Starlight

by Lauren Jade Case

  But for now, what she knew and what she was already trying to believe in was enough.

  The Council was her focus. After that, she’d have time to grasp everything else; what it meant to be a Creature, how she might become a better one, what her powers really were, and how exactly her Purpose worked if she decided to follow it.

  Natalia stood and started packing. Jasper mirrored her in silence.

  The world would keep falling and rising. And she should too. Even if her head hadn’t come around yet, it would. She would figure it out, like Jasper had said. It would just take time.

  7

  A Court of Creature Law

  The sight of Gold standing in broad daylight caused shivers to run up Natalia’s spine, the feeling congregating between her shoulder blades – an odd feeling despite it happening on and off for years.

  “My dear girl!” Gold exclaimed enthusiastically upon seeing her. He stole her hand and kissed it. She flinched when his cool lips touched her skin. As he let go, his monocle fell from his eye, but the golden eye, along with the blue, remained focused on her. “I will not bite you,” he promised, adjusting the monocle back into place. “Unless you ask.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Nor will I harm you, or your friends, in any way.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said meekly.

  He laughed, sounding genuinely amused. “I understand. You are not yet used to the likes of me. My mere presence has upset people in the past. But that is penance for the type of Creature I am. There are stereotypes, like how we wish for nothing but blood and to drain life from souls. Over time, you grow accustomed to people flinching or being uneasy in your wake.”

  “I’m not uneasy.” Her stomach twisted a notch. “I was surprised.”

  “By what, may I ask?”

  Natalia avoided his gaze. “Last time we met, you were warm.”

  “You must know that Vampires can change their body heat? We can collect the cold or the warmth, and we may pass either on if we choose.”

  He touched her face gently and warmth spread all the way to her toes. When Gold removed his hand minutes later, she shifted her coat tighter around her. The brisk wind lashed at her face until all she felt was ice.

  As her father locked the door behind him, Natalia feared what else she might’ve already forgotten. Mentally she recited all she knew about Creatures and hoped that the Darby’s efforts weren’t in vain, that they hadn’t wasted time trying to help.

  Natalia wanted to prove herself capable, to everyone.

  She wanted to prove she belonged.

  That was what she wanted. In a dreamless sleep, she’d come to realise she wanted to be part of this crazy, unbelievable, magical world after all. Even if it didn’t make sense. She wasn’t sure it ever would.

  This meeting had to go well. It needed to.

  “Are we ready?” Gold asked as he pulled out a sapphire-encrusted pocket-watch from the chest pocket of his white suit. “Time is running from us and I was hoping to stroll around the City beforehand.” He snapped the watch shut and pocketed it again.

  Natalia went to speak but was interrupted by noise.

  Out of a swirling and pulsing green tunnel, six figures emerged. It vanished behind them the second they were free of it.

  Peri wore a pastel yellow summer dress despite it being winter, her body neatly tucked into Archie’s side with her trident in her hand. Archie’s light brown hair waved in the wind, as did his t-shirt, emphasising his broad shoulders. Alex stood off to the side with her full fringe parted in the centre and her skin a deep gold under the sunlight. Jasper’s hands were tucked into his jean pockets, his freckles obvious in broad daylight. Sarah and James stood together, their hands touching as they conversed quietly.

  “Witches,” Gold said in a dramatic sigh.

  “Mermaid,” Peri corrected, holding up her trident.

  “Werewolf!” Alex half-yelled at the same time.

  “Apologies,” said Gold, not sounding apologetic at all.

  Without a word, James separated from his wife and lifted his hands, waving them in circles. From where the swirling tunnel had been moments before, a scoring wing, powerful enough to compel everyone to step back, rose up. Natalia shielded her eyes with her arm until the wind subsided. Where the previous tunnel had been a new one stood, this one brown and darker inside, and the smell of burning wood wafted towards them.

  Gold, with his fangs exposed, peered down at Natalia. “Ready?”

  Natalia looked back at him. “What do we do?”

