Page 90 of The Last De Loughrey Dynasty

My heart squeezed as the realisation hit me.

I looked at the painting before my gaze slipped to the girl by my side, whose icy-sharp eyes softened whenever I was near her. I wondered why, exactly, she cradled me in a light of hope. What was so special about her? Why was it that, at night, the only thing I saw when I closed my eyes was her?

When darkness began to claim me as a child, I would climb out onto my balcony and gaze up at the stars. One night, a shooting star streaked across the sky, and I clung to the railing, closing my eyes to mouth my quiet wish.

I want to meet a star.

To my child’s mind, stars were the purest light to exist. All I wanted was to bathe in that light, to plead for its protection against the darkness. I remember how heartbroken I’d been when my wish didn’t come true.

But it had.

The star I had wished for so deeply was now standing beside me—in the form of a girl.

And as I looked at her, her few freckles almost resembled a constellation. So many signs there had been telling me that my saviour was already by my side.

The tarot card portraying her.The Star.

The words that slipped so easily off my lips whenever I watched and was destined to be near her when I wasn’t supposed to.

A fallen star.

Myfallen star.

I tried to keep her far away from me, like a star, but she kept falling, destined to be mine.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and turned to the painting once more. “The artwork is calledFalling Starand was created by a Polish painter in the nineteenth century. Some say it’s supposed to remind us that the force that guides the stars guides us too. But art is free of any interpretation.”

I felt Doe’s fingers brush my arm, and warmth flowed through my veins from the place her skin touched mine. “What do you see in the painting?”

“That sometimes even the most beautiful stars are destined to fall. Infinite, she has spent her life in space and time, and still, nothing is forever. Some stars are meant to fall sooner than others, but in the end, time is transitory, and even the brightest beam is fated to extinguish at some point in time,” I explained as a sun ray fell through my open window, highlighting the circle of infinite pearls the woman in the picture was holding. “It reminds me that falling isn’t as terrible when you remember that even stars can fall.”

Turning my head, the beaming light next to me parted her lips a little, her eyes softening slightly. “Is that why you call me a fallen star? Because you believe I have fallen?” she asked and narrowed her gaze.

I lifted my hand, brushing a lock of red hair behind her ear. It was the first time I touched her because I wanted to. The first time, my touch wasn’t necessary to save her from drowning or out of the clutches of a spirit. My finger felt the warmth of her skin because I chose to, and how could something so terribly wrong feel so good? The rationality in my mind shouted at me to hide from her once more, but the beating of my heart drowned every rational thought out. “When I first met you, you were so quiet. You hid from the world like you were sure that your mere existence would hurt anyone who breathed the same air as you.”

I drew my thumb over her cheekbone and Doe closed her eyes, breathing in the moment, slightly leaning into my touch. “From a young age, I was raised to feel loathsome because of how I saw the world. In my family, you’re not allowed to be eccentric. And the older I grew… the more I believed what they told me, and I learned that not talking—hiding—is so much easier than just being me.”

“Because falling is easier than trying to shine next to the sun, when your light is only ever appreciated in the company of the moon.”

Dorothee blinked, her eyes full of emotions. “Like a fallen star,” she concluded, and I swallowed, cupping her cheek fully in my palm, my fingers tangled in her hair.

“But never has a fallen star looked this ethereal,” I mumbled, completely captivated by her. If this was a tale, she might as well have been a siren drawing me into her spell.

For what it was worth, all my heart begged me for was to spend eternity with her, even if that eternity was meant to be spent in the evermore.

A knock broke us apart. Doe flinched and turned away in a hurry, looking over to the door. I needed a moment to get myself together before I went and opened the door to whoever destroyed this moment in the name of fate.

It was good, I mean. This was foolish of me.

Chadwick stood there with some papers in hand. Even during the holidays, when barely a student even stayed, he dressed up in smart clothes. “Welcome back to Aquila, Mister Kingstone. I hope you enjoyed the holidays,” he welcomed me with a polite smile as his gaze slipped past me to Doe, who stood around a metre away. Chadwick raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Dorothee, I was already searching for you. It’s nice to see you back too. I, too, hope you had a pleasant Christmas with your family.”

Doe came up to us, standing by my side, giving him a sweet and honest smile.

Now, honestly, what did everyone fancy about him?

He was acting too nice for my liking. His methods while working with the students were questionable. He treated us equally. And from experience, people like us simply don’t get equality in life. It was odd.

Chadwick handed both of us a piece of paper where dates were written down. “For those staying at the academy, we planned the upcoming celebrations in a little circle. You can cross the Christmas dates since those have already come to pass. You don’t have to join the activities, no one will force you, but you are very welcome to do so.”

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