The entire League and Team are here. It's time for us to do this. Just as Nabu raises his hands, M'gann appears in front of me.
"Hana! I found these in my jewellery box," she says, holding out her palms. A set of familiar earrings lay there. They bring up a memory in my head.
I put on these cute earrings that light up, for my first date with Robin.
When I enter the lounge, Artemis and M'gann converge on me, saying I look adorable. I feel a little more confident, but also nervous like crazy!
Just as I am about to walk out the door, Wally calls out to me.
“You look like a Christmas tree.” And that’s pretty much when I go into shock.
I look like a Christmas tree. Of course I do. Light-up earrings, green and red Christmas colours, bows, diamonties. Wally is right.
I repeated this out loud and collapse on the sofa beside Superboy with my head in my hands. M'gann tries to console me as Artemis slaps and scolds Wally.
"Wally told me I looked like a Christmas tree when I wore them..." I say. M'gann nods sadly. The Team and a few of the League are paying attention to the story.
"You were warned, Sparkling One."
My hands burn worse than ever. All attention turns to me. My gloves recede and reveal the words scribbled across my palms.
"Hana. What does this mean?" Batman asks.
Everyone goes silent, waiting for my answer.
Thunder rumbles, which is shocking because we're in space. The truth is clear as a blackened blue colour begins spreading across my hands and arms.
"She's taking over..." I whisper. "She's taking over!" I shout again. A surge of energy starts at my shoulder and travels down my right arm.
When I realize its exact target, I freak. "No! Don't!" I begin screaming, but a burst of energy ignites from my ring finger.
"I'm sorry!" I say to my hand. My Emerald Star ring cracks, burns and then explodes. I stare at it. Just as Nightwing goes to say something, I look up at Doctor Fate.
"It's now or never!" I say. When he waves his hand everyone freezes.
Inside me is a legitimate cold feeling. It builds in the pit of my stomach. It's her; it's Midnight, breaking free. Wally's death is the final check-mate in her game.
"I know...you can all hear me," I say. They may be frozen, but they are not unconscious. Fate and Siren weave through the statues to me.
An in particular stinging pain stabs through my head. It makes me scream and grasp my hair in agony. "Star! You need to-"
"I know!" I yell back at Siren.
The pain of having an entity trying to break free is excruciating. I take a deep breath that makes my ribs ache and begin singing the spell.
"Once upon a star
I kept darkness at bay
Yet now the darkness has
Broke free for reign
Just the centre
Between morning and night
No longer will I shine a star
Our enemies have gone too far
Be it simple for a star to shine
No light is as bright as mine
Out there shining just as bright
Being the Light of the Midnight
You shall forget me
I swear now I set you free
No you will not miss me
'Tis just how it is meant to be
Put the replacements
In all the right places
The love in my heart
Will cut off the traces
I once lived in darkness
Until found by thee
What I am committing
Will forever haunt me
Forever is not long
For after I will no longer be
All of you are safe now
Kill her and be free
It pains me to do this
More than you know
All is done
It is my time to go
Once again I love you
You all mean the world to me
That is why I can no longer
Exist in your memory."
My eyes find Nightwing, just as the room begins to fill with white, bright light.
'I love you. I'm sorry,' I mouth to him, before my body drops. Doctor Fate lifts me up and takes me to Midnight's prison. He places me on the floor and locks me in.
When I close my eyes I see everything changing.
It goes all the way back to my first mission. Only; I am not there.
Instead of erasing everything I have done, the spell puts 'all the replacements, in all the right places' since it is part of the chant.
I am not there to catch Conner in the Tower of Fate, but he manages to hook his hands into the wall so he does not hit the lava.
Multiple missions the team I went on pass around me wildly in different shaped pictures.
The mission in Bialiya where we had our memories erased; I am not there. Yet, the spell puts the bio-ship closer so that Artemis, KF and Robin can save Aqualad faster.
Only Kid Flash and Superboy are caught in solid rock when the Red's attacked. Superboy runs off to fight Wolf and the pack of Lizards alone.
Robin and Zatanna's flirting is stronger and more prominent now that Robin has no girlfriend. The failsafe mission; Wally and Robin are blown up together.
Batman finds Daphne on his own. She is much more worse for wear. Hal and John find Misty. M'gann is the one to save Garfield, not me.
