Continuing (The Starlight Chronicles Book 5) Read online

  I figured charm was the best way to respond to that. After pulling her close, I gently kissed her cheek. “I’d do it forever, so long as you’re with me.”

  When she only looked at me somberly, I sighed and looked skyward. “That’s why these next few days are going to be hard.”

  “It’ll be alright, in the end,” Raiya said, her voice quiet as her eyes held mine. “You’ll see.”

  “I’ll be waiting for you,” I told her, gripping my arms more tightly around her.

  Before we could say anything else, Aleia came up beside us. Her blonde hair was bound back with her small crown of starlight, and her eyes were wide and awake. She was bursting with energy, and some part of me envied her anticipation.

  Behind her, I could see the outline of the Meallán, St. Brendan the Navigator’s ship, as it finished casting its grand anchor into Lake Erie.

  She waved excitedly. “Are you coming?” she asked.

  ☼3☼

  Mary

  “Are you coming?” Mrs. Smithe’s voice cut through my subconscious viciously in its professionalism, like a doctor handing out a sad diagnosis. “Hello, Dinger, are you there?”

  “Huh?” I blinked, and suddenly I was back in my world, days and weeks apart from Raiya’s departure, alone in my class, with my Game Pac beeping and flashing the “Game Over” signal over the screen.

  Martha was waving her hand in front of my face. “I asked you to come and see me once class was over, remember?”

  “Oh. Yeah.” I stood up, vaguely realizing class was over, and I was the only one left. “Sorry.”

  I wanted to see Raiya again. It had been a couple weeks, moving closer to a month. There’s something about seeing others—hearing their voice, feeling the warmth of their being, seeing their smiles—something you can only get when they are with you in real life.

  I wanted to see her again, but I couldn’t. I had to continue on, working to keep the city safe, my schoolwork finished, and my career focus sharp. While I didn’t often have time to mope at missing her, it still didn’t seem fair. Not in the least, if you can imagine it.

  The only good part about getting through this, I thought forlornly, is that she should be back soon.

  My feet shuffled, appropriately, I thought, as I sauntered up to Martha’s desk.

  “I would ask you if you were amused by the section on bureaucracy and media in the lecture,” Mrs. Smithe began, “but I have a feeling you’re not even thinking about that, are you?”

  “If you’re worried about my performance because of Gwen—”

  “I’ve known for some time now, Dinger, that you’ve got a new girlfriend, despite what you want your friends, and Gwen’s friends, to think.”

  Shocked at hearing her say it, I nearly hissed at her. I’d forgotten that I’d taken Raiya out on a date to a football game, shortly after finding out she was Starry Knight (it was not her first choice of date nights, but I’d convinced her to go for my sake.) We’d had a really lovely time together, but we’d been more than surprised to find Martha sitting in the visitor section behind us. “I would appreciate your silence on the matter.”

  “There’s no need to worry,” she snapped. “I know that it’s better to avoid trouble. There’s no use in making your life more difficult than it has to be.” For a brief moment, her eyes glazed over, before she wrinkled her nose. “I know that better than most, too.”

  I wondered if she was thinking about her time in the hospital last year. “I guess I should have known that,” I muttered, somewhat apologetic.

  Her eyes narrowed as they gazed at me over thick, black frames. “A teacher knows these things,” she murmured, “and other things as well, Hamilton. There comes a point when the price is too high, and it’s better to figure it out before it’s paid.”

  Martha always made me nervous when she said my first name. Recalling how she helped Raiya and me sneak away to attend to some Starlight Warrior business last semester, I frowned. Is she trying to tell me something?

  “Mikey might know something of that too, considering how often he has been in detention,” Mrs. Smithe added, breaking me from my thoughts.

  When I remembered what Raiya had said before about payment and punishment, I almost flinched.

  “I asked you up here because of Mikey,” she continued. “I know he’s your best friend, and he’s been in the hospital for more than two months now. Given the circumstances,” she said, nodding in the direction of my seat, “especially after your lack of performance today, I thought I’d check in.”

