Nova's Dawning
Chapter 22

Immediately my friends went into protect mode and everyone was keeping a close eye on me. We only had one more week of school, a few days for break, and then the cruise would be starting, an adventure we were all looking forward to sharing together. We weren’t sure what to do, where to go, who to talk to, but my friends were the good kind who weren’t going to let this go unspoken. Despite my heated arguments to let me go to the theater and work on Violet they were keeping me housebound for the weekend, even with the show being so close, they didn’t want to risk my life.

“But there’s so much to do!”

“And we need you alive to make it to the show...” Thea said. She was glowing at that point, her darkness had been replaced with light, a light that not only soothed me, but it rivaled Bee’s healing blue once again. Bee had been informed of me being housebound, so she came over to the apartment and hung out with me. Oren stopped in occasionally, and then he would leave, and surprisingly Bee would stay. Everyone else was still out, and he had just left for the rest of the night, when I realized something.

“Are you guys okay? You didn’t even say goodbye.”

She sat back on the couch and sighed. “Yes and no...” I looked at her befuddled and she sighed again, this time deeper. “Well you see... When I heard about your vision, I told him that I had been feeling watched since day one. I can feel this looming presence over my shoulder... I’ve asked Thea multiple times to keep an eye on me, but she says she can’t see anything... So, I figured maybe it wasn’t supernatural, but the Dean… maybe she’s after me too... I hate to throw myself into this situation, but with everything that has been going on I decided that I had to tell him, and he was beside himself. He wants to protect me so bad, but he doesn’t know how. He doesn’t have powers like us, and that takes a toll on him, something I hadn’t realized until I finally confided in him. I’m thinking of breaking up with him, to save him from this grief.” I could tell she was on the verge of tears, so I sat next to her and hugged her tight.

“Don’t you dare. If you leave him it’ll only make him feel worse and, in his eyes, he won’t even get the chance to protect you. Give him the chance, let him love you and help you. You love him, don’t you?”

She was crying now, “Of course I do, he’s done so much good in my life.”

“Then go tell him that. I’ll let O know you have to leave, and I’ll be fine. I promise.”

She hugged me tight and wiped away her small tears. “You’re the best friend a girl can ask for.”

I smiled, my heart aching again, for what I really wanted to believe was heartburn. She bolted out the door and I called Osiris. He answered on the first ring.

“Are you okay? What’s wrong?” I laughed at his distressed tone, trying to lighten the mood.

“I just wanted to let you know that Bee had to leave, so I’m here by myself, I’ve locked the door, but I just wanted to keep you updated.” I heard him take a deep breath and then mumble something to someone near him. I sat there for a second before he responded.

“Okay, baby. I’ll be home to you soon. Just hang tight.” He chuckled a little, and his tone was much lighter, as if he was trying to get me to smile, but with the situation I was in. I wasn’t smiling.

In my time alone I played several games, still getting my ass kicked by the computers, until finally my friends started to get home. They joined me and eventually everyone was back and I tried my best to laugh and smile when it seemed appropriate, but inside I was nothing but fear. My life was at stake now, and the lives of my friends possibly. I didn’t know how to react, so I faked happiness and content. Selene came over and she destroyed all of us in our games. She was good for Thea, and their happiness was radiant.

When things had calmed down a little bit I turned to Osiris. “Could you take me to Michy’s tomorrow? I don’t want to be bored, and I think hanging out with her would be good for my training, and at least I know I’ll be safe.” I knew I didn’t have to ask permission to go there, but he was doing so much to protect me, I didn’t want to leave him out of the loop.

“Of course. I trust you with her more than I trust you alone, or even with just me.”

I kissed his cheek. “I trust you more than anyone else, well except maybe not Bee.” My phone vibrated then, and from the kitchen I could hear them opening up the bottles of wine. Bee had texted me to let me know that my advice had done wonders, and her and Oren were better than ever. I let her know how happy I was, and then I turned my phone off.

We drank that night, the last peaceful Friday we would have together as friends.

The next morning mostly everyone was gone except for Osiris, me, and Sam. She shot finger guns at me as she walked out the door to head for the stage on Violet. Osiris and I got dressed and headed to Michy’s. I felt peace as I walked onto her yard and smelled flowers, even though it was the middle of winter in Canada, but sure enough, even with snow everywhere you could see small forms of colorful life trying to pop their petals through.

“Welcome!” Michy said, before we were even at the steps.

“I should have known you would have been expecting us.” I muttered, rolling my eyes.

“Well of course.” She said, “I know everythin’.” Her words made me question her tone, but I didn’t say anything.

She twirled into her house and we closed the door behind us. It was warm in her house, and it smelled of pumpkins and apples, however it did not look as pleasant as it smelled. Papers were once again sprawled everywhere and the tables seemed to have no end.

