To The Stars (Book 1)

Chapter 12: Under the Rubble

The doorbell rang a couple minutes later. I rushed down, running my fingers through my hair.

"Hey Ryan!" I said a little too enthusiastically. "Bree and the others are in the back. I just gotta set up tables. Help yourself to the ice cream!"

I rushed outside and started to open the umbrellas on the tables.

Bree slowly made her way outside with the pizza. "Careful! It's hot!" She cried.

"Nice! Thanks!" Ryan grabbed a slice and started to gnaw on the end. I pulled up a funny movie on the screen over the door, and we were laughing and talking for more than 3 hours.

The sky was growing darker by the minute when Ryan stood up. "Good pizza! You should put that on the menu." He said as he jogged away.

"So, let's see that bindi of yours." I turned to face Lea. Before she could hand it to me, there was a scream in the distance. Lea snatched the headpiece and sprinted away without explanation. A minute later, someone shot out of a window nearby. She had on a midnight blue jumpsuit, a matching mask, and what looked like a silver crown and matching belt holding slender silver rods. She almost blended in with the night sky.

I knew there was something wrong. "Guys, hide in the kitchen, preferably in some cabinets!" I called over my shoulder as I raced up the stairs to my room.

'To the stars!" I exclaimed, and I turned into Stella. I wrenched open my skylight and jumped up, perfectly balancing along the roof. I started running alongside the mysterious girl. She suddenly turned and slid down a rooftop, and I followed suit. Korey appeared out of nowhere, took one look at her, and pulled something out of his pocket and threw it at her. She tugged a rod, which now I recognized as an arrow, off her belt and shot it back without a glance. It knocked whatever Korey threw out of the air and the arrow boomeranged back onto her belt.

"Call me Nyx," she said without a backwards glance. She slid to the edge of a rooftop to survey what looked like building wreckage. "And this is Firefly."

"Who?" I was confused.

A silvery blinking light floated next to Nyx's head, then in a small burst of light, turned into a girl. I stared in awe.

"Yeah, yeah, it takes a bit. What's with that building?" She asked. I turned towards the rubble.

"Shadow," I whispered in horror. "She did this."

"Yup." An echoey voice came out of nowhere. I looked around, confused.

"I'm Calypsa." A girl with a jumpsuit similar to mine landed with a soft bump on the roof and stepped carefully towards us. "Oof!" She fell, and I caught her hand just before she fell off the roof.

"Oh my gosh! It's so amazing to meet you guys! You're my heroes-no pun intended," she added.

"Sooo..." I said, quickly changing the subject. "Where is she?"

"Probably in the rubble of that building." Nyx answered matter-of-factly.

I gasped in horror and surprise, then rushed to the rubble to dig under it. Shadow was still a human being, after all (I think).

They just stood there. "Well, help me!" I said, frustrated. Calypsa was the first one to step in and clawed at the brick chunks with her nails.

"Logan?!" I exclaimed in surprise. He wasn't moving. I put my hand on his chest, feeling it rise and fall steadily.

I sighed in relief. "He's still breathing, but he's unconscious. We gotta take him to the nearest open place to rest."

Calypsa whipped out a phone. "I'm gonna call that girl-Bree, i think her name was?- and see if she can get us somewhere.

I stared at her phone.

Hey Bree! Anywhere we can rest for a bit? We found a victim of what looks to be Shadow again.

Yeah, my friend's family owns a cafe. I'll find the spare key.

"Nice!" I exclaimed. "I'll... um... look out for Shadow again.

"You gotta come with us!" Nyx ran ahead of us in the dark.

"Yeah," I sighed. "You're right."