Nova's Dawning
Chapter 18

I felt weak. Osiris helped me the best he could, but my sluggish body felt heavier than normal. Each step towards Thea’s room was darker and darker than the last.

“Are you sure about this, Star?” Osiris rubbed my back as we approached the door.

I nodded, trying to clear my head and enter in a positive mood. I opened the door just a tad bit, and I walked in ever so slowly. Thea looked drained, and Bee was beside her, with Oren to her right.

Bee jumped up to hug me, and I smiled in relief. Thea had her eyes closed, but I knew she was awake. “Oren and Osiris... could you give us some time... maybe get us some drinks?”

They nodded, understanding we would be safe together, and left. Thea opened her eyes when the door shut, and she sat up gently. Bee took a protective stance and then nodded at me to proceed. That was the thing about our friendship, words had never been needed.

“Thea... we need to know what happened... I was in the past, witnessing a pretty dark scene from back then... and you obviously had been interacting with something similar. I need to know if they’ve been withholding information from us. We need for people to know the truth.” I put my hand ever so softly on hers and she sighed deeply.

Her eyes were dark with exhaustion and pain. “Star... I was communicating with someone. I don’t really know who. I believe they were female, but I could be wrong. They were powerful and told me they had been at Moonlight during the original class, but when I started asking more in-depth questions, they started to get angry, and then...” she sighed again, not wanting to relive those moments. Bee put a healing hand on her arm and Thea inhaled a positive breath. “I’m sorry I can’t do much more for you Star.” She laid back down and soon was back asleep.

Bee shot me a worried look and I smiled at her reassuringly. “Don’t worry Bee. Whatever is going on, I will figure it out.” Her face was stressed and tired, showing signs of exhaustion. “Make sure you’re taking care of yourself.”

She nodded as I got up to leave. The guys returned then, and Osiris helped me out to check out of the “infirmary”.

He was a bit late for his mentor meeting, but he had called ahead and his mentor said not to worry, just to show up at some point. I tagged along, because I didn’t want to make him any later than he already was.

His trainer was this short Asian man who laughed at anything and everything. His name was Yao Chen, and his teaching techniques were combined with some form of martial arts I didn’t think I could ever be good at, but Osiris was a natural. The way he put his heart and soul into every little step and breath, brought life into me. He inspired me, and I could only hope that I inspired him. At one point, his teacher had him doing some balance exercise, and Osiris shook his head.

“Why are we doing this Yao? How does this relate to shielding?”

Yao gave that mighty laugh and replied, “You need to be prepared for any and all outcomes. If there’s an opening to save your loved ones, wouldn’t you want to?” They both looked at me and I gave Osiris a thumbs up. He smiled and went back to balancing on the small platform, throwing out his shield. I couldn’t see it, or tell what was going on, but I could see the concentration from both him and his mentor. Their focus made the silent room suddenly very loud. I wanted to practice with the present so I held on to his hoodie and tried to see through his eyes, feel through his hands, and use his senses, but the best I could do in my state was feel his sweat.

I was jealous of his stamina, because when we were out to leave, he was still one hundred percent fine, whereas my sessions usually left me either passed out or exhausted. We went back to my place and we were quiet due to Bee sleeping above us, but it didn’t take long for me to fall asleep.

My sessions with my mentor was at seven that next night, so when I got up, we went to meet with our friends on Violet for our weekly help session. It felt like it had been forever since we were all last in here, having fun, working as a team. The atmosphere in our group was anything but those things this time. Thea was working with other groups, giving them emotionless orders. Her exhaustion was so evident it hurt, and our friends were solemn at best. Jack looked confused for most of the time, just kind of joking around with Mo, not really seeming to have a greater purpose. Mo did his best to make everyone feel better, and I did as well.

I felt at fault, even though I knew I wasn’t, but there was something about the past that no one had mentioned to us, and it had hurt my friends. I had finished my tasks for the moment and Thea was busy with some of the others, so I decided to see if the book I had checked out after the Dean had any more clues on what happened so long ago. I stepped outside of the theater and sat against the door. The book itself looked so old I felt like it would have turned to dust in my hands. I picked it up and I thought I could feel the tug of a vision, but I did my breathing exercise and opened to the first page. On the front was a picture of twin sisters, both holding identical staffs with little moons on the top. The sisters were practically identical in the face, but one had blue eyes, and the other had green eyes, one with blonde hair like me and one with dark hair. Suddenly I realized I was no longer looking at the skilled drawing, I was looking at them.

