Starr Valentine

by Abigail Drake

  Astra stared at the fountain. “Wait a second. Is that Mom?”

  I tilted my head and studied the public monument depicting our mother frolicking naked in the water like a plus-sized wood nymph. “Yep.”

  Astra closed her eyes and shook her head like trying to erase the image from her memory. “Ew,” she said, and I couldn’t help but giggle.

  “I never realized Mom’s breasts were so…huge.”

  “Would you mind not talking about it anymore?” She carefully averted her eyes from the statue of our mother, the voluptuous vixen. “I want to forget I ever saw it.”

  “Me too.” I shivered. “Although I have to wonder about the artist…”

  Astra held up a hand. “No more.” She looked queasy.

  “Sorry,” I said, biting my lip.

  She squeezed my hand. “I need to ask you something,” she said, “about your necklace.”

  “How do you know about my necklace?” I automatically covered it with my hand, even though it remained hidden under my dress.

  “Julian told me. Please let me see it. It’s important.”

  I pulled it out and showed it to her, watching her reaction as she scrutinized it, turning it back and forth and gently tracing over the symbols etched on its surface. Maya leaned over to get a better look.

  “I suppose Julian told you about it too.” I narrowed my eyes at her.

  Maya blushed and shook her head. At least she had the decency to blush. I wanted to be angry with her, but even if she’d hurt me, she was still my friend, and I still cared about her. I did a mental eye roll. I was a different person if I’d already forgiven Maya for what she’d done. The old me would have held a grudge.

  “Adrian told you this belonged to his mother?” Astra asked.

  “Yes. She passed away. It has her family crest on it.”

  Astra let go of the necklace and gave me a sad look. “Did he tell you her last name?”

  I shook my head. “His parents died in the war. I don’t know anything else about them.”

  She sighed. “This is a very specific family crest. I know it well because we studied them in school. This one caught my attention right away.”

  “Why?” I could tell it wasn’t good news but couldn’t determine precisely how bad it was going to be.

  “This necklace belonged to a member of the Fortis family.” Astra kept her eyes on me, as if waiting for some kind of reaction.

  I shook my head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  Fortis sounded vaguely familiar, but most Vegonian names had a slightly Latin or Roman feel. At school, my teacher explained Latin names had been copied from Vegonian names during the time of the Roman Empire. Vegonians were under the impression all good things on Earth had roots in Vega. In some cases, they were right, but others seemed like lucky coincidences.

  “Fortis?” asked Maya. “As in Tarquinia Fortis?”

  “Wait, are you trying to say….” I couldn’t even finish the sentence. Instead I shook my head slowly back and forth.

  “Tarquinia Fortis was the daughter of General Fortis, and the only female descendant of the Fortis family who could have had a child Adrian’s age,” Astra said. “The stories must be true. She must have had a baby with her when she escaped to Earth. I’m so sorry, Starr.”

  I sat unmoving on the stone bench, thoughts twirling around in my head like the batons majorettes threw in the air during the halftime show at football games. Adrian had given me the necklace. He’d said it had belonged to his mother. Julian, Astra, and even Maya seemed fairly convinced his mother had to be Tarquinia Fortis, which only meant one thing.

  “Adrian is the son of Wayland Marcel,” I said.

  Fifteen

  “My heart is as true as steel.” William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream

  We each did our best to put on a good face and enjoy the rest of the Moon Festival. We laughed, danced, and ate lots of good, healthy Vegonian food, but our hearts weren’t in it. After saying goodnight to our parents, Astra and I headed back to the palace with Maya. She’d planned to sleep over, and, although I was no longer in the mood for giggles and gossip, I needed someone to talk to about the mess I was in.

  We slipped into our pajamas, washed all the makeup and gold dust from our faces, and settled into Astra’s room. Maya and I had futons set up on the floor next to my sister’s bed. I sat on mine as I pulled out the ribbons and pins from my hair and brushed it.

  “Just because he might be Wayland Marcel’s son, does not mean he is necessarily evil,” I said. Astra looked unconvinced.