“I want an additional session, as you probably already know. Since we only have two more this semester. I don’t want to waste any time.”

She nodded and then twirled into her kitchen. I looked in bewilderment at Osiris and he shrugged at me. “She’s your mentor.”

She came out with a cup in her hand, no longer twirling. “You’re gonna need this.”

I drank it and I felt my fingertips tingle with energy, but not only that it was as if suddenly all of my senses were heightened. “What did you give me?”

“It’s just an energy tea, a fresh one. I want ya to try somethin’ Star. The future is subjective, so if ya want ya can foresee really anything ya want. It’s hard, but I believe you’re powerful enough for it! Picture something you want, ya don’t even need the chant for this, and just envision it wholeheartedly, with all the energy ya got.”

I sat there and for a second I couldn’t think of anything I really wanted, but then I felt Osiris next to me and his hands rivaled mine in how cold they were and suddenly I landed in an altar. Staring at me was Osiris, wearing a tux, and I felt the white lace against my shoulders. The snow was gone and in its place were fall leaves and white chairs.

“I do.” he said. I went to kiss him, but I realized his eyes were brown. I snapped back, feeling drained. Michy was clapping, but I felt lethargic. Osiris’s green eyes were staring at me in worry and I wanted to forget those brown eyes, but I just couldn’t unsee them.

I looked away and I tried to smile. “What did you see babe?”

“We were getting married.” I said quickly. He smiled and blushed, but those brown eyes haunted me.

“Would you like to keep goin’?” Michy asked me. I nodded, handing her back my cup as she went to refill it.

Each cup completely rejuvenated me and when I dived into the future, I wanted to see, I saw my friends married, with children, smiling, laughing in the careers they wanted. Jack was making films with Mo and Sam, Thea was creating cures for diseases, and Bee was saving lives left and right. However, in a lot of them, I could never see myself. It was as if I was gone. After my fourth cup I had to run to the bathroom, and Osiris laughed at me.

When I came back, he was drinking something. “Michy what are you giving my boyfriend?”

He laughed. “It’s just hot chocolate, chill babe.” I sighed as I started drinking another cup of my tea.

This time I wanted it to be real, so I thought the chant in my head. Michy must have realized, because as I slipped into the future, I heard her tell me to stop, but I had already fallen in.

I landed on my butt, meaning I was somewhere I didn’t want to be. I didn’t know how to rip myself from the future so I stumbled forward in the darkness until I found a light. I saw a computer screen, and Bee’s tear streaked face was there. She was in black, and it looked like she was speaking, but I couldn’t hear anything. The pain in her face brought tears to my eyes.

“Stop crying.” I said. She couldn’t hear me, because she kept going, and her arms were flailing and her face was in such anguish I collapsed to my knees. “MAKE IT STOP.”

I opened my eyes and Michy was working her magic on me. The words she was mumbling over me were like liquid muscle relaxer. Every part of me felt relief and I almost fell asleep, until Michy smacked my head.

I sat up slowly and wiped away the tears that had formed. “I didn’t tell you to use the chant, did I? But ya did anyway and look what ya did. You probably saw somethin’ that wasn’t even gunna happen and got yourself all worked up for nothin’.” She huffed at me and I nodded.

“Sorry, Michy. I just... I was curious.”

“Have ya met my cat named Curious?”

“No.” I said, unsure of how this correlated.

“Well he’s dead so ya can’t.”

Then I understood.

We sat in silence for a minute and then Osiris broke the ice. “Hey maybe we can all go get lunch. It’s still not really dinner time yet, but it’s just about happy hour.” He threw the finger guns out at us and Michy laughed. Her laugh was boisterous and it almost sounded like she was crying.

Michy wasn’t much older than us, but for some reason she seemed so much more mature as if she had been granted the wisdom from the beginning of time. I knew that was a silly idea, but that’s what it reminded me of. Osiris took us to a small Italian place and the three of us enjoyed handmade noodles, drowned in cheese.

It ended up being fun, and surprisingly Michy didn’t twirl through the entire place. I could tell, by the time we got back to her place that that amount of social interaction was just her limit so we dropped her off and said farewell. She thanked us for the outing and twirled into her house.

I sighed once we were far enough away from her place.

“What’s wrong?”

I shrugged. “I’m not really sure... Just with everything going on. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know who I can talk to and who I can trust, except for you. Not that I’m not grateful for you, because I am, but I just... I don’t want things to be so messy anymore. I just want to help my friends on the show, pack my bags for the cruise, and then have a wonderful adventure with my friends. Why is that so hard?”

“It won’t be hard, baby. I promise. Leave this to me. No matter what... Nothing is going to happen to you. I won’t let it.”