“Ah, Eris, it seems a time walker has granted thou with thy presence.”

“How noble, Nova, but thy trickery will not work on me.” She turned towards her sister with disdain.

“Would thou listen to thyself?!” Nova raised her voice, but there wasn’t much heat behind them. She looked right at me, like the Dean had when I got into her office. “I know not what thee want time walker. Speak.”

“I just want the truth.”

Those words had never been good to me.

“The truth? So be it. Our mother is evil, and we… well we are but two halves of a whole, destined to clash until there is but nothing left.” Her words flew over my head like rain on Osiris. She turned back to her sister. “A choice must be made Eris. We must decide thine own fate from now on. We MUST be able to learn from thine mistakes.”

“What? I don’t understand.” I wanted her to explain what was going on to me, and why my friend had been attacked.

“Of course, thee wouldn’t. Leave us or perish.” She raised her staff at me, and then I was sitting on the floor again, unsure of how she had kicked me out of my own vision. The large star on the door stared back at me.

“Star?”

I dropped the book and Osiris grabbed it, looking worriedly at me. “Are you all right, babe? One second you picked up your book, and left with it, but you weren’t responding to any of our voices. I came out here to follow you and I couldn’t open the door. You don’t look good, babe. What did you see?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure. I think… I saw the twins, the ones who started Moonlight. I showed him the drawing on the cover of the book. “It was like one moment I was staring at the cover and then the next I was there with them. One of them, she could see me, just like how the Dean had before, but the other one couldn’t. She asked me what I wanted, and I told her the truth… She said something about two halves, that their mother was evil, and that a decision had to be made… I… I told her I didn’t understand, but she said leave or die. I didn’t pull myself out though. It just happened. I didn’t even have to say the words.” I was rambling, but I was excited. This meant I was getting more in tune with my powers.

“So, what do you want to do?” He seemed annoyed.

“I…” I thought about our assignment and how it was torturing Thea. “I want to find the spirit that tortured Thea, but in the past. I can take her with me, and we can kill two birds with one stone this way. I get to see what happened with the twins, and Thea gets to do her assignment in peace.”

During the last sentence Sam came out and heard the tail end.

“Star, I don’t know what exactly you’re talking about but, Thea has become a good friend of mine so if you have a plan to let her get some peace, then I’m down for whatever you got.”

I nodded, “I appreciate it Sam. If you could just make sure the theater is clear after we are done, that way I can talk to Thea, and try to convince her it’ll be okay.”

She nodded quickly and ducked back inside. I went to go, but Osiris stopped me.

“Star… are you sure about this? I don’t want you to pull Thea into something with you and then get yourself hurt.” He had concern in his eyes, but I could tell from his voice he was fighting back anger.

“I appreciate the worry, but I need you to trust me and our friends a little bit more than that.” I snatched the book back from him and stormed inside. I didn’t have a task to take care of at that moment, but I made myself look like a busy worker bee.

As our numbers started to dwindle my friends were the last ones to leave, Sam gave me a thumbs up as she headed out of the door, and then I found Thea, almost in the exact same spot I had found her after the first announcement.

She looked like that girl, eyes sullen, faded hair, and pale skin. I sat beside her.

“Thea... I know you’re going through a lot... But you aren’t alone. In fact, I want you and I to work together. I’ll never leave your side, and I’ll make sure no one gets you.” She opened her eyes and looked at me with those bright eyes I knew.

“Star... I don’t want you to get hurt.” Her eyes teared up. I thought about Osiris’s earlier words.

“I won’t. Neither will you. Come to their apartment tonight, after my session. Let’s talk there. I’ll explain my theory, and you and I can hopefully finish this assignment safely and together.” I heard voices outside the main door and I got up quickly.

The dean walked in, and Sam followed behind her.

“Ma’am I told you they’re just talking about our assignment from Professor Campbell.”

The dean took one look at me talking to Thea, glared, and then stormed back out, her oversized puke green dress suit flapping behind her.

“Jeez, what’s her problem.” said Mowgli. Thea smiled at him for the first time since before the accident and I sighed in relief.

“I’ve got to go Thea, but please come tonight.” I gave her a hug, and then I went out after Osiris, leaving Thea in the hands of Sam and Mowgli. Jack was nowhere in sight.