  I looked at her for a long moment before dropping my eyes to the ground. “He’s not well.”

  “I’ll bet he could use a visit from you, and Raiya, too. Just like how you came to see me when I was in the hospital before. Have you visited him lately?”

  “I was thinking of going again soon,” I promised, trying to avoid answering that directly. The truth was, he wasn’t keen on seeing me, and Raiya, despite everything her healing powers were capable of doing, wasn’t able to heal him.

  “And Raiya? Will she be back in school tomorrow?” Mrs. Smithe asked as she started stacking up several papers and evening them out into a neat pile.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Do you know where she is?” Mrs. Smithe asked. “The principal told me she has used up all the days she’s allowed, before they drop her from school.”

  “What?” I asked. “They can’t do that.”

  “That’s the attendance policy of the school,” she asserted, tweaking her glasses. “I thought I’d let you know, so you might be able to let her know.”

  “She has medical reasons.”

  “True, but she also has responsibilities here at school.” Martha’s eyes, dark but soft, flickered to mine. “I think it would help,” she said through pursed lips, “if you let her know.”

  Panic hit me harder than I would’ve liked. I can’t do anything about that! She’s not even in this dimension!

  Before I could form a logical, non-stammering reaction to Martha’s information, the door burst open.

  And Raiya—or rather, a girl who looked like Raiya—walked in.

  “Hi, Mrs. Smithe,” she said. “I was hoping to catch you. I’m sorry I missed class today.”

  My head nearly exploded. This is not Raiya. What’s going on!?

  The girl had the same long, golden brown hair as Raiya—right down to the dark, copper undertones and the loosely bound bun; she was of similar, if not exact, height, and her face even seemed relatively similar. Or at least, it would have been, if I didn’t know every sparkle and slant of Raiya’s eyes, the slope of all her different smiles.

  The girl standing before me was even wearing a Rosemont uniform!

  If this is a joke, Raiya has outdone herself.

  My fists clenched. If this is a demon, I thought angrily, I’m going to make her suffer so much she’ll willingly succumb to a fate of nothingness.

  I looked back and forth between Mrs. Smithe and the would-be Raiya, and I didn’t know what to do.

  Martha, ever the voice of reason, spoke up. “Ferme ta bouche, Dinger. It’s hardly an attractive look.”

  I clasped my mouth shut as Mrs. Smithe began going over what “Raiya” had missed in class.

  “Thanks for all the help, Mrs. Smithe,” the girl replied, more chipper than Raiya would have been. “I’ll get the work back to you as soon as I can.”

  “I’m sure Dinger here will be more than happy to help you out,” Mrs. Smithe replied, making me nearly gape at her again.

  Am I the only one who sees that this is not Raiya?

  “In fact,” Mrs. Smithe continued, “I’ll write passes for you both, so he can catch you up with the notes he took today.”

  “Humdinger here actually took notes?”

  Hearing Raiya’s evil twin use the real Raiya’s endearment for me made my fists flex involuntarily.

  “Sure,” I agreed through gritted teeth. “Let’s talk for a few moments.”

  “Don’t forget to hurry,” Mrs. Smithe reminded us as she grabbed her presumably empty coffee mug and her papers. “You need to skedaddle to your next class.”

  “Right,” I agreed.

  “Thanks, Mrs. Smithe!”

  My eyes, narrowed and angry, fixated on her the moment the door shut behind Martha. “Alright, what’s your deal?”

  Her eyes, so similar to springtime violets, glittered with amusement. “I’m glad to see that there’s no fooling you,” she said slowly. “You must really, truly be in love. Aren’t you, Almeisan?”

  I was nearly knocked down by the use of my Star name. “How—?” I stammered. “How do you know who I am? Who are you?”

  She giggled. “I mean you no harm,” she replied. “My name is Mary.”

  “Mary?” I repeated the sound of her name, as if it was completely alien. “Mary who?”

