The Falling Stars of Mooncrest Bay, By Makaila Odoom, Part 7

The Falling Stars of Mooncrest Bay, By Makaila Odoom

Part 7

I woke up to cold slobber on my cheek.

“AAUGH! WHAT THE-“

I sprang upright, and my head immediately started to spin. I was sitting in a pile of Chrystie’s clothes, still in her closet.

I groaned. My hand had stopped glowing, but it felt weird for some reason…off.

My tabby cat, Lemon, was sitting on my lap. That explained the slobber.

She looked up at me, a concerned look on her little white-and-orange splotched face. 

Lemon seemed to be asking if I was okay.

“I’m fine,” I told her, petting the top of her head.

She meowed, hopping out of my lap, and strutting over to the book-bomb, which was now open, facedown. 

“Lemon! Don’t touch that!” I tried to tell her, but she grabbed the corner of the cover with her tiny teeth, dragging it over to me.

“Lemon…” I started, flinching when she dragged it into my lap.

She looked up at me, her tiny brown eyes staring into my soul. I knew what she wanted me to do.

I sighed, praying that another fireworks show would not happen.

I picked up the cover of the book with the edge of my fingernail. Nothing happened. Whew.

I turned the whole thing over. It was opened to a page called—ASTRAL GIFTS.

The page read:

The Astral Gifts vary among the Astraborn, often reflecting the personality and strengths of the individual. These gifts are classified into three ranks based on their rarity and power.

The Standard Astral Gifts consist of:

Astral World Communication

Star Navigation 

Star Shields

Astral Life Sense

The Middle Rank of Astral Gifts consists of:

Astral Weather Control

Astral Plant Control

Astral Animal Communication

Astral Memory

The High Rank of Astral Gifts consists of:

Starcalling

Astral Shifting

Astral Healing

Starstepping

Astral Binding

For information regarding the legend of the Starlight Bearer, see page 756.

I dragged my eyes down the whole page. So basically, there was a whole civilization of people, if they were even people, that I knew nothing about, and in some way, I was related to them.

I doubted anyone had a weirder life than mine right now, and how could it get any weirder? I decided to flip to page 756.

THE STARLIGHT BEARER

The Starlight Bearer remains one of the oldest legends of the Astraborn. Believed to have the ability to harness the power of the stars in just a thought, the Starlight Bearer can harness and release the power of the stars through their hands.

Unlike other Astraborn, the Starlight Bearer is also believed to have the potential to possess every one of the known Astral Gifts, making them the most powerful Astraborn known to legend. 

The Bearer’s abilities will only be unlocked upon contact with an orb of True Blue Starlight—the purest form of Astral energy—and only when the universe faces grave danger.

No confirmed Starlight Bearer has ever been documented. This information is purely a legend and should be regarded as such.

I threw the book. It landed on the floor with a thud. Why did I flip to page 756?

This couldn’t have been a coincidence. Everything I had just read matched what had happened to me. Blasting light out of my hands? An orb of true blue starlight? What was going on with me? I couldn’t possibly be the Starlight Bearer…right?

I stood up from the pile of Chrystie’s clothes, picking up Lemon, who was now meowing nervously at me.

“Lemon, don’t worry. We’re the only ones here. There’s no need to be scared,” I told her, kissing the top of her furry head. I was trying to convince myself more than I was trying to convince her. I was terrified.

At a time when the universe is in grave danger.

At a time when the universe is in grave danger.

At a time when the universe is in grave danger.

The phrase kept repeating in my head.

Was there some evil villain out to get my family? The idea sounded ridiculous, but now? Not so impossible.

Lemon kept meowing in my arms as I opened the door to Chrystie’s closet…

And came face to face with Orion.

“WHAT THE—“ I screamed, jumping so high that I smacked my head against the top of the closet doorframe. Lemon yowled, jumping out of my arms, scurrying back into the closet.

I clutched the top of my head, staggering backward.