For this session I was told to bring three things of someone else’s, so I wore one of Mowgli’s hoodies, his favorite necklace, and I was toting around his most valuable possession, his 3DS.

Osiris pulled up to the ‘witch’s house’ and parked outside.

“Starlite.” It was rare he used my full name, so I knew he was serious about his next words. “Don’t push yourself tonight... If you want to talk to Thea with any semblance of mind, you need to take it easy, and hell, maybe you’ll make progress with more peace in that beautiful brain of yours. Okay?” he grabbed my hand and kissed my palm, an intimate gesture I hadn’t been expecting.

I could tell my face was beet red, but more importantly I knew he was right. I knew he didn’t want to be angry with me all the time, but I just couldn’t stop helping my friends. They needed me and I went.

“I promise.” and then he kissed me.

I ran up to the door, sullener than the last time, but still with a slight smile. Michy greeted me, more happily than last time. We went to work, and, in this session, she was back to her old self, spinning through her array of tables, and sitting on top of them to practice her meditation and magic.

I felt the three things, and I took deep breaths. I went at it by diving from a new direction and instead of forcing it, I just let it come slowly. It was a much, much, much slower process, but the outcome didn’t leave me nearly as drained. Michy was very impressed and gave me several snack breaks.

For the first time I was realizing that Michy was a lot of things, she was a witch, a psychic, a mediator, and she was a really good cook, she could probably put Bee to shame in some areas.

“Michy how did you get so talented?” Her face went solemn for a split second, and then she smiled, furthering my suspicions of her.

“I was born this way.” I laughed, not fooled by her clandestine ways.

I went back to trying to see through Mo’s eyes, and after many attempts I actually got to see a tv screen with super smash bros on it. An epic battle raged on, and Thea was smiling. I pulled out quickly, because the longer I spent in someone else’s shoes the more energy it took from me.

“Why not keep tryin?” Michy asked me, “Ya were doing real well.”

“I’m starting to learn that a part of this gift is learning to pace yourself.” I said, trying to regain my energy by meditating on a coffee table.

“That’s real smart of ya. I’m proud. I’m gunna cut yur lesson short tonight, git home to yur friends.” As much as I suspected Michy of keeping stuff from me, she had become someone I looked up to. She was starting to become a part of my everyday life, and for some reason the very thought freaked me out.

Sam picked me up instead of Osiris, because I bribed her with coffee money. I knew I’d be up late that night, so I got a large, and Sam got two for herself.

The dark road ahead of us seemed really long as we drove back towards her place, but I wished it could have been longer.

I was tired, but managing thanks to coffee, and Sam was wired, but thankfully not electric.

Thea and our friends were in the living room, even Jack was in the corner tinkering with a camera. Thea smiled half-heartedly at a joke Mowgli was rolling about, and her eyes held a darkness that was worse off than I had suspected.

I took a seat on the coffee table across from her, surprising most of our friends. Jack went to his room tired, and Sam took his seat, shaking with caffeine adrenaline.

“Thea.” I pulled out the book from my backpack and set it down in front of her. “Did either of your ghosts look like this?”

Her hand immediately went towards Eris. I nodded slowly and took a deep breath. The coffee was peaking my senses at that moment and I knew we wouldn’t have much longer before I wouldn’t be able to pull this off. “This girl,” I pointed at the girl with blue eyes, “is Nova, the girl Nova’s Dawning is named after. You were seeing her twin sister, Eris. I don’t really know what happened to them because I’m afraid to open this book, but I can take both of us back at the same time, to see what really happened. I’ll be with you, so you won’t be alone, and this way you can get the information you were looking for without getting hurt, and I can figure out what happened to the twins.”

Her eyes were swelling up and I knew she was about to cry, when Sam stepped in.

“Thea, we will all be here, protecting you guys, and helping you out. If anything happens, we will shut it all down, you can count on us.”

She took a deep breath and I quickly sat next to her on the couch, Indian style. “Take my hands Thea, and don’t let go.” I chugged the last bit of my coffee and I grabbed her hands gently.

She looked at Sam and Mo and they reassured her. I smiled and I laid my head back, using the newest chant I had learned.

“Great Gods of the Earth and the Sky. Great Goddesses of Wisdom and Time. Open the gates of past to me. Guard our hearts and protect our souls. Bring us home with fulfilled goals. As you will so mote it be.”

My voice rang loud in their small apartment, and I felt it as Thea and I sank into the darkness. I landed on my feet, but she fell on her butt.

