Capture •Book 1 Of The Beyond Chronicles•

Chapter 2 -¢яυєℓ-

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Stella's view of the moon was obstructed by the hair falling in her eyes. All five of the moons shone brightly tonight. A cool breeze blew through gently and Stella almost though she could hear the leaves in the tree flutter with movement. She had always been know for her hearing but now she worried it was failing her in her final moments.

    The air was cool and crisp, and it almost hurt to inhale the sharp blades that she imagined were floating in the breeze. The night sky was alight with stars. They looked down on the world with an awesome beauty. Stella could think of no better night to die.

     She felt one of the guards roughly jab her in a way to urge her on. She looked forward, seeing the torches getting nearer and nearer. The sky seemed to protest the light and tried to drown it in an inescapable darkness, but the light persisted, its glow choked.

    Stella'a mind once again drifted to Luna. Her lover. She knew that she escaped, no one was fast enough to catch Luna, but worry still prodded her stomach. Her system was awash with floods of chemicals filling her chest with physical pain. She refused to cry, or even let on to any emotion.

    She had been throughout her trial sarcastic as she had always been. In the beginning, people had a hard time believing that's she was actually guilty of the accused crimes, but as soon as her behavior made it apparent they began to feel for her as they would a needle jabbing their arm.

    Some of her people began to flatly hate her. They would sneer at her words and glare at her defenders. Not everyone in the village believed that homosexuals should be put to death, but many were far to scared to even mention so.

    Different was bad. Everyone knew that. If something was unlike themselves it had to die, nothing could threaten their lifestyle. Imagine how they felt about Stella. She was once one of them, oh so very perfect. People admired her. She had always pretended to be religious, she had even spoken out about homosexuality on a few occasion. Now everyone has seen through her lies and felt a boiling frustration at themselves for not being able to tell sooner.

     As she once again looked up at the moons, she smirked. She had gotten away with it up to this point, now they knew how foolish they were. Many people were homosexuals, and others knew it, but it didn't matter because they never acted upon it. People hid their anger and choked their disgust. Stella had actually sought affection from the same sex.

    It was in their mind the worst betrayal, and she was overjoyed to be the one to bring them so many terrible emotions. They deserved all of the anger and hatred they felt. They deserved to feel like fools.

    The pedestal came into view, standing upon it was the usual group, minus Stella of course. Standing above them all was the Leró. He looked down upon her with a look of pitiful loathing. The Leró had an aura of superiority about him, that would be difficult to replicate unless one though as highly of themselves as he did.

    Stella let her eyes flicker to her mother, who stood on the edge of the platform, like she always had. Stella's mother wasn't one to break routine. Her eyes gleamed with a burning hatred that was hot to the touch and Stella wasn't as immune to the burn as she seemed. She attempted to swallow the lump in her throat but found it impossible. She hadn't been given water in several hours and the little moisture she had maintained had been sucked away by the feeling of hundreds of eyes.

    She hid her emotions under a practiced facade. She looked at those around her with a humor, as if this was just a big joke to her. It appeared to be convincing as she could feel those few who had stood by her through the trial look down. No one would believe she was innocent after what she had to say, and she didn't want them to. She wanted them to know she wasn't sorry and that she wasn't going to pretend to feel guilt.