HARRY'S POV
Upon abruptly waking up, I rustled softly around the couch, my toes curling as the sounds of cars passing by the apartment rang through my ears. What time had I fallen asleep last night? What time even was it right now? I kept my eyes closed for a moment, gathering the feeling of waking up before I slowly opened them.
They burned.
Human bodies were so weird, and they ached a lot I had noticed. For instance, why did this sandy material in the corners of my eyes burn me so badly?
I let out a low groan, my knuckles rubbing the burning sensation out of my eyes carefully before looking up at the ceiling. This was the hardest I had slept in a while. Turning myself into star form really took a lot out of me, especially since it was the second time in a night. It wasn't something we were supposed to do unless under special circumstances. In my father's eyes, I doubted he would enlist this as special, but what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him.
Letting out a soft sigh, I lifted my head and was nearly startled to see Aurora's head rested onto my stomach. I sucked in a deep breath, my hands immediately flying up so I didn't touch her. Had we fallen asleep together? I didn't really remember falling asleep. Though, I was so tired last night we may have just accidentally drifted off after all.
Aurora's head laid heavy on my stomach while one of her arms was wrapped around my hip, her other hand dangling off the couch while Astro laid below us. I blinked a couple times, tilting my head as I balled my hand into a fist in a stretch.
She looked so peaceful while she slept, although I had never been this close to a sleeping human before and I had felt this immediate nervousness in my stomach. It wasn't that I didn't want her to be on me, but I supposed that waking up to it would surprise anyone. Right?
I felt her warm breath spreading across my exposed skin from where my shirt had ridden up during my sleep and I took a deep breath again, tilting my head back as I stared up at the ceiling. She felt warm. Soft. Cozy.
The way her hair splayed itself across my stomach, leaving a slightly tickling feeling was something I had never experienced before. I knew I had hair as well, but her hair was so much different than mine. It was longer, for starters. It was also so beautiful when looking up close. I could see undertones against the sunlight that peaked through the blinds that I had never noticed before. The complexity of her figure left me feeling in awe, honestly.
I knew my father told me not to get close to humans and now there was one sleeping on me, but what else was I supposed to do now? Kick her off? I also knew I wasn't the best at understanding human behavior completely just yet, but even I knew that wasn't right. When I thought about it, I didn't want to be away from Aurora anyway. She was like a warm hug, and after last night–
Shoot.
Last night.
I was so disoriented during my slumber that I had forgotten about telling her everything. Was I going to get in trouble? How was I going to hide this from my father? I supposed not saying anything would be a start, but obviously I wasn't that good at lying. I had lied my way into Aurora's friend circle, but I knew that it was going to raise suspicions eventually.
I resented my father in some aspects for the strict rules of this mission. I felt like it was really unfair to send me to a planet I had never been to and then tell me I wasn't allowed to interact with anybody. I already felt lonely enough on my own planet. I was scared I would feel this way again on Earth, but Aurora has been more than enough company. She was all I had been searching for this whole time.
But I still wanted to make him proud of me. Not once had I ever heard those words come from his lips and part of me just wanted to hear it for once. Just to know what it sounds like or what it felt like. Leon always got the better end of things, and for that, I was jealous. It didn't take rocket science to know when you were the least favorite child. I had lived hundreds of years with the weight of that on my shoulders and it was crushing. Simply, I was tired of living in his shadows.
Aurora made me feel important though. She made me feel things that my father could never give me.
I looked back down at her with half lidded eyes, my lips parted as I watched her sleep. There was a flutter in my chest, similar to the night that that girl had almost kissed me, but this was a different feeling. Something that I couldn't fully pinpoint– another reason why I questioned human emotions so much. As much as I had studied books about humans, it would have never prepared me for what I was feeling right now.
I looked at my hand, opening it slowly as it drew out towards her head. There was a sudden urge to run my hand over her hair, to touch her, to feel her for a moment. It was pure curiosity with a hint of longing. She was so close, but seemed so far at the same time. But, just when I was about to touch her hair, she started to stir and I quickly withdrew my hand and placed it by my side.
On the inside I was freaking out a little. I didn't know what to say, but I figured that laying here with her like this wasn't a typical normal thing friends did. Or was it? Was I painting this as more of an intimate moment than it actually was? Should I pretend to sleep? Should I get up? I didn't know what to do in this situation and my heart was pounding uncomfortably against my chest.
Aurora's eyes fluttered open slowly, her arm moving from over my hip as she let out a soft groan. I laid there staring down at her with wide eyes, quickly looking down at Astro as if she could help me in this situation.
"Shit." Aurora mumbled sleepily as she pushed herself up on her elbows, batting the sleep out of her eyes as she looked around. She had realized how we had fallen asleep and she quickly looked over at me with a surprised expression.
