❝The universe is full of stars. If it weren't for them, the galaxies wouldn't be bright and the night sky would be a lifeless veil of blue because one can rely on the moon only for so long. The universe wouldn't be itself if all those stars -althoug...
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MAYBE FALLING APART was easy.
Hilary had descended the staircase emotionally shattered, her legs wobbling. The effects of the adrenaline coursing in a rush both delightful and agonizing had worn off, leaving her with the aftermath of numbness, cold and unrelenting. Selene's words stabbed her over and over again until there was nothing left, except for a girl who the more she ventured to shed light on the infinite tunnel, the more she tried to process things, the more confused and restless she was growing.
She had looked around for her friends, but none of them were in her line of vision. She was alone amidst people who carried on with their lives and diminished with quick strides the distances of the palace to complete their tasks.
Hilary had sat on the first two steps of the staircase, waiting any moment for someone to demand her to stand. She was caught by surprise when they didn't, most of them heading to the West Wing. High chances were the East Wing was off-limits, and Hilary hadn't denied the relief of saving the time to compose herself—or how much of it she could.
The team's tour around the palace had taken longer than anticipated. Their fascination was endless during their time with Arthur, who refused to move onto the next area before he had covered the significant details such as historic references and glimpses of Selene's bright childhood spent in those rooms. The highlight was the marvelous garden. The team had informed him about the ungraceful landing, and Arthur had to put immense effort into maintaining his joviality. Despite the corners of his lips trembling slightly as he forced himself not to lose his smile, Arthur succeeded in brushing the unfortunate incident off.
Kai scowled, his disgruntlement apparent. He wasn't happy with the revelation and no one could blame him with the excuse of him overreacting. They understood his train of thought about Arthur not being trustworthy, but the man's bubbly and exuberant personality sparked through the clouds of tension and worry, making it almost impossible not to crack a smile and open up.
The tour ended on a lighthearted note, the atmosphere charged with playfulness—courtesy of Arthur's lively spirit.
The team had reunited with Hilary outside the gates of the palace and the sight they had to face was alarming. For the first time in their lives—Hilary's included—nobody had seen her so out of her depth, so lost and fragile. So vulnerable and torn between shielding her soul and saving herself of the trouble of having to give them explanations she didn't owe them or letting the wave of affliction cleanse her—break her to the very core before she channeled the strength to heal.
Because Hilary Miller was fucking strong and stubborn as a star, forcing herself to be the light even if there wasn't a trace of it within her.
Lyla and Mariah had taken tentative steps towards her, almost afraid of scaring her away like a child. They wanted to be discreet, but couldn't. There wasn't a way they could broach the topic without hurting her in the process. There was no way they could have said anything that would keep Hilary's heart safe. There was no way to protect her.
