I threw a pleading look to Andrew.
"Let me try,” I insisted. "I'll gain that influence if I have to—I'll do whatever it takes!"
Andrew appeared deep in thought, and I waited for his response.
"It's insane. And dangerous, what you're suggesting,” he said finally. "And I don't have any idea how we'd revive Adrina's soul without a celestial lantern."
I pushed forward, determined to change his mind.
"We will find a way,” I said slowly, letting my words sink in.
Mum stepped forward finally, an expression of condemnation on her face.
"Lucy, enough,” she said, folding her arms. "You don’t owe anybody anything. I don't understand very much of this, but I know one thing for certain: you are just a seventeen-year-old girl. And even if you have some reincarnated soul inside of you, you are still that girl. You can't seriously believe you could go out there, try to stop a war, and win?"
"Mum—” I tried to protest, but she wasn't having it.
"No! I will not let my daughter be pressured into saving the world because a bunch of freaks forced her into some magic ritual!"
I hadn’t really expected Mum to fully understand it, but that was beside the point. The severity of this entire situation was bigger than anything she could possibly comprehend, but this wasn't the time for her motherly instincts to be kicking in.
I slammed my hand on the countertop, feeling its cold pinch at my palm. The firm reality of it seemed to stabilize me as my hopeful heart blossomed with words of power.
"That’s not your call to make,” I said sharply, and she recoiled at my abrupt tone. Before she could scold me, I continued,
"This duty was entrusted to me, and if people believed I could do it back then, then I sure as hell can do it now. I refuse to believe that we—that I—am in this world alone,” I added, thinking of Titania, our deceased Goddess. I had not been a believer in Gods, so it was an adjustment to think that there had even been one, let alone two. But this world was so full of chaos and darkness and despair, and yet… through it all, so many miracles had happened. So many twisted tangles of fate had managed to pull us together, into the same places, at the right times. That couldn’t be a coincidence, right? I may not have believed in God, but I'd always believed in fate. And my fate had forever been sealed into the Starlight Barrier, forever forged to protect this world.
"Would Titania have really left us, without giving us—without giving me—a way to fight back somehow?"
Perhaps it was just wishful thinking, or sleep deprivation messing with my head, but I believed she had with every fibre of my being. I believed in myself, and who I was, and what I was capable of. I was the reincarnation of Annaliese White, the Starlight Princess, and Protector of Titania's Realm.
I would have been a queen. I would have ruled these lands… and somewhere deep inside me, a ruler still waited, itching to come forward and lead us to salvation. To drive the final blow into the nightmare that had plagued our lands… our lives…
"Andrew,” I said, something snapping into place inside me. "I want you to protect my family and Valarie's mother. Send them somewhere safe—somewhere none of these Urenphians are going to find them."
My mum's eyes widened in horror.
"Lucy, what are you—?"
I ignored my mum's protests, turning sharply to Jason, who was glaring daggers back at me. He was still pissed about earlier.
"You, Valarie, and I, are going to figure out a way to do this. Surely there's some scrap of knowledge you've all salvaged in the past few centuries that might lead us down the right path."
Jason's eyes narrowed in on me, like he couldn't believe I had the nerve to order him around.
"What exactly are you planning?” he questioned, folding his arms. "It's not like you have a full mind of knowledge and memories yourself. And besides, you could barely defend yourself against Chrissy and her cronies earlier—what makes you think you can take on a whole army?”
He took a step forward before I could answer, and added darkly, "I'm not going to let you drag”—He hesitated, catching himself as he eyed Valarie—"others down with you. Especially if your backup plan is reincarnation—all that did last time was make us wait around until you decided to grace us with your presence again. If you had cast a spell where you just stayed dead, none of this would be happening!"
Mum whirled on Jason, fists clenched. "Don't you talk to my daughter like that!"
A stab of shock washed over me as his words sunk in. Even he seemed slightly shocked at his outburst, averting his gaze from me. I was tempted to snap back the same way mum had, but that wouldn't be of any use. I also decided not to mention that without the reincarnation perk thrown into my spell, Valarie wouldn't be here either. So instead, I replied softly, "You said you were going to help me."
"Yeah. That was before I had to save your ass from that fallen angel! The only plausible plan we had failed because you suck at fighting!"
Mum nearly made for him, but Dad reached out, grabbing her and pulling her back out of the way. He muttered in her ear, and I overheard something along the lines of “let them sort it out."
I stared at Jason, noting his tense shoulders and hard green eyes. He was nothing like the guy who had mended my nose earlier, who had even suggested he'd been thankful I had survived. And when I wondered where it was all coming from, I realised it was all because of Valarie—all this anger was just protective, defensive rage. He was mad that I was bringing her deeper into this than she needed to be. Into danger, and more importantly, into awareness. Because once she learned who Jason really was, everything would change between the two of them. And she would either reject or accept him, despite his noble efforts to right his wrongs. It would be easier to avoid all of that, to keep her oblivious and run from the threat that was destroying our town at this very moment. To go into hiding and survive on our own.