  “It’s a portal,” Sarah explained, stepping up front. “All you have to do is follow the person before you. The course we’re taking has been set so you won’t get lost inside.” That wasn’t a reassuring notion to Natalia but Sarah didn’t seem notice, taking her husband’s hand, and slipping into the portal with him like they were walking through a doorway.

  Natalia peered at her dad. “You don’t have to come,” she whispered.

  His green eyes watched her. “When did you get so old?” He smiled. “Plus, your mother, for ages, talked about The City. We never got to go together.”

  “Humans are rarely let inside,” Archie said matter-of-factly as he passed. Peri marched into the pulsating tunnel at his side.

  Natalia returned her father’s smile, adding, “You’re allowed in. We have permission.”

  Her father nodded. “Then this is my chance. I have to come.”

  Natalia squeezed his hand for a brief moment, if only to reassure herself, and then let go. As much as he was her rock and would always be her father, she needed to find courage in herself. If she wanted to be a Creature, she needed to stand on her own. He wouldn’t always be with her, though with him at her side now, it gave her to confidence to start trying to stand alone.

  They walked in unison, father and daughter. As Natalia’s toes crossed over the threshold, she felt her heart beat inside her throat. It was like the entire tunnel was alive.

  “Natalia!”

  Stunned, she turned. Alex and Jasper were rushing forwards. What had she done? In an instant she realised they weren’t coming for her. There was someone in front of them. Natalia narrowed her eyes as she trotted backwards.

  Noah.

  Natalia couldn’t call for him, or for anyone. She couldn’t even scream.

  Like a hand had curled around her heart, she was snatched away by it.

  It felt like she was falling; through air, through water, through space itself.

  Instinctively, Natalia prepared her hands for the fall. But she didn’t land on any ground. She was suspended, stuck like a plank of wood and her face pointed to the blue sky above.

  Whoever had frozen her in time lowered her, righting her too, until she stood on two unsteady feet, blinking ahead. Archie stared at her, carefully scanning for injuries or anomalies. Up this close, Natalia could spot the beginnings of freckles along his cheeks.

  “Thank you,” she said in a single breath.

  “You would’ve fallen with grace, I’m sure,” he said, smiling – it was the same, borderline cheeky smile Jasper had. She smiled back, thankful.

  Suddenly she remembered the tunnel and, more importantly, who had been chasing it. “Noah?” She whispered his name, rotating in circles as her stomach dropped further and further with each movement. “Noah? Noah!”

  Natalia found him.

  And he was falling.

  Rushing to his aid, Archie caught him mid-air, suspending him like he had Natalia. It was odd to see it from this angle, one body wrapped in green mist. Then Archie clicked his fingers and Noah’s body crashed down into his waiting arms. Noah’s eyes were closed, his mouth agape with a sweat along his forehead.

  “Noah?” Natalia’s reached out for him.

  Sarah came to her, stopping her in her tracks. “He’ll be ok,” she promised. Natalia didn’t trust it. “James?” Her husband turned his head at the call of his name. “Get the boy to our house. Tuck him in and answer his questions when he wakes. Take Archie and Alex. I
’ll handle the Council.”

  James nodded, his slicked-back hair staying in place. Archie went first, Noah still cradled in his arms like a child. James and Alex rushed after them. Natalia wanted to call for her friend, wanted to hear him yell back, but her words tied in her throat.

  Sarah touched Natalia’s shoulders in a motherly gesture. “I promise he’ll be fine,” she said. “The walls of portals are treacherous for non-Creatures. They whisper things. Your father was protected because we were prepared for him to accompany us. Your friend was not. Thankfully he was out quickly. He looked exhausted but otherwise fine. I don’t think there will be any damage done. The voices wouldn’t have gotten to him in that short time.” Her face creased. “But I will warn you, dear, he now knows of this world.”

  Natalia’s eyes stung. “What—”

  Sarah cut her off. “James will explain to your friend all that he wants and needs. He won’t be able to walk away from this world as if it were a dream.”

