When Stars Fall (NaNoWriMo22)

Chapter 13

When the first Star came to after his fall, he walked the lands from one end to another. Among his many adventures, one of the most notable was his encounter with the Burning Tree.

He had found a dry, runt of a plant. One of the only signs of life in the many miles he had walked through. He took it as a sign. A ray of hope in the seemingly endless despair. The Star grazed it with such gentleness and care. He sat with the poor plant for 13 days and 14 nights. On the 14th day, he stood up. He ran his hand up along the dry bark, cutting up his palm in the process. His blood stained the bark long after he left.

In one decade, the first Star had brought up the Realm Beyond. He healed the land, bringing forth a new era. In that times, he found himself in a similar path from years before. But, this time, he found a prosperous and fruitful red tree. From a distance, he thought that this tree was on fire due to the way the sunlight hit the red leaves. He, then, did not know that Star blood overran with magic and with pure healing properties. He studied this unnatural phenomenon for many years to come and wrote many books about his studies on our people. He did this until the day he perished.

However, out of all the notable things of the Burning Tree that he found fascinating; he found the smell of the leaves most curious. No one else but him could smell the bitter tang the leaves emitted. He stayed there for many years. Even building his first home away from mortals. My siblings and I witness his departure from mortal world after the coven rose against him. After he died, the Burning tree and his home disappeared from our sight and the sight of all else.

It has been so long since we last heard of the Burning tree that I have even forgotten of its existence until just then. It shouldn't be possible for the leaves to be in that salve, but here it is.

I hold the jar under my nose after hours of contemplation. Averett has been beside himself watching my thoughts run amuck in my expressions. I've walked back and forth in the Captain's cabin, the anxiety giving away to complete stress. So, I ran back to the salve and kept it close to me for observation. "You can't smell that," I whisper more to myself than to him. He takes the salve from my hands and mirrors what I did. His eyebrows scrunch, focusing on finding the missing scent that I know he won't find. He doesn't say anything. He doesn't have to. I know he's unable to smell the Burning leaves. A clock chimes in the room, blaring the time of day to us. "That does it!" I snatch the jar from his hands.

"We should go towards the deck before Captain Spears' crew returns." I screw the lid back on and practically slam it on the dressing table. Nothing makes sense in the mortal realm. Nothing has ever confused more than my experience here. In fact, everything that has happened to me is pure insanity.

"Hold on," Averett grabs my arm, "I am willing to give you space whenever you might need it, but if there's something wrong..." I wrap my arm around his. He should not worry about Star matters. It isn't my place to divulge such secrets. "Nothing is wrong." Averett doesn't believe me. "Yet. There is nothing wrong yet. We are safe." I can only guess. The Captain knows that I smelt the Burning leaves and he has not done anything with that information yet. I doubt he will. The knowledge of Stars is so limited and intricately hidden. If the Captain does know, then he must've heard stories from a long gone relative of the ages.

"I'm not sure why I can't find it in myself to feel comforted by that."

We walk out of the Captain's cabin into an isolated hallway. The steps are not far so we easily find our way out into the deck. We were only on the first floor, I come to find out. I wonder how many floors we passed before we made it to his private rooms last night. I was so tired and cold that the memory of the late night is too foggy in my mind. "This is what we are on?" Averett exclaims. He lets me go, turning around in a full circle, and admires this beautiful asterboat. "This is a boat!" I smile at his child-like ignorance. The wooden floors are pristine, and they shine with cleanliness. Certain areas are painting in gold with knobs and robs matching the interior. "This is an asterboat," I correct him as I follow him deeper unto the deck. "It was invented centuries before to collect renewable resources directly from the sky. It has an engine that helps it fly and various contraptions that I alone cannot explain for you."