  “I actually have quite a following,” she murmured, her eyes brimming with humility, “but I can understand your situation. I know you have not remembered your time in the Immortal Realm. This world’s pull is quite influential.”

  “That doesn’t answer my question.”

  “It’s hard to explain,” she said, “but I have been sent here. Your Raiya needs more time with Alora. I have come to take her place until she returns.”

  “You’ll never take her place,” I asserted, my tone full of vitriol.

  “There’s no need to think that,” she said gently, making my anger flame into shame and sadness. “I’m here to make it easier on her, as much as you.”

  “This seems to make it harder for me.”

  “Raiya won’t have to worry about re-enrolling in school if I’m here for the next few weeks,” Mary pointed out.

  “A few weeks?” I repeated. “What’s going on up there, at Time’s Star? What could be taking her so long?”

  “Choice, for one,” Mary surmised.

  Unexpectedly, I faltered. Aleia had once told me how Raiya longed to return to the Immortal Realm, where the Celestial Kingdom was located. This was her chance to go home—or at least, it was the closest she was able to get for now. I shouldn’t hold it against her if she wanted to stay for a bit longer.

  “I guess,” I grumbled. “If you’re here until she comes back, that at least tells me she will be coming back.”

  “Of course.” Mary nodded. “I wouldn’t have come if she wasn’t coming back. I’ve been substituting for people for years, some of them while they have wandered from their paths or went on great journeys into other realms.”

  I just stared at her, no doubt an odd look on my face.

  “It might be helpful to have me around,” Mary continued, “in a practical sense. I can help watch your brother, for example, while you work on fighting off the Sinisters. I might even be able to help Rachel in her café. I think Raiya would like that, don’t you? Her cousin is one of her favorite people.”

  Practicality was a necessity in the superhero business. And there was no denying that I was tired of watching Adam and seeing if Letty, Raiya’s aunt, and Rachel’s mother could take care of him for a few hours while we fought off demons (while she thought we at the movies or doing homework, of course.)

  “You’re sure you’re not a demon?” I asked slowly.

  Her smile was immediate; something she would have to work on if she was going to imitate Raiya for the next couple of weeks. “Of course. You know that. Your mark hasn’t signaled to you that I’m a threat.”

  I glanced down at the Emblem of the Prince, blood-red mark, the four-point star on the underside of my wrist. “I suppose,” I replied, still frowning. It seemed she knew about me, and about my supernatural abilities. “Still, I’m going to see Aleia about this.”

  Mary nodded. “I understand. You can check with Elysian, too. He might even remember me.”

  “Oh, I will,” I assured her. I glanced at the clock, somewhat desperate to get away. “I gotta go. I’ll see you later.”

  “At Rachel’s, I’m sure.”

  I hated that she seemed to know me so well. I also hated that I had a feeling she was telling the truth, and while I had every reason in the world to hope and eagerly look for Raiya’s return, I was more than upset at hearing she would not be back as soon as I thought.

  There are other things I need to think about right now, I reminded myself as I headed off to my next class. I’ll get more answers when I talk to Aleia.

  ☼4☼

  Investigation

  All throughout the day, as I ran into Mary, I went through the different steps of excitement, as I mistook her for Raiya, and then disappointment, as I realized she wasn’t; this was followed by suspicion and unease, as I wondered again what was happening that required Raiya’s absence for so long, or if she was in trouble.

  Mary made it worse when she would talk to me. I think she took the hint around eighth period because she stopped.

  I almost wished that Elysian would come and try to coerce me into skipping class.

  It was, I argued with myself, still possible Mary was an imposter. Part of me half-hoped she was, just so I could get rid of her, along with the resulting ache in my chest.

  When the last bell of the day rang, I hurried out of the school. Not even Jason and Poncey were able to catch up with me. I could hear them calling—and my ego loved them for it—but my feet were determined to take me to the answers pulsating through my mind.

  Ironic, I’m headed for a church. I almost felt like it was something like going to confession.

