Sunburst (Starbright Series)

by Rachel Higginson

  “Move the hell out of my way.” Jude’s furious eyes shot back to Tristan and I was actually worried for my best friend. Jude was shaking a bit and his hands had started to glow.

  Whatever teacher was standing there was apparently as confused by Jude’s reaction to me, because he was not stepping in to intervene.

  “I’m fine,” I finally announced and peeled myself off the floor. A wave of dizziness hit me as soon as I was on my feet; I reached out for support. Jude caught me, catching Tristan in the chest with his hand.

  “I got her.” His voice was so low and threatening I squeezed his arm tight enough to get his attention.

  “Settle down,” I whispered.

  His eyes found mine and they immediately softened with worry and a bit of hysteria. Obviously he was worried about his own life and a breech in the contract. And obviously, I couldn’t trust him.

  “Stella, for real, are you alright?” Tristan asked while giving Jude a very hateful look.

  “I’m really fine,” I promised. I pulled my arms away from Jude and smoothed out my wrinkles. I subtly checked my dagger was still firmly strapped to my thigh and surreptitiously tucked my second one back into my knee high boots. I shot Jude another look and said more firmly, “I’m really fine, thanks.”

  “What happened?” the teacher I could now identify as Mr. Wilks asked.

  “I just, um….” What did happen? I looked around at the hallway for any signs of melting frost or lurking Shadows but it was clear. There was nothing here except maybe the faint smell of rotten eggs, but then again, maybe not. Gah, I was so confused! I couldn’t even make sense of what happened in my own head. How would I ever explain this? Not that I would tell Mr. Wilks the truth anyway. “I got dizzy.”

  “You got dizzy?” he repeated dryly.

  “Yes.”

  “You need to go to the nurse’s office,” he ordered. I opened my mouth to complain but he cut me off with a stiff shake of his head. “Nonnegotiable, Ms. Day. You faint in the hallway, you go to the nurse. That is the way things are done here.”

  “Fine,” I groaned. “Write me a pass please?” I tried to smile, but my head was still swimming.

  “Fine.” He pulled out a yellow pad of hall passes and started filling it out for me. “Tristan go with her.”

  “I’ll go,” Jude volunteered. He took a step closer to me and waited with an expectant expression.

  “No, you’ll go to class,” Mr. Wilks answered. “Who are you anyway?”

  “It’s not important. What is important is that I help Stella to the nurse. I’m more qualified than this guy,” he hooked a thumb at Tristan.

  Tristan stared at him in kind of a morbid fascination, not quite sure what do with him. To be honest, I didn’t know either. At least I wasn’t suffering alone anymore.

  “I’m going to stick with my earlier decision,” Mr. Wilks smiled cynically at Jude and scrunched up his face into his “I mean business” expression. “Now what is your name?”

  “This is Jude Michaels,” I said quickly, before Jude could piss him off more. “He’s new.”

  “Alright Jude Michaels, I’ll tell you what, you may accompany Stella and Tristan to the nurse’s office.”

  “There we go,” Jude smiled.

  “But please don’t stop there. I want you to continue on to the principal’s office.”

  “You’re punishing me because I’m concerned about a fellow student?”

  I snorted. I couldn’t stop myself.

  “I’m sending you to be punished because you have a cigarette hanging from your ear. I’m allowing you to check your concern by following Stella to the nurse.” Jude opened his mouth to argue, but Mr. Wilks was already on it. He held up a hand and gave us that same stiff nod again. “Not another word. Just do what you’re told. I’ll notify your first hour teacher.”

  I turned around and started walking before Jude got into more trouble. Tristan was by my side and Jude scrambled to catch up. I glanced back at Piper who was looking between me and the boys on either side of me like they had both grown a second head. Our eyes met for a moment and she gave me a “WTH” look.

  I mouthed I know, but kept walking.

  “It’s cute that you think you can help her, but this kind of work is better left up to the big boys,” Jude commented dryly to Tristan. He was instigating a fight, and I literally wanted to choke him.

