Lina Fischer - The Falling of the Stars

“My dear, show me what you got, I don’t waste my time at boring balls.” He waved his hand through the room, and I felt a breeze against my soft skin. “Show me now, or your mother won’t live another second,” he said calmly.

I couldn’t speak, fighting the urge to run up to him and attack him.

“As you please, my child,” and he shot another ball at her. Anger burned in my chest as I saw her chest go still.

He started to approach her, and I was driven with more fury with every step he took. I felt a strange power surrounding me, but I didn’t have time to think about it.

I almost flew at him. “Leave her alone, you sick monster!” I screamed, so loud I thought the windows would shatter.

“Don’t be so hasty girl, I just want to make sure I got her,” he said, grinning.

“You,” I said, as I took a step towards him, “you killed my mother!”

The power was almost consuming me. I had never felt as powerful as I did in that moment. “Go to hell!” was the only thing I was able to yell before the power unleashed and consumed the whole room.

He was hurt, but not as badly as I hoped, and the only thing he said before vanishing into the dark was:

“Do not worry my child, I will be back.”

The Aftershock

I jumped as I heard footsteps approaching, and felt an instant relief as I saw Eden’s face light up.

“Astoria!” he yelled as he ran towards me. “I heard you scream, is everything alright?” he asked, worried. Suddenly, the sharp pain came back, and with every breath I took it consumed more and more of my body.

I looked over Eden’s shoulder at my mother. She’s dead because of me. I broke down in his arms.

“She’s dead, she’s gone,” I heard my father say as he checked her pulse. I saw a tear roll down his face as I walked over to him. He put his arms around Mom and me, and it was like time stopped. The memories flashed before my eyes like a nightmare. This will haunt me until the last breath I take.

“Dad, I’m sorry,” I said quietly, but he shushed me before I could say anything more.

“Astoria, none of this is your fault. We knew it was only a matter of time until he came for you,” he tried to reassure me.

“Who is he and why is he after me? What did I do to him?” I exclaimed.

“He’s the one we do not talk about. He is the devil, one of the most powerful shadows there are. No lighter has ever been able to fight him,” he explained.

“What are you talking about?”

“Once there lived shadows and lighters together in peace, demons and angels like you’ve read about. They got along well and even started their own families – that is until the demons got jealous because the angels had healing power and were able to perform magic. They don’t know why; it is said it was a gift from God, because they’re his children.

One day a demon went to Satan and begged him to give them a gift, so they could be treated equally. Satan was never one to do as he was told, so he gave him a task to complete first: He would only give them power if they sacrificed every angel they knew and brought them to him.

The demons did as they were told. They came back to the village and attacked the angels. They weren’t ready, got taken by surprise, and had no chance against them. But the demons didn’t manage to capture everyone; seven of them managed to escape.”

“The seven archangels, right?” I interrupted.

“Yes, the seven archangels Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael, Saraqael, Raquel, and Remiel managed to escape the shadows and searched for protection from God.

God was furious when he heard the news, and he cast a spell to prevent the shadows from entering our world. Nonetheless, some of them always found their way through with portals, and a war started between the lighters and shadows.

It went on for over a decade, and many people died. Everyone thinks that all of this is a silly myth, but we know it is the truth,” he told me.

“How do we know it isn’t a myth?”

“Because they still exist.”

Clarity

“What do you mean they still exist?»

“Don’t you understand? Why he came to get you? Why you were able to scare him off?”

“But how?” I was getting more and more confused.

“You have special powers. You are not ordinary,” he said with proud eyes.

“Dad what are you implying?” I asked, trying to get everything sorted out in my head.

“Tell me, Astoria, have you noticed anything strange in the last few days?” he questioned.

I remembered the headaches I had, the strange feeling in my chest and the change of colour in my eyes. “Yes, I have,” I answered.

“Now tell me, what colour did your eyes change to?” he asked.

I only remembered snippets of the moment that I noticed the change. The only thing I saw was my eyes having the same colour of the night sky with stars.

“They were like the night sky, with sparkles like stars,” I answered him. His eyebrows shot up.

I saw him looking over at Eden, remembering that he was in the room as well. They exchanged a glance, and I could tell that Dad had given him a signal.

“Dad, what does that mean?” I asked.

“Don’t worry honey, you’re safe here. Please go rest in your room, I’m sure you have much to process,” and with that said, he left the room after Eden.

I wasn’t ready to leave my mother and I took her hand in mine and just sat there for a few minutes trying to find a real explanation for what just had happened.

“Mom, I wish you were here. I feel so alone. I wish you would’ve told me the truth; that’s what I deserved as your daughter. Why did you lie to me?” I whispered into her cold hair as the tears came streaming down my face as I got more and more frustrated.

I stayed next to her until morning came, and with it people to move her. I took one last glance at the woman who raised me.

On the way to my room, I came across some portraits of my mother and me. It had been our tradition to take a picture on my birthday every year. Suddenly a memory came flooding back:

“Astoria! Hurry up, before we take the photo I’d like to give you something,” she said joyfully, handing me a beautiful necklace with a star on it.

“Mom, it’s absolutely breath-taking, where did you get it?” I asked as I put the necklace on.

“Let’s say it belonged to a very special person that wanted me to give you this on your sixteenth birthday,” she said.

“Well, tell that person that I absolutely love this necklace and I will never take it off,” I said happily.

“Now ladies, are you ready for your big photoshoot?” the photographer asked with a big smile on his face.

“Yes, we are,” we both said, and laughed.

“Now say Happy Birthday Astoria!” he exclaimed as he took a photo.

The flash brought me back to reality as I realised that I instinctively held onto my necklace, which felt cold against my skin.

I heard footsteps approaching and saw that Eden was walking towards me. “Did you know?” I asked him, furious.

“What do you mean?” he said with a questioning look on his face.

“Did you know that I’m a lighter?” I exclaimed.

“I am sorry Astor–”

“So you knew the whole time and you never told me?” I interrupted him angrily.

“I wasn’t allowed to, it was for your own safety,” he said.

“Well look where that got us! I just can’t believe you lied to my face like that for so long,” I said, shaking my head. I felt the exhaustion in my eyes as I looked at the person I once knew best. “I feel like I don’t know who you are anymore. Why are you always on their side and never on mine?”

“I care about you, that’s why, and because I know what risks come with knowing the truth!”