Chapter 2: The Familiar Stars
952 Words
Ayamani helped Tassa prepare dinner while Nia'le was upstairs taking a bath.
Leaning against the bathroom wall, Nia'le let the warm water run down his body. One hand rested on his forehead as he thought about the events from three years ago.
A familiar face appeared in his mind.
A girl.
A girl he had searched for ever since they were separated.
His jaw tightened.
Without warning, he punched the wall.
Bang!
Downstairs, Tassa heard the sound.
She turned toward Ayamani.
"Is Nia'le alright?"
Ayamani continued helping her chop vegetables.
"I don't care whether he's alive or dead."
He reached into the cabinet and handed her a cabbage.
Then he gave her a knife and helped wash the vegetables.
Tassa narrowed her eyes at him.
Ayamani stopped what he was doing.
"What?"
Instead of answering, Tassa stood up and headed toward the stairs.
"I'm going to check on him."
Ayamani quickly grabbed her wrist.
"You don't need to worry about him."
Tassa gently removed his hand.
"I'm just going to check if this sweet sir is alright. You stay here and finish dinner."
"Our dinner?" Ayamani asked.
"No, your dinner. I'm not cooking for that stranger."
Tassa sighed.
"Ayamani, what is wrong with you?"
"I'll tell you what's wrong. I can't cook."
Then he added,
"And stop acting like Maria Teresa, Quart."
The moment the name left his mouth, Ayamani froze.
Tassa froze too.
Slowly, she turned toward him.
"Quart?"
Her voice trembled.
"Did you just call me Quart?"
Ayamani looked away.
"He's fine."
He tried to walk off.
But Tassa stopped him.
"I know I'm nosy, and I know you hate it. But Ayamani... what exactly are you? And how do you know that name?"
For a moment, silence filled the room.
Then Ayamani sighed.
"I'm a Grim Reaper, Tassa."
He paused.
"And I know you. I know everything."
With that, he walked away.
Tassa remained standing there, confused.
---
A few minutes later, Nia'le stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist.
As he walked onto the mezzanine, he saw Tassa speaking to thin air.
He couldn't see Ayamani, but he could feel his presence.
"Finished cooking yet?" Nia'le asked.
Tassa looked up.
"Not really. I only washed and sliced the cabbage."
Nia'le smiled faintly.
"Then finish your work before talking to invisible things."
He waved casually and started walking away.
"Call me when dinner's ready. I'll go put on some clothes."
"Don't take too long," Tassa warned.
"If I call you and you're not there, you won't get a single bite."
Nia'le rolled his eyes and left without replying.
---
Instead of going to his room, Nia'le stepped onto the balcony.
The night sky stretched endlessly above him.
Countless stars glittered between the drifting clouds.
He leaned against the railing and closed his eyes.
"Run left. I'll go right."
The memory echoed in his mind.
A promise.
A final goodbye.
A mistake.
"Where are you?" he whispered.
His gaze drifted toward the dark forest beyond the mansion.
Everything that happened three years ago still felt fresh in his memory.
He lowered his head.
"Living underground is safer than living among people."
A bitter smile crossed his face.
"They'll only understand eight percent of your story. Ninety percent becomes doubt, and the remaining two percent is what they choose to believe."
---
Eventually, Tassa finished preparing dinner.
She carefully placed the food on the table.
Two plates.
Two cups.
Everything neatly arranged.
"Does it look nice?" she asked.
Ayamani simply nodded.
Tassa smiled proudly.
Taking her upstairs, Ayamani helped guide her toward Nia'le.
She was about to enter a room when Ayamani stopped her.
"Not there. He's on the balcony."
Tassa paused.
Her fingers brushed against the carvings on the door.
Three stars.
She frowned.
Something felt familiar.
Very familiar.
But she ignored the feeling and continued walking.
Soon, she reached the balcony.
"Daydreaming?" she asked.
Nia'le turned around.
"Something like that."
He walked toward her and gently took her arm.
"Come on. Let's eat."
As they headed downstairs, Nia'le guided her.
But Tassa still stretched her hands out carefully.
She wasn't as comfortable with him as she was with Ayamani.
Then her fingers brushed against a vase.
Suddenly, she stopped.
Nia'le frowned.
"What's wrong?"
Tassa touched the vase carefully.
Her expression changed.
"This vase..."
She swallowed.
"It's black with three pink lines, isn't it?"
Nia'le blinked.
"...Yes."
Tassa's breathing became uneven.
"Wait."
Her hand trembled.
"There are more, aren't there?"
Silence.
"A vase in every corner of the mansion."
Nia'le stared at her.
Tassa's voice became quieter.
"And somewhere inside... there should be magical tulips that never die."
Tears slowly formed in her eyes.
She clenched her fists.
"The carvings on the doors..."
Her voice cracked.
"They're stars. Three stars on each one."
Nia'le's expression turned serious.
"How do you know that?"
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
A trembling smile appeared on her face.
"It's because..."
She paused.
"It's my home."
Nia'le froze.
"I used to live here."
The realization struck her like lightning.
Everything suddenly made sense.
The magic barrier.
The familiar feeling.
The carvings.
The vases.
The tulips.
Tassa wiped her tears.
"We didn't walk here."
Nia'le frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"The magic barrier teleported us."
She turned toward him.
"I escaped from a hospital in New York."
Nia'le's eyes widened.
"But this mansion isn't in America."
"No."
Tassa smiled sadly.
"This mansion is in the United Kingdom."
Nia'le stared at her.
"So we're in the UK right now?"
Tassa nodded.
"Yes."
A moment of silence passed.
Then Nia'le asked,
"Where exactly?"
Tassa looked toward the familiar darkness beyond the mansion.
A place she once called home.
"Wales."
The room fell silent.
- Writer
