Celestial (Unedited)

Chapter 1: Homen

Celeste

Sweat glistened her brown skin. Her chest rose, and her breath shallowed. Panting in her bed, Celeste recalled the nightmare she had last night. For months now, Celeste relived the same bone-chilling dream night after night. It was frustrating because she'd only wake up to vague memories of the nightmare. However, she remembered that it felt real. Celeste felt everything: the sharp cold air, salty water running down her face and tickling her chin, helplessness. But the most potent feeling she remembered was fear. This fear transversed into her mind so deeply that she'd find herself panting before her eyes even opened, and cold sweat pouring out of her skin, making her clothes cling to her.

When she first had these nightmares, she'd scream so loud that her roommate, Lyra, had to calm her down. After that, she tried not to sleep for weeks. But exhaustion finally took over, and she'd been trapped with this unfair fate ever since.

As her eyes adjusted to the dim light laminating on her floor through her pink curtains, Celeste calmed her breathing. Her eyes flickered to the calendar that sat perched up on the wall opposite from her bed. It was January 1st, the start of the new year. And it was Homen.

The day of the Deities occurs every five years on a solar eclipse. The solar eclipse always falls on the first day of the new year. On the day in which the sun and moon align in harmony is the blessed day when the sun and moon deities will ascend to Heaven in four beams of light from the four Planes. However, this hasn't happened in almost a century. Hopefully this Homen will be different.

Celeste heard two voices from the other side of her bedroom door. Part of her wanted to go back to sleep. She didn't like to interact with others when she woke. Playing dead always fooled her roommate. She used to feel bad about it, but now she's fully convinced that Lyra knows that she's not sleeping. On the other hand, there are rare days when Celeste would wake up fully energized and in the mood to be with her best friend. This feeling hasn't come on for months; not since the nightmares started.

The other voice was Lyra's boyfriend, Felix. He had a soothing voice and a playful personality. He and Lyra were perfect soulmates. Their stars aligned and a clear perfect aura surrounded them when they were with each other.

A whisper wafted through her bedroom door, a whispered conversation that she couldn't quite make out. But, Celeste could confidently tell that they were debating whether to knock on her door. Any other day, there would be no question. Though Celeste didn't like to mingle early in the morning, a part of her was grateful for all those times Lyra distracted her from her nightmares. But, today is Homen. Lyra probably thought it'd be best to let her sleep in.

With a groan, Celeste found her strength to walk to the bathroom connected to her bedroom for a shower. As she gazed at herself in the mirror, she couldn't help but notice all the flaws about her that her peers couldn't help but point out when she was younger. Her self-esteem plummeted to the point where any compliment she received only sounded like an insult, a mockery to her natural beauty that she didn't think she had. As someone who hasn't found her soulmate, yet, Celeste always felt that void in her soul, as if something was missing. She feared that because of her looks, she'd never find them, or they'd reject her whenever they meet. Shaking her head to rid from these useless thoughts, Celeste walked into the shower. The warm water searched across her skin. The soap she used made her smell sweet, like vanilla. It was her favorite scent.

After her shower, Celeste walked down the hallway toward the kitchen. The smell of breakfast drifted into her nose and her stomach grumbled. Celeste was slightly impressed. Lyra was always up for making breakfast. She used these last four months of Celeste's nightmares to master cooking her favorite meals to cheer her up. However, Felix was a lost cause when it came to culinary arts. And the sight that befell Celeste's eyes only confirmed that Felix should stay far from the kitchen.