Written in the Stars

Chapter Twelve

Celeste had known this day was coming, but she hadn't expected it to creep up on her so quickly. Today was the day. She was moving out of the home she had built with her family and into the house that looked eerily like it, with her new family. Izabela. Who was technically also her old family, one of her original family even, who she had thought she had lost all those years ago and had finally found again. Or rather, who had found her.

She had been sleeping in a spare bedroom for just over a week, as Jean had asked her to give him some space and so she didn't have to take anything else from their old bedroom that she hadn't already taken, anticipating never moving back into her own bedroom. All of her clothes were here and any miscellaneous items too which made it really easy when the boxes arrived, for her to just pack it all up without any disruptions to the others living in the house. Sure she wished they would come in and try to stop her, but she guessed that they had said what they felt they needed to or were willing to, but it didn't make it any less painful to leave.

She knew she theoretically had all day to do it, but she also knew that if she didn't leave ASAP then she may not leave at all. And that would not help anyone. And so, Celeste packed as quickly as she could and left the home she had known as hers for over 50 years. This was the first place they had been able to settle down for a long period of time without suspicion or question. They had been there since the supernatural community had outed itself to the rest of the world. And also throughout the publication of Twilight when they had glitter painted onto their front door. They still had no idea if it was meant as an insult or if it was a way of their neighbours letting them know they were welcome. Either way, they had not spoken of it once they had finally gotten the glitter off the door. Even now, years later, they would still see their front door shimmering if the light hit it the right way. Glitter really clings on. Which is why Celeste is inclined to believe it was a way to try and get rid of them. She wasn't paranoid, she just knew that if she was ever to paint someone's door with glitter it wouldn't necessarily have the purest intentions behind it.

Celeste had started packing at 8am. She arrived at Izabela's at 11am with a bottle of wine in each hand and a man carrying her bags behind her. The boxes were still in the car.

The journey to her new home (she felt like an animal from Battersea, about to go to its fur-ever home) had not taken too long, but the anticipation had made it feel longer. Or maybe it was just because the traffic was atrocious that morning. Either way she was sure it had taken at least an hour longer than it should have done. But she had gotten there, eventually, even after having to wait for the space directly in front of the front door to open up. Some bastard had decided that the area was perfect for loading his entire family into the car which for some reason managed to fit what seemed to be 15 children and 4 wives. It reminded her of a clown car. And so they had had to wait for him to be done before they could battle their way into the space and claim it for the five minutes she would need.

She was determined to make this move as pleasant and enjoyable as possible and one sure fire way she knew how to do that was with alcohol. Alcohol cured all problems. She knew she would make a terrible physician because that would be the only thing she prescribed. Izabela opened the door to her girlfriend, ultimately not looking as happy as Celeste had hoped she would on the day that Celeste chose to commit to her agreement to moving in. It didn't help that Izabela was on the phone. Her tone of voice and chosen words were very clipped and short. It didn't seem to be a very happy phone call. It was in Italian, a language Celeste had never bothered to get too fluent in.

Celeste brought her bottles of wine up the stairs and presented them to Izabela with a small smile on her face, as if to ask if they made her feel better. Izabela smiled fondly at Celeste and then nodded. She gave her a peck on the lips and then motioned for her to go in to her new home.

Celeste stepped past her and over the doorway. She had been before but never as someone who lived there. Whilst it didn't change the way it looked, it did change the way the house felt and the way she felt. She felt less reticent being there, as if she was actually allowed to be. She had not realised that she had made herself feel unhappy and unwelcome there until she no longer did. It was amazing what two bottles of wine could do she thought. And they hadn't even been opened yet.

She wandered into the kitchen and placed the bottles on the island. She was grateful that this room at least looked nothing like her old house, she guessed that whoever Izabela hired to get the house an exact match had not been in the kitchen of the original. Her old house. She was tempted to think of it as her house, but she knew she would never be back there, at least not as a resident. Probably not even as a guest, let alone a welcomed one.

From the entry way she heard Izabela tell the man who had her belongings just to leave them in the kitchen. They could deal with them later. The door closed and Izabela hung up the phone. Celeste wasn't sure why she insisted on using a land line, but maybe it was a statement that she was not going anywhere. A land line was a big commitment in this day and age after all. It had to be insured and then there was other stuff. If Celeste was honest she had managed to avoid touching a landline since the invention of the mobile phone, and even then she had preferred the Royal Mail over BT for sending messages. Sure it took longer, but she had all the time in the world so what was the hard in it taking an extra week or two to get to the other person? Absolutely none. Especially if it was a death warrant she had written. It wasn't her fault if it got to the person who it involved after anyone who may be interested in the bounty that was attached.

Izabela got two glasses down from the cupboard behind Celeste and put them in front of her, clearly letting her decide which bottle they would open first. Celeste had a feeling this was a test of her taste, but she was too happy to be here to care and so picked up and uncorked the one closest to her. She didn't bother looking for a bottle opener or even taking the one that Izabela offered her. No, in her excitement she just pulled it out with her nails and thanked all of the gods that there ever were that her nails could not break anymore. She had been continuously grateful for that fact over the years, especially on occasions such as these when she behaved without thought.

When she turned around to give Izabela her glass, she smiled wide, happy to be able to just do this with no guilt about having to be somewhere else. Izabela lightly tapped her glass against Celeste's and said, "To us." And then took a drink. Celeste did the same. Whilst Celeste was drinking Izabela continued, "Let us have many a happy year together and find success and love around every corner and over every hill." She then tapped her glass against Celeste's again and downed the whole thing. Celeste did the same and then kissed her, long and sweet. She had never felt more free in her whole life and she wanted to make her love feel the same.