Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 12

I froze as Irene came out of the kitchen and Lucy began to crawl down the stairs. I was seething on the inside. How come humans have to be so darn determined? “Zora, what’s happening?” Irene hissed quietly.

“I hate the United States government, and now they’re trying to control me, that’s what,” I sighed and stood up, suddenly feeling my age more than I had an hour ago. Someone began to pound on the door. “Yeah, just a second! Can’t you give a girl a minute?” I paused before looking back at Irene and Lucy. “Please, do not keep looking on.” I opened the door and a hand closed around my neck, holding me in the air.

“Well, you caused quite a stirring back in town, do you know that? Been quite a pain too.” Frank looked back at a couple of other feds in bulletproof vests. “You know what, maybe we can’t control you. But we can kill you.”

“Oh, by all means, go ahead. I’d like to see you try,” I spat, kicking out to make it more difficult for the fully grown man to hold me. “Besides, you’re nuts.”

“Fine,” Frank let go of my neck and I dropped to the ground, clutching my throat. “Boys, let her have it.” He walked down the stairs of the front porch and I stood up as the guns were raised and trigger fingers were readied.

And the fired. I spun and turned my back to them as my wings finally escaped their bonds and found that Irene and Lucy were still watching with horrified faces. And it hurt, because I was a monster. And I had spent enough time acting normal, so I had forgotten that.

The gunfire stopped and I turned back around to face the shooting squad. In a glass bottle, I caught a glimpse of my reflection. A pale girl with dark hair and eyes that reflected the stars and swirled with color.

I smirked as Frank stared open mouthed with his comrades. “You shouldn’t threaten something you don’t understand, human.” I lifted my right palm to the sky, and slowly brought it down until it was pointed at the squad cars.

Lightning struck the engines with a practiced precision. (Though I may not drive, I do understand the basic workings of a mechanical vehicle.) Shock was apparent on all faces. They were going to need a lot of shock blankets.

“Now, leave me alone!” I screamed. I lifted my wings and vaulted into the blue expanse above the ground, flying until I was miles away.

 

I opened my eyes again and found myself where I had first landed. I sighed and began to walk towards the center of the glade. I had explored this place many times since I had first landed. And since the first time, I had found many a plant species. But what had piqued my interest was the strange tree in the middle of a lake. It was a huge specimen, and in all of my years, I have never quite identified its type. But it seemed to be the mix of a redwood, a willow, and an oak. But as time had passed, I had nicknamed it the Tree of Life. And it has passed into legend. Not that I had meant it to. The important thing was that no one knew its exact location. And the lake, was nicknamed the fountain of youth.

“It’s been a long time, old friend,” I told the tree as I sat on the dock I had created out of vines and fallen logs. “What has it been, ten years? An entire decade, well, that certainly was a run of good luck, considering. I’m just. . . I’m just so tired. How can I stop being so . . . tired?” I sighed and absentmindedly. My ear twitched as I heard the vague sound of airplanes overhead.

I gasped. But this one wasn’t going down peacefully. It was falling. I flew as fast as a shooting star until I was above the canopy, and I was horrified. The sky looked like it was bleeding black, and the plane was struggling to right itself, along with all the others in the air.

“Well, I always saw more clearly after dark,” I muttered, summoning my swords. I charged the oncoming darkness in a desperate attempt to keep the light. But alas, even the brightest lights can be extinguished in the darkness.