SUPPOSED TO HELP???"
The fire flares up. I do as my uncle says and take long, deep breaths.
It works.
The black flames sputter out.
"What was THAT???" I yelp, staring at Elian for answers.
He shrugs and walks away. Well isn't that just super helpful?
"Elian, tell me what the- the- the FUCK THAT WAS RIGHT NOW!!!" Elian turns so quickly I hear something pop.
He grunts.
"Young lady, don't you use that language that loudly. You'll wake the twins up. As for what that was... I dunno if I can tell you that."
I stare at Elian, annoyed and slightly frazzled. He shrugs and walks back into the nursery. I'm left standing in the living room, alone and confused.
As usual.

I go back to my room after a few minutes. An hour passes.
Then Elian enters my room, his face strangely pale and concerned. "The Star beings have called a council." He says, his voice strangely distant.
"Pardon?" "Just come with me."

I follow my uncle through the twisted halls like a stray puppy.
He seems worried... nervous?
No, not quite. There's something else there behind the concern. Guilt.
What is he hiding from me now?
He stops in front of two double doors. "Ok listen. Don't say anything stupid. And do not, and I mean do NOT, mention the fire incident." He whispers to me, knocking three times on the door.
"What do you-" "Oh, hey Elian." Orange hair says, popping out of the doors. They look at me with disdain. "Anai."
They begrudgingly open the door a tad.
"Come in."

I stumble into a semicircle of ten chairs, nine of which are occupied by different individuals. Orange hair sits down in the only open one
I glance around at everyone, and I'm shocked when I recognize multiple familiar faces.
Gabriel. DJ. Even the blue haired one that interrogated me.
Upon closer inspection, I realize that everyone surrounding me I've seen before.
The caverns.
These were the people I saw when I first opened my eyes.
"Uh... where are the Star Beings?" "That would be us, dumbass." Orange growls. Blue sends them a sharp look.
"Perhaps introductions are needed. I'm Natalie. You already know DJ, Gabriel and Hade." Orange huffs at their name. "As for everyone else...?"
"I'm Karson, and this is Mateo." The one with silver hair says, pointing to the teal headed man next to him. "Damien." A boy with a white streak says. "Stop being such an edge lord." Red says. "I'm Caleb, by the way." A girl with a pink and purple braid looks me up and down. "Lane."
The last Star Being, a girl with curly pink hair, stares at me. "My name is Maxine." She finally says.
"Alright, now that we have that settled, time to discuss why you're here. Elian informed us of the few memories that have come back. Or at least, the one's you've informed him of." Her brown eyes pierce right through me.
She knows.
"So, is there anything you haven't told him of?" "No. I've told him everything." The lie comes out much too easy. Natalie raises an eyebrow but seems to believe me.
After that, she's silent for a very long time. She just stares at me.
I can't take this anymore.
"Listen, I just wanna remember who I am. Is there anything, and I mean anything at all, that you can tell me? Or even show me, I don't care just... please. This is an absolute infernum to deal with."
I hear DJ sigh
"Anai, we don't know what will happen if-" "I DON'T CARE!!!!" I roar. I hear a strange thunk as a huge black spike sinks into the wall behind where DJ just was.
She peaks out from behind her chair. How she got there I have no idea.
"Did I do that?" I whisper.
Natalie's brown eyes study me, what she's looking for I don't know.
"I guess Elian didn't tell us everything."

Young Elian that I'm doing for a tik tok and realistic Elian that I did bc why not. I have more art but uh... spoilers.