💫 Starburst ⭐️

Starburst; Part 12

Flame Pinchers And A Bogus Lake

Lacey decided that waking up Katherine and Astiana would take too long. She suddenly remembered the jar of jam in Katherine's bag, and she lunged at it.

It was empty now, Katherine had been hungry. Lacey grabbed the jar and opened it. "She takes a flash, and in a trance, pain has begun, she takes a flash, and in a trance, pain has begun," Lacey repeated silently.

The star seemed to aim right for the jar now that Lacey had chanted the prophecy. "Please please please," Lacey murmured. The star banged right inside the jar and a golden light spread around it.

Lacey shut the jar quickly and sighed in relief. "Lacey?!" Astiana ran to her and threw her arms around Lacey. "What happened?"

All Lacey could do was hold up the jar, and she slumped on the grass, tired.

"You caught a star..." Astiana whispered. Katherine woke up on hearing Astiana. Lacey held up her hand and panted. "This... isn't just... a star... it's... the fl... the flash..." she protested.

Katherine stared inside the jar in awe. The star was hopping about, not trying to escape, but to prove that it was the flash. Astiana, convinced, looked at Katherine.

"Lacey, do you want to go on the journey or just rest and wait until tomorrow?" Katherine asked softly. "We don't have time! It's almost dawn anyway!" Lacey replied and got up, energized.

Astiana nodded, and before Katherine could argue, both Lacey and Astiana had pulled on their bags and were now looking at Katherine, waiting.

She sighed, grabbed her bag, then walked to the other side of the mountain. "There's a faster way down here," she said.

Astiana walked towards Katherine and sat down, her legs hanging dangerously at the edge of the mountain. "What're you doing?!" Lacey yelled. "Sliding. That's the way or else we have to face the dangers of climbing down and falling, not to mention the time."

Lacey opened her mouth to say something, then clamped it shut. There was absolutely no time to bicker right now.

She sat down beside Astiana and closed her eyes. "Hold each other's hands or else you'll lose each other!" Katherine hollered. Lacey grasped Astianas hand and squeezed it tightly.

Katherine sat beside Lacey and sighed. "Hold on..." she grabbed Lacey's hand and shifted over the edge, and with one final push, they rolled down the mountain.

All three of them screamed piercingly as a flame shot up from the mountain. "I forgot to tell you about the flame pinchers!" Katherine shouted. "Why flame pinchers?!" Lacey wailed.

A flame shot out from right beside Lacey, causing another flame to close in on her, burning her elbow and causing a pinch feeling to arise.

"That's why!" Katherine pulled Lacey out of the flames and as they tumbled down the mountain, more obstacles arrived. A rock passed beside Lacey, grazing her shoulder.

As they landed down the mountain and into the lake, Lacey wondered if this was her last breath.

"What's up?" Katherine asked. "Look around, then you tell me..." Lacey murmured. Astiana, who hadn't spoke since they'd landed, looked around. "Um... sis?" Her voice quivered.

"Bogus Lake," Katherine groaned. "How do you know all the names?" Lacey demanded. "We've been here before... but that's another story. What matters right now is-" loud ripples broke off what Astiana was about to say.

The sickly green lake seemed to move. Looks like boogers. Lacey thought. That's why it's called "Bogus."Astiana shot back. "Run!" Katherine cried out.

Lacey scurried to the other side, but no matter how hard she moved her legs, they remained stuck in the lake. "It's sticking you in!" Astiana shrieked, not getting any further herself.

Lacey reached for her bag and pulled out what she hadn't pulled out for a long time. The amethyst. The murky water moved aside, clearing a path that was surely made for Lacey.

The three rushed onto the path and escaped onto dry land. "I have spare clothes," Katherine reminded Astiana who was looking at her disgusting outfit. Lacey pulled on her overalls and wore the pink ruffled top with button daisies.

"Prepared huh?" Astiana murmured, coming out from behind the tree. She was wearing a dark blue skirt with a black sweater. Katherine looked at Astiana as if she were going to pummel her.

She had a grey dress hoodie and seemed to look like city people, Lacey observed. "So... can you explain how you knew the names now?" Lacey asked eagerly. Katherine sighed and nodded slowly.

"Our mother took us here, back when she was alive. She thought it would be a beautiful place to buy a home, and we could have Bogus Lake as a pool for ourselves. It was 'dark' just the way she liked it. I refused to live here, refused to be evil, right on that mountain. In return of my bad attitude, she threw me over the mountain, where I discovered the sliding technique and the flame pinchers who, sadly, burnt me. I landed in Bogus Lake, and then I escaped from the darkness of my home..." she looked at Astiana.

"Never to be seen again," Astiana finished for her. "Wow... what'd Astiana do?" Lacey asked.

"Nothing."

"I did so! I told mom it wasn't right!"

"And then watched me fall!"

"I was upset!"

"Well, you didn't show it! You threw dark beads at me! Dark beads!"

"I-"

"You're sorry about it," Lacey's voice was angry yet knowledgeable. "I get it guys, but it's sunrise and we need to get to the forest of Mainslash!"

"She's right, we're sorry," Astiana replied. "Well I'm not," Katherine snapped and with that, she walked off. "Kathy!" Astiana ran after her, but a portal hurled her right back where she came from.

As Lacey peered at it, she realized it was the same portal that had transported Lacey to the farmhouse. And then, a horrible understanding came over Lacey.

Katherine was going to Rimester.