Stars Dance

I've Found Her

"The basement!" i nearly scream at her. "She could catch cold down there if it's drafty enough! What were you thinking!" she looks at me calmly unblinking. I guess she's delt with frustrated people before.

"It is perfectly fine. Better insulated than the rest of this drafty old building probably." the nun says walking away. I run my hand through my hair and jog to catch up to her.

"Why is she down there?" i demand.

"I've already said why. She had to be quarntined from the other patients. She is a danger to herself and others." I almost loose it.

"My sister is not a danger to anyone." i shout.

"Your sister is long gone!" the Nun repleis getting up in my face for the first time today. "What's left is a.. A..." she can't seem to find the right words. "Something inhuman.." she whispers. then she whirls aroudn her skirts splaying out and heads for the stairs at the end of the hallway. I'm almsot too stunned to follow at first.

"She's still my sister." i argue.

"You wouldn't say that if you knew what she's done." the nun replies.

"Well what has she done. Please enlighten me." i reply almsot sarcastic.

"Things move without warning. Shoot across the room. More than once she has cried out in the middle of the night and when we get to her room we find a frantic girl beating out flames with her hands." Flames? Fire? A new power? "When the electricity goes out the lights in her room still burn brightly. She knows things she should not. Hears things she shouldn't be able too." How long is this list? We pause at a door hearign screams coming from the other side. "Wait here." she tells me turning around.

"No. I want to go in. I can help.

"I insist. It might be best if you don't see this." the Nun responds. Instead of responding i push past her and open the door. "No!" she shouts desperatly trying to block my way. I get through anyways. Astella is screaming at the top of her lungs. There are five, no six nurses in the room. Five holding her down a sixth tryign to jab a needle into her skin.

"No stop!" i shout rushing up to them.

"Steve!" she shouts breaking free of the Nurses she launches herself at me. Her hair sticks to her face with her sweat or is it tears? She grips me tightly, grasping fistfulls of my jacket in her hands. "Don't let them touch me!" she screams as the nurses draw closer. I wrap her up in my arms and the Nun puts up a hand to stop them. "Leave us." she says firmly and they obey. Walking swiftly, heels clickings. the door shuts and we're alone. Astella falls limp. I pull her up to her feet and find her passed out. Perhaps from exhaution. I carry her to her bed and lay her down gripping her hand tightly i press a small kiss to her knuckles.

"Look Sir. Look around you." and i do look. Scorch marks on the wall. Ashes piled up on the ground. Chair sized dents in the walls. Some oddly shaped furniture in the room. "She's not like us. She's not human." i push myself up off the ground angrily.

"She's my sister. I'm taking her home. I don't care what you think. I don't care what anyone thinks." i growled. Suddenly Astella gasped loudly and shot up. She stared up in wonder at the space above our heads before making a series of clicking hissing noises. Another memory. "Astella." i said slowly. She blinked shook her head and looked at me.

"Yeah?" she questioned. I didn't answer. If i told her she spoke in a different langugage like she had that first night the Nun might kick me out and never let me come back. Then she dropped liek a rag doll back onto the sheets. "Astella." i whispered walking back toward her. Snap!

"Oh god oh god!" she shouted waving her arms in front of her and squeezing her eyes shut.

"What?" i asked. I rember this one.