I laid there, my bottom lip pulled between my teeth as I put my hands up in the air slightly, my eyes widened back at her. Aurora looked over the predicament we were in and quickly moved off of me. Maybe I was right about it being an intimate moment. I hoped she didn't regret it or feel uncomfortable with it.
All I knew was that it left a coldness when she disappeared from my side.
"Shit! I'm so sorry." Aurora said half panicked as she pushed herself to the other side of the couch. "I didn't mean to–"
"I–" I felt myself not knowing what to say, but fixing my exposed skin was a start. I pulled my shirt down quickly, pushing myself up as I rubbed my eyes. "I'm sorry, I think we fell asleep..." I drifted off, pressing my lips into a fine line.
"You think so?" Aurora said, a half chuckle escaping her lips as she stood to her feet. "God, what time is it?"
She grabbed her phone, seeing the time strike nine o'clock in the morning and I widened my eyes. I was supposed to be at the library soon. There was so much I had to do today, I usually never slept in like this before.
"I gotta get Astro back home, she's probably starving right now." Aurora mumbled as she stood to her feet, her fingers rubbing the last bit of sleep out of her eyes.
"Oh..." I ran a hand through my hair nervously, nodding my head as I stood with her. "Um, hey about last night...You promise you won't tell anybody, right? I'm just–"
"Hm?" Aurora looked over at me, giving me a once over before a smile spread across her lips. "Oh, yeah. I won't say anything. You got my word."
"Okay. Thank you, Aurora." I breathed out, scratching the back of my head slowly before turning to go back into my room, but I stopped in my tracks and looked at Aurora who was collecting her things into her bag.
"Aurora?" I asked softly.
"Harry?" She looked at me, her eyes glistening as she smiled.
"I, um...I didn't mean for us to fall asleep like that. I mean, not that I didn't like it–" I paused, perplexed for a second before I felt my cheeks heat up. "I mean, no I didn't like it–I mean, well, it was warm and you are– I–"
Aurora let out a fit of laughter, brushing her hair back as she looked up at me. I let out a nervous laugh, my fists balled up as I felt a pang of anxiety shoot through my chest. I shouldn't have said anything. It probably would have been less awkward that way.
"It happens. I'll see you later, Starboy." She cooed as she grabbed Astro's leash and headed out the door.
I stood there dumbfounded, blinking hard before staring down at my feet. I had thought that the girl at the party was a succubus, but now I was starting to think that Aurora was one as well. This time, she didn't try to suck my soul out, but who knows? There was always next time.
I heard the final click of the door latching back into place, letting me know I was now alone in my apartment again. I needed to get ready and head to the library anyway. With everything that had been going on, I had accidentally let myself fall slightly behind in my classes. And how could I help protect Aurora from light guardians if I got kicked out for failing? Some of it was my own personal doing, but the whole "fate of my entire home planet being in my hands" part had been overwhelming enough.
Regardless, and without wanting to, I got up from my spot on the couch that I had just shared with Aurora. I could have sworn the scent of her laundry mixed with her perfume still lingered, but that may have also been curated in my mind. It was nice either way– things seemed less lonely in the empty apartment.
It didn't take long to gather what I needed. Pretty much everything was already in my backpack, ready to be slung over my shoulder. I made sure to lock the door behind me as I went out the door. Ever since Aurora had mentioned the dangers of leaving doors unlocked, it was hard for me to forget. I was so used to being considered young and naive up at home, and I didn't want to continue the cycle down on Earth, too. At least that was one thing I knew I was doing right.
Passing by the usual coffee shop was even more tempting at this hour of the morning, the warm smells drifting out through the cracks of the windows and doors. Flashbacks of the caffeine high I endured before had rushed back to my mind, and I knew that wouldn't be the most beneficial effects for studying.
That was another win in my book for maturing I would say.
The large steps leading up to the library were as inviting as ever. The way that the soft delicate music played from the speakers above reminded me of home. It was so similar to the harmonic noises that rang throughout the halls of my family's home, echoing off the stone walls. It brought a feeling of euphoria through me, immediately relaxing any tensions held in my muscles.
I pulled against the door handles, letting myself inside the building. It was so silent besides the background piano coming from outside. As I shut the door behind me, the sounds became muffled and completely silent again. An older lady at the desk looked up and smiled at me before going back to busying herself with papers.
I passed by the rows of books that nestled perfectly beside each other. Desks filled with other studying students were in between the different rows. Although, oddly enough, there were quite a few that were sitting there with an opened book, but scrolling through their phone. It looked like they had been like that for quite some time, mindlessly kicking their feet up onto the desk.
Humans were so weird. What kind of studying was that?
