"Why are you down here?" Ian growled, not breaking out of his posture for a second. His breath came out measured, slow, deadly. Dani could see from his body language that Ian considered this man a serious threat.
"What, you think you're the only one who can step down here once in a while?" The man questioned, spreading his arms. They fell back to his sides.
"I didn't fall, you pushed me." Came Ian's low remark.
"And a wonderful thing I did for you, wasn't it? You came here, met your Source, had dinner with humans, went to a party, though you really don't seem like the type, and if my information is correct, you kissed the girl behind you." The word 'kissed' came out in a tone of mockery. The man laughed out loud and clapped once. The sound echoed down the street which was unsurprisingly empty.
Why was the damn street always this scanty?
"That alone is a punishment to last for a thousand Lights; you kissing a human, and not just any human, your Source..." He began to clap again, "Bravo, Jerani, Bravo."
Somewhere down the street, a dog began to bark frantically. It seemed to sense danger. Another dog joined the lunatic barking. Ian inspected the street, turned around, and put an arm over Dani. "Go home, lock the doors." He whispered to her.
"Oh come on, is that any way to treat your cosmic brother?"
Ian kept his eyes trained on hers, seriousness glinting in them. "Go. Now!"
Dani nodded and started walking backward but then a fierce growl erupted behind her. She saw Ian's eyes widen, fear fogging them. Dani glanced over her shoulder and felt a poke of fear returning to her body.
Behind her were two coyotes, looking hungry and vicious. They were frothing at their mouth, their eyes wide with attention as they sized up Dani.
Dani suddenly understood why the dogs were barking feverishly. She retook her steps to Ian's comforting back.
"Ian, there are coyotes here..."
"Oh, I'm sorry." Said Anon who didn't sound sorry in the least. "I forgot to introduce my new friends. I haven't named them yet so let's just call them their natural names."
"Ian, how is this possible?" Dani whispered, not daring to take her eyes off the wild beasts.
"Starlight." He hissed, still glaring warily at Anon while trying to keep the animals at the corner of his eyes. "It doesn't just work on humans alone."
"Don't be afraid, I just want us to have a quick chat." He glanced at Dani over Ian's shoulder. "Where do you live, Ms Chamberman?"
"Don't answer him." Ian instructed and grabbed her wrist. "I'll get you out of here, just give me a second."
"You see, Jerani," Anon said, stepping forward and losing a bit of his smile, "I'm really trying to be nice here but you're not making it easy for me. Do you intend for me to use another means of persuasion?" Once the last word was out, the coyote to the left behind Dani let out a snap.
Dani felt a tiny poke of fear again.
"You're wanted above, Anon. Do you really think you should be causing more trouble down here?" Ian said, jaws clenching.
"No, which is why you don't want to anger me, Ian. You may be immortal but I believe she—" he winked at Dani, "—is not. So why don't you be a good little boy and take me somewhere not do public, eh?"
Dani inched closer to Ian. "Let just do as he says. At least until we have a plan."
Ian didn't react, just simply kept his eyes on Anon. From his facial expression, he was thinking immensely hard about what to do. Finally, he relaxed his shoulder and nodded. "Before we do, can you call off these feral beasts?"
"Oh of course." He raised a hand into the air which flashed blue for the briefest second. Suddenly the coyotes lost their hunting pose and shook their heads. Dani could swear she saw confusion in their eyes, like they were asking what they were doing in the middle of a street. Then they began stepping back slowly till they broke off into a sprint towards the woods.
"Now," Anon announced, smiling brightly, "lead the way please."
Ian pulled Dani forward, leading her down the street. He purposely placed her in front of him as they walked, while Anon stayed a few feet behind them.
"As soon as we're in the house," it was Ian speaking but his lips weren't moving; he was in her head. "Grab a fork or knife, I don't care what, as long as it's metal and has a pointed part. I'm going to make contact with Jean so that she does the same too. And most importantly, don't believe a word he says. He's a DeathStar."
Dani understood well enough what was happening here; she was leading a psychopath to her house. Jean would go crazy when she discovered who she'd led into their home. Dani felt the familiar fear return.
"Your fear is returning, calm down. We're going to need quick thinking and reflexes if we want to come out of this alive." Ian's voice echoed in her head. His eyes stared sharply at her, glinting in the sun.
"What are you going to do?" She hissed back.