“Sorry.” I said. This was the first time I had brought someone who wasn’t Michy to the past with me for an extended amount of time and I wasn’t sure the toll it would take on Thea, but she seemed amazed.

“Woah, Star this is cool.” Her hair seemed pinker here and as we approached the old Moonlight, she started to feel more awake.

We went into the small building where a meeting was being held between the dean and the students. A lot of their fear had faded from the last time I saw the group, but Nova didn’t seem as confident as she previously had, and Eris was nowhere to be seen. Their era seemed grayer than before, as if the very life was being sucked out of the Earth.

“Students please. I understand thou art upset, I don’t have any control over the distribution of powers. I’m sorry.”

I could feel the dark energy in the room spreading from student to student.

“I want to set things on fire!”

“I want to move things with my mind!”

They began to angrily yell and Thea tugged on my arm. She was staring at something, or someone within the crowd.

“What do you see Thea?” Her eyes were shocked, as if what she was observing was horrifying.

“It’s Eris... and she’s haunting the Dean and making everyone angry... I... can tell she died in some sort of battle. Maybe only dead for a year, if not shorter. She’s really mad. It’s overwhelming.” She took a step back, and I gripped her hand, making sure she stayed with me.

“We need to follow the Dean, Thea, come on.” The mysterious woman began to back away towards her office, which was still the same as our current Dean’s. The room was a bit smaller, but as we got inside, we realized that it was almost the exact same layout, just minus the modern technology.

She slammed the door behind her, and I watched as someone materialized in front of her. Thea and I gasped.

“Sister, we must break mother’s curse. Or it will reoccur every year.” Eris looked like she had when I had seen her alive, but her skin was much paler.

“Is it really such a bad thing?” Nova asked. The figure gestured to her translucent form and the Dean sighed loudly. “I guess thou art right, but I just... This could change the world.”

The figure grew angry. “LOOK AT ME!”

The Dean sat down. “I know sister. Please, I just... I need thou to understand. I have a responsibility to these people now. Even if we lift the recurring curse, their gifts won’t go away. Thine power may come from mother, but we know not the limits we could pass. ”

“STOP CALLING IT A GIFT. This is a CURSE. If thou can’t see it I will turn this place upside down.” Her anger faltered just a little. “Sister, please, help me.”

She rubbed her face, not able to look her ghostly sister in the eyes.

“So be it. Thou shalt regret treating me like this. Mother was right about this cruel world.” She dematerialized and Thea watched with scared eyes as she left the room.

The Dean set her head down. “I know thee are there time walker, and this time with a seeing one. I can’t see thee now, which leaves me to believe that I truly am getting weaker, but thou should leave, before things get bad. This place will get bad soon. I made my choice, and I pray to the Gods that I don’t end up regretting it. Please leave.”

She waved us away and we were thrown back onto the couch.

Thea started to cry, the fear of being shoved from the past a new emotion for her, but luckily, she was not screaming. I couldn’t stop shivering, and Osiris was there holding me.

“You guys were gone for a couple hours.” Sam said, her caffeine rush now in the form of exhaustion.

I was so cold and tired from being thrown from my own head that the second I felt some sort of warmth around me I passed out.

When I woke up mostly everyone was gone except for Thea, Osiris, and I. Mowgli, Sam, and Jack, had probably gone for Mo’s Saturday practice. I wasn’t feeling too good, but I got up and made breakfast, because I knew it had been a long night for all of us. Osiris kissed me good morning as I flipped my pancakes, and he took his plate. He gave Thea’s hers, and she seemed to be not as depressed as yesterday.

We sat in silence as the TV played in the background, all of us eating, not really there.

My head was racing, so many theories and thoughts just pounding through my brain, yet there was no way to come to a clear conclusion without more information and more knowledge. I wanted to know the truth of the past, not just for my assignment, but for all of us. We deserved to know the fact that we were cursed.

“Star.”

I snapped back to reality, realizing Thea was calling my name.

“Star are you okay?”

“Yeah,” I said, trying to get my life right. “I was just overwhelmed with my thoughts for a minute, you know?” She nodded, knowing all too well on how this went.

“This whole thing is crazy to me. Going to the past. Seeing dead people. I’m still having a hard time wrapping my head around it...I was warned, of course, but nothing really prepares you for the toll it takes on your body. ”

I put my hand on her arm reassuringly, and I smiled at her. “Don’t worry Thea... Just trust me. We’ll get to the bottom of this.”