My eyes shot up to the tops of the shelves, quickly reading through all the different titled sections. All these assortments of topics were so confusing to me. How could there possibly be so many things to read about? Our library back home was expansive, but this library made it seem so miniscule. While we had many individual books, they didn't touch on nearly as many subjects as these. It was truly mind-boggling, but I loved it at the same time.
"Ah!" I accidentally whispered aloud. In black bold letters read "Astronomy" right beside the physics and math section. My sight eventually set on the exact textbook that I was looking for. It was much more worn than I expected it to be, but I guessed that meant that many people had educated themselves with it. That was a nice realization.
For a moment I considered sitting in the middle of the aisle, perfectly content with being on the floor as I read along the pages. Unfortunately, being slumped over for longer than thirty minutes was proving difficult for my body. I scooped everything up, driven solely by the aches in my lower back, and went on the hunt for an unoccupied study table.
For so early in the morning, it seemed busier than usual. Just as I was about to give up hope, a couple scooted themselves out of a booth. My pace picked up slightly, the books clutched close to my chest so as to not fall out from me.
With a satisfied huff, I placed all of my belongings down at the table.
"No more distractions, Harry. You need to focus." I whispered to myself as I placed both hands on the table. I stared intently between the textbook and notebooks spread across the surface. It was slightly overwhelming to see so much material in front of me, and all of a sudden all of my Earthly responsibilities began to swarm around in my head.
I blinked hard as I tried to rid myself of the swelling of anxieties. I just needed to take it one step at a time, right? It was what Aurora had told me a time or two already when I got all tensed up, and the thought really did seem to help me put things into perspective.
I grabbed for the book and scooted further down the booth. My back propped against the wall, my legs stretching out along the seats while I began to scan through the table of contents. The plastic cushions weren't as comfy as I expected them to be, but it was good enough for the circumstances.
I had to get about four chapters read before I left. The task didn't seem so hard until I realized just how many pages were included in it.
"A hundred?" I said to myself with widened eyes. I flicked through the pages, making sure I didn't count them wrong. The small gust of wind from the papers flew against my face, fanning the stray hairs away.
But, nope. A hundred was right. I was more behind than I realized.
I took a deep breath in and got to work. I was incredibly fortunate it was over topics that I already knew mostly about. I was even surprised to find information that I didn't know about. Although, my favorite part was when I came across a "scientifically proven" fact that actually wasn't true at all.
"Silly humans." I giggled under my breath.
"What was that?" A young girl's voice broke between the silence around me. A well manicured finger placed itself between the pages that I was just reading along, trailing it down from my view. It fell softly in my lap, closing itself shut.
In front of me was one of the girls from Aurora and I's class with Professor Collins, Candace. She had bright blonde hair and a tall, but slender, frame. Even during the afterclass stargazing opportunities, her curls never seemed out of place. I wondered how she did that.
"Oh hi." I shyly smiled at her and it confused me when she didn't reciprocate. It left a sour feeling in my gut. It was that same feeling at the last showing when she was with her group of friends. I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, though, maybe she was here to apologize– maybe she was just having a bad day that night.
"Oh, hiii..." She dragged on the last syllable, showcasing a smirk across the side of her mouth. I momentarily scrunched my eyebrows, confused by her body language. I couldn't quite tell what she was trying to convey. Her words said one thing, but the way her lips were moving with her tone wasn't aligning with how I thought they were supposed to.
"How are you?" I asked, nervously. My feet kicked out from in front of me so that they were no longer outstretched. I had to twist my body in order to face her, but I preferred how less intimidating it seemed with her towering over me. Was she doing this on purpose?
"I'm great– Hey, aren't you that guy that freaked the fuck out about spin the bottle? Had like a panic attack just because you didn't want to kiss her? What was wrong with her? Not good enough for you?" Her hand rested sternly against her hip, her eyebrows scrunched in annoyance.
"Wait–" I shook my head, confused by what she was saying.
The party.
"That was my fucking friend and you hurt her feelings. How does that feel? You think you're some cool ass guy who's too good for her?" Her words were so harsh for how quiet her volume was. I was worried to know what this could have felt like if we weren't in the middle of a library.
"Oh, I, uh–" I scratched at my arm, searching for the right words to say. Did I really hurt someone's feelings? I didn't even consider that. "I didn't mean to."
"Didn't mean to, eh?" She huffed under her breath, leaning slightly away now. "You sound like a fucking virgin." She paused for a moment, like a magical lightbulb just lit up above her head. My heart began to race, unaware of the realization she thought she came to.
"You are a virgin, aren't you?" She let out a loud laugh, causing a couple heads to turn around in her direction. I sent a silent prayer that someone would have pulled me out of this, but they all seemed unphased and went back to their work.