I am not present in saving the Haly's Circus. I am not standing by the Team after their victory against the mind-controlled League.
Worst of all; in celebration, Zatanna and Robin kiss.
On the Gotham pier, where Dick first told me that I was his Star and gave me my favourite necklace. The scene is literally happening in front of me.
Then, the fourteen year old me that is with him begins to fade. I watch as she disappears, leaving Robin standing there alone.
In high school. Alice, Catherine, M'gann, Zatanna, Karen, Ash, Kirsti, Amethyst, Kariya and I sit in our usual spot; the picnic bench underneath the tree.
We are so happy; everyone is chatting excitedly. Suddenly, I begin fading. Catherin and Zatanna sit closer together, which is where I was previously sitting.
It's like a nightmare; the worst I have ever had. Everything that has ever happened in my life is altered so I am not there. I watch as Dick and I set up the apartment we first moved in to.
Eighteen year old me places photos along the decoration table. Dick walks up behind her and hugs her. Suddenly, she begins to fade.
I watch as the photos change to everything but me. All of my belongings race past me, disappearing. I myself fade.
He dates Zatanna. He dates Raquel. He dates a random girl from his school. His kisses Barbara multiple times. I feel like it is killing me.
For now and forever, he is my constellation, but I am no longer his star.
~
From outside of Midnight's prison. Doctor Fate and Siren watch as Hana thrives around in pain on the floor of the spherical cell.
"Who is she?" Batman asks. The League and the Team are slightly confused, thanks to Doctor Fate. He implants a memory of himself bringing Hana in.
"Her name is Hanabrie Shiloh. She is human, but within her is a dark entity of the Witch World, named Midnight. It is about to break out.
The Team watch as this girl, this 'Hanabrie' convulses like she is having a fit, gurgling and coughing midnight blue smoke and liquid from her mouth.
All of her skin has turned the same blue. Pale veins spread across her skin. Her chest heaves upwards from the floor, she gives one final cough and then collapses.
Nightwing frowns as her eyes stare at his. Her body stops moving completely and she shows no sign of breathing. Her eyes are opened wide.
She looks dead.
"Is she dead?" Beast Boy asks.
"And why is she wearing the Emerald Star uniform?" Laurel Destiny adds.
"She's in a catatonic like magic state; alive but dying. However..." Doctor Fate says.
The blue mist creeps around the top of the cell. On the floor around the girl's body pools the liquid.
Suddenly, both the liquid and the mist begin to stir softly. It grows fast, until a twister hangs from the roof and stands from the ground.
Both connect. The Watchtower shakes so violently that most of the watchers fall over. All grab their weapons and face the cells.
A second girl now stands there.
She wears a long jacket, the same blue as the mist. Her skin is a pale, almost grey tone. Her hair is a dark purple that hangs to the middle of her back.
Her head rolls around, making cracking sounds. Her shoulders move up, down and around, followed by her wrists. She is stretching as though she has just awoken from sleep.
As if she were looking up into the sunlight, her head lolls back, eyes closed, teeth bared. Like an animal who picks up a sent, her back and neck straighten.
When her head spins to those watching her, her eyes snap open. Pools of red. Crimson iris' that look positively ferocious with hate and vain amusement.
"Neridian Coldust," Siren says. "Midnight."
A sadistic grin takes Midnight's expression.
Nightwing stares at the girl laying on the floor, so still, eyes boring into his.
He can not help but think; she does not look familiar at all.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
And so it is; the end of You Are My Constellation.
I did enjoy writing this book more than writing My Own Star.
It has been a pleasure writing this for all of you!
Special thanks goes to LizardGurl, JalynnBrito, TheVoiceOfMagic, KateMeow16, AStarhasRisen, Marvel_ous_101 and TheBatAndTheBird!
Star and Nightwing will be back on New Years Day, in We Are Celestial.
I love you all very much. This story means a lot to me and I am so glad that you have been a part of it! The next book will be a very heavy adventure with a ton of surprises; so I hope you will read it!
Over the next few days I will be heavily editing My Own Star and this book. You may have noticed that I changed the tenses of the book (so saying 'I walk' instead of 'I walked'). Please feel free to check out The Price of Equity or await my next YJ fanfics!
Once again, thank you so much and I love you all, my WizardNinjas!
As per usual; Stay Magical!
Love, Kaido Kurahana / Renee