He grabbed my arm. “My bad. Are you okay—“

I wrenched away from his grip. “Am I okay? AM I OKAY?!” I backed as far away from him as I could until my back hit the clothes hanging on the rack behind me. “Y-you’re in my house…how the heck did you get into my house!? Why are you here?”

My head had started throbbing.

“I know how this looks, but-“

“YOU LITERALLY APPEARED IN MY SISTER’S ROOM.”

“It’s hard to explain…” Orion said.

I scoffed, still holding my head. “Well you’d better explain before I call the police!”

My phone was indeed in my room. I was pretty sure he was not going to let me pass until he said whatever he came here to tell me.

He frowned, seeming slightly annoyed at my stubbornness. I didn’t care.

“Fine. I’m a Starstepper,” he said.

A Starstepper. My jaw dropped, remembering that power from the book I had found.

Orion smirked.

“The Astraborn…are real?” I asked in shock, removing the hand on my head.

Orion nodded slowly, as if he was confirming that the sky was blue.

“Yes. Starsteppers have the ability to teleport in flashes of starlight. That’s how I got in here,” he said.

“But…it’s not nighttime. There are no stars out, so how did you teleport?” I asked.

He raised an eyebrow. “The sun is a star, Sirius.”

Oh. My face heated in embarrassment.

“Right. Forgot that. Don’t call me Sirius.”

I had always hated my middle name. It sounded like a dog’s name.

Orion crossed his arms. “Also, it doesn’t matter if it’s day or night, cloudy or sunny. The stars are always there. Just because you can’t see them doesn’t mean they’re gone.”

I nodded. That made sense.

Lemon had come out of her hiding place, deeming Orion as safe. She was now rubbing against his leg.

Hadn’t she ever heard of not fraternizing with the enemy?

Much to my surprise, he smiled, leaning down to pet her. I was still wary.

“Don’t touch my cat. You still haven’t told me why you’re here.”

He held up his hands in surrender. “You still haven’t moved out of that corner.”

I scowled. “You still won’t let me pass.”

“Because I know if I do you’ll just run away.”

He was right.

“You can’t run from your destiny, Sirius,” Orion said.

“What destiny!?” I yelled. “I have no destiny!”

He scoffed. “You don’t seriously believe that, after everything that happened yesterday, and after everything you’ve seen today?”

“Can you just let me pass, please!?” I reached out to push him away, but he moved out of the way at the last second. I tripped out the closet door, falling face-first onto the carpet.

I lay there for a second. That was my last straw. I screamed directly into the floor before getting up. Orion was leaning against the doorway looking like a smug, self-centered prince.

“WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU? YOU LITTLE ENTITLED, EGOCENTRIC, SELFISH, RUDE…DIRTBAG!!!” I yelled, flinging my hand out to shove him away. 

That was when it happened. 

The symbol had reappeared on my palm.

I hadn’t even noticed.

Orion had.

“Lila…”

Heat surged through my arm.

Orion grabbed my wrist, yanking my hand away from him.

The blue energy exploded from my fingertips.

BOOM.

The energy slammed into Chrystie’s wall, leaving a gaping, smoking crater.

I stayed frozen for a long time. So did Orion.

The smell of smoke had started to fill the room.

My fingers had not stopped tingling.

Orion slowly released my wrist, staring at my hand. The symbol had disappeared again.

He finally whispered, “I knew it.”

He went to sit down on Chrystie’s gigantic bed.

My hands had started trembling. I stared at the crater.

“What’s wrong with me?” I asked him.

He shook his head. “There’s nothing wrong with you. But…what you just did…confirmed something… something that I was really hoping I was wrong about.” Orion said.

“Then what is going on?” I said, desperately needing some answers. Just not the answer I was afraid of.

“Lila…you’re the Starlight Bearer.”

“Whaaaa-“ I started, my head had begun to throb again, worse this time. Then it started to spin.

Orion stood up.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

That was the last thing I heard before passing out. Again.