Trial
Wynnona
The ship no longer needed someone to be piloting it. I turned to the two people I call family sitting behind me. For a moment, my eyes flicker down to my bag before moving back to my friends. There is a strange yellow glow coming from inside the bag that calls my attention back to it. Grabbing the bag, I open it to grab the journal. The yellow stone is shimmering, dark gold flecks swirling in its surface. The glow died down and the stone slowly disappeared.
"What in the world?" I ask, staring at the place there was once a stone. Keya runs her fingers along the leather surface of the book, but still no stone. It's just gone.
"How could it be there one second then gone the next?" Keya questions.
"Jake said that there was a person trapped inside of this journal, maybe it has something to do with that." I say, throwing out a theory to the two.
"How is that possible?" Brett asks skeptically.
"There's a lot we don't know or understand out here." I tell him, looking up into his blue eyes. "This book is likely the only thing we can trust." I shift my eyes over to Keya, who is giving Brett her best puppy eyes.
"Fine." He sighs, unbuckling from his seat and standing. He raises his arms above his head, stretching. His shirt rides up on his stomach slightly, showing off a small part of his toned stomach and strong V-line. I glare at his stomach and place my cold fingers against his warm skin. He yelps and jumps back, making both Keya and I laugh.
"You are a cruel creature and I hate you." He tells me as he glares, cuddling his hands protectively over his stomach. "I'm going to go find some place to sleep." He informs the two of us as we continue laughing, exiting the control room.
"I'm going to join him." Keya tells me softly once we both sober up. She stands, following her boyfriend. "The room closest to here is all yours. I'm exhausted." She yawns and stretches her arms above her head as proof of this fact. I unbuckle and stand to my feet, Stardust yipping happily.
"Sleep well babe." I tell her, wrapping my arms around her shoulders. "Thank you." I whisper to her softly. Learning everything I have in the last couple hours I don't think I would be able to survive this on my own.
"Anything for you. I love you." She says warmly while pulling away. She smiles at me and wonders off after her boyfriend. I sit back down and kick off my boots, pulling my knees up to my chest so that my feet rest on the chair, my toes dangling off. Looking through the window of the ship, the galaxy around it flying by, I can't help but feel lonely. Out here with knowledge I don't remember ever gaining.
My hand reaches up and touches the skin under my right eye. Maybe out here, in the wide-open span of nothingness, is where I belong.
I've always been a freak. No one understands how I can do any of what I do. I'm unexplainable. Maybe I do belong out in space, out here with all the other weirdos. I feel my eyes grow heavy and soon close, the subtle hum of the ship lulling me to sleep.
«----------»
A tall woman with flowing white hair stands in front of me. There are different strips of her pale white hair that have been stained a different colour. Red, orange, yellow, blue, green, purple, and black. The same colours of the stones on the journal.
"So, you've finally decided to show up." The melodic voice I've been hearing all day says softly. She doesn't turn around, preventing me from seeing her face.
"Who are you?" I ask, looking around. There is nothing but endless blank space around us. "Where am I?"
"I don't have long, but I swear all will be answered soon." She still doesn't turn to look at me. I step forward and feel my foot sink into something. "Trust the fox. He will show you where you really need to go. Follow the rules in my book and don't trust where the ship is taking you." The urgency in her voice makes me want to believe her, to trust her. I take another step and fight to free my left foot. Once it's free, I step forward. She's within arms reach. I reach out to touch her, but the ground beneath me shatters like glass.
"Wait!" I shout as I fall.
«----------»
My eyes open swiftly as I take in a deep gasp of air. That was so strange. I look in front of me and see Stardust curled up on the seat beside me, his small body wrapped around the journal. I look over to the control panel. I trust my instincts and click one of the many buttons. The whole ship just stops moving, allowing me to see the twisting star system in front of me. A sense of comfort fills me as I study it all. The universe is beautiful, absolutely stunning.
I brush the hair over my right eye out of my face and behind my ear. The strange purple eye I was born with now on full display for all eyes to see. The room around me starts to fade and lose colour. Everything turns a sort of beige colour.
"You shouldn't push yourself so hard." A male voice from behind me speaks with concern. I recognize it as the man from my strange dream yesterday. About the little girl and the strange woman making something. I turn my chair to see the same man giving a stern look to someone sitting beside me. I look over to see the pale woman who was baking. She has a very round belly, looking like she swallowed a planet.
"You know full well I am perfectly fine." She grumbles to her husband.
"Inezze, my love, please go easy on yourself." He sighs in defeat. He walks over to his wife and massages her neck. She hums in pleasure at the contact.
"You worry more now then you did while I was pregnant with our son." The woman, Inezze, laughs.
"I didn't know what was happening then, I do now." He teases back, bending down and kissing her cheek. She hums in response. Then, a little boy comes running from an unknown direction. He looks the same as the boy from my dream, but younger.
"Mama!" The little boy calls, arms open as he runs to her. The boys father lifts him up into his arms, allowing him to hug Inezze without disturbing her swollen stomach. "You swallowed a planet." His eyes are wide and excited. Inezze just laughs as his father scolds him.
"Are you excited to be a big brother, sweetheart?" She asks him with a giggle. The boy nods frantically.
"What will you name her?" He asks.
"We aren't sure it's a girl yet my boy." The father says with a smile.
"But I want a little sister." The boy wines. It's kind of adorable.
"It doesn't matter what they are. It will be your job to protect them my darling." Inezze tells him, holding his hand. A soft song comes on from an unknown machine and Inezze climbs to her feet. She still holds her son's hand and places the other on her husband's shoulder. He holds the child with one arm and places the other on her waist, holding her tight. The family sways to the song, smiles on all their faces. They all look so happy.
Inezze places her forehead against her husbands, their son resting his head on his mother's shoulder. As the music fades, the small child falls asleep. The scene fades and the room goes back to normal. Stardust has woken up and lifts his head to look at me.
"I'm going crazy Star, it's official." I sigh, exhaustion setting into my aching muscles. I close my eyes and lean my head back. A deep sigh leaves my lips as I just sit there, collecting my thoughts. There are some pieces of these many puzzle's I'm missing. Some little unknown factor that will drive me crazy the longer I don't know what it is. I wish I had some way to play my music. Music has always calmed me down.
My mind wonders to the white-haired woman. Was she real? How could I have dreamed up a pretty girl who wouldn't let me get close or see her face? So many questions run around in my head making my head pound.
Standing I decide to change out of my jeans and into something more comfortable. I walk into the room closest to the control panel and toss my bag on the large bed. Sitting down on the edge I rest my elbows on my knees and put my head in my hands.
This is so confusing. I just don't understand what's going on anymore. Secrets have always been kept from me, all my life, that's why my mind is so puzzle oriented. I love games that play with your mind. It's taught me how-to see-through deception, but now I don't understand what I can and can't trust.
I let my hands fall from my face and look around the room I have claimed. On the closest bedside table there is a lamp and a photo frame that's been turned over. My eyes study it as something wet touches my finders. Looking down, I see Stardust with his head in my hand, wet tongue licking my fingers. Either he's comforting me, or he's seeking attention. The latter is most likely.
"Hey buddy." I mutter softly, my worries fading away. I lift him up into my lap and move closer to the bedside table. I reach for the photo frame when Star yips and pushes my arm down with one of his paws. The woman from my dream's words ring in my ears.
Trust the fox.
I move my hand to the drawer of the table. Star yips happily and curls up in my lap. I take this as an okay to open it. I'm not expecting what I find in the drawer. An old journal and old polaroid photos come into view.