Light of Stars [2]

Chapter Nine

The Hidden Stars

A mirror stood between the two. She could see him, his eyes red in the edges, his hair dirty enough to appear brown once more. She could see him, standing there in his ripped clothes, but he could never see her. Aubrette tried not to move, not to blink, or breathe or do anything that might make him fade away. Disappear.

She stared into his brokenness and hoped this was another way her mind had figured out to torture her. Hoped his soul was still bright and warm and safe, somewhere across the sky.

Her hands almost reached out for him, wondering which of the two of them was real. Her hand grazed the glass of the mirror, slamming it into pieces with the single touch.

She could not gasp, could not scream or make a sound as the glass burried itself into her skin, as it bounced in a thousand different directions.

Shadows ripped themselves out of the darkness, flying around her and wrapping them inside, their claws touching her hair as they flew around her head.

Aubrette covered her face with both her hands, sinking into the floor. She closed her eyes, until they hurt from how tight shed shut them. Still she could feel them, their wind traveling around in circles. Darkness slipping out and growing, locking her inside, sinking her deeper into the ground.

"Please" she whispered. Not knowing what else to do, what else to say to get them to leave her alone.

Out of the darkness echoed laughter, deeper than any other. Mocking her as she cried broken tears.

There was a spark.

A star.

Lavender and golden.

A soft glow that begged her to grab on to it.

Aubrette lifted her hand, swimming through the shadows to get to it, to hold onto something else than herself. Their hands clinging onto her ankles as she fought to make her way out.

Shadows clouded her sight, yet she pushed forward, holding in her breath.

Close enough to feel its heat, her fingers reached up for its glow, and the darkness faded slowly away.

The morning wind graced her hair with a caress, golden leafs falling into her hair in the form of raindrops. High up in the sky, the moon and sun intertwined in each other, and the sky melted into a world of blue and pink. She ran and laughed and danced, picking up the golden specks of flowers and leafs from the floor and placing them on top of her skin.

She turned towards the sky after what felt like a long time and felt herself closer to it. No longer where the two gods melted together, but she could still se them both as they tried to break apart from her. Leaving her stranded in the middle of the golden woods.

She looked over to the moon, the stars glimmering brighter the longer the moon made its way across the dark sky. When she turned around, the sun had painted its half in rainbow colors, falling as mist over the ground.

She looked and turned and waited, shapes of souls dancing around in each side appearing, seemingly oblivious to her own. She knew she could not stay for long in the middle, she had to go, run to one side or the other. Join the souls in their dancing. The golden leafs fell from her hair, and the ground grew frozen roses as she walked in a straight line down towards the edge of the earth, hoping that the gods would decide for her.

Above her a lavender star followed everywhere she went, its light slowly healing her from the darkness.

☆

Aubrette opened her eyes and screamed.