Can You Hear the Stars Calling?

A World Beyond Thine Eye

That wouldn't be a problem. I had so many questions, I didn't know where to start.

What did that monster want with me? Who's Xyphrus? What was that light from your eyes? There was a bustling in the kitchen. Who is your friend?

What were we going to do next?

***

Deliciously sweet smells wafted into the room, making my stomach growl louder by the minute.

15 minutes later, Sam walked in holding the largest tray of food I'd ever seen for one person. Coloring a larger plate were different types of fruits; bananas, strawberries, apple slices, and blueberries. Another contained hearty slices of bacon and toast with two eggs sunny-side up on the side. The third held a stack of thick, fluffy waffles. On the side were utensils, a bottle of syrup, and a glass of milk to wash everything down.

She rested the standing tray over my legs, looking at me anxiously. "There's a couple of different things. I didn't know why you would be in the mood for, so I made...all of it."

I stared at it all hungrily. The last time I had eaten anything was at the hospital. It almost seemed a shame to dig into something so beautiful looking. It looked like a picture a celebrity would post on their social media page.

But no matter how pretty it was, my stomach was too empty to be thinking about food posts. I grabbed a fork and dug into the eggs first, savoring the saltiness.

"So good," I muttered between pieces of food shoved in my mouth. Stopping for a moment, I gulped and said to Sam, "I'm listening."

She took a breath. "There's...so much. So much to say and tell you. Where should I start?" She paused. "I guess, the beginning. The very beginning."

She got up and grabbed the folding chair from the desk, setting it up next to the bed. She settled in and began. "There are beings...beyond this world. Beings that have great powers. Of healing. Of destruction. Of luck. Of love," She raised one hand, "of life," She lowered that hand and raised the other. "and of death."

"The time before time was nothing. No light, no darkness. So much nothing, our minds can't even comprehend. But then, there was an explosion. Not like the ones set off by bombs. Or the ones from my arrows. A great blast of nothing. Kind of like an inverted black hole." She opened her hands in an explosive motion.

"It sent into this universe beings from another realm. Two of these beings were The Starcaster and Xyphrus. Humans think of the world being created by one or many gods, but that's not the case. These planets, "she stated, stomping the ground with one foot, "came here along with the beings. Sent into this realm to begin anew," She paused and gave me a look. "I thought this was supposed to be you eating and me talking."

I shoved a few fruits in my mouth, not caring about taste. She eyed me, but continued. Sam looked up for a minute, seeing past the ceiling. "The Starcaster," she continued, looking back to me. "was tasked with creating life. Giving the planets meaning and value. On the other hand, Xyphrus was tasked with taking it. To take one form of life and change it into another. Creating the delicate balance of life intermingling with death. For a long while, they worked together. Creating a perfect balance of harmony. The Starcaster created the life throughout the galaxy. And for every human's life, they created a guardian. A guardian of starlight. Every star in the sky is an angel that was or is. That's me" She pointed at herself winked.

I smiled and bit off a piece of waffle, washing it down with a swig of milk.

"Our jobs are to watch over our children without interfering on their everyday lives. That is, unless threatened by a demonic creature." She gave me a hard look.

"Soon, though, things started to change. Tired of the old ways, Xyphrus demanded more. He felt his role was unfair and wanted control of life. He demanded that the Starcaster hand over their power and change duties," Sam sighed. Not in a disappointing way, but more in a way of sadness as she recalled events. "But the Starcaster refused. They saw a terrible darkness in Xyphrus's soul."

"Angered by their refusal, Xyphrus hatched a plan to seize the control he wanted. He gathered all of the forces he could, rallying them together with the illusion that he would share his power once obtained," Sam shook her head, "Declaring himself king of demons, he created his own knights from himself."

I gave her a confused look so she tried explaining a different way. She wove her fingers together. "He split himself into pieces," Her interwoven hands flew apart as her hands flew in opposite directions. "so his main being could remain behind, protected, while the more powerful sides of himself did what he needed to be done. You've met Mateo already. Mateo, piece of shifting" She seethed, recalling that night.

I shuddered at the thought of Mateo. My mouth hung agape. This was a lot to take in all at once. Demons, monster, angels, god-like beings. Where did I fit into all of this? "So you're saying that even before I arrived at the hospital, I had something to do with a demon?"

She gave me a long look. "As soon as you called those men's attention away from that woman in the alley, I felt something shift in a way that hasn't occurred in a long time. Something within Xyphrus churned." she sighed. "I wasn't exactly sure what had happened, but I didn't want to take any chances. So, I became Sam Lorey, a hospital nurse. It was the easiest way to be close to you. And when you had that dream with the Starcaster, I knew my suspicions were correct," she paused. "Then that piece came to claim you." She spat the words.

"But, I still don't get it!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands in the air. She turned to me, surprised at my sudden outburst. "Why was that demon guy-Xyphrus- so interested in that old lady at all?"

She paused, looking for an answer. "I'm still not sure." she finally said. "But at least you're safe now. Away from that piece." She grabbed my hand and squeezed it comfortingly.

The sun peaked overhead in the sky.

Thoughts turned over themselves in my mind. "What about you?" I said suddenly. "That glowing in your eyes. You fought Mateo and won. What about your arrows? They exploded!"

She opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by the sound of a door slamming and the stepping of boots. "Hello!" A male voice shouted. "Sam? Where are you-oh my kitchen!" He shrieked. "Sam!"

Sam winced comically. "Whoops. Never was the tidiest person. How about we talk about that later and right now, you can meet my friend?" she asked, picking up the tray of half eaten food.

"Okay," I said reluctantly. "Now don't go skipping out on me, Sam. I will get those answers out of you." I smiled and fake punched playfully.

"Oh no! I'm so scared!" she cried, walking across the room and out the door.

I laid back in the bed. Demons, gods, angels. What's next? Witches, vampires, werewolves, oh my?