I wanted to believe his words so badly, but I knew in the depths of my heart that I wasn’t a princess, and fairy tale endings weren’t in the cards for me.

The best part about waking up next to Osiris the next morning was he had coffee and breakfast ready for me. That Sunday we spent playing games and scrolling through internet memes. We would laugh for hours and sometimes he would just kiss me, making me believe that I was a princess in a modern fairy tale. However, as the day went on, I found myself feeling the dread again.

That night, I looked at my friends who were drinking wine and playing smash brothers.

“I love you guys.” I said. Some of them stopped to look at me and their faces grew dark.

“Star...”

I began to tear up, letting my emotions get the best of me. “I just... I want you guys to know that. You are the best friends I’ve ever had, and I am really thankful to have grown with you guys.” By then I couldn’t speak anymore and Osiris pulled me against him hard.

“Starlite, NOTHING is going to hurt you. No one, and I mean NO ONE will lay a finger on you without getting to us first. We will protect you. I promise.”

My friends were all around me, nodding vigorously, some of them with tears in their eyes. They were great people, and even better friends.

Monday, we all went our separate ways. I stayed home with at least one person at all times. I thought about why the library had to close so early, and if maybe it was because the faculty knew that the Dean was after me. It seemed dumb and I tried to not think about it while I spent most of the day writing my script for my Screenwriting final. It followed a young girl who had been dreaming about a man, who suddenly appears in her life, but to actually be together they have to overthrow the Dean of her school, who is jealous of her purity. I tried to be as descriptive of my backgrounds as I could and I even had Sam go over it for me, as long as I went over hers.

Her story was about a lesbian who was attempting to gain the confidence to ask out her lifelong crush, but in the end realizes that to really love someone else you must have the confidence to love yourself unconditionally. It’s funny, because if I could rewrite my life story, I would want it to unfold the way Sam pictured hers, just with Osiris instead.

However, my story was truer to my life, and when I read it to the class on Tuesday, they loved it, and one of them even offered to film it for me next semester. There was talk of a film festival that would be revealed once the cruise wrapped up, and in those few moments, I wanted to be excited, and talk about my ideas, but I reminded myself that there was a high possibility that I wouldn’t make it to then.

As Mic was wrapping up, he started his speech. “I hope that my lessons have stuck with you, and that you’ve learned something more than just how to be successful in your career area of choice. I hope you’ve learned how to be creative and quick, and it’s been a pleasure working with you all. I only hope this isn’t the last time I see you.”

Some of the others students laughed but his tone made me want to cry. It was clear that he knew something, and even Sam noticed the difference this time. I didn’t stick around to give him a farewell hug like everyone else and neither did Sam. She was right behind me as I ran through the halls looking for our other friends. I wanted to escape, to get away, but no matter where I went my thoughts were still there consuming me.

I sat down, and Sam told me to stay put, that she would try to replace help, but my sanity felt very low. I laid my head back, and I meditated, trying to think of things that I could focus on. I slipped in and out of time as I attempted to calm my beating heart. I grew angry, because I knew that I was not naturally weak. I was strong, and I had people that I needed to be strong for. I curled into myself and I fought down the dread that was threatening to consume me. Moments later I could feel hands on me. Healing hands that reminded me that I wasn’t alone. That situation that I had to endure not just affected me, but those that cared about me and loved me. I took a couple deep breaths, and Thea was there practically draining the darkness away from me.

Everyone else was looking at me encouragingly, trying to get me to calm down, but Thea’s eyes showed a hint a fear. I tried to fake a smile for my friends, wanting to just go home and sleep. We parted and Osiris took me to Michy’s.

It was a quiet drive since I was on the brink of tears. I needed reassurance in those moments that we would all be okay and that I would get to stay in those places of serenity for years to come. Instead he told me he loved me, and then I kissed him, got out, and went up to the door.

Michy knew the second she saw my face that I wasn’t okay, but she didn’t push me. She gave me energy tea, burned relaxation candles, and gave me a slow lesson.

I focused on the truth that night. All I had to do was think about something I wanted to know and say “Show me the truth.”

“It can be used in any time... and... Never mind.” Michy said. She was brighter and bubblier than ever that night. “Let’s continue. Just start with somethin’ small, like think about yur parents, and say it.”

I nodded, remembering the vision we had shared. “Show me the truth.” It was a similar sensation to dropping into the past. I landed outside the hospital I was born and I saw my parents there again, except this time my mother didn’t leave. She went back inside with my father. The confusion I felt brought me back to Michy.

I could feel how furrowed my brow was, and I explained what I saw to her.

“Remember, Starlite. No vision is guaranteed to be true, besides the truth ones. Especially when ya are so full of emotions. You’re in control of what ya see, so if yur subconscious is tellin’ ya one thing, ya can always change it. For example, that day ya kicked me out of yur head, it’s possible that the emotions ya were feeling altered that vision based on that emotion, make sense?”

