Taken by the Stars

Chapter 1

Catherine woke up with a start, beads of sweat forming on her back. She put a hand up at her eye as if that would wash away the vivid nightmare. "That stupid dream again." She sighed and placed a strand of hair in her vision behind her ear. It was the second time this month and the dream had been recurring more frequently this year. She sighed and slid out of bed.

Her aunt, Loraina, popped in, hearing her niece wake. "Bad dream?"

Catherine shook her head. "A bitter recurring dream."

"Tell me about it."

Catherine walked into the kitchen where her aunt had begun to finish breakfast. She sat down and picked up a piece of toast, annoyed. "The same old tragic love story. A pair of forbidden lovers who are forced to separate ways. The woman later returns to her old lover who has moved onto have a child with another. Outraged, the woman ends up killing the child and surrendering herself as some sacrificial lamb to a supposed god." She spoke of it so casually, however in reality, the dream had been so intense as to cause her to break out in a sweat.

All the while, her aunt had gone silent.

"Aunt Loraina?" Catherine spoke, realizing the quietness.

Her aunt cleared her throat. "Just when did you begin having this dream exactly?"

Catherine thought for a moment before answering, "If I were to be exact, I would say that I was about 9 when I first had this dream."

"So 10 years ago." Her aunt confirmed in deep thought.

Catherine thought her aunt odd for acting in such a way but nonetheless continued to nibble on the toasted bread.

"I'll ummm... I'll go open up the café. See you afterschool-"

"It's Saturday, Aunt Loraina." Catherine reminded her.

"Right."

Catherine could see her aunt's face had gone pale as she made her way downstairs to the café, and wondered what exactly was the matter until she received a text.

It was from Mia. "Don't forget! A special someone's birthday party is today!"

Catherine chuckled to herself. A special someone's whose celebrated their 16th birthday 3 times in a row. She got up and cleaned the plates before returning to her room to brush herself up and to try on the red dress her friend had specially ordered for her. Catherine didn't feel as if the color really suited her with her long black hair but had given in to the overly-excited friend of her's.

She looked at the time, barely 9 but knew the party had long since started. Mia had a strange partying habit, something Catherine had just learned to adapt to overtime and accepted but she supposed all else accepted due to the fortunes her friend's family had accumulated. Colette and Maria didn't seem to mind it but didn't really flow as the way Mia did about partying. Sunrise to sundown, Mia's partying motto.

"Well, time to go." Catherine did a once over look in the mirror before grabbing her phone and texting the rest of the gang that she was on her way.

Colette: "Maria and I are here already, don't expect Mia to pick up her phone though. She's practically gone wild."

Maria: "The fruit punch is nice. A savory rich red and a mix of fruits. Very healthy."

Catherine laughed at her friends' responses before texting, "Wouldn't miss it."