The Secret Land of Otrâlmondé [1 | The Other Realms Series]

Chapter Twelve

Stella and Celestine had their dinner later that day. They exchanged no words for the first few minutes. Stella twirled her pasta, her hand lightly handling the fork, and brought it to her mouth. She barely chewed before swallowing. Though she perceived her meal as flavorful, her appetite was not there.

"Ti posso chiedere qualcosa?" Stella inquired. Can I ask you something?

Her aunt nodded. "What is it?"

"The man who killed Brandon, why does he want to kill us?" Stella asked her.

Celestine dropped her silverware. She reached for her glass, sipped some water, and then cleared her throat. She then said, "It's complicated. You remember when Helene told you that the jewelries were sold to our ancestors by accident? The man's father was the one who sold them. They punished him, and if I remember correctly, he couldn't recover from it. Now the son wants revenge."

"Maybe, we can return the jewelry to the son, so he won't look for us anymore?" Stella suggested.

"It's not that simple. Even if we tried, we can't just give it back."

"Why not?"

"I don't know," Celestine said, sighing. She briefly pressed her forehead with one hand. "We tried to give it back but the jewelries refused to be used by anyone other than us. So we cannot give it, even if we want to."

They resumed eating. After a few bites, Stella asked, "Do you know anything else about him? Like his powers?"

"I don't remember. Why are you so curious?"

"I was thinking that just in case he manages to find us—"

"No! He will not find you!" Celestine said sharply. She then gasped, bringing her hand to her face, and bit her lip. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sound angry."

"No, it's okay. I shouldn't have said that."

"Anyway, the only thing I remember Helene telling us is that his real name is Gobhastan, but José and I call him 'the shadow.' He used so much dark magic that he literally became darkness," Celestine said.

"I see," said Stella. She sipped a little of her drink before continuing to eat. "Also, you said that you have a friend who is an author. Is he the same—"

"Yes," Celestine interrupted her. "They are the same person. He had just finished writing his eighth book when 'the shadow' killed him."

Stella merely nodded her head. They continued to eat in silence.

***

Stella's torso sprang upright as she woke up. She glanced at the window; the sky was as black as charcoal. She reached for her phone and checked the time; it was exactly midnight. It was the fifth time that night in which she woke up from her nightmares. In one of them, Brandon's death was replayed in slow motion, his scream piercing her ears as the smoke siphoned the life out of him. In another, Gobhastan was holding José and Celestine hostage, eventually stabbing their hearts with black shards before Stella had the chance to save them. Someone would die every time she closed her eyes. Instead of attempting to sleep, she sat upright on the bed, her back resting against the headboard. She did not want to endure another nightmare.

Creak. Stella glanced to her left. The noise was coming from the bookshelf. The magical book squeezed itself out of its space and approached her slowly, eventually hovering just an arm's length from her. An aura of concern radiated from it. It spread its pages wide and wrote,

"Why aren't you sleeping?"

"Because I can't sleep," she said. "I just keep on getting nightmares."