Astra: Forgotten and Remembered Again

Grey

I'm so glad Nora's okay.

But...I don't know how long that 'safety' will last. 

She's possessed. 

Starr said she had a way...but it was just briefly mentioned by another person.

Leon said they had to start immediately.

I don't know who it hurts more, Starr or Nora...

"OWWWW!! LEON IT HURTS, I CAN'T!!" Starr screamed on the first try. Poor girl said she could try 'drawing' it out. But it hurts her. 

"NO, NO, NO!! IT BURNS!! IT BURNS!!" Nora cried on the fifth try. Starr said that wasn't supposed to happen either. It's supposed to be like a huge relief, she said. Not a big pain. 

It hurt to watch.

It really did.

But I couldn't get in the way. Starr had to figure this out.

"How much more of this?" Nora said after, like, the thirtieth try. "It hurts...and we don't seem to be going anywhere at all.."

"You don't get something until you try a hundred times. And then if that doesn't work, do a hundred more." Leon says. 

Then an idea popped into my head.

"What if we got the girls?" I say. "We've all seen the weird things that have been happening with them, right? Could they help us somehow?"

Leon opened his mouth to argue, but then he thought about it. 

"Okay, fine." he says. "Go find them." 

Without hesitation, I go looking for them. 

"Stella! Luna!" I shout, looking for them. "We need you!"

"Hi!" Stella says, running over to me. "What's wrong?"

"We just need you. Do you know where Luna is?"

"I think she's sleeping."

"Can you wake her up?"

"Sure!"

Then she ran to the tent she and her sister share. She ran into it, and then I heard her yell, "WAKE UP, GREY NEEDS US!!!"

Then I heard a grumble and a shuffling sleeping bag.

"You could've said it nicely..."

Then Stella skipped out, and Luna stumbled out, rubbing her eyes. Aw. 

"What is it?" Luna said, her head bobbing and sleepy. 

"Starr wants help with you two. She thinks you might be able to help her fix Nora."

"Nora's broken?" Stella asks.

"No, she's not...broken...she just has something in her head that's making her act a bit odd, that's all." I reply.

"Okay!" 

When we came to the area where they were 'training' (I guess), Starr was just staring at her hands. Nora looked like she was going insane, her usually straight hair was really messy (probably from burying her fingers in it) and she was...mumbling. It was weird to see.

Kinda scary to see, too.

"Hey, I got 'em." I say, breaking the intense silence.

"Grey said we were gonna help fix Nora!" Stella said. "He said she's not broken, but there's something in her head! Is it a bug? Is it crawling in her head to make her think weird things?"

Starr and Leon laughed, but Nora didn't seem to notice.

"No, no, it's not a bug." Leon said. "It's kinda like a second person, stuck inside her mind. Starr can't get them out by herself, so she needs your help. Do you think you can do it?" 

Stella nods vigorously, and Luna shrugs.

"How are we supposed to help?" Luna asked. 

"Well..." Leon began, uncertain. "We're still trying to figure that out..."

"But we know you can help." Starr finished for him. "I know you can help."

Then she stood up. She outstretched her hands to the girls, gesturing for them to take them. 

"Valencia and Lucian can help me, too." she added as they took her hands. "So we'll be fine."

I glanced at Nora. At her struggling, crazed, broken self. 

I sure hope we'll be fine.

I sure hope.