  He’ll be like me. That was Natalia’s first thought, but she came to see the truth as she blinked back tears. He won’t be like me. He’ll know about me and the others but he won’t be one of us. He’ll still be on the outside.

  Natalia blinked back her tears. “Will he be safe?”

  “Yes, he’ll be safe.”

  There was nothing Natalia could do. Noah was in the best hands. The Darby’s had cared for her after her unfortunate introductory circumstances, so she trusted them with her best friend. That didn’t quench the urge to run to him though. She wanted to be the one he saw first when he woke, allowing her to spill her own secrets before the others could.

  But she couldn’t. It couldn’t be her.

  Natalia looked away from Sarah guiltily and rested on Jasper. He was smiling. The gesture seemed like it was meant to be comforting and Natalia tried to return one of her own but her smile faltered.

  “I am sorry for what has transpired,” Gold said, cutting in. Natalia glanced at him. “Your friend will have knowledge not many on the outside are privy too. I know you worry for him, but he is safe. After the meeting, you will be able to go to him. First, we have an engagement.”

  Peri held Natalia’s hand, her trident shoved under her armpit. Natalia knew Gold was right. She could see Noah after, he needed rest and time, just as she had, so she shifted gears in her brain.

  “I shall lead,” Gold insisted.

  Peri squeezed Natalia’s hand and whispered close to Natalia’s ear. “Once this is done, we can go home and you’ll be able to see your friend and how fine he is.”

  Natalia’s heart sank. “I hope he won’t be mad.”

  “You didn’t drag him through the portal. He made that choice on his own.”

  “No, not that.”

  “Then what? What would he be mad about?”

  “Because I haven’t told him anything about this life yet. He doesn’t know about me.”

  Peri shook her head causing her black bob to bounce. “If he’s a good friend, he’ll understand.”

  Natalia only hoped Peri was right. She didn’t want Noah to be mad. She’d not told Noah because she’d never found the right words. Nor was there a good time. How could she just bring up she was a Fairy? It sounded like lunacy. It had to be her. So she’d avoided him. The plan had been to tell him this evening. Now that was out of the window.

  Natalia took a shuddering breath and let go of Peri. Turning, she squeaked.

  Stretching before her was a city. A city that truly did appear to be made of magic.

  Grand brick houses had golden doors and wooden beams and, in some cases, massive plants outside the front windows. Black and white unlit streetlamps were positioned on either side of the wide grey stone path that went both forwards and behind where everyone currently stood, leading onwards in both directions. The fountain at the end of the row of houses was glistening with water that changed colour each time it spurted out from the simple three tiered vase centrepiece. Scripture was carved into the wall of the fountain but it was too smoothed over, and Natalia was too far, for it to be readable.

  The sun beaming above was hotter than it had been at home, and Natalia understood why Peri had worn a dress. It felt like summer here; Natalia instantly regretted wearing a jacket. A vibrant blue rippled above them, occupied by a few white clouds. Birds dived and swooped overhead, their calls cawing out into an otherwise clear sky.

  Natalia spotted draped vines along fences and twisted flowers in nooks. Brilliant colour flashed all around her. Bunting connected from house to house. There were even chalked flower designs on the ground, some delightful while others simple.

  She touched the petals of some orange tulips and wanted to question why they were here, why any of it was. But the over-sized white marble building ahead pulled her attention.

  The building stood behind the fountain, complete with an archway over the open, heavy looking white doors. The entire place stood out in gross grandeur. Natalia would rather spend her time in the bigger city she assumed was behind her than be near that building too long.

  “What is this?” Natalia asked, facing her friends again.

  “This place?” Jasper had been so quiet, Natalia had almost forgotten he was there. She nodded, pushing all thoughts of whatever was happening around here away for now. “It’s the City,” he said. “It’s Atlantis.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “That can’t be right.”

  “Why can’t it be?” She had no reply and he smiled. “Creatures and Monsters are real, so why can’t Atlantis be?”

  “In the myth, it sank.”