Averett laughs, jumping up bridge. He gazes out into this newfound world with his own eyes. There's a grand canyon that tucks the asterboat tightly, protecting it from both sides. I hear the sound of rushing waters coming from somewhere below us. I can't see where it's coming from here, but I prefer the view. Averett messes around with the Captain's wheel. He runs his fingers along the polished wood. "Utterly unbelievable! How is this possible?" He turns his gaze expectantly at mine, waiting for me to answer. I shrug with my hands in the air. "The same way I am possible, I gather." I twirl unto the emptiness with my head turned up to the clear sky. "With magic and a bit of the beyond. The natural order is different here, Averett. In your world, it's science. In mine, it is magic."

My dress swishes against the floor as I glide across it with ease. I cannot wait to take to the skies. "Incredible." I hear him whisper.

Although I am proud with who I am, I come to realize how much we are missing. We simply watch. We cannot experience. We cannot make memories. We cannot live. Although we are not alone, we are apart. I am hit with a new human emotion: envy. I have never envied humans before. In all fairness, I never knew how much we were missing from simply watching. There are thing that even us Stars cannot see. Like this asterboat. It is very different from seeing it as a Star and experiencing it as a human. Am I human? Can I be truly something of which I never was? The questions weighs heavy on my mind, souring my mood from one moment to the next. I am no longer free.

"I hear footsteps!" Averett runs to my side quickly, pulling me firmly to his side. I correspond to his tough and wrap my arm around his waist. "Are you ready," he smirks playfully, "wife?" I return his obnoxious smile and say, "Quite, husband." He quirks an eyebrow at the challenge in my voice. "Aha! Very good. Very posh." I roll my eyes and pull him after me. "Oh, do come on, you prick."

"Prick! You wound me."

"Will you stop?" I giggle at his theatrics.

We stop jerking each other around just as Captain Spears and his crew comes aboard the ship. They look to be all males. It isn't uncommon to have a crew full of men. I have seen a crew entirely made of women a few decades before. Her name escapes me, however. "Ah, look who we have here!" The Captain welcomes us with open arms as he steps on board. "My nephew and his wife." He taps Averett's shoulder and hugs me. Nephew and his wife. I will never be used to that word being assigned to me. The crew automatically accepts our relation to be true. They smile and greets us as if we were their family.

"How are you, Spears?" Averett follows Spears' example and shakes his arm. The Captain chuckles gleefully, enjoying this game. Humans are very good at pretending or lying, whichever. It is a whole new way of peering at humans. Observing them in their natural state. "Good, good. It's been too long, Averett." He finally turns to me. "Welcome to the family, Alcyone. How was the travel down?" I falter slightly. I don't particularly like the phrasing of that question. I also don't particularly like having to lie. "Fine." The word falls flat on my tongue. I kept it simple. I hope it didn't sound too deflated. I cannot have the Captain have more to hold against me.

"That's great, dear." There's a knowing gleam in his eye that dashes my hope overboard and down to the turbulent river below. "Milton!" I flinch. A thin boy appears between the bulk of men. "Come here, boy. Greet your cousin." The boy meekly smiles at Averett, but when he turns his gaze at mine, his eyes widen with awe. Kindness is in his gaze. A boyish kind of grace to his features. "Hello," I bend down to his eye level and reach my hand out, "Milton, was it?" He wraps his dainty hand around mine, nodding his head wordlessly. "I am Alcyone."

He smiles shyly. Children are precious in this world. Innocent and precious. The more I look at him, the more I see familiarities between him and Spears. The shape of his eyes and nose. But there are others that I cannot tell. His mother's or father's, I can assume. "Alright, men!" The Captain calls to his crew. "Let's get this ship up in the skies."

The men run to their posts as ordered by their leader in a merry frensy. They love their work and happy to do it. While everyone else gets to it, the four of us remain standing where we are. "Averett, you'll be with me," the Captain grabs his nephew's shoulder, "and you, Milton, will give Alcyone a tour of our dear home." Milton quickly grabs my hand and leads me away from my so-called husband. "I can show you my library, if you like." Milton suggests with an enthusiastic sweetness to his words. His pure character is the only reason I say yes.