Sunburst (Starbright Series)

by Rachel Higginson

  That did nothing but baffle me further. But Jude found a way to speak for us. “Thank you Celina. I appreciate your hospitality. If only it was genetic.”

  I whipped my head around to burn a hole through his chest with my superheated hands but he blew a stream of white smoke in my face before I could say anything. I sat back sputtering and coughing, swiping my hands in front of my face.

  “You’re vile,” I growled finally.

  “This is going to be such a fun day,” he beamed.

  Chapter Twenty

  The mall was busy on Saturday and the prom dress stock was low. That’s what I got for waiting until a week before prom to look for a dress. My mom and I were on a mission though. We were determined.

  Surprisingly Jude didn’t complain at all. At least not about the monotonous shopping. He would always give me a disapproving look whenever I picked out a dress that was not up to his standards.

  Which was apparently all of them.

  And he insisted on being a very active part in our selecting process.

  The weirdest part was that my mom went along with it, giving him everything he wanted. In fact, he had almost stopped talking to me completely, in favor of bonding with my mom.

  It was very confusing and I hated it.

  “Maybe you should try a different style,” Jude suggested after we had been through almost every dress in the latest department store.

  I just snorted.

  “Jude might be right, kid,” my mom held up an option that was nothing like the long, full gowns I’d been drawn to most of the day.

  I was mesmerized by it, completely hypnotized by the delicate, feminine lines and pretty detailing. I took it from her, and noticed I was wearing a smile for the first time since we arrived at the mall. I immediately took off for the dressing room and stripped.

  Struggling with the zipper just a little bit, I finally wrangled myself into it and then walked out into the dressing room hallway so I could get a better look in their three-paneled mirror.

  I pulled my hair over my shoulder and admired the gorgeous dress that fit me perfectly. The shimmery, pale, nude material highlighted the golden color of my skin. The high, modest neck, styled in a boat neck fashion ended in cap sleeves just over my shoulders. A sweetheart-shaped satin front made it acceptable for places other than nude beaches.

  Despite initially appearing ultra-modest, the back was almost completely sheer until the middle of my back, where glittery, gold detailing created a pattern of elegant, long stemmed flowers all the way to the hem. The stems wrapped around to the front, making the satin interesting and delicate. The skirt flared out with layer after layer of the bronzed tulle and ended mid-thigh in ballerina-esque detail.

  “Wow, Stella,” my mom breathed. “You’re stunning.”

  I looked up to smile at her but caught Jude’s eyes instead. He was leaning against the doorway to the changing room, playing with another cigarette. His eyes were dark from this far away, but our gazes seemed to tangle together and get stuck in a third grade staring contest.

  I lifted one eyebrow in sarcastic expectation. He apparently couldn’t think of anything though, but finally he just nodded his approval and then ducked back into the main part of the store.

  I sighed at his weirdness and turned around to my mom, “This is the one. It’s perfect.”

  “Tristan is going to die,” she agreed quickly.

  “I thought you were Team Seth?” I asked jokingly.

  She gave me a look that said she was way too mature to play these games but then laughed ruining her entire image of maturity. “I’m Team Prom. It doesn’t matter who takes you as long as you get to look this lovely!”

  “I think I’m Team Prom, too,” I laughed. I reached under my arm and looked at the price tag. “Holy cow, it’s kind of expensive though.” A sick feeling settled in my stomach at the price of this one dress. I still needed shoes.

  “Let me see.” My mom walked over and held the tag in her own hands for a while before looking up at me with a resolved expression on her face. “We’re buying this dress. It doesn’t matter how much it is.”

  “Mom, can we afford it?” I whispered.

  “Sure,” she shrugged with an easy going smile. “Money is just money. We can make more. Or we can lose it all. It doesn’t really matter. This place is not our home, Stella.”

  “Who are you? What have you done with my mother?” I gaped.