But what kind of life would that be? I could never live that way. And if we didn't act now, it would be even harder, if not impossible to get the situation under control later. Adrina was our only hope now, whether Jason liked it or not. He was just going to have to deal with it.
Someone cleared their throat in that moment, and the tension between us dissolved as our gazes flew to the door. Skye stood there, practically hiding behind the doorframe. I wondered how long she'd been there for.
"I… just came to tell you Valarie's maman is here,” she said. Valarie's eyes grew bright, and she pushed off her seat.
"I'll go get her,” she said, moving swiftly past us. Skye just continued to stand there, her gaze flickering between Jason and I. Until finally—
"I may be able to help you,” she said, taking a tentative step forward. She seemed unsure of us, and my muscles tensed a little, but none of us made an attempt to stop her, so she took another step, straightening up a little.
She continued, her tone dropping a little lower, "You need a way to awaken Adrina, right? Devian can help you with that.”
I frowned and folded my arms. "Devian?” I was wary—she may have been human now, but that didn't mean she was on our side.
"Devian has a gift too. Just like me, and the rest of them. He has pre-sight—it's like foresight, but instead of seeing the future, he can see people's past. Even their past lives."
I exchanged a glance with Jason, who pulled his lips into a thin line and glowered at me in response. I rolled my eyes before looking back to Skye.
"So… if Valarie can see her past… she might be able to recall her memories, maybe even remember how to use magic, if she has it in her."
It was a long shot, but it was the best option we had. I offered Skye a nod of appreciation.
"Thank you,” I said. "I really appreciate you helping us."
"Of course,” she replied. "You helped me get my soul back, so I owe you. But… I need you to promise me something."
I raised an eyebrow, and her eyes averted a little.
"Devian is my brother, and he's a
ll I have left. If you could find a way to save him…"
My mouth fell open a little. I could hear the fear in her voice, the pure desperation, and my gut twisted. She continued, "Please… you have to spare him somehow. You have to find a way!"
I wanted to promise her I could do that, but I didn't know if it was possible. The barrier was breaking, and we couldn't risk another attempt to salvage the starlight seeping out of it. Every section that still held strong was buying us precious time. But she had given us a way out. She'd given us a way to fix this. If I didn't at least try…
"I will do my best,” I said, hoping it would be enough. The words sank in, and she nodded slowly, lowering her gaze.
"Thank you,” she said, her words soft, before turning to leave. Valarie returned as Skye disappeared around the corner, with her mother in tow.
My mum went to her to offer some stability in this messed-up situation, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. I felt a twinge of guilt, knowing it must have killed her that she couldn't coddle me the way she was now coddling Karen, who seemed paler than usual.
"Well, now that everyone is here, we should get going,” Dad said, getting to his feet. Andrew nodded, pushing off from where he'd been sitting.
"Walter will go with you—he’ll get you to our other safe house. I'll go let him know.”
Andrew left the room, and my sister and parents gathered the last of their things. Kyra's eyes met mine, and there was pride in them. She offered me a smile as she came to wrap her arms around me.
"Stay safe,” she whispered in my ear. I hugged her tightly, knowing that this could be the last time I'd ever see her.
Mum and Dad came next, giving me big hugs. Their eyes were hopeful, as if praying I might change my mind about all this and go with them. But beneath that, I could see their acceptance and respect for my decision.
"Be careful,” Mum said, kissing my cheek. She looked like it was physically hurting her to leave me. And when they finally pulled themselves away from me, I felt a gaping hole forming in my chest. An ache. A longing.
I didn't want to see them go. I wanted them to be here, where I could keep an eye on them. So that I'd know they were alive. But I knew it wasn't safe here, and before long, we'd have to go elsewhere too. Where, I didn't know, but eventually they'd storm all the houses, including ours.
"Bye,” I said, my voice barely a whisper as I held back a choked sob. I forced it down and blinked away my tears.
I would be strong, if for no one else's sake but for theirs.
Fourteen
With my family and Valarie's mother gone, we made our way to the living room to join the others. Irma seemed deep in conversation with the angel we'd saved—who I'd come to learn was named Neo—and Skye was listening to them intently from where she was perched on the couch.
When we entered, they ceased talking and straightened up.
"So… what's going on?” Irma asked. I explained the change of plans without mentioning Valarie, who I planned to have a proper conversation with later, and Irma scowled.
"You do realize how hard it's going to be to get our hands on Devian, right?” she said. "Especially now that the void has reopened, and Urenphians are flooding through by the minute."
I nodded, fully aware. "If there are cracks in the barrier, that means angels can get through again too, right?” I asked her. "What if you gathered all the angels you can, and we ambushed the Urenphians? We might even be able to save some people in the process."
"Hmm,” Irma mused. "It could work. But we'd need to send someone up there. It could take a few hours… maybe even a day before we could get back. And anything could happen in that amount of time."
"Then you’d better get to it,” I said. Her expression fell a little, and I then realized how pushy and assertive I'd sounded. "When you're ready,” I added, biting my lip.
"Of course,” she said, getting to her feet. She nodded to Neo before heading out the door.