  “So why would he keep his identity a secret?”

  “Because he knew we would react like this. Frankly, I don’t think it’s fair. We shouldn’t judge a person based on their parents’ actions. That’s why he asked me not to tell anyone I’d seen him.”

  “So you did see him tonight,” Maya said, with a strange look, and I realized I had betrayed Adrian’s trust. I was officially the worst girlfriend ever.

  “Oops,” I said, wincing.

  “And he asked you to lie for him?” Astra asked. I winced again. “He should know better, Starr, and so should you.”

  “I didn’t lie. I avoided answering certain questions.”

  I frowned at her. The old Starr would have said omitting the truth was not the same as lying if it helped her get what she wanted. The new Starr was not so sure.

  “Julian was right.” Maya looked at her toes. They were painted pink and peeked out of the bottom of her pink satin pajamas. “He knew Adrian was up to something, and I didn’t believe him. He’s trying to protect you, Starr. You ought to be more cooperative.”

  “I’m sure Julian gets all of the cooperation he needs from you.” I gave her a nasty little smile. I’ll admit it wasn’t in line with the new, improved, kinder, gentler, and overall much nicer Starr Valentine I’d been trying to morph myself into, but it felt sort of good to see the color creep into Maya’s cheeks and the shocked expression on her face.

  “You don’t understand—” she began, but I held up a hand to stop her.

  “It’s okay. We don’t have to talk about it. I need to figure out what to do about Adrian.”

  She still looked like she wanted to tell me something, but I couldn’t deal with a confession about her mad passion for Julian right now. It was more than I could take at the moment.

  “Honestly,” I said, yanking a final knot out of my hair. “We’re good. I’m not mad at you.”

  I meant it, but the words “at you” were key. I was still angry with Julian, but I’d forgiven Maya in record time. Usually I liked to hang onto grudges and savor them a bit, but I was already done with this one.

  I guess Maya could see I told the truth. She looked so relieved I felt kind of bad about my earlier snarky-ness. It hurt but being mean to Maya wouldn’t change the truth. Julian had chosen her instead of me.

  I got up, grabbed my giant size bag of M&M’s, and joined Astra and Maya on the bed. We munched on the candy, ignoring our rules about rationing, as we tried to decide what to do. It felt good not to be alone in this.

  Astra wore a long, black nightgown. It set off her ivory skin, dark hair, and eyes. I had on white pajamas trimmed in lace with a cami top I’d bought in Paris. I shook out my hair, enjoying the way it fell onto my exposed back and shoulders.

  “Tomorrow is the planet-wide Day of Reflection.” Astra wound one of her dark curls around a finger. “People will be relaxing at home, thinking about all of the Vegonians who died in the war, and planning ways to make Vega a better place in the future.”

  “Or they will be recovering from hangovers after overindulging tonight,” I said with a saucy grin. Astra elbowed me in the side and I nearly fell off the bed. “Ow. It’s true.”

  “We need to be serious, Starr,” Astra said. “And you need to try to stay focused. I swear, sometimes your thoughts bounce around more than a squirrel on crack.”

  I almost fell off the bed again. “A
squirrel on crack?” I couldn’t believe my sweet, kind, and ever-patient sister had said such a thing. She and Maya giggled at the look on my face.

  “Sorry, but it’s true,” Astra said. She tapped a finger on her chin, deep in thought. “I’m guessing you do not want Julian involved.”

  “You’re guessing right.” I couldn’t look at Maya, so I pretended to be extremely interested in the beds of my fingernails. They were sort of fascinating. I hadn’t had a manicure in weeks, and the wear and tear now showed.

  “We’ll need another way to verify Adrian’s identity,” Astra said. “That should be the first step. I don’t want to say anything to Mom and Dad until we’re certain.”

  “I know what we should do,” Maya said softly. “Tomorrow might be a good time to do some research. I’ll get the keys to the library and we’ll look through the archives.” Maya’s mom had been appointed head librarian of the city library, so she had access. We all agreed it was a good idea.