  “It never sank,” Peri jumped in. “It was just hidden from Humans.”

  “For safety,” added Sarah.

  “We had to be kept safe,” Gold corrected. His miss-matched eyes glinted. “Back in my time, Humans hunted us. They hunted all Creatures.”

  Nothing’s changed, she thought. Humans still hunt and hurt what they don’t understand, usually out of fear and hatred of what they’re ignorant and naïve of.

  Gold fiddled inside his blazer. Seconds later he pulled out a black velvet headband and held it out. “This is for you,” he offered.

  She took it. “What for?”

  “To wear.”

  “Why?”

  “You don’t look much like a Fairy.”

  In her state of confusion, Jasper approached. She held her breath as he reached up. He tugged on the band holding back her bark-brown hair and it tumbled about her, falling to her elbows. He smiled and tucked the front pieces behind her ears, then took the headband from her. Obediently bowing her head, Jasper pushed the band on, assuring it rested nicely.

  Without a word, she raised her head. Jasper’s eyes were on her hair still. Tantalisingly slowly, he reached out and let a strand slide through his fingers as he stepped away.

  “Better,” Gold said approvingly to Natalia, though his eyes remained on Jasper.

  “It would be a bigger statement with flowers,” Peri said, and shrugged when Natalia looked at her. “It’s the Flower Parade, a Fairy festival, this week. Right now.” She swung her arm wide, indicating to the flowers. Natalia nodded, more so because she now had some answers to her questions from earlier. “You’d look much more the part with flowers since Fairies are known for them.”

  “And stars,” Natalia said, and then doubted herself, adding, “right?”

  Jasper’s face lit with pride. “You’ll do just fine inside.”

  Natalia’s chest constricted. She’d thought herself ready, but as Gold hooked her arm through his, her heart kicked up a storm. Was she ready? Each beat was giving her different answers.

  As she went to confront the conflict, her feet tapped against marble floors. Being inside her mind had allowed her body to be guided without her knowledge.

  I have to be here, she tried to encourage herself. If I want to be a real Creature, I need to be here. She had the genetics. She just didn’t yet have the approval or validation to truly become what she should�
�ve always been.

  Sarah, Jasper, and Peri, sidled through a pair of double black doors before Natalia could say goodbye. Natalia’s father at least stayed, only to stop Natalia and Gold two paces later.

  He kissed her forehead. “You’re brave and smart,” he whispered. “And you’re a Fairy. Keep calm and do as they instruct. I’ll be here. I love you, my Natalia.” He gave her another kiss and then followed behind the black door, also not waiting for Natalia’s words.

  Closing off her mind from invading thoughts, she again linked her arm with Gold’s. His fangs extended; though it was only the third time Gold’s fangs had appeared, Natalia felt more impending doom from the unexpected meeting awaiting her.

  She wasn’t awarded time to dwell or panic about anything as the white doors ahead swung open. All eyes turned to her. It would’ve felt like a mock wedding if a sense of dread hadn’t nestled inside her chest.

  Gold lead on and Natalia kept her gaze ahead, trying to pretend her heart wasn’t crying out, urging her to run in the opposite direction. Eyes were watching, attempting to slice her down the middle to see what was written there.

  The further she got down the white walkway, the more she wished she was insignificant. She was just a girl who hadn’t known she was really a Fairy. But that’s exactly what these people found so intriguing. This kind of news demanded attention. She was real-life gossip being paraded before them.

  Flickering candles illuminated the church-like setting, despite the sunlight outside. Beautifully depicted pictures of Creatures were animated in the lofted glass windows – there seemed to be a Mermaid, a Fairy, even a wolf. Though the windows didn’t sit as high as the wooden beams that stretched towards the white ceiling that might possibly be out of reach of even magic. The gaping audience themselves sat on matching wooden pews split in two halves on either side of the walkway.

  Before Natalia could ask for more time, or a longer walkway, she was forced to stop. Gold detached their arms and kissed her hand with warm lips. He wandered away to stand by a long marble table.