She nodded and Osiris reminded me of his presence, a warmth I needed. Osiris and I took her home, making sure she got in safe, and we went to my dorm. Bee was there studying for her accounting test, and she greeted us with a warm, tired smile.

“It’s funny how easily it is to just get tired of going over the same stuff over and over again... You know?” I sighed heavily and sat down on my bunk.

“You know what I never get tired of...” I said, playing with the sheets on my bed. Bee shrugged as she closed her accounting textbook. “Poutine... and coffee.”

She nodded vigorously and without even saying anything we were all back out the door in an instant at the mention of that sweet brew from the best coffee shop in town. It wasn’t the normal spot Osiris and I found ourselves in about once a week, it was the place Bee and I had first visited. You had to get the special roast, because the normal stuff was just normal, but there was something about their special roast that could help me accomplish anything. I got mine with almond milk, and a dash of mocha syrup. Bee got hers with soy and vanilla, and Osiris just got a hot chocolate. As we sat there drinking our hot beverages, we talked about the upcoming talent show, and our finals that seemed so far away, and for a few minutes it was as if nothing was wrong, as if we weren’t unraveling a dark truth and our fate wasn’t unfurling at our feet. We talked about our nonexistent Thanksgiving plans, and we even wrote up a grocery list for things we might need. Bee left us for the hospital after that, and we went back to my dorm.

“Star, can I ask you something?” We were laying down in my bed, cuddling and trying to enjoy the silence together.

“Anything.”

“I know I’ve said this before... but can you please not push yourself into comas?” He looked embarrassed, and I kissed his cheek.

“I told you babe. I’ll do my best.” He hugged me tight, and we rested like that for what seemed like forever.

The rest of the weekend we spent thinking about where to go from there. I decided to ask around the school about it, and even thought about how on earth I was going to start on my paper. I wasn’t going to hold back, I was going to be honest, and let my opinion be heard through this assignment.

Maybe it was because of how young I was, or how angry I was that the teachers seemed fine with us getting this dangerous assignment, but I just couldn’t stop thinking about the look on Nova’s face when she told us to leave. When Tuesday came, I was asking other students from my History class about their findings, in hopes of seeing if someone else had discovered anything, but all of their research had brought up nothing but positive elements from the past.

Screenwriting went by faster than ever before with us being made to write throughout the entire time. I took an abnormally long time to collect my things as we were let out of class. Sam tried to wait for me, but I motioned for her to go ahead of me.

Mic did the same thing that one time he broke the spell on me by closing all the blinds.

“Mic... do you know the real past of Moonlight?”

He changed again at my question, becoming the serious and powerful man from before. “Starlite, I only know what was taught to me, and that is that the first Dean saved the school from a terrible fate. She brought light and love and cured a lot of illness, for what everyone thought would be forever.”

“Thought?” His serious face was ladled with sadness.

“Unfortunately, there was a young girl, a couple generations ago, that had a similar power to your young friend, Thea. Eris manifested in her and committed some serious crimes. The previous Dean was unqualified at the time to handle the situation, and our current Dean stepped in to save the day, and henceforth she was also promoted...” He looked around, sensing something, his powerful stature losing confidence, as if he was a deflating tire. “I’m afraid I can’t do much for you on the writing part of your paper, since I’m mostly a screenwriting teacher, but if you have more questions you should ask your History of Abilities teacher.”

“Wait-” He smiled with that grandpa smile of his and I stood up angrily and left.

I met with the others in the theater, and I relayed what Mic had said.

“But that doesn’t make any sense then...” Jack said. “If the Dean knows about the power of the dark spirit why is she letting us do this assignment?”

We sat there for a few minutes and Thea’s eyes opened wide.

“Maybe it’s because thinking about the past, manifests the darkness that once was... That’s just a theory.” She said, dismissing her own words.

“It’s a good one, T, but there’s something missing. I am not sure she would try to let loose something she herself destroyed…” Sam said, reassuringly. We were concerned, but the fact that we were all still working together, gave me hope.

“No matter what guys, we will always be here for each other.” I said.

They all nodded like the statement I had made was dumb, and I put my hand out as if we were in some cheesy Disney film. Mowgli and Sam rolled their eyes at me, but they all put their hands in, sealing our promise for what we thought would be forever.

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