  She shook her head at me and straightened the top of my dress a little before saying, “If anything, this whole thing with Seth has made us realize how important this time is for you. When you turn eighteen everything is going to change for you. You only have a little bit of time left to make the most of this gift of freedom and independence. Your father and I want you to make the most of it. We know how hard that will be while Seth is taken away from you, though. And that’s why moments like these are all the more important. I want you to go to prom and have the time of your life. I want you to enjoy humanity while you still can.”

  Her speech brought tears to my eyes as it sank in. I would be done with humanity in just under fifteen months- completely done. She was right about making the most of the time I was given. I just hated that Seth couldn’t be a part of this, too.

  Still, I understood her point and really wanted the dress anyway.

  “Yay!” I squealed in a tiny voice. I whirled around to admire the dress for a few more minutes before it was time to take it off.

  “I’m going to see if I can find some shoes to go with it,” my mom beamed at me and then slipped out the open doorway.

  I rocked back and forth on my bare feet admiring the dress in every angle and on every side. I felt so pretty. I just loved it.

  Jude reappeared behind me, like a thunder cloud on my bright sunny day. I barely gave him an acknowledging glance before returning back to the staring at the dress.

  “Tristan’s a lucky guy.”

  I looked up and met Jude’s eyes in the mirror. He was closer than I thought he was and I jumped a little, surprised by his body standing right behind me. His voice was growly and a bit hoarse. And his charcoal eyes looked black in this dim light.

  I whirled around and the movement brought the strong smell of smoke and mint into my nose. He must have disappeared to go smoke really quickly.

  “You snuck up on me,” I breathed, feeling inexplicably out of breath.

  “You know,” he smirked. “For a Star, you are not very good at the surprise attack thing.”

  “Are you surprise attacking me?” I asked purposefully naïve.

  “Maybe,” he answered seriously.

  A shiver skittered down my spine. I had no idea what he meant. Was he being candidly honest? Were Seth and the contract and Aliah, all just a show? Or was he just teasing me?

  He was impossible to read.

  He trailed the tips of his finger over my lower back, just where the tight, cinched bodice met the full, poofy skirt. “Prom’s a big deal?” he asked right in my ear and his minty, post-smoking, breath tickled my neck.

  Just when I was about to scold him for being inappropriate, he pulled back and plopped down into one of the half-circle chairs. Then I decided it was stupid to think he was flirting with me. He looked so angry and menacing in the girly, floral chair. His long, jean-clad legs stretched out in front of him, his motorcycle boots remained untied and loose on his feet, and his arms hung around the back of the chair too casually.

  He looked every bit the bad boy, fallen angel he was.

  “Why are you really here, Jude?” I ignored his comment.

  He shrugged and met my angry glare with a steadiness that unnerved me. “I have a job to do.”

  “A job that includes dress shopping? I’m not buying it.”

  He looked around the small hallway, lined with slatted wooden doors on the other side, finally dragging his gaze back to mine. “You’re not exactly safe these days, Stel. My life is on the line, too, if something happens to you.”


  “I thought I was off limits. Why wouldn’t I be safe?”

  “You tell me,” he sighed.

  “My life is no more dangerous now than it was before.” Which was obviously a lie, but I needed to get Jude out of my day-to-day activities. “And I can take care of myself.”

  His lips twitched obnoxiously, causing him to look away. “I remember Heaven.”

  That caught me completely off guard. “What?” My voice was barely a croak.

  “I remember Heaven,” he said louder, just to be an ass. “I was there, you know, before the whole Fallen thing. I remember what it was like, what the people up there were like.”

  “Alright,” I said slowly. Where was he going with this?

  “You’re nothing like them,” he finally said. “You’re different.”

  “Wow,” I cocked my head back and resisted the urge to stab him. “Thank you." My tone was pure, undiluted acid, and I felt my skin start to burn into a glow.

  He just chuckled at me. “See? This is what I mean. All this attitude and defiance. You definitely belong down here. They wouldn’t know what to do with you up there.”