  Tristan barked out a laugh and shook his head. “You are something else, man.”

  Jude pulled the cigarette down from his ear and stuck it in his mouth. He lit it with the tip of his finger and sucked in a long drag to get it going. The smell of burning nicotine filled the air around us.

  I couldn’t believe he was smoking in the halls again, after being sent to the principal’s office for the same reason. And that he lit his cigarette that way in front of Tristan!

  Although I didn’t know why I couldn’t believe that. He was after all Fallen and therefore without a moral code or compass.

  “This thing you have with her is over. Understand that right now and your life will be infinitely safer.” Jude’s voice was calm menace as he threatened Tristan. He sounded so at ease, so laid-back, but the intent and threat in his words was unmistakable.

  “Stop it, Jude,” I hissed. “That’s enough.”

  “No, it’s fine, Stella,” Tristan insisted. “He has something to say, let’s hear what it is.”

  Jude stepped in front of me and shoved Tristan against a bank of lockers. The sound of metal shaking under the force of Tristan’s body hitting them echoed loudly in the empty hallway. Jude’s forearm was under Tristan’s neck, holding him in place while his other hung casually at his side, holding his still-lit cigarette.

  “Good,” Jude exhaled a puff of smoke in Tristan’s face. “I’m glad you’re listening. That girl behind me? The one you seem to think you have some kind of claim on? She’s not for you. She doesn’t even exist in the same world you live in. So it’s time to back down gracefully now, and let better, more qualified men have her attention. You’re a waste of her time.”

  I opened my mouth to yell obscenities at this jackass. Honestly, who did he think he was? But before I could, Tristan surprised us both by punching him soundly in the stomach.

  Jude bent over at the impact and a whoosh of breath rushed out of his mouth. He took a step back, smiling a malicious grin, and bounced on the tips of his toes as if he were getting ready to box. He pointed at Tristan with his middle finger and then sucked in a deep puff from his cigarette.

  “You’re a surprise,” he chuckled.

  Tristan looked easily as dangerous with his stoic expression and every single one of his muscles was tensed and ready. He shook his head at Jude and seemed to choose his words carefully. “I don’t know who you are and honestly, it doesn’t matter. But what you need to understand is that there is nothing in this Universe that will take Stella away from me. So you need to back the hell off and leave her alone. Or things will go badly for you, my friend.”

  I didn’t know what to do. I was used to Tristan and Seth fighting for me, but Jude was kind of a wild card. And I didn’t entirely understand his motivation. Was this all contract related? What was his end game? And why was he picking fights with a human?

  I looked down at Jude’s glowing hands and decided it was time to step in, “Jude, stop.”

  He glanced over at me, taking another drag from his cigarette and met my stare with his deep gray one. He looked back at Tristan and then back at me. “You’re right.”

  And then he walked away again. He stopped near the office door, stomped out his half-finished cigarette and yanked the office door so hard the glass rattled. He disappeared into the office and leaving Tristan and me again.

  “Who is he?” Tristan demanded before I even had a chance to take a deep breath.

  “Fallen,” I whispered.

  “Then what is he doing here?” Tristan must have picked up all the signs, because he didn’t seem surprised that there wa
s a completely evil being walking around the halls of our high school.

  I turned back to face Tristan and give him my full attention. It was time to fill him in. “He’s here to protect me.”

  “What?” I almost laughed at how disbelieving Tristan sounded, but held it in. This situation was way too messed up to be funny- except in the I’ve-finally-lost-my-mind-completely way.

  “When Seth left, he didn’t just join the Alliance of Evil, he sold his soul in a contract to it.”

  “Really? Comic book references?” Tristan chuckled despite our heavy topic. “You’re such a

  nerd.”