He lowered his eyes to the ground, though his hand remained around her wrist. "I'm going to do my best to wound him. He's wanted Above so someone should be down to take him back to The Black Hole."
"Can't you... you know... kill him?"
Ian looked up with a face of disbelief. "I'm a freaking LoveStar, and he's a DeathStar. What do you think I can do against him?"
It was the first time Ian had sworn so Dani knew he was really flustered by Anon's presence. They soon arrived at the front steps of the little house. Anon stopped to study the house; his eyes ran over the roof, the windows, the little front yard, and lastly, he watched as Ian and Dani climbed the steps to the door. He looked around to check if anyone was watching.
And caught Nelson staring through his window. Beth, who wasn't visible, was going crazy, her barks echoing up the street.
Anon flashed a smile and waved brightly. Nelson didn't wave back, he only narrowed his eyes and pulled his curtains shut.
Anon shrugged. He climbed up the stairs to Dani's house and cautiously stepped in.
•••
"Ah, lovely. What a beautiful sight." Anon said cheerfully, seated at the dining table where various types of food had been prepared and spread over the surface.
Jean and Dani were seated close to Ian, looking very uncomfortable at the stranger at their table.
Anon picked up a plate of soup and placed it in front of himself. "Everyone dig in," he announced like he was the host and they were the guests, "it may be your last."
Silence descended like a bomb. Ian pushed his chair back, getting to his feet with his fists clenched. Dani's and Jean's grips tightened on their utensils.
Anon exploded into a guffaw, banging the table with his fists. Every rattle of the plates and glasses made Jean jump secretly but she was determined to not show the fear, Dani observed. She remembered Jean's look of horror when Ian had touched her the second he was in the house to warn her of Anon.
Anon's laughter subsided. "Oh sit down, brother. I was just messing around. Did your time on earth make you forget how I joke?"
"No." Ian spat out through his clenched jaws. "In fact, it's the reason why I'm down here in the first place."
Anon merely shrugged and grabbed his spoon. "I expect you have questions for me." He held a spoon of soup to his lips and paused, "Oh and also," he turned to Jean, "if you put anything in here, sorry to disappoint but poison doesn't work on Stars." He winked and slurped the soup. Leaning back and groaning in pleasure, he nodded slowly, "oh yes, this is delicious."
He noticed everyone was staring at him. "Well, what are you waiting for? Dig in." It was a playful command but still an order.
Dani and Jean put their spoons into their soup but neither had the appetite. Ian didn't even touch the utensils; he folded his arms, looking more aggressive than Dani had ever seen.
"Can I get some answers now?" He said after Anon's fifth spoon.
The man sighed, rolled his eyes, and waved his hand in the air. "Ask away."
"How did you escape the Black Hole?" Ian launched immediately.
"Ah, the Black Hole..." Anon echoed. Bitterness flashed through his eyes. "That devastating environment. Oh, how I suffered..." His eyes slowly moved to Dani, "...while you were busy spending so much time with your beloved Source."
Ian didn't reply but he reached for Dani's knee and his gentle voice filled her head; "don't be afraid."
She wanted to tell him she was not, that her fear hadn't fully returned but he wasn't even looking at her.
"Anyway," Anon continued, "my escape, yes, how did I escape, you ask. Before I get there, I want to get our darling hosts up to speed, since they know the truth about us after all. Mother isn't too happy about that, mind you."
"I bet she's even more unhappy with you being here." Ian snapped.
"Ian," Dani said in a cautious tone.
"He's not wrong, dear Dani," Anon said, breaking off a piece of bread. "She's furious with me. If I get to venture back there or get caught, things won't be in my favor; hell, I would be a dead star the moment I'm held captive..." He lifted his eyes sharply. A glint ran through them. "But that won't happen. Not after what I've been through up there..."
Nobody said anything. They all waited.
"The moment you fell, there was chaos," Anon continued, looking down bitterly at his soup, "everyone was baffled by what had just happened, but nobody was as shocked as me. I'll admit, I did wrong by pushing you but I only did out of anger."
