Cristina - The Last Star Child

Awakening

Cristina

Ugh. How dare he? What exactly had he done to my phone that I couldn't even dial 911. Was that even legal? Why I'd agreed to the five minutes, I didn't know, or maybe I did. That feeling that I somehow knew him kept popping up.

Fine. I would give him five minutes. After all, someone who could reroute my phone calls and block me from dialing for help clearly had power. Foe or friend? That was the real question.

As I got out of my car and walked over to my favorite spot in this park, I smiled. I'd picked Kenyon park because I knew we wouldn't be alone. This park was always busy at this time. I often stopped over after dropping off Henry and Hope to watch people. My smile was short-lived after I noticed there was not one person to be seen. Not one.

Strange. Then I remembered the parking lot full of cars outside work with no people. Coincidence? I think not. I didn't have time to think of anything else as David approached me.

"Quiet day, isn't it? Probably not what you expected? You'll forgive me for wanting a bit of privacy. It's for your own protection."

Cocky. Who did he think he was. Ugh.

"Look, I agreed to five minutes, so let's hear it." I sat down on the bench and set my phone with the five-minute timer going.

"Cristina, I won't mince words. I am sorry for mentioning your parent's death, though what I said is true." David paused and ran his hand through his hair.

I could see that he was having a hard time picking the right words to say, especially after I kicked him out last night. He deserved it, and he was about to get screamed at again.

"The truth is that I am assigned to protect all the Star children, but you especially. I have trained for this for my whole life. You are the fifth Star child, and I know this because I saw it for myself last night. As you slept, the stars in the sky were pulled to you, to your power. It's hidden, something we thought impossible. Your father is likely behind it. I am sure he knew what you were and wanted to protect you from the Star hunters and us. He knew. I am 100% sure of that. Think hard. Was there any point during your childhood that something strange was done to you? Please. Think."

David paused. I knew exactly why. My face betrayed me. I was sure of it. While I was a great people reader, I was also easy to read. Far too easy and harmless most of the time, being easy to read had also led to the darkest night of my life. I shrugged the thought away. Not the time for that. Instead, I went back to a night when I was nine years old.

I was sick. I never got sick, but I had been very sick for days shortly after I turned eight. My fever had spiked out of control, and I felt miserable. Nothing my mother did worked. She was determined to bring me to the hospital against my father's wishes. Finally, she had agreed to let my father bring me to a healer before she took me to the hospital herself. The memory of that night came flooding back.

"I was eight. I had just turned eight. I was a very healthy child, so when I was sick, it was cause for alarm. This was especially true because my older brother had died when he was eight. I could see the panic in my mother's eyes. She kept saying it was the curse." I shook my head and paused, taking a minute to really remember that night. David stared at me in silence.

"My parents fought because my mother wanted to bring me to the hospital, but my dad refused. He hated hospitals and doctors. Finally, after a week, my mother said I was going to the hospital with her the next day. I was out of it, but I remember sleeping and being woken up by my father. He carried me in his arms with my blanket wrapped around me and placed me in the backseat of his car. Then he drove us to a shed. Well, that's what it looked like. I remember he carried me to a table filled with flowers, and there was smoke. It was really smoky, actually. As he put me down, he apologized. After that, all I remember is a woman chanting, oatmeal, dried flowers, and herbs being poured on my back, and lots of smoke. My mother brought me to the hospital the next day, and I stayed there for a week. My fever broke mid-stay, but they never found the cause of my fever or illness."

As I recalled that night, my mother had not been with me when my dad took me. I doubt he told her, but once I was better, she stopped worrying and was happy again. My father never spoke of that night. Honestly, I thought it was a dream. Now, seeing David's face and hearing myself, I knew that night was real. Something had happened to me that night.