Through the ages, the stars have stayed in their places, twinkling and lighting up the sky, guiding the lost back home. That was one thing Wren could almost always count on. She could always use the stars to help navigate the world around her; they were familiar in an unfamiliar environment. Even when she was trapped on Nod and the stars were those of a different galaxy, she still knew they would take her to where she needed to be. She needed that familiarity now, especially since waking up a few days ago.
She had woken up to Simon at her bedside, sitting quietly and writing in his journal, as was usual whenever this happened. Nearby was Coeur, perched on a chair fixing her feathers. Coeur quickly caught sight of Wren and let out a squawk to alert Simon that she was awake. He looked at her with a gentle smile when he finally turned to see her, obviously never troubled by her unconscious state. Steady and unchanging, she could always count on him for that. What was unusual, however, was the sight of Jennifer pacing nervously by the window. The carefree, chaotic spirit that usually defined Jennifer was nowhere to be seen. Instead, there was a serious and fearful expression on her face that Wren had never witnessed before.
Wren watched Jennifer pace a bit before she finally noticed her. Jennifer just stood and stared for a moment before leaving the room altogether, with Coeur quickly following behind. Wren was left wondering what had changed.
"I think you scared her," Simon told her after making sure she was well enough to wonder about others. "Since you went down, she's hardly done anything. She's been quieter."
As the days passed, Wren saw exactly what Simon was talking about. The air in the house was constantly tense with a hint of sadness. She discovered that Jack had left the day everything had gone down and hadn't been back, but somehow that was the least of her worries. Jennifer had seemingly set up walls around herself, not allowing anyone to truly get close. Even Jesse, her own brother, didn't quite know what to do with her. The only one she seemed to let near was Coeur, and even then, she was simply a bird and couldn't do much. Along with that, all of their stardust had also gone missing. Any hints of magic in the air were just gone; everything felt flat. It had apparently been a full month of this.
Simon told her that he suspected Jennifer had hidden all of their stardust. Although Jennifer herself couldn't see it, he could clearly see it staining her hands and clothes. No matter how many times he tried approaching her, she would clam up and refuse to talk.
"You're the only one who can truly reach out to her," Simon sighed while recounting the past month. "It's like she's on autopilot and can't hear anything anyone is saying."
Which brought them to today. Wren decided that she was going to show Jennifer something wonderful, whether she wanted to see it or not. It had taken a little convincing, but she finally got her to agree. The two had spent their trip out fairly quietly, with Wren trying to make some conversation but Jennifer not really reciprocating. Jennifer moved quietly alongside Wren, carrying a bag that Wren had packed, while Wren herself carried her prized telescope and some star maps over her shoulder. The only things that really came out of Jennifer's mouth were "Where are we going?" and "We really don't have to do this."
Wren wouldn't hear it, trying to keep their spirits up. She was going to get to the bottom of it all eventually, but for now, she wanted Jennifer relaxed. Jennifer was obviously on edge about something, but Wren couldn't quite pinpoint what. In the time Wren had known her, Jennifer never really seemed to care about anything, always trying to live life to its fullest. Usually, even if things went horribly wrong, she would just shrug it off and keep living without any regard for her own safety or possible consequences. Wren didn't enjoy seeing Jennifer closed off and serious. Jennifer still had a life of her own to live and enjoy—a luxury Wren was never given.
