Through the Stars

Chapter one

Beep beep beep beep. The shrill sound of my alarm clock blared in my ear. I sighed as I got up and turned off the alarm. "Damn I really don't wanna go to work today," I said to myself as I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. I got dressed, brushed my teeth, and did my hair, yet something didn't feel right. I brushed it off, assuming I just had a weird dream and didn't remember it. The only thing that I didn't understand is that I'd been having this feeling for over a week now.
As I got in my car to go to my first class, I realized the gas tank was empty. "That's weird. I thought I got gas on my way home yesterday. This must be a sign I'm not supposed to go out today" I said to myself, confused about the situation, but overall thankful that I could just go back to bed.
The moment I got back into my house I felt dizzy and light-headed. I quickly sat down on my couch so if I passed out I wouldn't hit my head when I suddenly felt unbearably hot. It felt like my skin was melting off, my nerves were on fire, and all the moisture was being sucked out of every single pore. Then it stopped. All the pain disappeared in the blink of an eye, yet my body still felt numb, and now strangely cold.
After a while, I got off the couch and crawled into bed, pulling the fluffiest blanket I had over my body. "Go to sleep now my love" I heard a soft, breathy voice whisper in my ear. Though I had never heard the voice in my life, it brought a sense of calmness over me, and I soon fell into a deep sleep.

My eyes slowly opened and I was surprised by what I saw, or rather what I didn't. Instead of the usual white wall, a few posters randomly placed, and my drawings tapped up, I was met with a large window. The deep reds and oranges of a beautiful sunrise paint the inside of the strange, yet familiar room. I rolled over, trying to get comfortable again, but as soon as my head turned, I froze. There was someone else in the bed with me. Her long, silver hair spread across the pillow she lay on, and her long, dark eyelashes were a sharp contrast to her pale cheeks. The weird thing was she also had long, pointed ears. I couldn't help but stare at the beautiful, yet strange woman beside me. Her ice-blue eyes flickered open and met with mine. "Good morning to you as well my dear" she hummed. She had a soft and breathy voice, just like the one I heard before I had fallen asleep. "I must be dreaming still....yeah that's it, I'm still asleep!" I said a quiet chuckle escaped my lips.
"What do you mean you're still asleep? I'm pretty sure this isn't a dream...." the mysterious woman hesitated before continuing, "did you hit your head before coming to bed?"
"I did not hit my head! I was in my room when I fell asleep and here when I woke up!" I said, getting out of bed and pacing around the large room. "Who are you anyway?" I questioned her as she sat up, a smirk on her lips. "Ok, I'll play along with your little game. I am Salora Lyndon, the Queen of Baerncar, and I am a flurry"
"Baerncar? Flurry?" I asked, confusion prominent on my features. The woman I now knew as Salora just chuckled and replied "My my, you are extremely good at playing dumb my love. Yes, I am a Flurry, I can freeze things and, like you, I can change my body temperature" my jaw dropped and my eyes went wide. "You can do what?!" I practically yelled and sat back down on the bed
"No, none of that. It is still much too early for yelling" she moaned, putting her hand over my mouth. I pushed her hand off and hissed "I don't like strangers touching me" The look in her eyes was filled with such sadness, it physically hurt me. "Ok now you've taken it a bit too far Nova"
"Who the hell is Nova?! My name is Morgan. Morgan Cooper Bradly!" Solara rolled her eyes, pointing to a full-length mirror on the wall by a wardrobe.
I ran over to it. I looked at my reflection and my eyes immediately went to my now fiery red hair, then my now blue eyes, then to the now pointed tips of my ears. Although my basic features were still the same, like my curly hair and my golden skin, other than the colour of my hair, eyes, and ear shape, there were no major changes. My cheeks and lips were also rosier, but that was about it. Next, I looked at what I was wearing. It was a long, light pink, silk nightgown that looked straight out of a fantasy novel or movie. I couldn't complain about that part though, because it felt like literal heaven on my skin. I suddenly felt an arm snake around my waist and a head resting on my shoulder. "Now Nova, please come back to bed. It's barely sunrise!" Solara mumbled, sleep lacing her voice and glazing her eyes. I was so overwhelmed with all that had happened in such quick succession, that I let her guide me back to the large bed. I sat on the edge as she crawled back under the thick duvet, quickly drifting off to sleep.