"Holy. Shit." She let out a satisfied breath with a smirk across her lips. "That's cute...I guess." Her eyes trailed down my body as if she was surveying me– or my reaction.
I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth as I watched her laugh to herself. To be honest, I didn't know what a virgin was. I couldn't confirm nor deny whether or not I was one. I had learned my lesson from assuming ages ago.
I looked down into my lap, my fingers drumming against my thighs as I contemplated what to do next. It felt like she was being mean to me. I really didn't mean to hurt her friend's feelings.
I stood to my feet slowly without saying a word and started to gather the books that I had brought to the table and shoved them into my bag. There was a heavy feeling in my chest, similar to last night when the tears had spilled from my eyes for the first time.
"Well, aren't you going to say anything or are you just going to stand there like a–"
"Is there a fucking problem here?" Another voice brought me out of my trance. My eyes shifted nervously to the left of me to see Nina standing there with books in her hands, her brows were furrowed. She looked really upset.
"Hm? No problem." Candace smiled softly as she turned towards Nina, but there was still something off with the way her body movements were. "Right, Harry? There's not a problem."
I looked between the both of them, a frown was carved deep into my lips as I clenched my bag to my chest. Nina peered over towards me with a frown, then focused back on Candace with a scowl.
"You can leave now." Nina hissed, taking a step closer to her. I suddenly felt my heart drop at the tension between everyone, and I quickly moved out of the booth and started quickly making my way towards the front doors of the library.
I didn't look back, I just kept walking until I felt my hands hit the handle of the door and push it open for the fresh air to hit me. I couldn't breathe for a second. It felt like my heart was about to burst into flames. I inhaled the fresh air a few times before crumbling down to the staircase.
My vision blurred quickly, once again, just like last night. This fucking liquid. This could not do. Not even the melancholic tune in the background was enough to soothe me at this point.
I quickly wiped the droplets away, shaking my head as I looked up to the sky. How could someone be so mean? To not just me but to anybody? Why couldn't we treat people kindly? She had no motive to be so aggressive, but I supposed I deserved it if I hurt someone else's feelings like she described.
"Harry? You okay?" Nina's voice brought me out of my state. I quickly looked back to see her with no books in her hands this time. She frowned as she noticed the redness rimmed along my eyes and took a seat next to me on the stairs.
"Please don't tell Aurora." Was all I could think to say. I didn't know why, but I just didn't want Aurora to know that Candace was being rude to me. It was an embarrassing feeling, almost like it was hard to come to terms that someone didn't like me.
"What?" She breathed out, leaning back to give me a good look. "Well–okay, I won't."
"Thanks, Nina." I whispered softly as I played with the straps of my bag, pursing my lips in thought.
"Are you okay though? Candace has always been a bitch." Nina sighed as she looked ahead of her. "It's not the first time I've dealt with her. She's–something else."
"Yeah...Something else." I scoffed slightly as I stared at the ground. "I'm fine. Thank you, Nina. I really appreciate it."
"Of course." She cooed as she rested her hand on my back and patted it slowly. "I gotta get to studying, but just don't let her get to you. If she says anything else, call me and I will make sure to take care of the problem."
"Okay, thanks. I have to go anyway, so..." I said as I grabbed my bag and stood to my feet. "I'll talk to you later though?"
"Yeah! There's a party coming up in the next week or two if you wanna come. Aurora is coming too." She said as she went back up the stairs. "We'll figure out the details soon so just text Aurora later! You should definitely come!"
Another party?
I figured I was going to sit that one out after what happened last time. I didn't think I was ready to put myself out there with a large sea of humans again. Not until I could understand them more.
I shook my head as I started down the long staircase of the library. I needed a distraction, but I didn't feel like being around people right now. Not even Aurora. I just wanted to be alone.
My social battery had been slowly dwindling for quite some time and sometimes it just made me exhausted– even though I loved meeting new people and making new friends, I didn't realize how tiring it could be. Especially when there were others who weren't as friendly.
I made my way down the sidewalk, passing by people that were either on their phones or mindlessly walking their animals down the road. I was always one to watch closely at the humans around me so I could learn how to be like them. It seemed like they were normal, but sometimes when they opened their mouths it seemed the opposite.
So, I was stumped.
When I made it to the planetarium, I noticed the doors were unlocked. My brow perked up as I walked inside, the cool air engulfing my body as I walked through the dark entryway. The only light was coming from the double doors, but the further I walked in, the more dark it had gotten.
When I walked into the main section of the building, I saw a couple people with cleaning supplies. They had to have been there to clean the place, but why would they leave the doors open like this?
I waved over to them with a wide grin and they smiled back at me. It was nice to have a friendly moment with strangers, even if it was something as simple as that. It was much needed after the last interaction I had just gone through. It was almost like a fresh start.
