The Falling Stars of Mooncrest Bay, By Makaila Odoom, Part 8

The Falling Stars of Mooncrest Bay, By Makaila Odoom

Part 8

I woke up to the sound of voices over me.

“She’s been out cold all night.” Orion.

“Why did you tell her, Orion!?” Seren.

“She pretty much already knew! Besides, she would have found out eventually.” Orion said.

“Right, but it was your fault her powers awakened anyway. Kaspar and Chrystie are going to kill you.”

“Believe me, I know. Thanks for the reassurance, Seren.”

I kept my eyes closed, just in case they revealed any information that might be important.

I had no idea where I was, just knowing that it was definitely not my house.

It was so cold. Not like, North Pole cold, but like walk-in-refrigerator cold. My mom hated having the AC below 79. 

I could feel several blankets on top of me that were currently doing nothing to stop me from shivering.

“She’s not used to this temperature,” Orion said. He rested the back of his hand on my forehead. I tried not to flinch. It was really hard, especially because Orion’s hand was so warm. “Shoot,” he muttered. “She’s freezing.”

“Well then fix her,” Seren said.

What the heck was he talking about?

“That’s not how healing works in this case, Ser Bear. She has to get used to it without assistance.”

I started shivering harder. So what? Now Orion was a Starstepper, and a Healer?

Orion sighed. “You can stop eavesdropping, Sirius. I know you’re awake.”

I opened my eyes.

Orion was sitting on the edge of the bed I was lying in, smirking at me. Seren was standing, leaning against the wall.

The room I was in was massive.

Everything was indigo and cyan blue. The walls, the bed frame, the door, the sheets, the gigantic chandelier hanging from the ceiling, the dresser, nightstand, and the freaking fireplace.

Sitting up, I took everything in.

“W-where a-a-am I?” I asked, in between teeth chatters.

“Welcome to Astramere,” Orion said. 

He smiled at me. “Welcome home.”

I wrapped the blanket more tightly around myself, although it still didn’t help.

“W-what’s A-astra-m-mere?” I asked, ignoring the other part of his sentence.

“The ninth planet,” Orion declared casually.

I rolled my eyes. “Y-y-yeah r-right.”

“He’s serious,” Seren spoke up from his spot on the wall. “Astramere is where all Astraborn live. It’s the ninth planet.”

I felt the world spin again.

Orion jumped up and grabbed the back of my head. “Whoa, there. I don’t think you want to faint again. You’ve had enough head trauma to last for a while.”

I frowned. “W-w-why i-is it so c-cold? And h-how am I b-b-breathing?”

“This is the natural temperature of this region of Astramere. Earth is warmer because it’s a little closer to the sun, and because it’s affected by global warming.” Orion explained, “You can breathe because the Astral atmosphere is very similar to Earth’s.”

“What?” was all I could say.

He chuckled. “Your body is in shock. You’ll get used to it eventually.”

He let go of my head and I instantly felt even colder.

I was just about to ask where my family was, when Chrystie came barging into the room. CHRYSTIE.

I was dead.

She was followed soon after by Kaspar, and they both had metal things on the top of their heads. I blinked and realized they were crowns. 

MY SISTER AND THE CREEPY GUY FROM THE BEACH WERE WEARING FREAKING CROWNS.

Chrystie’s crown was made out of twisting gold tree branches, that had cyan gems as the leaves. Kaspar’s crown was made of twisting gold wire with star-shaped indigo gems woven between the strands.

I jumped out of bed, wincing when the full force of the cold hit me, but I didn’t care. I was tired of feeling clueless. I needed answers.

Orion groaned. “This couldn’t have happened at a worse time.”

“LILA SIRIUS ESTELLE!” She practically growled. “What are you doing here!?”

She stood just in front of the door, Kaspar behind her. He had the same furious expression that Chrystie was wearing. Only his was pointed at Orion.

I crossed my arms. The teeth chattering had gotten slightly better.

“I could a-ask you the same t-thing,” I retorted. “I thought y-y-you were at a s-s-scholarship ceremony. Where were you really? Where are Mom and Nana?”

She narrowed her eyes at me. “I know you found the book.”

I pushed back. “You didn’t a-answer the q-q-question. Where were you, and where is my mother and my grandmother?” I asked again. My teeth had stopped chattering completely.