It had almost been an hour when an elderly looking maid walked through the doors of the room. "Oh good morning your highness!" She went into a deep curtsey before continuing "I don't expect you to be up this early! Well never mind that now. Up you get, let's get you dressed and ready for the day" she said as she walked over to me, slightly lifting her skirt. She then took me by my hand and gently led me over to the wardrobe. "Now let's see... oh yes! This one will do nicely! What do you think of this, your highness?" She held out a long, silky dress. It was a deep vermilion with gold along the edges. The dress looked like it cost more than my rent! I was completely speechless and the woman smiled, the wrinkles on her face deepening. She handed the dress off to a younger-looking woman, whom I had not noticed had walked in.
"Follow me, your highness!" the first woman said as she walked out of a large, ethereal, white, door. As I followed suit and stepped through; the first thing I saw was a huge, foggy, mirror. It was beautiful. The gold frame was a stunning contrast to the silver glass. As I got closer, I noticed the smaller details of the frame. I realized that it was not a solid piece. There were snakes wound around trees with birds on branches. Every once in a while, I'd see a beetle, spider, or an insect I didn't recognize. I looked down at the sink. It looked like fragments of shells were pressed together. The tap matched the mirror "frame". I glanced over my shoulder at the elderly woman. She stood by a clawfoot tub filled with milky white water and flower petals. I just now registered the smell the mirror distracted me from. It smelt like roses and bath and body works during the fall. The smell was almost... spicy? "Come on, your Highness, you need the bathe so you can properly present yourself to the court. You know how those people are, quicker to judge than listen" she spoke, her tone playful with underlying resentment. I could tell she had a history with those people, and it probably wasn't a pleasant one. An awkward tension arose as we both just stood there, staring at one another. "Um... not to be rude, but why are you still here?"
"Don't you need my assistance with bathing?" my face grew hot as the blood rushed to it. My rosy embarrassment peaking through.
"I'll leave you to get in and come in to help you wash your hair," she said with a knowing smile as she walked out of the bathroom. My rational side told me to stop playing along with all this nonsensical bull, my curious side told me to play along. If I was going to make it in this weird "new world" I was going to have to adapt to their medieval ways. I slowly slipped out of my nightgown and into the warm water. It soothed the dull ache of my muscles. "Damn I didn't even know that I was this sore..." I muttered and dipped my hair into the water.
I lay there for about 10 minutes before there was a soft, almost inaudible knock. I was extremely thankful for the cloudiness of the water as the woman walked back in. in her hands she held a basket with about 30 different glass bottles, each bottle with a cork in it. She kneeled beside the tub and uncorked a bottle, a rose-smelling liquid inside. She poured a small amount into her hands, rubbing them together to froth the liquid. She then began to massage the bubbly liquid into my hair. It felt kind of like shampoo, but better? It felt like it was really giving my hair a deep clean, and not leaving any sort of residue. "So, um..."
"Hyacinth your highness, Hyacinth Eldedrum"
"Thanks. This is really wack" I mutter, still in slight shock from the prior series of events.
"Apologies your majesty, but what does "wack" mean?"
Crap. I messed up big time. "Wack" was too modern for this kind of place, I'd have to use a more dated type of langue. Totally tubular? No, still to new. Exquisite? Yes! thats the one!
    "Oh sorry, it's something an old friend of mine made up. It means something along the lines of absurd, or bazaar,"
    "That is truly intriguing your highness" Hyacinth hummed, guiding my head into the water to rinse the "shampoo" out of my hair. No more words were exchanged as she applied a conditioner to my hair, waited a moment or two, then rinsed it out. After it was completely out of my hair, she stood up. Hyacinth smoothed out her burgundy dress and white apron and dried her hands. "Well, I will wait right outside the door ma'am"I smiled at her as she walked out.

Word count: 1782