Starlight

Prologue 5 - First Day (Elysia POV)

"I'm going into town for a few hours to run errands, okay? Be good for Mr. Sato and Granny!" Mei coos from the doorway before briskly heading downstairs to leave. We've been here for a couple weeks now and things seem to be going well, Granny cooks yummy food every night and she always lets me get seconds if I want them! We live in the room across from the crazy girl though, she's Mr. Sato's daughter, in the middle of the night she starts screaming for help but each time it ends up being nothing at all! I mean I have nightmares too sometimes but you'd think she was being murdered in there! Mr. Sato and his wife just tell us that she has some sleep disorder they're trying to work through and not to worry about it. Mei joked that we might have to find another place to stay if her night terrors keep scaring away customers, but something tells me she may not have been completely joking.

The Sato's run a hotel of sorts, downstairs are a few extra rooms where patrons stay, naturally the sound of screaming doesn't make for a good night's sleep though... Guess that's why the prices are so cheap. Mei scolded me for calling the Sato's cheap so I shouldn't let anyone hear me say that!

All in all, this place is pretty nice! We don't have to sit in the heat or get rained on anymore... The beds are so soft here and granny even reads me bed time stories when Mei has to work late cleaning out and prepping rooms for the next morning. I told granny I don't need bed time stories anymore but she insists 'a young girl needs to keep an imagination about her!' I just agree with her and that seems to make her happy.

"Once upon a time..-" Granny begins as usual.

"Uhm.. Granny?" I interject.

"Yes?"

"Can you maybe tell me a different story this time?" I ask meekly, hoping I don't come off ungrateful. Granny tells me the same few stories every night, usually about some barn animal or a princess who needs to be saved.

"Ah... What kind of story?" She inquires, something about the glint in her eye tells me she has a trick up her sleeve.

"I don't know!" I reply, tucking myself further into the blankets until just my nose and eyes are poking out from the top.

"Have you ever heard the legend of the Twili and the Asteri?" Granny asks, leaning in with a mischievous grin.

"No.. I haven't"

"I used to tell these stories to little Eve... Well not so little anymore despite the way she behaves... Poor child." Her voice trails off a bit, likely pondering Evelynn's frequent outbursts.

"What are the Twili?..." I ask, wondering what could be so scary about them.

Granny leans back in her chair and looks up at the ceiling wistfully, recalling the memories of stories she was once told as a child probably.

"The Twili and the Asteri were two races of spirits from the stars that lived in turmoil for millennia, going back and forth in a never ending war of light vs dark, good vs evil... The Asteri bested the Twili and returned the world to order before the age of humanity. Legend has it that the Asteri live amongst us as human descendants... However..." Granny pauses her legendary tale and leans in with a wicked grin. "The Twili still roam the earth mindlessly, preying on children and GOBBLING THEM UP!"

I reel back into my pillows, hiding under the blanket from her as she lets out a haggard laugh. No wonder Eve is always having nightmares!

"Oh silly girl... It's just a legend, you don't need to be scared. Plus the Twili are long gone now, regardless of my granddaughters protests..."

"Wait, do you really believe in that stuff granny?" It's just a story, she can't be serious? And what does she mean about Evelynn, I thought her parents said she had some type of sleep disorder. Twili aren't real.