The Stars Between

Ch. 2

A bundle of white and green stumbles into the room and the frantic act blinds them to the golden mark on my body. I only had enough time to zip my pants, the button still lay undone. Nonetheless, I meet their concerned eyes and hope they won't notice. Xander backs away from me, the book tucked under his arm, blending in with the leather of his vest.

"Your heart rate was off the charts for a second there." Dahlia breathes out, immediately stepping to my side with her stethoscope. I have no intention of telling anyone what the increase of heart-rate was actually about. It seems like another puzzle to solve in my already complicated life.

Dr. Benevoli is accompanied by two other people, both watching her every move. One is an older male who smells of mint and eucalyptus. His dark hair is swept back neatly, a warm smile to match his skin. Beside him is a woman, currently fixing the fallen strands from her updo. The gold rings wrapped around her fingers shine with every move.They're both dressed in sage green scrubs, a tell-tale sign of being a medical trainee.

"Ayla?" Dahlia's voice snaps my attention toward her. "The sudden heart-rate increase was un-naturally fast. Let me see your arm." Without the chance to answer, she tries to grab my wrist. The sudden movement has my hands ball into a fist, the first instinct is to swing. Xander palms my fist as it begins to raise. "Honey, you should know better." He chuckles, placing a kiss upon her temple once he steps back. Dr. Benevoli had taken a step back as well, an awkward laugh following her fiance's comment. Seems my reaction time has caught back up.

I apologize and hold out my arm for her to inspect. My peripheral catches Dahlia's golden orbs gazing upon my unbuttoned trousers. My lips part in anticipation of it being brought up, but her attention returns back to my arm without a word spoken.

"Doctor Benevoli?" The man asks, his voice a notch higher than a whisper. It cuts through the weird energy I was beginning to feel. Dahlia stops inspecting my arm, smiling up at the man. "What is it, Mr. Flores?"

His lips set into a smile that formed ripples of wisdom in his skin. The creases showing years of happiness. His arm outstretched to Dahlia, grasping a magnifying glass.

"You read my mind." She beams, using the tool to get a better look. "This can't be." It seems like something shattered behind her eyes. The magnifying glass plopped beside me, seeming like she had let it fall from her hold. Dahlia's trainee's look between each other, leaning closer in confusion.

"Her skin is turning blue isn't it?" A voice booms, startling everyone in surprise.

My head turns toward the sound, brown eyes meeting a striking blue pair. She smiles once all attention is on her. The spotlight seems comfortable to the royal, confidence beaming from her direction. Dark red curls are perfectly laid upon her shoulders, bouncing with each confident stride into the room.

Echo's presence has the strength to silence a group or maybe it was the fact that she wore, what our people think to be, scandalous attire. The linen blouse flows off of her shoulders, collarbones resembling a waterfall's edge with the ripples of the fabric. It tucks neatly into a corset, the brown material complementing the dark pants.

All are typical materials used here at the end of the day. What really set Echo apart were the boots, a pair that subtly reminded everyone who was royalty.

It was colored a deep red, matching her long and curly hair. Both are a shade almost reminiscent of pooled blood. The laces were pure gold, but that wasn't the only reason they shined as she walked. They contained a purple and gold sparkly hue around each boot. At first glance, it seems like she's floating.

"How could you know that?" Dr. Benevoli asks, leaning onto Xander for support, clearly distraught. His arm wraps around her in support as she speaks.

I can see the grimace in Dahlia's eyes as she stares at Echo. It was a normal expression people make towards her. Unfortunately for everyone else, it doesn't seem to bother Echo at all.

"My brother is a brilliant sorcerer." The curve of her lips now seems forced at the mentioning of her brother. Echo doesn't like talking about anything regarding Altair. It was naturally the first thing people had asked, yet she never answered any of those questions. "He will know how to cure her of this. I will take Ayla to Altair."

I have never been to Altair, like most people. The two lands are physically not that far from each other, but different in the way things are run. Enough that neither communities chose to unite, let alone visit.

Dahlia untangles herself from Xander's arm, approaching Echo at the foot of my bed. "Ayla is part of Sylva, we don't need your royal help." Her tone is calm, yet seems like spit to Echo's face.

The red head only smirks, taking a step forward and closing the gap between the two. At this point I can't stand the tension growing back in the room. I sit up from my bed, my head momentarily hazing. "You still need to rest." Dr. Benevoli coos, reaching both hands out towards me as I swing my feet over the side.

My shoulders tense at the touch of her hands as I stand up. "I appreciate your kick start on my recovery. But I'm not going to just lay here." I only motion my eyes towards Dahlia's hands, she moves them with a sigh.

It seems like the beginning stages of Dahlia's failed formulas. The intense heart rate turned into blue skin. Ending with the body freezing itself to death. It had been years since anybody had this effect on her current mix. Surely my heart rate increased from the book. Watching what could potentially be my death, unfold in front of me.

That wouldn't explain the supposed blue color forming on my skin. Perhaps my answers lie in Altair, or any memory of what had caused me to leave that night.

"I'm going too." Xander volunteers, already putting his cowl back on. Dahlia approaches him with protests of staying, his attention set on her completely. With the distraction, he had revealed the leather book from under his arm.

Echo catches it immediately. "Why were you going through my things," She sighs, a lack of expression on her face. Her shoulders roll back in confidence as she approaches Xander, the book ripped from his hands in the blink of an eye. Fierce eyes throwing daggers in Xander's direction before turning both heels.

Now facing the rest of the room, she meets everyone's eyes individually. "Ayla and Xander will be there in time for Altair's annual Eclipse Ball. I'll have my brother invite all of Sylva so that you can see her full recovery."

The infamous boots sparkle as she makes her way outside without waiting for an answer. Xander and I look between each other at the mention of an eclipse. Just like the book foretold. It feels like the pieces of my puzzle are starting to gather.