The Star and the Ocean (Book 1 in the Starborn Series)

Chapter Two

She looked around again, pushing back her hood as she ran her hands along her scalp and through her cascading silver hair. Even in the faint light it shimmered, and for a moment May was captivated by everything about her: the hair, her ghostly complexion, those icy blue eyes wide with worry.

"Are you okay?" May slowly lowered the knife to her side. Feeling somewhat foolish, she tried to shift the mood a bit. "Is there someone you need me to call?"

The strange woman rubbed her forehead and sighed, somehow managing to look tired after all that sleep.

"No," she groaned. "No, and I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I'm sorry for trespassing."

May flushed. "You–you're not trespassing," she replied meekly. "This isn't my... I mean, I don't know why I said that."

An awkward silence hung between the two of them. The stranger looked hard at May in a way that made her feel as if she was reading her mind. May knew that the scrutiny should have made her uncomfortable, yet she couldn't help but feel like someone was seeing her for the first time in ages. For some reason, it felt good having this person's attention.

The woman smiled weakly. "I, uh, like your hair," she said, causing May to sputter and reach instinctively for the rose gold waves of her short bob. "It's cute."

This hair? Mine? It was such a random thing to say at a time like this.

Nothing about this person–the way she looked, the way she spoke, the very fact that she was here–none of it made any sense. But it was in that moment May knew she didn't have to be afraid of her; that she hadn't from the very beginning.

"What's your name?" the stranger asked.

May hesitated a moment before answering softly. 

"It's May."

And just like that, something changed. The strange woman's face lit up, faint colour rushing to fill the apples of her cheeks and a warm smile spread across her lips.

"May," she repeated. "That's a nice name. Listen, you can relax, okay? I promise I'm not going to hurt you."

A violent flush rose up May's neck and spilled across her face. When she didn't respond, the woman held out her hand and tried again.

"I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true."

May looked at the woman's outstretched hand. Cautiously, she accepted, shaking it politely.

"And who are you?" she asked.

"I'm Em."

Em.

The world around them started to swim until Em was all that May could see. With her deceptively warm hand in hers, May stood transfixed. Maybe it was the unusual circumstances, or perhaps it was the way Em's pale skin seemed to glow in the twilight, but May was convinced for a reason she couldn't quite place that this moment was important.

Em gave May's hand a gentle squeeze, bringing her back to the real world. There was more blushing, a mumbling of an apology.

"May, I'm sorry I scared you. But I'm going to be honest with you: I have no idea where the hell I am and I'm really not sure how I got here." She paused. "And to answer your previous question, I'm neither drunk nor high."

May felt like a complete idiot. Gesturing vaguely, she held the knife away from her body like some repugnant dead thing.

"I'm sorry too," she replied. "I don't know what I was thinking waving this thing at you."

"Yeah, I could kind of tell." Em laughed.

May exhaled and managed to crack a smile. It was as if they were old friends patching things up after a petty fight.

With the mood lightened, May felt the overwhelming desire to be helpful. The words spilled out of her before she could even consider what she was saying.

"Y'know, you don't have to sleep out here. My place isn't far. You're welcome to stay the night. On the couch or... I have a hammock, too. I promise I'll put this thing away and everything." She motioned to the knife.

Em didn't answer right away, surveying May with that same intense stare. As if she could catch any hint of ill-intent just by looking at her.

She thinks I'm nuts, May thought. She thinks I'm absolutely crazy. This is crazy, isn't it? What am I doing...

But Em smiled.

"That would be way better than this. Thank you."

May couldn't hide her surprise. She hadn't actually thought that Em would say yes. She felt a twitch in her stomach that normally would have been the swell of anxiety.

But this feeling was different.

This was excitement.

This was a slow heat running from her flushed cheeks to her pounding heart.

This was attraction.

***

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