"Good luck,” Valarie offered quietly, and Irma smiled at her, appreciation on her face. Jason stifled a yawn, and I noticed the dark circles under his eyes. In fact, everyone looked pretty tired except for Valarie and I.
"Why don't you guys try and get some sleep?” I offered. "There are three bedrooms upstairs—take whichever you want. I'll keep an eye out for trouble."
Jason nodded wearily and headed for the stairs. Skye, Andrew, and Neo got to their feet and followed, their footsteps echoing up the staircase. I turned to Valarie with a small smile.
She seemed distracted.
"How are you feeling?” I asked her. She wrapped her arms around her torso and leaned against the wall.
"I'm just…” She shook her head, running a hand through her tangled hair like she didn't even have words for all of this. "I don't know. What do you want me to say?"
"Whatever is on your mind,” I prompted gently. But that seemed to snap something in her.
"Can you stop doing that?” she said, a sharpness to her usually mellow voice. "I'm not a piece of glass."
I stiffened. I hadn't realised she'd felt that way, and guilt flooded through me. She continued on, her eyes bright and full of life, "I'm not the only one who's been through an ordeal over the past few days. We all have. So don't single me out!"
"I was just trying to make sure you were okay—"
"Yeah. Like you have been for months,” she replied pointedly, folding her arms. "I'm not okay. Does that answer your question? I'm not okay. I was kidnapped and controlled.”
She was silent, and her next words were much quieter.
"I drove a car for the first time since the accident… and I tried to hurt you guys…” she trailed off and took a ragged breath. "You know better than anyone that I hate being unable to control what I do. That my father's death was out of my control, and at my own hands."
"Don't say that,” I pleaded softly. She shook her head at me.
"Them taking control of my body… that was a violation. And I never want that to happen again. To let anyone or anything control me, or make me into something I'm not."
She met my eyes.
"I realised something while I was with them. When they first took control of me, it was terrifying. But once I got used to it, I was angry. I realized that my life, and my body, is mine. Not anyone else's."
She let out a long breath.
"Ever since my dad died, it's been the same. I blamed myself, because I knew nothing could ever bring him back, and I thought I didn't deserve to live because of it. But you were right, Lucy—it was an accident. I may have caused it, but it was out of my control. And he wouldn't want me to stop functioning because of it. If I let grief control me, I'm no better off than when someone like Skye is controlling me. So I've decided I'm not going to live that way anymore."
Her words sunk in, and I smiled widely, unable to help myself.
"I'm so happy to hear that,” I told her, a relieved breath shuddering from my lips. "You have no idea how happy that makes me."
There was a light in her eyes that hadn't been there before. It made me nervous to bring up everything I was about to. But I had to, and I just prayed that it didn't make her sink back into a depression.
I told her to sit down, and we did.
"So… this Adrina I keep bringing up,” I began. She nodded at me. A forced laugh escaped my lips, and I swallowed my nerves.
"Well… Jason is not exactly who you think he is,” I said. "He's actually immortal… and he's been alive since I was Annaliese. He had a… lover… named Adrina."
"Oh, I see,” she said, nodding. "So, we're trying to revive her? Wait… how are you supposed to do that? Didn't you say she was a starlight princess or something?"
"The heir,” I said. "The true heir."
"So she's reincarnated too?” she asked. "Or is she like Jason? Immortal, and all of that?"
I inhaled deeply, steadying my pulse. I really didn't know how best to say it.
"Well… she's… you."
There was si
lence as Valarie stared at me. Then she burst out laughing.
"Wait, what?” she spluttered, still giggling. I continued to just look at her, waiting for it to sink it. And when it did, her smile faded and her brow furrowed.
"What?"
"You're a starlight princess too,” I said slowly. "And technically my sister… and the love of Jason's life. Who, by the way, I don't approve of, but that's a story for another time."
"No!” she said, pushing away and jumping to her feet. "Wait a minute—you can't just drop something like that on me!"
I shook my head, my mouth falling open in a helpless stammer.
"I-I just—how else do you say something like that, Valarie?” I replied, my eyes sympathetic. "There’s no easy way to say it!"
"This is insane!” she hissed, her eyes darting toward the staircase wildly. "Jason?"
I nodded slowly.
"No… this can't be happening,” she said, sagging back down on the couch. She buried her face in her hands and let out a steady groan.
Some girls might have found a situation like this romantic. You know, handsome boy who they have a crush on turns out to be a knight who has been yearning for them for centuries? But Valarie was not that kind of girl. All her life, she'd been big on choices, so not being able to choose who she ended up with? Having destiny decide her romantic fate? The idea of destined partners was a complete turn-off for her. To her, it was the equivalent of having an arranged marriage.
Her eyes emerged, but the rest of her face remained hidden behind her clasped hands as she leaned her elbows into her knees.
"Back in the tenth grade,” she said, the words muffled behind her hands. "I met Jason."
I frowned at her.
"You did?” I asked, and a guttural feeling told me this couldn't be going anywhere good.
"At a house party—I ran into him. It was back when I used to hang out with Rosie and Hannah."
Believe it or not, Valarie had once had other friends. Rosie and Hannah had been Valarie's party friends, seeing as it was never my scene.
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