  “Oh, research. Fun.” I let out a little yawn as I walked back to my futon and slid under the covers. Maya did the same. Astra turned off the lights and snuggled into bed.

  I lay on my futon, exhausted, as I stared up at the ceiling. “Thanks, guys.” I suddenly felt incredibly sad. I couldn’t say for sure if it was because I had found out Julian liked my best friend, or because I learned my sort-of boyfriend was possibly the son of the worst mass murderer in Vegonian history. My priorities were a little skewed, but there was nothing I could do about it.

  Astra and Maya both murmured their goodnights, and soon I heard the soft rhythmic breathing indicating they’d fallen asleep. A long time later, after the three moons of Vega had finally set on another Moon Festival and the sun slowly began its ascent into the pale purple of the morning sky, I finally closed my eyes and fell asleep.

  I awoke to the sound of voices. Astra still slept in the bed next to me. Maya stood at the door, whispering to someone standing outside. The door was only slightly ajar, but I knew it was Julian as soon as I heard his voice.

  “Did you tell her?” he asked

  “No,” Maya said, her voice low. “She didn’t want to talk about it.”

  “You have to let her know.” I could almost imagine him running a hand through his dark hair as he spoke.

  “I will. I promise. I have to find the right time.”

  “I know it will be difficult,” he said, “but not saying anything is even worse. I can talk to her if you can’t.”

  I cringed. Having this conversation with Maya would be bad enough. I couldn’t imagine having it with Julian.

  “It’s my fault all of this happened. I should be the one to tell her,” Maya said.

  “Will I see all of you later today?” He sounded so hopeful I almost cried.

  “She doesn’t want you involved. Astra and I will be with her. We have a plan.”

  Julian made a noise. It sounded a bit like a growl, but surprisingly enough, he didn’t argue. “Be safe and keep an eye on her. You know where to reach me.”

  Maya slowly closed the door. She pressed her forehead against the doorframe for a second before she turned around. I tried to pretend I was still asleep, but I’d been busted. She’d caught me with my eyes open.

  “Who was that?” I asked, acting like I’d just woken up.

  “Julian.” Maya sat next to me on the floor. “Starr, I need to talk to you.”

  I grimaced. “Not now, Maya.” I stood up and walked to the bathroom. “We’ll have plenty of time to talk later,” I said over my shoulder.

  I planned to avoid talking to her later too. I planned to avoid talking to her about Julian forever and ever, if I could. I was far more hurt than I had the right to be, and a lot more confused than I’d ever been in my life. Julian kissing me by the pool made things even more confusing. If he didn’t like me, I could deal with it, but if he was playing with me, it seemed cruel, both to me and to Maya. I knew we’d have to hash this out eventually, but I planned to avoid it as long as possible.

  I showered and dressed in my gray yoga pants and a soft, pale blue t-shirt. It was a little chilly this morning, so I also threw on a light sweater that matched my shirt. I didn’t bother with makeup. No one would be around to see me, and, if anyone did, I doubted they would care, or even notice.

  Astra and Maya were ready, so I joined them for breakfast in the morning room of the palace. A buffet of various foods had already been set out for us, and servants discreetly came in and out, checking things and refilling when necessary.

  I had eggs cooked with spinach and cheese and a thick slice of bread still warm from the oven. I was extremely hungry, typical for me after a stressful event, so I also had yogurt and a bowl of fresh fruit. Vegonians didn’t eat a lot of meat, but I wasn’t missing it. I didn’t miss my normal morning staple of Cocoa Puffs, either. I enjoyed Vegonian food, especially once I discovered the variety of cookies and pastries available. I’d also gotten hooked on Vegonian coffee, a delightful beverage mixed with sweet, warm, liquid chocolate. We enjoyed a large cup before we walked to Maya’s house.

  The streets of Celesta were, as we’d expected, deserted, and Maya’s house was only a few blocks away. Her mother, Camilla Charles, had already woken up, and gave us the key without question when we said we wanted to do some research. We walked to the library in silence. The peaceful quiet hanging over Celesta made it feel wrong to create any noise at all.