“Lila…” Chrystie started. “We’ll talk about this later. Just sit-“

“No.”

“Lila-“

“No!” Chrystie took a step toward me. I stepped back. “I want answers, Chrystie. I don’t want to find a book in your closet, explaining who I am. I don’t want some boy appearing in the middle of the night during my birthday party, showing me something that makes me who I am, that my sister knew about, yet kept from me. I want to hear it from you, Chrystie. I want to hear everything from you. Tell me where my family is, tell me what’s going on, tell me who everyone in this room is, tell me who I am, and tell me who you are, because you are not the sister I’ve known for 14 years.”

A flash of hurt appeared on Chrystie’s face. It was gone as soon as it came.

She sat down on the edge of the bed. Orion, Seren, and Kaspar just stared at us. Couldn’t they take a hint?

“You’re the Starlight Bearer,” Chrystie said. I flinched when I heard the title. Chrystie looked as if she couldn’t believe it herself. “You’re our last hope.”

“So I’ve heard,” I whispered.

“Um,” she sniffed, looking up at the boys. She pointed to Seren first. “This is Seren Setareh. Youngest brother to these three, and…the prince of Alcyone, the biggest continent on Astramere.”

Seren gave me a wan smile and a small wave.

A prince. Wow.

Chrystie gestured to Orion next. “Orion Setareh. Middle brother, and the crown prince of Alcyone. Next in line for the throne.”

I scoffed. Of course Orion was a prince.

He smirked at me as if he knew what I was thinking.

Chrystie looked over at Kaspar, a hint of annoyance on her features.

“And…Kaspar Setareh. Oldest brother, and the king of Alcyone. He’s also my h-h-h-“

“We’re married.” Kaspar cut her off when she couldn’t quite seem to finish the sentence.

I blinked. “Now is not the time for jokes!” I glared at Kaspar.

Kaspar’s eyes glinted. “No jokes here. Lila…meet your sister. Cressida Setareh, the queen of Alcyone.”

Chrystie tensed. 

I forgot how to breathe. No. No, this couldn’t be happening.

“Sirius…” Orion whispered. All of a sudden, he was right next to me. “Stay calm. Please. Remember the wall.”

I thought about every time Chrystie had gone out of the house alone and not come back until hours later, every time she had a sleepover, every time she went to sleep-away camp for weeks during the summer. Every single day, she had gone out alone, at least once, until my birthday party. Neither my mom nor my grandma had suspected anything. I had just thought she was sneaking off to see boys or hang out with her friends, but…

I stared at Chrystie. 

“Can the Astraborn use mind control?” I asked, my voice made of steel, trying not to react when Orion placed a hand on my shoulder. I wasn’t going to stop, and I was already angry. He wasn’t helping.

She stood up, looking ashamed, although she had a puzzled look on her face.

“No. Why would you think that?” she answered.

“Then where are Mom and Grandma? Why did they never suspect anything when you left the house for hours and days at a time?”

“Lila… Lila, please,” her eyes turned glassy.

“Please, what, Cressida? Did you brainwash them?!”

“No… no!” She yelled, tears flowing freely now. 

Orion finally had the decency to back up.

“THEN WHAT!?” I screamed.

Chrystie flinched.

“They… were never real, Lila. It was an illusion.”

That was when my whole world turned upside down.

People talk about life-changing moments, moments that scarred them forever. I never knew what they meant until that day. Unmeasurable pain. That’s what it was.

“No. No. No. No! NO!” I stalked towards her. “You are lying, Chrystie. YOU’RE A LIAR!” I yelled, my finger pointed at her face.

“I’m a—I’m a shapeshifter, but I can also create illusions of other people, that c-can last for however long I want them to,” she admitted.

I grabbed the collar of the dress she was wearing. 

She didn’t even try to pull away.

She just stood there and cried.

Somehow, that made me angrier.

“STOP LYING!”

I felt something prick my eye. I realized I was crying too… ugly crying.

“It’s the truth-“ she whispered, at the same time I flung my hands out to push her.

“LILA, NO!” Orion yelled from behind me.

Just like before, I felt the energy, the heat moving up my arms, towards my fingertips. But, unlike before, Orion was too late. It was like I could see it in slow motion. Him jumping directly at me, the energy moving out of my fingertips. Heading straight towards Chrystie.

No.

Not Chrystie.

Cressida.