**New Dawn: A Star Guardian Tale** Chapter 2
Chapter 2: A Chill in Summer
I was having that dream again. Although, it felt different than before. Everything was clearer. There were more details to the formless lights that came to me. More like colorful, glittering silhouettes with the only discernible differences being their heights and body shapes. I instantly confirmed that the violet star was indeed Morgana. It wasn’t the shape that I recognized, but the light itself. It was the same light I felt earlier when she revealed she had become a Star Guardian. The light next to her was a radiant, eye catching bubblegum pink. Her figure was noticeably, unapologetically curvier than the others. Shortest of the four, the red right shone with an intoxicating air of confidence while the azure light exuded a calming serenity.
Suddenly my eyes shot open, the wailing of an old, creaky suspension ringing throughout the bus. I was two inches above my seat and falling fast. My butt collided with a well-worn seat cushion that did nothing to soften the blow. I may as well have been smacked with a metal plate. I knew where we were before my eyes had a chance to adjust to my surroundings. It was that damn bridge that went over a creek near the edge of town. It was admittedly a nice bridge; a weather-beaten cobblestone arc with a steady creek running through it with lily pads floating on the surface and rusty iron guardrails on either side. Unfortunately, the architect made a mistake, so now driving onto the bridge is now the equivalent of zooming over a speed bump.
Passengers were gasping from the sudden bumping and jerking. A man shouted at the bus driver to be careful who grumbled out an apology and told the man to sit back down. A young woman with pink hair in the seat in front of me had landed face first onto the back of the seat in front of her. Her friend with the indigo hair quickly checked on her and found that her nose was bleeding profusely. Without concern for who was watching, the indigo haired woman put a hand close to the pink haired girl’s bloody nose. She breathed softly and began to emit a soft, purple-ish blue light. In seconds the pink haired girl’s nose went from black and blue, not to mention clearly broken, to her regular skin color and original shape. They must have been two of the guardians that Ahri mentioned.
It was back at the entrance to the camp grounds. Morgana had pulled me to the cabin to get out of the murderous summer sun. That and so we could talk a bit more privately. The interior of the cabin was two rooms separated by a thin wall. The left side had two old beds topped with thin, uncomfortable mattresses and cabinets overstuffed with first aid supplies. Above one of the beds was a poster of some common poisonous snakes, plants, and insects, and above the other was a chart explaining the different levels of heat injury, from sweating and dry mouth to heat stroke. On the other side of the cabin was a desk topped with an old ham radio and a not as old computer. On a file cabinet behind the desk was a charging station for a couple of long ranged walkie talkies. The interior was so small that the small AC unit on the window was enough to chill the entire cabin.
“How long-,” I tried to find the words, any words. I was still stunned from her grand reveal. The feeling was like going down a staircase in the dark and catching yourself just after missing a step, that sense of relief and panic rolled into one. It was like learning that a close family member survived a gunshot wound, or that the train you missed got derailed, or that the friend you’ve known your entire life was now a magical superhero. “How long have you been a Star Guardian?”
“About two weeks,” she replied, but she stopped there with her mouth open. Her face went from excited to quizzical, and at that moment I realized my mistake. God. Damn. It. Why could I not keep my mouth shut? She was figuring it out in her head. The silence made me sweat more than the sweltering sun outside. Her eyes could cut steel. Her face contorted in anger so much I could see her gritted teeth as she spoke. “I never said anything about stars. Or guardians.” I wanted to disappear. All those years of hiding my secret, separating myself from her to keep it that way, and she was about to call me out. “You’ve been a Star Guardian this whole time.” Damn you, First Star. Why her? Why pick the one person I prayed would never get dragged into this life? “You disappeared for hours at a time to fight space bugs -god knows where-, and you told me I worried too much.”
"Because I didn’t want you involved in any of this.” When I looked at her, I saw her from back then. Back in my old apartment when were both young and… passionate. We had been living together for a few months then. Aside from a few material possessions, we were all each other had left. My heart continued to sink lower in my chest. “You had just lost everything. I didn’t want you thinking you might lose me too.” I could see her fighting back a tear. I tried to put a hand on her shoulder, but she smacked it away and wiped her eye.
“I-,” she choked, “Maybe I would have kept worrying. Maybe I wouldn’t have wanted you to fight so I wouldn’t lose you.” I could see the sides of her mouth starting to twitch and her eyes, those hazel orbs that I used to lose myself in every day, began to quiver. “But you left. You didn’t want me to lose you, so you left.” She sobbed and the floodgates opened. Tears dripped from the corners of her eyes and ran across her cheeks. I didn’t think my heart could feel any heavier. Every breath was cold and exhausting. She wiped her eyes, but there were still streaks on her face. “What kind of bullshit logic is that, huh?”