I sat down in one of the chairs, tilting my head back as I stared up at the ceiling and took a deep breath. Even that little moment wasn't enough to fully squelch the turmoil going on inside my head today.
I mean, why did everything have to be so difficult? My mission, my life. Life on earth. It was all complex and I felt like no matter how hard I tried to grasp it, it always ended up slipping from my fingers. I didn't want to fault my father, because it was mainly my fault that I was so awkward. As much as I had prepared and read about Earth, I never thought that it would be this hard. There was a lot more to human living than I had once thought.
Maybe my father was right when he said that I wasn't ready for this mission. I mean, look at me. I wasn't my brother. I surely wasn't as strong, or as muscular. My father would have never sent me on a mission that included having to fight. I know he didn't have faith in me, but I was starting to understand why. He gave me this opportunity and I needed to believe in myself to prove myself worthy. But at this moment, it was hard.
I let out another sigh, my eyes fluttering shut as my hands gripped the armrest of the chair. Maybe if I just closed my eyes and tried to relax, I would wake up feeling better.
Hopefully, anyway.
Oddly enough, the sounds of the house keepers sweeping and dusting things off around me caused me to drift off to sleep. The little taps of their dust pans clicking against the plastic bins in the distance created a sense of safety for some reason– just knowing they didn't have any ulterior motives behind their actions. They were just there, doing as one would envision them to. I didn't have to guess what their next move was. I also didn't have to interact with them, we both just existed harmoniously together, not bothering the other. It was nice.
It wasn't until my eyes flickered back open, the previous background cleaning noises no longer prevalent, did I realize that I had fallen asleep. There was an uncomfortable crick in my neck as I sat my body up from the uncomfortable seat. I cringed slightly from the movement, rubbing against the source of the aching feeling.
Never sleep in those chairs again unless I want to be in pain later. Noted.
The outside world was still a mystery as I was encompassed by the planetarium around me, hidden away from any source of view outside. I fumbled around to my back pockets as I pulled my phone out. The sudden bright light in my face was a lot at once, and I scowled as my eyes strained to adjust.
In bright white letters, read out that it was about 3 in the afternoon. A slew of various curses ran past my lips as I struggled to gather my bag from the floor and throw it over my shoulder. I wasn't exactly sure when I got there, but it had to have been at least two or three hours that I had fallen asleep. I had hardly got any of my readings done, and I already regretted the time wasted. I needed to hurry and get myself together, I figured reading at home was going to be my only option at this point now.
The grogginess from my previous nap was hard to navigate through as I stumbled between the aisles. The emergency lights in the planetarium were the only form of guidance as I tried to weave myself through the building. The darkness was a lot more welcoming when I had sat down for a moment of peace, but since the house keepers had left, they seemed to have turned the extra lights off with them. Did they not think about how I was still in there? Maybe they were just being polite and wanted to help me rest– I was still trying to figure out humans' motives for their actions.
I was walking through mostly by memory from the amount of times I had been in this room. I knew the last aisle was just a few more steps down and then I would make a right for the exit, which was luckily lit up by a dim sign. It reminded me of one of the first encounters I had when meeting Aurora, when she was presenting her planetarium presentation and she circled that exact sign with some fancy red light. I still wasn't sure how she did that. Maybe she had powers, too.
All of a sudden, the main planetarium lights sparked on and I found myself shielding my eyes with my hands because of it. It completely took me off guard, and it left me in a state of confusion. My heart had picked up in that same way it had in previous situations– described as anxiety by Aurora. I wasn't sure about that either.
"Harry." A person stated. Their voice was calm and confident, but it was unrecognizable from anyone that I knew.
I rubbed my eyes as they quickly adjusted to the new lighting. It was slightly blurry for a moment, but then they focused on a figure that was standing just beside the exit. I scrunched my eyebrows in even more confusion. I hadn't seen this person once in my life, so how did they know my name?
A sly smile was spread across the stranger's lips. His arms uncrossed from his chest as he lifted an arm to point behind him. "They should really learn how to lock those things."
A small peeking of ink popped out from his sleeve as he placed his arm back across his chest. The image immediately made my heart feel like it sunk straight to my feet. It was that same tattoo as I had seen at the flower shop. Obviously this wasn't the same person, because they were dead. Leon had killed that one. This guy was much taller, although thinner at the same time. His hair also wasn't nearly as bright as the other guys, this one seemed much more dark and intimidating.
He made a few slow steps forward, his hands clasped behind his back. His eyes drifted from the floor to my face as he got within about ten feet from me. I had yet to move an inch since the lights had come on. I hated to admit it, but I was slightly stunned at it all. How did they know I was in here? This was supposed to be such a safe place. Had they been watching me? Did they have informants?
