Stars Dance

As the Hours Tick By

Astella came to later that night screaming her head off. They called for me like i had asked them too in case she woke up. Not that they would have had too. I was already up and if i wasn't, her screams could be heard throughout the entire building. Bolting from my room i rushed down the hallway towards her's and found Maria grimacing and standing outside her doorway as a nurse and a doctor tried to talk her down. "Astella you're fine! You're safe!" they were shouting to no avail. "You heard?" Maria shouts over the noise.

"How couldn't you!" i shout back stepping into the room and walking towards Astella who has her hands clamped down over her own ears and is rocking back and forth in the corner of her room. I motion for the two people to step away and i kneel down in front of her wincing at her shrill screams. I put my hands over her ears and try to get her to look at me. The contact startles her enough to pause her. She stares at my blankly for a bit her eyes flicking back and forth rapidly over my head before her eyes lock on mine again.

"I'm broken." she whispers before everything explodes around us. Not literally. The room around us faded away and rapidly switched back and forth through various things. They looked like broken memories. A party, the battle, places shes been, or perhaps places she's wanted to go. Other peoples memories, other peoples lives. Even some Slyvarian memories. Does every image she see's get stored in her brain? That's what it looked like. In these flashes i caught familiar faces. Mine, Natasha's, Tony and some unfamiliar ones. A dark haired women who looked like the older version of Astella and two younger kids with sweet smiling faces. A tall man with brown eyes and a big smile. I could only guess that they were her family. 

Unfortunately after she stopped projecting she started generating a lot of electricity, or rather draining it from the building. Lights began to flicker and fuses shorted out. She even shocked me. It didn't hurt but it was enough to make me jump up and step away from her. "What's going on!" Maria shouted confused.

"I think her powers are kicked into overdrive!" i shouted back. As if on cue she burst into flames. She was actually on fire from head to toe but it didn't seem to bother her. She slumped down then and fizzled out. The fire was swept away in one giant woosh and everything went back to normal. I sighed and my shoulder slumped. I rubbed my forehead and stared at her. "I think she was screaming because of her super hearing thing you know. Too much at once. It was driving her insane." i say lightly picking her up and putting her back in her bed. The floor wasn't even charred so Astella must of had some control over what she was doing.

"So she tried to drown everything out by screaming?" i shrug. It was just speculation. Maria sighs and pushes her bangs back. "How are you going to do this Steve?" i purse my lips and stare at Astella before turning to face Maria.

"I don't know. I have to try though. I have to tell her what's going on and hopefully she'll have enough will power to snap out of whatever this is." i say gesturing at her.

"What if she can't do it?" Maria asks. i glance back at her.

"She saved the world by herself. She should be able to save herself as well." Maria purses her lips and shakes her head.

"It's not that easy." with that she walks away. 

Astella wakes up feeling more like herself that following morning. I had stayed with her through the night and into the morning until she woke up. She found me sitting on the ground up against the wall by her door my eyes closed and head tilted back. "Steve." she said lightly upon seeing me there. I jumped up immediately.

"Hey." she gives me a wary smile and seems to have a question on her lips.

"L.A..." she says slowly. I nod before she can finish the sentence. Her shoulder fall and she presses her lips together in a thin line before sighing. "I hoped it was a dream." she says under her breathe. "I'm sorry." she gives me a weak smile looking up at me.