When Stars Fall (NaNoWriMo22)

Chapter 31

My dreams have been on a constant loop. The same images and sounds over and over again. I'm not sure how long I slept nor how sick I got. But when I woke up, I found Averett fast asleep on a chair in a corner and mumbling about someone being 'very opinionated and aggressive'.

The clouds have still not passed, but night has. I don't understand how I know that. My eyes roam over the overshadowed streets through the dirt-stained glass. I haven't been able to see the sun rise. The clouds have hidden it all away. I forcibly sit on the windowpane and lean my forehead against the cool glass. Averett sleeps across from me. It reminds me from our first morning together. How everything has changed. How I have changed.

I scoot forward towards him. How much I love you, Averett. I run a finger from his forehead down to his cheek. He's so warm. Ever so carefully, my finger hover over his lips. I'll always remember his kiss. My one and only kiss. My fingertips shine slightly, spreading down my hand and wrist. At this rate, I'll be shining in broad daylight. But what's the point? Hiding will only make it worse. Besides, Averett now knows how my body feels about him. I crack the window open a tad. The cool wind whirls through instantly. This storm will be bad one, I think.

"How do you feel?" I lean back into my little corner. My stomach twists uncomfortably and churns. "I feel better, but my head aches. And I think I'm hungry." He chuckles, clearly amused by me.

My shine is now unabashedly in full swing. "You're shining again," he reaches for my hand and flips my palm over. The light pulses by his touch. "It seems it has a mind of its own lately. It seems like everything about me has." I remove my hand from his grasp and tuck it under my thighs. Averett stands from his sleeping spot and goes somewhere in the far corner of the room. "I had brought some stew last night in case you woke up, but you never did. It's cold now, but I can get you something from downstairs." A shiver runs up my spine in disgust. I'll take the cold stew rather than being left alone here.

I wave for him to bring the stew to me. I shan't be picky when I'm at a place like this. Averett hands me a plain wooden bowl, sitting on the windowpane I claimed. "Uh," he scratches his head, "I have something to tell you, Alcyone." I eat some of my stew, nodding for him to continue. "I had a dream last night. It appeared to be just a regular dream until I saw two strange women show up." I inwardly cringe. I'm not sure I'm the perfect person to be talking about this with. "They introduced themselves as Pleione and Electra." My spoon slips from my hand. My sisters? How could he dream of my sisters? I look at Averett with wide eyes.

"They wished to know about you. They worry for you dearly."

My eyes rim with tears. "What did they look like? H-how are they? Is everything alright?" Why didn't visit me? Why didn't they wish to see me? To speak to me? "They look...similar to you but different. I could tell that they were your sisters, but it was like the resemblance flickered here and there. Pleione has vibrant red hair, the same nose as you, and is incredibly tall. Electra has more if a browner hair color, she has the same face shape as you, but is very hard to read." They appeared human. It feels nice to know that we all have similarities the way human siblings do.

Stars all come from the same source. We each have a piece of the other. It is how we know that we are a family. When we connect, we are whole. But when we began to lose our pieces to the falls, we had no choice but to fill in the gaps. It makes sense that we each appear similar but in a different way. "Electra gave me a message for you." I set my stew down on my lap. "She said, 'Every single one of us is looking after you. We all broke our Oath to protect you and if we could, we would fall just to fight with you'. She loves you very much. They all do." A single tear drops down my cheek. I am loved.

I have felt so alone these days. The loneliness had slowly given out to sadness. My heart has never been stronger, but the rest of me has been withering. "I wish I had the privilege to hear it from her," I whisper quietly. In truth, I would've liked to see her. See her in flesh, that is. I am reminded of last night's event. The images I saw!

"I just might be able to actually!" I place my bowl on the floor and scoot closer to Averett. "May I?" I hold my hands up in the air between us. He simply smiles and places my hands on his cheek. "This won't hurt you. You might feel slightly disoriented." I hope.

I don't know how I did it the first time. My body followed an instinct that I was not aware I had. Anger was what I felt when that man tried to touch me. Maybe sadness will reveal his dream with my sisters. I hone in on that sadness. The homesickness. All the loneliness. I let it drive me to what I want to see.

Fragmented images flash. I believe it is working! Come on, Alcyone. It comes and goes too quickly. This isn't...What is this? I see a face. Eyes, nose, lips. I cannot make it out. I see him running. He's frantic. He passes...weird landmarks. A scream. A bright light. An explosion.

I jump back. My heart rattles wildly in my chest. "Did you see them?" My eyes roam over his face. He's not affected? At all? The man in the pub saw left shaken by his encounter with me, but Averett doesn't seem at all shocked by his. I couldn't make out a single thing. It was like trying to fix a broken glass without the crucial pieces. "Are you alright? Do you need the bucket?" I put on a smile. "No, I'm alright. It didn't work."

It wasn't a lie, but I wasn't truthful either. Whatever it is I saw was not the dream he had last night. Was it a dream he had before? "Well, I should probably go and see to our trip to Market Palace. This town must have some reliable transportation somewhere." The clouds have gotten darker now. It doesn't look reassuring at all. I doubt he'll find out anything about outgoing transportation. As much as I hate the idea of being alone, I should probably learn more about my power. "Would you mind going alone?"

*****

The experiments were my proudest successes. But it is a long while before Averall and I felt comfortable to do these together.

As he was lost, I had tried to help him find his way. But the more we tried, the deeper we trekked into this wilderness. I deemed it pointless. We would never find his way home because the land did not want that. Neither did I, actually. It was excellent to have someone to talk to. He taught me about his mortal life while I told him stories of the Stars. He wouldn't believe a word I said.

After months of this friendship, we had more and more lost humans. A girl, merely ten and three years old. A couple, who were newlyweds. A boy, who was hunting with his brothers. And so and so forth, until it a small population of mortals and one Star. We continued to travel in groups for many more months. But we grew tired of all the travel.

We settled in a place that had everything we needed to survive. I was still astounded by this realm that I had not noticed the changes that was happening within me. I had ignored the situation that I was in. So, while the humans accepted that they would never be able to go home, I had not. I had told my new human friends, 'I cannot stay in this eden with you all for I do not belong. I shall find my own way home'. They all looked at me with pity. They taught I was insane. Perhaps I was.

Averall would not let me go alone, however. We both set out and then the problems began.

I saw shadows loom behind certain living creatures. When I spoke about it to Averall, he had no inkling as to what I was saying. Curious, I thought. My eyes were tricking me. It was one hypothesis. That my unfamiliar human sight was failing me. In the end, I had discovered findings that contradicted said hypothesis. My eyesight was nearly perfect. I could see farther than Averall, farther than any mortal.

So, what was it? These looming, overhead shadows. I truly had no idea. I had never seen this phenomenon before. Not even the Great Beyond has answers for what was happening in this world.

Overtime, those shadows had gotten bigger and bigger. They followed me everywhere I went. They stalked over certain living things that I crossed path with. In truth, I was too focused on searching for a way back home. These accounts are only what I noticed here and there. But, there was one particular day that Averall and I decided to take a day for ourselves. I walked through a thick bush of flowers. I remember their brilliance even today. I also remember how dark it had suddenly gotten. Shadows covered everything around me. My eyes searched frantically for the source. I sincerely thought that there was something else there with us, threatening us.

Averall called out for me, asking if what he was seeing was real. He had finally saw the shadows. When we walked the clearing, I finally saw what these shadows were. It was an omen made real. Giant, grey clouds covered the sky above us. There was darkness within. 'What is it?' asked Averall. I didn't truly understand, but I was about to.

Because I had begun to see Death.