"What do you want?" I mustered out. I knew my amulet was in my backpack's side pocket, but there was no easy way to get to it without alarming the light guardian in front of me. I was going to have to talk my way out of this until I had a chance.
"What do I want, you ask?" He laughed, a hum of evilness twirling with his tone. It made my stomach turn with uneasiness. "Well if we had it my way, I don't think you or your kind would be too happy with that. Would they?" That devilish curl of his lips had yet to disappear, only sinking that unease deeper.
Before I could reply to his seemingly rhetorical question, he spoke up again with another step forward. My breathing hitched, readying my body for any sudden movements by the figure in front of me.
"You know, I don't get you star people. You have all you could ever want. You have all the power you could ever want after the war!" His voice raised as his eyes flashed with a look of hatred. It made me internally cower at the expression. "You won over our Aurora! Now what do we have left? We're dwindling!"
I watched as his nostrils flared, heavy breaths rising from his chest in exaggerated motions. I swallowed hard as I pondered what to say next. He had the unfair advantage by guarding off the exit, so there was no running past. His human form also seemed much stronger than mine, and I didn't want to risk damaging my own. I had to be more careful than I ever had been.
"That doesn't mean you have to kill us in retaliation." I said, gripping tightly against my backpack strap. I needed to wait for the perfect moment to inch closer towards the pockets.
He let out a sharp laugh, allowing it to echo against the walls. I could hear it ricochet behind me as it bounced all over the room.
"But that's what your kind doesn't understand." He spoke softer now, which somehow made him that much more intimidating. He took another step closer, not breaking eye contact for a moment. "We do. And your little Earth people."
"But why!" I exclaimed, cautiously taking a step to the side. He snickered at my side-step, and took a deep exhale out as he began to instead pace back and forth, still guarding the door. He stopped walking to look over his shoulder at me.
"But, why?" He mocked again, throwing his hands out in a dramatic movement. "Because! Ever since that unjust war, our ruler, Helios, has been fighting to keep us afoot! Fighting to keep Earth afoot! Yet, no matter how hard we work for these ungrateful Earth dwellings, you star and moon beings are the ones who get the recognition. What about us? We provide the lighting for their day, the sun to their crops, the warmth to their skin!"
I blinked hard again, taking another step farther back as he looked away. I fumbled my hand slowly behind me, angling that side of my body away from his view.
What pocket was it in again? Shit.
He continued on his ramble. "But, no! People are just enamored by the night's beauty. They love the stars and moon. Yet, it does nothing for them! Those of you who live on your bright, untouchable stars think you rule everything! Newsflash: just because you protect the moon doesn't mean that you should get all the power! What about our protection? They would die without us and our sun!" I could see a blood vessel pop out in his throat as his anger steadily increased, causing his body language to become even more sporadic.
I hummed in agreement, still treading lightly with how I engaged with him. All I needed was my fingers to touch against the familiar cold material that I was searching for. This amulet was almost more trouble than what it was worth.
"Your beings don't deserve any of it! You get the moon rituals and celebrations, but people don't offer those same things to us anymore. It's like these creatures forget where they came from." He was speaking lowly as he watched his feet move back and forth, almost as if he was talking to himself. "It's like they forget that the sun rules the ego. Rules the whole personality of who they are! But they don't care!" He yelled loudly, causing me to freeze in my blind hunt for the amulet.
He looked back away, and I quickly dug around in the opposite pocket. Immediately, the feeling I had been looking for brushed against my searching fingertips. I clutched it tightly in my palm, swiftly moving it back to my side. I sure hoped this lighting would be good enough, given the sunlight wasn't an option. Maybe if I could get him outside...
"And now they're going to all have to die because of it. Isn't that funny?" An ugly laugh spewed from his chapped lips and I scowled at the sight. How could that possibly be funny?
"Funny?" I repeated back. "People don't have to die, it's not about them!" I had never felt so angry before. I didn't understand why an entire population had to be murdered because of something that didn't concern them.
"Be mad at us, not them! They're innocent!" I exclaimed. I couldn't help but think of Aurora and Nina being included in this light guardian's plan. I couldn't live with myself knowing that they could get away with such a heinous crime.
"Innocent?" He spit back with callousness. "They're all guilty! They make our sun burn hotter from their destruction and then don't repay any of its offerings at the same time! They only continue to look up to all of you!"
My grip against the amulet tightened as I searched for my possibilities. Guiding him outside seemed to be out of the question, so it was this or nothing.
"So now all we need to do is take back what's ours– the aurora lights. It's all the power we need to give to Helios in order to envelop this Earth once and for all in fire."
The Aurora Lights? Was that her last name?
"What do you want with her?" I bellowed out harshly. My anger was pooling inside my body, tensing just from hearing him say her name. It was almost like I didn't believe he deserved to say her name aloud, especially in this way.
