The Lores of Lyra - Shattered Star [Book II]

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

Two small arms wrapped around Vega's waist. She opened her eyes to see Amelia snuggling into her. The little girl had been tucked in another bed, but she must have been scared during the night. Vega pulled the little girl closer, hugging her. I wish I could keep you safe for any harm, she thought.

Sadly, she knew that she couldn't. They were going to attempt to face the Black Holes king today. Vega did believe she could do it, but her confidence wasn't as high when it came to her survival of it.

The Stars had given her infinite wisdom in the last twenty-four hours. Her powers were larger than before; so many things did now seem possible for her. For instance, she was still baffled over how she managed to create weapons out of thin air. She couldn’t quite grasp the seriousness of the powerful magic. She felt invincible, and it made a part of her uncomfortable since there didn't seem to be any limits.

A flashback of Joshua’s fascination with the sword came to mind. Her heart ached for Joshua. The look of utter despair on his face as she went to bed last night was unbearable to think of. She had tossed and turned for hours before her body finally succumbed to a dreamless sleep. It hadn't done much in terms of her energy, and she was sure that she couldn't stay here much longer. This realm was suffocating her, and she wanted out. Preferably as fast as possible, she thought.

The thing that pained her the most was the lack of knowledge of how this would turn out to be. Vega knew that she had to stay focused, but in case there wasn't any good outcome, she couldn't let Joshua go without confessing her feelings.

It was still early when she decided to stumble out of bed. Amelia was in a deep sleep, and except for a small whimper, there was no reaction to Vega moving away.

Vega staggered down the stairs and came to the small living room. It wasn't much of a home, but the wooden table and chairs did offer a small hint of normal in the otherwise depressing house. Joshua and Eric was nowhere in sight. She could feel her heart sink with the possibility that she might not get a chance to talk to Joshua before they had to go. Taking a seat at the table, she massaged her temples. What can I do? She could go upstairs and wake Joshua, but in the off chance that he actually got a good rest, she didn't want to compromise that.

"Morning," a deep and gruff voice said. It startled her, and she jerked up to face the other person. Swinging around, she came face to face with Joshua.

"Oh, you scared me," she said. She took in his appearance; he didn't look good, his face was pale, and there were large bags underneath his eyes.

"I'm sorry." He took a seat next to her. "I couldn't sleep."

"I know the feeling," she muttered.

A tension-filled silence fell between them. Vega knew that she should say something, but a part of her wanted to wait and see if he had any qualms to share.

Seconds ticked by, and it seemed longer than it actually was. Vega sighed. This was idiotic. She had to talk to him before it was too late.

With a small cough, she straightened her back. "Joshua, I think we need to talk."

She cringed at the hard tone she used - it sounded cruel even to her.

"About what?" he asked.

"About us," she said. This time her voice was gentler than before. "I need to tell you something."

Joshua didn't meet her eyes. Instead, his stare transfixed on his hands as he fiddled around with them. "Go on then."

"You know that I..." she tried to find the right word. “Love you, right?"