Light of Stars [2]

Chapter Fifteen

The Veil Between Memories

When she woke up, she did it slowly. And in the darkness of her waking, she found reassurance.

She stood from her bed, the room burnt into ashes. Pure blackness followed her everywhere she looked. But it was a place she knew, a place where he would be, a place that was still safe in her memories.

She stood, her nightgown long and lavender to match the color of her hair. She rushed to the nearest window, and found the sky melted into a rainbow, rain of every color washing over the city. Their laughter filled her ears, and their dance was contagious. She smiled, and the simple action made her face hurt. She could not remember the last time her lips had done that without her thinking about it.

Her feet carried her back into the depths of the palace, and the golden door she so wanted to see was already opening for her, she ran and rushed inside the room, but the room was not the one she had hoped to find. Instead she found herself staring into the void of Exilium, her hands grabbing onto the edge of her balcony.

She took a step back, laughing at her silliness, she'd been so close to the edge she could have fallen. But of course she coud never have really fallen, not when the moon was shinning so bright in the sky.

Wood Sorrow shined in the horizon, and it was tempting, to let herself fall just so that she could sleep on the arms of the crooked tree for a few hours.

Turning back to make sure no one was watching, Aubrette stepped into the edge of the balcony and let herself fall,

and fall,

and fall,

and fall.

She would've fallen forever, she thought, if the moon promised her she could stare at the stars for as long as she fell.

She touched the ground. Heard someone laugh. She laughed too. Silly. She'd gotten her clothes dirty.

When she turned around, her mother was waiting for her with open arms. Aubrette danced for her, trying to make her laugh. Her mother just grinned.

"Come" she whispered. And as if it were a command, Aubrette ran towards her.

I don't want to, she thought. I want to keep falling. I want to keep staring into the sky.

Her mother's face shifted, a wicked grin hanging from her lips. A nightmare she realized, her mother would never dare look at her with such evil inside her eyes. The thought made her want to stop. Made her want to turn around. But she could not stop running. Could not stop moving towards that darkness.

Aubrette looked down, wrapped around her legs there were shadows pulling her to her mother's arms, dragging her towards them. She tried to fight them off of her, but her hands slipped past, without something she could grab onto. Her eyes fell on the trees, hoped they would help, but there were no trees around, just miles and miles of burnt grass.

When she finally reached her, the smile on her mother's face had disappeared. And her eyes looked red. black. purple.

"Mom?" She asked, her voice was shaking.

"You've played your role so well. I'm so proud of you" she said, but her voice sounded deep and strange, not alike the voice of her dreams at all."I promise it will just hurt a little" she whispered in her ear, her hands brushing her hair, gripping her wrist to pull them forward.

Aubrette gasped. Tried to free herself from her grip, of her shadows ripping into her skin, but she could not move, could not see.

"Stop!" She cried. "Please mom stop" she begged.

☆

"Bree"

His voice numbed every feeling. Every thought.

Her mother disappeared from her view.

Her eyes searched for him.

"Bree"

☆

Darkness.

Strange darkness.

A star.

Nothing.

☆

"Bree"

She heard his voice. Felt him close. She saw him laughing in the distance. Asher. And someone else. Someone she did not know. They looked young. So young she almost did not recognize him, them. They were laughing together, calling her name. Aubrette turned around, trying to remember what she had wanted to run away from, but she could not.

"Further, further into the sea, were the old gods went to sneak past the gate, the gate of dreams, further further into the sea, be careful cause you'll see the young souls of Goldcrest in white golden lightning"

They were singing.

The old lullaby sparking something in her memory.

She wanted to sing too.

"Further further into the sea, when there's no one around to see, they fill the sea with light and laughter. Further further into the sea, when the moon gets jealousy a new blessing will be likely granted"

Aubrette danced as she walked towards them, a true smile lingering on her face.