To The Sun And Beyond

25. CONFLICT

I COULDN'T SPEAK. I COULDN'T
Breath. I couldn't move. I just closed my eyes, pinching myself, and hoping it was a dream. I could feel Fin squeeze my hand, and I dug my face into my arm. "Where is she?" I asked, almost a whisper.

"The science labs, headed toward the gym." Mr. Thomas answered. I looked up at him from the desk, and I noticed that everyone else was watching me.

"Why are you all looking at me?" I asked.

"You're supposed to tell us what to do." Emma answered, and tossed her hair.

I looked around at all the faces before me. Regular people, all different ages, genders, and races, coming together with a common goal.

"You are the sun, right? The center of the solar system?" Tessa asked, shrugging with both her hands out.

"Yeah, but, Mr. Thomas is our teacher..." I stammered, looking at Mr. Thomas.

Mr. Thomas shook his head. "I can't lead this time. I don't have any magical abilities. I can't lead what I don't understand."

"So I have to?"

"Yes." Mr. Thomas answered.

I inhaled deeply, and stood up from my desk. Am I a good leader? I don't know. But these people, these good people, are counting on me to navigate them through a battle they didn't know how to fight. But I'm here. And I don't know how to fight it, either. But it's something about fighting beside these people that makes me realize that I can fight with uncertainty. So I need to step up and help the people who helped me when I needed them most. "Okay."

All of their faces softened into smiles, and sighes of relief filled the large room. Fin hugged me, and Kayla patted my back, but Mason just smiled at me from behind Fin. I smiled back, and dug my face into Fin's shoulder.

When they released, I looked to my friends. "Alright. Mr. Thomas, where did you say she was headed?"

"The gym," Mr. Thomas replied. "If you go now you can still catch her."

I nodded, and pointed toward the door. "Let's go kick some celestial butt!" I screamed, causing the class and I to bolt out the door, heading to the gym.

The crashing and screaming continued as we bounded down the halls, which was making me paranoid. But I kept running forward. When we reached the gym, the wall was already broken, leaving a gash where the door should be. I peeked around the wall, and there she was, Kanani. Mars. Her back was toward us, and she was towards the far wall of the gym, using her power to levitate some bleachers. I took a deep breath, and motioned the others to follow. I krept into the gym, staying in the opposite wall as Kanani. We paced in a line, always moving, always connected. Like the solar system. But with a missing Mars.

I had snuck far enough in, and her focus was still on the bleachers. I stopped the group, and looked in each of their eyes. I inhaled, and focused on the nearest basketball. I levitated it with what little power I had left, and aimed it at her head. When she didn't look back, I prepared to hit her head, but her velvet voice startled me, causing the basketball to fall.

"You didn't think I wouldn't notice you coming in this far, didn't you, Celeste?"She asked, not looking back.

My heart stopped.

I felt the others stop behind me.

She turned around, dropping the bleachers with a bang, and smirking at me. "My mother told me I was destined to be in the supernova, to be the sun, and to hold the entire galexy in my hands. But when your father became selfish and Killed my mother and the rest of her team, that was it. I waited for the sun to arrive and when you did, I planned to take your power, so you don't make the same mistake your father did."

My head began to cloud over, and my heart began to press and mold into something else. "My father," I choked out, "killed the rest of the team?"

"Yes. And my mother along with him."

What? Why could my father kill the supernova?

She's lying.

My heart began to beat faster and my blood began to pulse through me, my eyes beginning to fill with hot tears that I held back. "No."

Then, with all the courage I had left, i thrusted my hands out, using my power to take her. She deflected, causing our power streaks to collide. I pushed as hard as I can, using every ounce of my strength, while my parents flashed before me.

Kanani screamed in agony. I fought back tears, and suddenly, I fell to my knees.

She's draining me. I need to stop.

It was all very fast after that. I was weak, and dizzy. There was a burst that felt like a thousand needles stabbing my entire body. I fell on my back, and the pain shot through my spine.

And then everything went black.