He stopped in his tracks, no longer pacing back and forth. One of his eyebrows crooked upwards as he surveyed my huffing figure.
"Her?" He repeated back slowly.
My eyes scanned over his as I tried to read between the lines. Did I just tell him something that I shouldn't have? Why was he looking at me in that way?
"Who is her?" He sauntered in my direction, keeping his tight gaze on me. I slid my hand lightly behind my back, hoping he wouldn't notice. "This is no her. It's the power source to everything– that your kind stole from us. It's why this is all going the way that it's going!" He looked baffled as he sprung his arms around.
My eyes widened at the realization. This wasn't about Aurora? My Aurora?
I closed my eyes to regain a semblance of composure before quickly opening them again. I had to act like this wasn't news to me. I had to act like I knew what he was talking about. I also had to act like my confidence didn't just fall completely to the ground as I realized that I had started this mission all wrong. I did everything I promised I wouldn't– screw up.
And, boy, did I screw up.
"Well, I—" My voice croaked out as I stared at him with pinched brows, gesturing my hand towards him. "I knew that. You think I'm some—dunce?"
"Definitely think that you star people are something, that's for sure." He scowled as he scanned me up and down, his fist clenching as he took another step towards me. He was so close already, I needed to do something before he made his first move.
"You won't get away with this..." I whispered out shakily as my grip on the amulet tightened harder, my lips twitching. I had never gotten into a fight before. This was all new to me and if a fight were to break out, I knew I would lose.
"You think we won't? What're you going to do? Call the police on the sun?" He mocked me with a laugh escaping under his breath. "I laugh simply because at the end of the day, we will win. Fall is coming quicker than you think, these humans think that the night will tuck them into bed at night, but we have other plans."
He paused, tilting his head in thought as he smirked to himself. I couldn't help but draw a shaky breath as I watched him. He was surely crazy, thinking that his kind could destroy the Earth and everything with it.
"We will simply burn the Earth to the ground." He said with a tone full of pride.
"You can't kill these people...these kids!" I yelled out, shocking myself, but anger was flowing through me so violently that I couldn't help but scream.
"You—" He pointed at me. "You will be the first to go."
Before I could blink, he lunged himself at me. All I could do was brace my body for impact when he tackled me to the ground, and we landed with a thud. I let out a gasp, quickly kicking my legs to get away from him, but he grabbed my shirt tightly and stared down at me with those viciously evil eyes.
"Get off of me!" I strangled out, grabbing him by his wrists as I tried to rip them from my shirt. He only tightened his grip, bringing me closer to him before letting go with one hand. I thought this would be a good start to rip away, but then he wound his fist back and suddenly it was met to my cheek.
Over.
And over.
And over.
The pain throbbed through my face, liquid spilling from the corners of my eyes as I let out a few hisses from the impact. He was definitely a lot stronger than I thought he was.
Note to self: hit the gym.
"Fuck!" I cried out at the last hit to the cheek, my face rolling over to the side as I let out a shallow breath. I blinked hard, trying to think of what to do next. When I looked at my hand, the amulet was gone. It must have slipped out when we landed on the ground.
"Is that all you got? Really? You're weak. Never living up to Leon, will you? I bet your dad is real proud."
Those words stung worse than the red liquid that spilled down my cheek and rolled off my jawline. I took in a deep breath, a loud groan leaving my lips as I placed my feet flat on the ground and hoisted myself up.
In one swift motion, I grabbed his wrists and contorted my body to flip us over. He was heavy, but I used all the strength I had to get him on the ground.
"Struck a nerve?" He laughed out loud at me, his hands pinned back with my hands as I scowled down at him. How dare he mock me? Did he even realize who I was? Who my father was?
Of course he did, but he should have never spoke to me that way.
"Fuck—" I wound my fist back, then with everything in me, I swung it straight to his nose with all my might. "You."
He let out a loud yell, his body withering under me as I punched him multiple times, the red liquid was now spread across my knuckles. It was unfamiliar to me, but it made my stomach turn watching it gush from his nose.
He laid there, breathing heavily as his eyes closed half lidded. I stared down at him with wide eyes, looking down at my hands in horror as I stood to my feet quickly.
Fuck. Fuck, I had to do something.
What if someone walked in?
Was this bad? This seemed bad.
I looked over towards my bag, my fist clenched as I took a couple steps away from him. I watched him lay there, holding his nose in agony as I unzipped my bag and quickly took out the ray gun that Leon had gifted me earlier.
Surely this would take care of the problem, right? I barely knew how to use it, but I got the gist of it. Considering that I lost the amulet, I had to think on my feet.