"Why don't you tell them why you were angry in the first place?" Ian angrily requested. When Anon said nothing, he answered his question. "Anon was being a total menace along with his DeathStar cronies. I was just minding my own business when he started inferring with my watch over my Source, you." Ian said to Dani. Then he returned his cold-blooded eyes to Anon. "I'd had enough and I told you the bitter truth—"
Anon chuckled suddenly and wiped at the corner of his eyes. "Oh, I remember it like it was yesterday. Little Ian standing up to me, right in front of my fellow Stars. I was beyond amazed." His smile slowly inched off his lips. "Then your fellow ones started joining me. Can you imagine that? A group of weak little things standing up to a star that symbolizes death?" He scoffed but his hands were clenched. "I knew I had to make an example so that they would all fall in line. Something to make their lights flicker a bit. But I went too far..." He unclenched his fists and began tapping his fingers against the table.
Dani stared hard at the demented Star sitting at their table. Ian had been right; DeathStars, WarStars, and KillStars were just like high school bullies but with powers. That was the ultimate nightmare for the weaker ones.
"And you blame me?" Ian asked incredulously. "You blame me for what you went through in the Black Hole?" His voice sparked with rage and disbelief.
"No..." Anon said, quietly. His eyes slowly moved to Dani. "I blame her."
Ian was taken aback and his expression wasn't that far from Jean's. Her hand twitched towards her sweater where a mysterious bulge could be seen near the beltline. Whatever hidden weapon she had, Dani hoped she would be fast enough. She had a first-hand view of how fast Stars moved; Ian had outraced her in the woods after all.
"Anon..." Ian began slowly after he'd recovered from the shock, "what are you talking about?" Each word came out carefully, almost measured. Dani knew Ian was thinking hard about what to do.
"My tormentor was none other than Susie. You know her." Anon said and grabbed a glass of water. The single-movement alone made Jean flinch. "She's the annoying bitc# in charge of the Hole. Sassy, very eye-catching, heartless being..."
"Yes, I remember."
"Good, now she—" And Anon stood up from his seat.
The motion caused chaos. Jean pushed away from the table, upsetting several glasses and plates. She wiped out a brown antique-looking pistol from her sweater and pointed it at Anon. Ian on the other hand grabbed some forks and in a flash of blue light, he was standing in front of Dani, his arm crooked in a stabbing position held above his head. His teeth were bared, eyes focused and chest panting; he looked very dangerous.
Dani, meanwhile, who hadn't still recovered her emotion of fear yet was the slowest to react. She only shook, looking startled. In a few seconds, she was up on her feet too. Her hand patted the table till its fingers wrapped themselves around a cold fork. She tightened her grip.
Anon didn't even blink. He placed his glass of water on the table gently and crossed his hands over his groin. "You brought a gun to the dinner table..." It was an observation. Anon focused on Ian and nudged his head at Jean. "Did you do that? Did you ask her to bring a gun to a dinner table?"
"I asked her to bring something worth using. If she brought a gun, then it's worth using." Ian answered, not taking his eyes off Anon for a second.
Anon nodded, calculating something. He licked his lips and sat down again. Jean's barrel followed him. "If you think a gun is worth using, then it should be used."
And just like that, in a blue flash so quick that Dani knew nothing till it was too late, Anon was standing in front of Jean, one glowing hand raised to her face, the other around the barrel, moving it out of the way. Dani saw Jean's pupils widen as she stared helplessly at the light.
"No!" Ian roared and tried to rush through the maze of chairs around the table.
"Shoot Jerani." Anon hissed and moved away.
Dani neither knew nor saw anything but two blue flashes clashing against each other, sending chairs and plates everywhere till she saw Anon slam Ian against the wall, one hand around his neck, the other wrapped around a wrist. The fork had fallen to the floor somewhere doing the blurry flashy fight.
"Do it! Now!" Anon bellowed to Jean, straining to keep Ian against the wall. Veins bulged on his forehead. "Shoot Jerani."
Jean raised her gun, looking stoic and oddly calm. She aimed.
"Jean, no! Listen to me." Dani said from across the table. As she spoke, she moved around it. The poke of fear didn't back down now; it kept pushing and jabbing. "Jean, he's the good guy. Don't shoot him." As soon as she was within reach, Dani lunged for the gun. Her hands clasped it but Jean's grip was almost iron.
"Let that gun go, you meddling bitc#!" Anon spat. Ian tried to push him away, seeing he was distracted but Anon shoved him against the wall with a heavy thud. "Stab her! Stab her and shoot Jerani!"