  I shrugged and continued, “This contract is absolutely binding. And it’s what we call a ‘third-

  party contract.’ So it took three signers to complete the pact: Seth, who sold his soul to protect me from any kind of harm until I’m eighteen. Aliah, who bargained his own life to ensure Seth’s loyalty. And then the third party- Jude. He is like the leverage both sides need. If he lets something happen to me that is not fatal, he dies. If something happens to him by one of us, Seth dies.”

  “And what if something fatal happens to you?”

  “Aliah dies.”

  “Sounds like all the bases are covered.”

  “Exactly,” I nodded. “Except the part where I’m not a pawn in some sadistic game of Spy vs. Spy.”

  “Because without his soul….?”

  “Seth is basically Fallen,” I filled in the blank. “He has nothing to hold onto his Light. He has no tie to goodness, or humanity or his purpose on Earth. He just exists as a lost individual constantly in the company of the worst evil in the galaxy.”

  “And when you turn eighteen?”

  “We’re all released. Supposedly Seth gets his soul back and I’m officially fair game again.”

  “Why until your eighteen? That’s fifteen months away. That seems like a random time frame.”

  “When I turn eighteen, I come into the fullness of my powers. I’m assuming Seth did this so I could have a fighting chance against this thing. That’s the only explanation I could come up with.”

  “I wasn’t thrilled with Seth,” Tristan took a step forward and pulled me against his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and I immediately buried my face in his chest, needing the familiarity of his body close to mine. “But I like him a hell of a lot more than this guy.”

  I let out a tense laugh and nodded. “He’s kind of crazy, right?”

  “So crazy.”

  “At least I have you. Thank you for not going anywhere.”

  “Are you kidding?” Tristan pulled back and stared directly into my eyes, like he could see further than what was on the surface, like he could see what was in all of me. “You’ve got me Stella. For as long as you want me.”

  I dove for his chest again and just let myself stay there. It was so weird not having to worry about Seth finding us like this, or worrying about making him feel bad. I loved Seth, yes. But I also loved Tristan; I loved him for a whole lot longer than I even knew Seth.

  The strangest thing about this hug though, was that there was no guilt. No, I didn’t have to worry about Seth walking in on us, but in a way, I was still betraying him. And while he risked everything for me.

  So why didn’t it feel wrong to hug Tristan?

  There was something different between us, but I had no idea what it was. I had loved Tristan for as long as I could remember. He’d always been a part of my life. And he would always be a part of my life. I had to wonder if maybe I was ready to accept that fully. Seth was removed and now my heart felt free to choose completely.

  Or maybe not.

  It didn’t matter now though, because I needed this hug. I needed to let Tristan hold me.

  I would figure the rest out later.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Where are Serena and Nate?”

  “You’re home early?” my dad commented when I slammed the kitchen door behind me.

  “Soccer was canceled because of the weather.” I gestured through the kitchen window at the lightning and heavy rain outside. “Dad, do you know where they are?”

  “Stella, sit down,” he ordered. He looked up over his book- some biography on World War Two- and gave me his “concerned” expression.

  I obeyed and then took a moment to breathe. I was worked up from a day of Jude following me around and missing Seth and feeling confused about Tristan. And I didn’t want to sulk at home and think about how differently I could have behaved with Seth.

  I wanted to kill things.

  Lots and lots of things.

  “How are you doing, kiddo?” Dad asked me. His bright blue eyes sparkled with life and his skin was brilliant with his inner glow. I loved my parents so much; they were always there for me. I couldn’t have asked for a better set. But I could see how antsy they were getting with their orders to stay on Earth. They were meant to fight, and they could only do so much of that here. I had been selfish before with my unwillingness to grow up and be who I was meant to be.

  No more of that.

  “I’m fine,” I shrugged, anxious to get out of here.

  “You’re fine?” he chuckled.

  “Ok, obviously I’m not fine. I’m thinking the best thing to do would be to go fight off some of this stress.” I gave him a charming smile and forced myself to sit still. I hadn’t told my parents or Jupiter about running into Seth the other day, because I couldn’t exactly tell them that he stalked me just so he could make out with me, and then embarrass me in front of his sister. And I wasn’t planning on telling them about the whole fainting incident at school either. I didn’t want to appear weak while I was trying to get my on-field experience upped.