I looked away, but only for a moment to make sure the safety was off, and when I peered back towards him, he was standing to his feet once again. The blood was gone and it looked like I had never hurt him to begin with.
My eyes widened as I stood back to my feet, letting out a harsh breath. "What're—how did—"
"Did you really think that would hurt?" He laughed out through gritted teeth. How did he heal himself so quickly? Why couldn't I do that?
Was he some sort of fucking wizard?
"Don't—don't take a step further!" I yelled out, glancing down towards the gun before pulling it up to point at him. "I'll do it! I'll fuckin' do it!"
"You don't even know how to work that thing, kid. Put it down before you kill yourself." He tsked as he took a step forward, his brows raising. "Just admit you've got nothing. You don't know how to stop us. You're as clueless as the next person."
I gulped harshly, blinking hard as I stared at him. It didn't help that my hands were shaking while pointing this thing at him, but I felt confident I could take him down. How hard could it be to shoot a gun?
"This is your last chance." I warned through a raspy tone, taking a step back. "Don't come any closer."
"Oh, fuck you—" He took a step closer.
Suddenly I felt my finger press on the metal trigger and a loud bang rang through my ears, my eyes closing tightly at the flash blinded my sight.
"Shoot!" I gasped, ducking my head with my hands as I let out a rapid, uneven breath. Did I shoot him? Did I kill him? I was scared to look, honestly.
It was quiet, and I had vaguely heard a thud on the ground when the gun went off. I dared to open my eyes, feeling my nerves now at its peak as I stared at the floor near my bag, then drew my eyes towards his body that laid lifeless on the ground.
My eyes widened, possibly the biggest they had ever gotten. I almost tripped on my bag as I took a step back, the gun slipping through my hands and to the floor with a loud thud as I stared at him in horror. I felt my eye twitch as I watched his body start to shrivel up into nothing. Stardust left his body and slowly began floating into the air as his body disappeared with it.
Anxiety. Anxiety. Anxiety.
I felt this sudden urge in my empty stomach, my hand flying over my mouth as the back of my jaw started to burn and salivate. Something strange was happening in my human form. Was I dying? What was happening?
I fell to my knees as I felt something come up from my stomach. I didn't want to make a mess on the newly cleaned floor, so I quickly grabbed the trash can from beside me and hunched over it as a burning liquid came up from my throat.
I couldn't breathe, and for a second I almost choked as I pushed everything I had against the trash can to help push it out of my body. My eyes closed tightly as my hands white knuckled the edge of the trash can.
After it left my body, I let out a gasp for air. Liquid spilling down my cheeks and my eyes burning terribly as I tried to see through the water resting on my waterline.
Oddly enough, I felt better, but there was still anxiety sitting in my chest. I dared not to look down into the trash can and just pushed it under the desk and grabbed my things quickly.
I found the amulet a few feet away from where I had landed on the ground and shoved it into my pocket before quickly making my way to the bathroom as fast as I could.
I was scared to see what my face looked like after the brutal beating, but I needed to make sure he didn't do any damage.
I went down the hallway quickly, eventually finding the restroom and pushed the door open with my aching body. I had dropped my things without even realizing it, panic coursing through my body as I pushed myself up against the sink.
The red substance dripped down my face from an open wound, my eyes bloodshot with tears as I blinked hard. My fingers dabbed softly onto the redness as I looked down at it transferring from my face to my fingertips.
I had read about this, but unfortunately the adrenaline coursing through my veins had made my mind draw a blank. The only thing I knew was that this was bad.
Why was I not healing?
How could he heal, but I couldn't?
I cursed under my breath, my breathing was sporadic as I ran the sink water and started washing the blood off my hands with soap then quickly took paper towels to clean off the open wound on my cheek. It stung terribly, but I needed to be quick in case someone was to come in.
I killed him. I killed him. I killed him.
But it was the right thing to do.
I did a good thing.
I pushed the thoughts to the back of my mind, inhaling sharply as I threw the napkins into the bin. After I cleaned myself up, I grabbed my bag and left the planetarium as fast as I could.
The sun felt illegal for it to be touching my skin right now and I wanted to burst into flames with anger. I had a lot to process from what just happened. What he had said.
They weren't just after us, they were also after the humans, too. This mission was bigger than me. Much, much bigger than me. I had to tell my father right away.
As I walked down the sidewalk quickly with the wind blowing past me, I couldn't help but notice the thoughts running through my mind. So many thoughts. I couldn't keep up with all of them. One of them specifically was that I had fucked up this mission right off the bat.
What was he talking about the aurora? It wasn't my Aurora, so who was it? Or what was it?
I had spent three weeks on Earth and I had been doing my mission wrong the entire time.
How was I going to fix what I screwed up?
I needed to go home.
a/n
co-written with kwritingbooks