Jean let go of the pistol and Dani stumbled back with it. Jean reached for a table knife, turned to Dani, and made a wide arch in the air. Blood flew and Dani yelped. It was at that moment that the first true taste of fear stained Dani's heart.
She looked down at her arm where a wide cut was lined with bold red blood. Had her arm been anywhere else, it was her stomach that would have been having a bloody smile on it. In her daze, Jean snatched the pistol away, aimed, and fired.
The shot rang out fiercely like a crow's ugly croak. Anon gradually moved away from Ian, who slid down the wall on his back to his bottom. In his chest was a hole. His eyes were wide with shock, his breathing suddenly getting faster by the second and soon Dani understood why.
The tiny hole began to hiss, thin slivery thread of smoke curling into the air. Ian screeched with pain, clawing at his chest where the hole hissed louder.
"We have to get that bullet out. It's metal!" Dani cried.
"But that's the point, sweetheart." Anon said with sickening sweetness and a lunatic smile. "Metal hurts like hell. While buried in us, not only do we go through horrible pain but we are rendered useless; our abilities don't work." Anon squatted down next to Ian who was groaning and thrashing around on the floor. Ugly green veins had started to climb up his neck. "The damn bastard's going to heal, meaning that bullet will out soon, so I better cut to the chase."
He stood up, dipped his hand into his brown overcoat, and brought out a small sack. From inside, he removed white sparkling rocks and began to circle them around Ian. Once the circle was complete, there was a brief twink that ran from rock to rock to the very last one.
Anon smiled and glanced over his shoulder at Dani. "Crystal rocks. Able to contain Stars. Found them in the woods." He winked and turned to Jean, hand outstretched. "Can I have that gun?"
Jean, acting like a zombie, handed the gun over.
Anon took it, checked the bullet, and aimed.
A shot rang out.
He'd shot Ian in the back, who screamed out in pain, (Dani yelped, feeling tears at the corner of her eyes). The hole soon began its strange hissing, removing silvery smoke. Anon barked out laughter and placed the gun on the surface of the table. He retook his seat.
"Have your seat, ladies."
Jean sat, almost immediately. Her eyes were wide and alert yet she stared at nothing. Dani clenched her fists, seeing how her sister had been taken advantage of. Anon saw this.
"You want to do something smart? Want to be the hero?" He smirked and grabbed the pistol which he held out to her. "Here you go, shoot me."
Dani took a second to think. What was going on here? What other sick plan could this psycho possibly be planning? But on the other hand, he was giving her the gun. And she was dam sure it would be better than having nothing at all.
She snatched the pistol away, pointed it at Anon, and pushed away from the table. She hoped she looked dangerous and able.
But Anon still had his unnerving smirk on. He turned to Jean. "Hey, listen up, darling. I want you to kill yourself if Dani shoots me or harms me in any kind of way, do you understand?" He asked sweetly.
"Yes..." Jean said. Her eyes made their way to Dani and her hands searched the table till she reached a glass cup. Without blinking (and neither did Anon), she broke it and held the jagged end to her throat.
A drop of blood oozed out and made a red path down the glass to her hand.
"Oh my god, stop it! Jean, stop it!" Dani dropped the gun and reached across the table to pull the glass away but once again, some mysterious force had given her an iron hold.
"How about you retake your seat and we'll see if she stops?"
Dani immediately fell into her seat. "Okay, I'm seated. Make her stop."
Anon sighed. "You're no fun." He nodded at Jean who drew the glass away from her neck which now had a nasty bloody cut. Blood dripped down to her sweater, making it seem like she was having a nosebleed.
Behind Anon, Ian had stopped moving. He was panting heavily. There was a light clatter on the floor; the first bullet had fallen out.
"See? I told you." Anon said to Dani, rolling his eyes. "Kind of you to finally join us, brother."
Ian drew himself up to lean against the wall. His forehead was bathed with sweat, the front strands of his hair drenched. His face looked paler, and bags had appeared under his eyes. Ian took a step forward—
—and was instantly thrown back by a white flash. The Crystal rocks twinkled again.
"Crystal rocks..." Came Ian's labored breaths. He sounded like he'd trekked across a desert. "Damn you, Anon."
Anon agreed, slightly nodding his head. "Damn me indeed.
Jean was Brightened, Ian was trapped, and Anon had a gun— not that he needed it since Stars were really strong. But the point was that Dani was alone. And it was only she that could save herself now.