  When we got to the library, I was surprised to see a guard at the gate. I hadn’t seen guards anywhere in Celesta except at the entrance to the royal palace and at Julian’s palace. They’d seemed more like gatekeepers than guards, but this guy looked like a guard.

  He stepped out of his guard booth when we approached. I automatically smiled at him and stuck out my chest, and remembered it wouldn’t work on Vega. I still hadn’t broken the habit of trying to use my looks to get what I wanted, but it had proved useless here. Most people seemed confused when I did it, and others ignored me. This guy ignored me. He only had eyes for Astra. His cheeks grew pink and he stuttered.

  “Y…Y…Y…Your Royal Highness.” He stared at her face, seemingly immobilized by her beauty. I almost rolled my eyes but stopped myself. I used to get the same reaction on Earth, and I remembered how good it felt. I also remembered using it to my advantage, but Astra didn’t. Of course.

  “Hello,” she said with a sweet little smile. “Thou art working hard today when everyone else is resting.”

  The guard stuck out his chest, sort of like what I did when I tried to get people to notice my boobs. But this guy did it out of pride.

  “It is my duty and my pleasure,” he said with a little bow.

  “I hope this isn’t an inconvenience for you,” she said, “but we would like to use the archives to learn about historical figures of Vega.”

  He looked flustered. “The library is closed today.”

  Astra patted his arm, and I thought he might swoon. I got ready to catch him, just in case.

  “We have the key and permission from the head librarian,” she said.

  Maya held up the key and the guard noticed the two of us for the first time. He hadn’t even realized we stood there. He’d been so enamored with my sister. He glanced back and forth between us, still unsure, but after one final glance at Astra he gave in.

  “I am certain it would be fine,” he said, and ushered us inside.

  The library was dark and silent. Light filtered in through stained glass windows, and a giant glass dome rose above the center of the building. It reminded me of the dome inside the department store Printemps in Paris, which reminded me of Julian, which made me sad. Astra was right. My thought processes were like a squirrel on crack.

  “Why do they have a guard here?” I asked, looking around. “It’s only a bunch of books.”

  Astra shook her head, gently running her finger down the spine of one of the books on the shelf. “Not simply books,” she said, her voice a reverent whisper. “Historical and literary treasure
s.”

  “Uh, okay.” She probably meant the books were the treasures, but I decided to keep my eye out for something gold and fantastic in case I was wrong.

  “The archives are over here.” Maya led us through an archway and into a large cavernous room. She touched a switch and immediately candles in sconces on the walls flickered and lit up the entire room. I looked carefully at one. There were real candles inside. It wasn’t a trick.

  The room had wood beams, brass fixtures, and stucco curved walls and ceilings. Inside the archives were large leather-bound volumes chronicling each year of Vegonian history. They went on forever and ever, but fortunately, Maya knew what she was looking for. She went to a shelf, pulled several large, heavy volumes off, and brought them to the wooden table in the center of the room.

  She opened one and pointed to an index. “Let’s start with the birth records. Do you know exactly when Adrian was born?’

  I shook my head. “He said he was a junior, but I don’t know anything else.” I had assumed he was the same age as me, but I was young for my grade, so he might have been seventeen. I had also assumed he’d been telling the truth about being a junior. I’d assumed a lot when it came to Adrian but knew little for certain.

  Maya considered this. “We’ll try the birth records for all males who would be between fifteen and eighteen right now and see if any have the last name Marcel.”

  She opened a giant book for each of us and we scanned through the names. The writing had been penned by hand, the script elegant and beautiful, but it was dull, slow work. Hours passed before I finally saw the name “Marcel” written in large block letters.

  “I found something,” I said, sitting straight up in my chair.

  Astra and Maya both hopped out of their seats and came over to look. I pointed out the name on the line.

  “Last name, Marcel. First name, Felix. Son of Wayland Marcel and Tarquinia Fortis Marcel.”

  I looked up at Astra and Maya, confusion and relief flowing through my body all at once. “It isn’t him. Adrian isn’t their son.”