Stellar

Chapter 20

Petra woke up to an elbow in her back. One leg hanging off the end of the bed and cold, since Ruby had hogged all of the duvet in the night. She tried to manoeuvre herself in the tiny single bed into a more comfortable position, without waking Ruby up. Reclaiming some of the duvet in the process.

She looked up at the ceiling, still feeling the effects of the previous day. Her body ached and the emptiness was back. The emptiness she often sensed after she had spent a significant time in Silva Hollow. It felt like all the cosmos that fuelled her casts had left her body.

But it was different this time. There was a lingering feeling. The emptiness was still there but it was now an emptiness she could cope with it now, like things were going to work out. She thought back to the Hon and what they had taught her in the cell. Maybe she could use the power she had felt in Silva Hollow on Earth. As Harper said the power was from within her not from where she was.

She sat up and tried to focus on that lingering feeling. She visualised being in Silva Hollow, pretending she could feel the cosmos that normally coursed through her body there. She held out her hand and tried to think about feeling the book on Ruby's bedside table. She concentrated on the book. She could start to feel the weight of it in her hand, even though it was still on the bedside table. She slowly moved her hand to the left, and she swore she saw the cover lift a little. She focused more, the strain creating a slight headache at her temples.

Ruby began stirring from the whirring sound of a hoover that was getting closer. She turned over and knocked Petra's hand and her concentration. Ruby opened one eye and yawned.

"What are you doing?" Ruby asked, sleep evident in her voice.

"Oh," Petra looked at her hand, "Nothing." She lowered her hand and lent back on the headboard.

"I think mum wants us to get up." The hoover could be heard right outside their door. A simple trick their mum often does on days where she had decided the twins had had enough of a lay in. Her way of waking them up without actually waking them up.

The twins groggily walked down the stairs, taking the hint from their mum and not wanting to annoy her anymore especially after missing their curfew the previous day. They already weren't allowed out today, and Petra didn't want to extend that any further.

***

" on," Ruby called over her shoulder about enter Tarley wood. They were finally allowed to explore again after a few days, under strict instructions to be back by 6pm.

"Look," Petra paused, pointing at the woods.

Tarley wood was completely different. It no longer resembled the woods they used to take their daily walks in. It looked exactly like the forests in Silva Hollow. The trees had grown to great heights, causing the forest to constantly look like it was twilight inside. Glow in the dark flowers were scattered and there was a strange purple aura all around it. Not to mention the few clouds that were in the sky above were fully pink. No raspberry ripple swirls were left.

An animal scurried across the overgrown path. Petra's eyes narrowed on the creature. It wasn't like anything she has seen before. Not on Earth or Silva Hollow. At first Petra thought it was a standard rabbit. But then she noticed a few things that were off. Its ears were too small, head so large it looked like it could topple over, and it created a faint purple glow on its surroundings.

Everything was wrong.

Petra began to feel funny. She could feel some energy inside her, but it wasn't the normal energy she felt when she crossed the gateway. It felt off. She wasn't sure what to think.

"This is all getting a bit close to town, don't you think." Petra hummed in agreement, still trying to focus on the weird energy.

"We're going to have to do something soon, aren't we?" said Petra.