  “What about you?” I challenged. “Where do you belong?”

  His eyes started to darken angrily and his jaw clenched tight. “I’m where I belong,” he growled.

  “You were meant to be Fallen?” I challenged. “Your kidnapper just knew at the age of eight you

  were going to be one of the baddest, meanest guys out there?” I rolled my eyes and turned back around.

  “What I’m saying is that it all worked out for me.”

  “Jude, how did you get pulled into the contract?” I asked in a softer voice. I was totally playing on the fact that I knew he somewhat respected me. There were things I didn’t know. The more Jude hung around, the more I realized how in the dark I was about the…. Dark side. And he was my answer to it all- to how to save Seth. But first I had to get him to trust me.

  “I told you, I was the right age.”

  “But they could have picked someone older that just hung around and didn’t make contact with me. It’s not like I get attacked at school.” He raised his eyebrows at me and I amended, “Not very often, anyway.”

  “You were just attacked a couple weeks ago, Sweetheart,” he growled at me. “I saved your life.”

  “You saved my life?” I laughed. “And never, ever call me sweetheart again.”

  He jumped to his feet and took two fast steps forward so we were standing just inches away from each other. “I saved your life.” His words were firm truth and I believed him. I didn’t want to believe him, but I did. “Sweetheart,” he finished on a breathy growl.

  “How about these,” my mom asked brightly from the doorway. She walked further into the space eyeing Jude and I carefully. She was holding simple nude pumps that would match perfectly.

  I stepped back from Jude and took the shoes from her, offering a reassuring smile. “Perfect. Thanks, Mom.”

  I slipped into them and went back to admiring myself in the mirror, ignoring Jude completely. I didn’t know what to think about him, but it was so obvious how dangerous he was to me and my life.

  Thankfully he stayed quiet the rest of the trip. The shoes looked amazing with the dress, so I went back in and changed while my mom took the items to the register. I was surprised to find Jude waiting for me when I came out of the changing room. He was draped in the same chair and his eyes immediately locked on mine when I walked out.

  Just when I thought we were going to start arguing again, he got to his feet and walked out ahead of me. He remained silent the entire way home. I probably would have forgotten about him entirely, if it wasn’t for his constant need to smoke.

  Such a disgusting habit and one I didn’t even understand. He was an Angel for goodness sakes! It wasn’t like he could feel the buzz of nicotine, or even waste away his lungs or throat. He was completely impervious to the effects, so why do it?

  It didn’t make sense to me.

  But then again, Jude didn’t make sense to me.

  My mom pulled up to our house a little before five, and while I gathered the shopping bags into my hand she turned around and smiled at Jude. I was already thrown off by her behavior, but she shocked the hell out of me when she asked him to stay for supper.

  “Would you like to stay for dinner, Jude?”

  Apparently he was confused, too, because for several moments he just stared at her. Finally, and a little bit sheepishly he said, “Isn’t your house blessed?”

  My mom laughed lightly, a little embarrassed. “Oh, right,” she said. “I forgot about the whole Fallen thing.”

  “You forgot that I was Fallen?” He asked while sounding amused.

  She didn’t answer him with words, just smiled brightly at him. Finally she said, “Alright, well, I’m sure we’ll see you around.” And then my mom just got out of the car and went inside.

  What in the world?

  I scrambled out after her, desperately trying to reach the safe haven of my house. I could easily leave Jude standing out here all by himself. I just wanted to erase the entire bizarre memory of him today.

  “Does your mom usually invite her enemies to dine with you?” he asked sounding perplexed.

  “I think you’re the first.” I shut my door and turned around. Jude was right behind me and just stood there, as if I wanted to talk to him some more. “I doubt she’ll ask you again though, so I wouldn’t worry about it.”

  “Maybe I’ll ask her to dinner?” He waggled his eyebrows in a suggestive manner and I swung out and hit him with my garment bag.