“M…” I had nothing to say. I felt paralyzed. My nerves were like ice. She couldn’t stop crying. Instinctively, I wanted to reach out to her, find some way to console her. She was less than two steps in front of me, but trying to move my arms it felt like she was at the top of Mount Targon, miles away from here. “You’re right.” I made a mistake walking out on her. It didn’t matter what happened. I should have stayed. “I’m sorry, M.” I somehow found the strength to take a step forward. “I’m sorry for everything.”
The palm of her right hand flew across my face, putting a stop to my attempted embrace. It was half-assed. I may be tall and muscular, but I knew what she was capable of. If she wanted to, she could have made a much louder smack than that. My left cheek didn’t even sting. Her shoulders rose and fell with each hastened breath, eyes fixed on me. I didn’t stop her left hand from making contact with the other side of my face. She still wasn’t trying. Her left hand came up again. “Idiot,” she said through her furious sobs. Her right hand struck me. “Stupid!” She was almost shouting. Each hand kept coming one after the other followed by another insult. I stood there and took each blow. I deserved all of it. If she and I were going to be Star Guardians together, we had to get over the past, and this was but the first step. When she eventually stopped, her face was buried in my chest and hands resting on my shoulders. I could feel her tears soaking through my shirt. Slowly I put my arms around her, my left hand on her back and my right on her head. Her thick, onyx hair had the familiar scent of coconut. Before I had the chance to reminisce, the front door of the cabin was pushed open. In walked the one who I believed was the real reason Morgana denied my request to come out here with them.
“Professor,” Ahri said before she was able to assess our situation.
“What,” both Morgana and I answered simultaneously. She raised her head and took a step back from me. We both taught in the natural sciences school at Valoran City University.
“Professor Morgana.” She had to put emphasis on Morgana’s name and pretend I wasn’t in the room. Ahri was less than fond of me, and it was apparent she did not expect to see me here of all places. “We need bandages. Some kid hurt himself on…” She trailed off. I could see her eyes darting between Morgana and myself. I didn’t have to imagine very hard what she might be thinking. Morgana’s face was still red and the many streaks on her face added to the evidence of her tears. “What’s going on?” She kept her fiery gaze locked me as she put herself between Morgana and I. She jabbed a finger at my chest. It was a chilling touch from the AC and the wetness of my shirt. “What did you do!?” Her other hand formed into a fist, and she raised it to face level. I was not intimidated. “I swear, if you did anything perverted-”
“Ahri, stop,” Morgana said. She put a hand on Ahri’s forearm and pulled it down to her side. Ahri stepped aside looking puzzled but still cautious toward me. “It’s not what you think. Apparently Taric’s a Star Guardian too.”
“What?” This time it was Ahri and I who spoke in unison. We looked at each other in surprise. I thought it was a possibility when I first met her. Perhaps her power had not been awakened back then, or maybe she was like me and kept her power closely guarded. I admit I was probably staring too intently when I first saw her. I was trying to figure out if her light was that of a Star Guardian, but before I had the chance to determine that, she called me a creep and a prevent then spent the next year actively avoiding me.
“Was that you fighting those void spawn last night,” I asked her.
“Y-yeah,” Ahri stammered. I don’t think she knew what to make of the situation. “My team and some teenagers.” She tried to keep her usual cool aura, but her eyes constantly shifting from one thing to another gave her away. “My team is still here, but the others are waiting for the bus.”
“Is Morgana part of your team?”
“No. She’s new to the whole thing. I don’t think she’s even fully transformed yet.”
“Wait,” Morgana said, eyes wide, “transform? Into what?”
“We’ll get there,” I assured her. “I’ll help you figure out your powers.” I reached up and put a hand on her shoulder. “I promise I won’t leave you again.” Ahri suddenly remembered what she came in for and snuck away to the medicine cabinet.
“I…” She stepped away, shrugging me off. She took a deep breath. Ahri slipped past me and went for the door. “I forgive you.” Morgana began to follow Ahri outside. “And I’ll let you teach me, but I’m not ready to love you again.” She closed the door behind her, leaving me alone in the room as cold as the frosty tip of Mount Targon.
Hey guys, it's chapter two! Finally. [sg-lulu]