I nodded, a question coming to mind. “Does it work that way with all emotions, even fear? Say if I was really terrified of a zombie apocalypse, is it possible to have a vision of them taking over, or something like that?”

She laughed louder than I had ever heard her laugh before. “Maybe? If anythin’ you’re more likely to have a fake vision of your death say if ya were terrified of drownin’, or even fallin’. It’s possible ya would see yourself drownin’ or fallin’ off a building, or gettin’ caught in a fire or whatever, if ya have those kinds of irrational fears, but it would really have to consume yur subconscious to have it affect yur visions. ”

I nodded. Thinking of the vision with the dean. I had not felt any fear before it, only relief.

“In fact,” Michy said, interrupting my inner thoughts, “The less emotion ya have when ya are doing these the more truth they will have. Although, if ya have way too much emotion ya could see things that could jumpstart fate, like the death of a loved one... Ya cannot change fate.”

She looked at me when she said that, her words ringing through my head, as if somewhere in my brain they made more sense than they currently did. “If ya see someone die, there is no way to change it. It’s possible they won’t die that way, but their death is inevitable, just like everyone else’s. In fact, if ya do change it there are serious consequences, like the death of someone else...” Her face had gone sullen.

I nodded, hoping that I could remember her words.

“So, if I see my own death does that mean it’s going to happen?” I asked, trying not to give too much away.

“Ya can always choose your fate, but ya have to choose wisely. One path makes death visions go away; another sets them in stone.” Her tone was light, but I could tell she did not want to be talking about this anymore.

I didn’t respond I just went back to meditating. She got me more tea and I went back to my training.

“Try seein’ somethin’ about someone else.”

I nodded thinking about Osiris and his grandparents. “Show me the truth.” I landed in that old house I had once been in before, but this time I had a new angle and I saw his mom and his dad, sitting there with Osiris’s grandparents. His mother was very sickly at that point, but the thing that caught me off guard was her bruises, and the grip the father seemed to have on her, as if she was his possession and not his wife. The darkness in that truth scared me, and I pulled out immediately. I tried again with Violet. “Show me the truth.” I landed on the dock where Violet sits now, and I saw Osiris’s dad talking to some lady in a suit. I looked around for his mom, but she was nowhere to be found.

“You can have this piece of junk. My wife will probably die soon and then I’m going to run this business like an actual business and get rid of her obnoxious son. I’ll put him off on his aunt or something.”

I pulled out.

“Michy I don’t like the truth.” My lungs felt tight and my eyes were wet.

“Sometimes the truth is hard... But don’t be afraid. If ya know the truth, ya can take the proper steps to choose a new path. Try to see somethin’ that you’re scared about.”

I nodded, “Show me the truth.” I landed in the stairwell, where the Dean looked at me as I cried. I heard her pull the trigger and then I pulled back, not wanting to go any further. “I’m sorry Michy I can’t.”

“It’s okay. If there’s one thing I know it’s better to let things come naturally, than to force them.”

I sighed deeply, knowing she was right, but feeling awful that I was letting this situation consume me.

When Osiris picked me up, we went back to his house, which was basically my home now, and we spent the rest of the day in his room. I cried that night, more than I had ever cried in my entire life. I felt like a failure as a psychic and as a person. I wanted to call my mom and confide in her, but I knew that she would probably just be disappointed in me. I was supposed to be the daughter of the Seer of the Century, not someone who couldn’t pull themselves together.

“Star, I wish I could help you.” Osiris said to me.

“I just want things to be different. I don’t want to be the victim. I want to protect everyone, but all I can do is watch myself get shot over and over again. It’s affecting you guys and it can possibly put you all in danger and I can’t handle that.”

“We’ll be okay, it’s you that we are all worried about.”

I cried harder, knowing that no matter what I said, what I did, I couldn’t evade the truth.

“Was your session with Michy that bad?” He asked at one point, rubbing my back.

I shook my head quickly. “It was a good session, but I learned that I can’t evade death if I’ve already seen myself die. The truth still leads me there to that moment with the Dean...”

He hugged me tighter and kissed my forehead. I cried myself to sleep in his arms and I dreamt of the night sky filled with stars. My friends were all next to me staring at the sky as well. Osiris was nowhere to be found. I enjoyed the time with my friends, and I laughed at something Mo said. We got into Sam’s car and drove out into the night, laughing and staring at the ocean side filled with lights and mist.

“Don’t leave us.” Sam said to me.

“Please don’t go.” said Mo and I smiled at them sadly.

“I have to.”

I woke up in a sweat, trying not to alert Osiris. To me, the dream was a sign that my time with my loved ones was coming to an end, and I only wish things had unfolded that easily.