  “You’re disgusting.”

  “If only you didn’t love me so much.”

  “Ha!” I shook my head at him and started to walk backwards, away from him and away from his friendly/non-friendly ways. “If only.”

  “Thanks for letting me tag along today,” he called out after me. “It was fun.”

  I knew he was being sarcastic; he had to be. So I just waved him off and turned around. “Whatever, Jude.” I called out and then slipped inside my house.

  I didn’t look back at him, or check to make sure he was gone. He was right, he was Fallen, he couldn’t even walk through the door. I felt safe in my home, sheltered from a world that wanted me dead and had expectations of me I couldn’t meet.

  I felt cocooned in here, away from Jude or Aliah or Seth. This was a place filled with love and acceptance. I knew I couldn’t stay here forever- obviously not. But I needed to feel safe tonight.

  “Mom, why did you invite Jude to dinner?” I demanded once my bags were thrown on my bed and she was loading the oven with a few frozen pizzas. “I’ve never seen you act so crazy in my entire life.”

  She shot me a sly smile from across the kitchen. “He was on our porch earlier, Stella. And he walked freely on our land. It’s not just the house that’s blessed. It’s the entire property.”

  “So what are you saying?” I felt dizzy all of a sudden. Nothing that was supposed to be true was. Everything was different than it seemed.

  My dad walked in from the living room, remote control in hand and stared at my mother, waiting for her to explain.

  “I’m saying he’s not entirely Fallen.”

  “Um, yes he is.”

  “Stella, that boy asked permission to smoke in my car, he stood on our land and found you that dress.”

  “You found that dress,” I argued.

  “Jude handed me that dress, kid. He’s not all bad. I know he was kidnapped as a child. Maybe…. maybe somehow he hung onto some of his original goodness.”

  “Or he’s tricking us. Maybe he’s like Seven. She is clearly out of her mind with evil and we still can’t detect her or feel evil around her.”

  “Maybe,” my mom agreed thoughtfully. “Or it’s something else entirely.”

  “What is the something else entirely?” I asked carefully.

  She laughed again, “I have no idea. But it seems smart to keep an eye on him. Make s
ure we know what he is up to.”

  “This was the kid from the porch earlier?” my dad asked gruffly.

  “The third to the contract,” my mom explained.

  “Keep an eye on him, Stella,” my dad ordered. “He might be nothing. He might be our worst enemy.”

  “Or….” I prompted because I felt unconsciousness coming on.

  “Or, he might be a little of both. But either way, we need to know.”

  “He makes me uncomfortable,” I groaned.

  My dad pulled me into a side hug in commiseration. “It’s odd that we are dealing with the Fallen as much as we are. I know that. In all of history, I can’t seem to recall a situation where we interacted so much with them. Everything before now, before Seth, has been battle after bloody battle. I honestly, don’t know what to make of it.”

  “And I don’t know what to do with it,” I added softly. It felt more like my responsibility than anything else. And because I wasn’t able to solve this problem, it also felt like my failure.

  “They chose you for a reason,” my mom reminded me as if reading my mind. “You were handpicked for this task. Whether you know now or not, you have everything you need to handle this problem.”

  “Still think I should go to prom?”

  My mom smiled at me and my dad squeezed me in closer.

  Laughing my mom said, “If you don’t, I’m going to! That dress needs to be worn!”

  I laughed, too, because she was right. No matter how deadly or frustrating my life became, that dress was officially my first priority. Prom was only a week away and school would be out for the summer in three weeks. I could spend my entire summer looking for Seth if I wanted to. And I wouldn’t have to see Jude every day either.

  So until then, the dress took priority. Besides, my dad was right. I only had a little over a year with Tristan left. I wanted to make this a good year. I wanted to make amazing memories with him that I would be able to keep with me forever. I would start with prom. I would start with holding on to him as closely as I could now.

  And then, maybe, when I was forced to give him up entirely, I could keep a little piece of him with me.