  And I had to admit I didn’t want Jude getting in any trouble either. Not that I cared about him per se, but having to deal with another Fallen gave me an instant headache. At least, I kind of knew what to expect with him.

  “Have you seen Seth?” my dad asked with perceptive eyes.

  Ugh.

  “Yes,” I nodded. “I saw him after my soccer game.”

  To my dad’s credit he didn’t ask about the nature of Seth’s visit….

  “Was he at all recognizable?”

  I thought about that for a few moments. “Yes, at first. I mean, he seemed, I don’t know, harsher or more serious maybe, but still him. There were still things about him that were familiar. But by the end…. he was obviously different.”

  “What made him different toward the end of your encounter?” My dad leaned forward, giving me all of his intelligent attention. I realized then that I did want to talk about this. It was so hard to process everything that was going on; it would be nice to get his opinion.

  “Well, Seven showed up and his entire attitude changed. He went from being a little aggressive to cold and bullying. But then, right before he left he reminded me of our relationship. Honestly, it was very confusing.”

  “Did Seven hurt you?” Suddenly my dad was very angry. His eyes flashed with light and his shoulders tensed for action.

  “No!” I assured him. “She didn’t even try to touch me.”

  “I suppose she’s not allowed to now.” He relaxed his shoulders but still seemed tense.

  I thought about my episode in the hallway this morning and wondered if it was her.

  “Did Seth hurt you?”

  “No.” I thought about it for a moment. “Do you think he would though? I have never been worried about Seth hurting me, even after I found out he’d given up his soul. But then Jude was there, and after Seven and Seth left, I asked him why. He said he was contracted to protect me from every threat- even Seth. I don’t know. I would never have thought Seth would be capable of something like hurting me, but he just…. he wasn’t himself.”

  “And it’s only going to get worse, Stella.” My dad answered my question without actually answering it. Seth would and could hurt me. “He’s without his soul, yes. But he still remembers what it was like to have one, he still has some
connection to his morality. The further he is removed from that memory, the worse he’ll get.”

  “Have you ever known anyone that’s done this before?”

  He shook his head. “Not personally, although it does happen.”

  “And do they…. has anyone ever come back from it?”

  “Not that I know of.” My dad looked down at his hands while I shattered into a hundred million pieces at his words. “But if anyone could….”

  “I know, it would be Seth,” I whispered. Although I wondered if that was true. To be detached from his soul for fifteen months, to live with Aliah and carry out his evil bidding, to be submerged in a culture that was the exact opposite of what he was born for…. it didn’t seem likely that even Seth could overcome that.

  You are my anchor.

  That’s what he’d told me. But was that true? Could I tether him to this life, to his soul?

  “I know you want to be out with Nate and Serena more.” I looked up and met my dad’s resolute gaze. “Maybe that’s a good idea. Maybe you should expose yourself to as much as you can. You’ll know to pull back if it gets too dangerous for you.”

  “So I can go?” I asked with childlike excitement.

  “Call Jupiter,” he smiled at me. “Find out where Serena and Nate are. He might want to go with you. I think he’s bored.”

  “Why do you think that?”

  “Because he came over this afternoon and asked if I needed any help farming.”

  I couldn’t stop the laughter from spilling out. “But, it was raining this afternoon.”

  “I am well aware. Go call him, get him out of here for a while.”

  “Love you, Dad.”

  “Love you too, Kiddo.”

  I felt infinitely better after talking to my dad. It was amazing how he could do that for me. When I bottled things inside, they seemed to expand and fester into gigantic problems that were unconquerable. But talking about them with someone I respected and who’s opinion I valued, seemed to deflate every issue and make life seem…. beatable.

  I went upstairs to change into yoga pants, a long sleeved t-shirt and tennis shoes- the outfit of every modern assassin. And then I called Jupiter.