  “Kid.” I jumped as Elysian came along side me out of the darkness.

  “Elysian.” I slowed down some. “What are you doing here?”

  “Aleia sent me to get you once school was out.”

  “I’m headed her way now.”

  “I noticed. I almost missed you as you left. You’re in hurry today.” He looked over at me, his dragon teeth exposed in a teasing grin. “Bad day?”

  “I didn’t miss you, if that’s what you’re worried about,” I said. “But yes, I did have a bad day.”

  “Any demons?” He frowned. “I didn’t sense anything wrong while I was waiting for you.”

  “I wish,” I scoffed. “It’s worse.”

  “I know it’s your first day back,” Elysian grumbled, “but surely even those college prep tests you complain about—”

  “I met Starry Knight’s replacement,” I interrupted. “She looks like her, but it’s not her. And other people think it is her.”

  “What are you talking about?” Elysian asked, stopping short as we headed through the shadowed gate, the one I knew from past meetings led through the cathedral’s gardens in the back. “Starry Knight has a replacement?”

  “I see you’ve met Mary, then,” Aleia spoke up from behind us.

  Elysian and I turned simultaneously to see Aleia, in her nun’s habit, working with a basket of flowers and herbs by her side.

  “Yes,” I grumbled, deciding to forgo any greetings, especially as her remark managed to further send my mood plummeting.

  Aleia sighed. “I warned her that you would be difficult.”

  “She’s real then? She’s not a demon monster attempting to fool us?”

  “I’m sorry, Hamilton, but no. She’s come to help us out. We need to be grateful.”

  “I’m grateful that she’ll be helping us out,” I corrected her, “but this means something is keeping Raiya, and Orpheus, too, from returning.”

  “So that’s why you’re being a bitter-butt about the whole thing,” Elysian said.

  “Excuse me?” I turned to him. “You’re not worried that something is wrong?”

  “There’s very little we can do if there is something wrong,” Aleia said ruefully. “And just because they have been delayed longer, there’s no need to assume that something has gone wrong.” She looked pointedly at me. “Even in Eternity, things have their appointed time.”

  “There’s still no reason to think something hasn’t gone wrong. How do we fix it?” I asked.

  Elysian stuck his tongue out at me before making kissing noises. I glared at him, but he only attempted to keep his giggles inside of his fat mouth.

  I (eventually) ignored him. As much as I missed Raiya, I was sure Aleia wanted to see Orpheus again, too. After all, he had been her intended, her match on the other side of Time.

  “I am not sure,” Aleia said quietly. “And again, I’m not sure something has gone wrong.”

  “I don’t think you should waste the time worrying about it.” Elysian sneered. “After all, Starry Knight did say she has to earn a new wish. That could be something that would delay her.”

  “What? She said that?” Aleia blinked. “I know she wanted to see about returning to the Celestial Kingdom, but earning a new wish isn’t possible.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked. “Aren’t a lot of things that are supposed to be impossible just actually highly improbable?”

  “Some things,” Aleia admitted tersely, her lips pursed in irritation. “But that would be a call of the Prince, or even his father.”

  “There’s a king?” I asked, surprised I hadn’t thought of that earlier.

  “Yes, there is.”

  “What’s he like?” I asked. Maybe we can appeal to him if the Prince of Stars doesn’t feel like catering to us.

  “If you have met the Prince, you know what the father is like.”

  “What kind of ruler sends his son to oversee his fallen Stars?” That was something I wouldn’t know. I wanted to run for president one day, not king or emperor … although it could be a nice fantasy.

  “You know the answer to that,” Aleia assured me as she turned back to her gardening.

  I hated it when she used that tone with me. What if I don’t actually know what you’re talking about? Or what if I don’t want to waste the time trying to figure out the answer when you could just tell me?

  I sighed. “It’s still hard to think of that kind of stuff,” I finally said.

  Elysian rolled his eyes. “It must be hard for you to come out into the real world, where you can’t be as selfish and self-absorbed as usual.”