The Star Caster (5 page)

“I used to be a Star Caster, a long time ago. Ego and
Val were my masters.”

“Masters?”
I ask.

Sterren sighs. “A Star Caster is what you humans call Genies.”

My mouth drops open yet again. “And I’m one of them?”

“You are the only Star Caster.”

“Why? Where are the other ones?”

Sterren bit
es his lower lip and looks at the ground. “Ego and Val are very good at words. They were able to manipulate their three wishes so that they got the most out of each one. Their first wish contained their abilities, as well as their desire to have me tell the truth all of the time, especially when concerning their questions. Over time, I have stopped fighting their wishes, and I am left with an honest mouth.”

“How did they manage all of that?” I ask him. “I thought that Genies gave out one wish at a time. I thought that was a rule or
law,” I say.

Sterren nods. “Yes, that is true, Danika. However, Ego and
Val are men of language. They use symbolism, poetry and double meaning to gain what they desire most. That is how they were capable of getting all of that in one wish.”

I suck in air, afraid
of my imagination. What could these men want with me? How did they know I was a Star Caster?

“Their second wish contained their desire to have me by their side forever. Wrapped inside of that was their wish to obtain eternal life. Do you see how they connected the two wishes this time?”

I nod my head in answer, too enthralled to speak or answer out loud.

“Their third wish,” Sterren started.

“Was to end the existence of all Star Casters and find the next one that was born,” the man with the hood says from behind me.

I turn to look at him. Beside him stands a man that looks exactly like him; the only difference is that the newer man wears a scar above his left eye. Why didn’t he ask for that thing to be removed? It’s hideous, a jagged and purple thing that still appears painful.

“I am Val,” he says with a bow.

“You two were down here earlier!” I shout. “You acted like you didn’t know each other, like one of you knew the information and the other was seeking it.”

Val laughs kindly. “Oh yes,” he says. “You see, my ability is to read other’s thoughts. Ego can put his thoughts into others. Naturally, we both desire to hear the truth.”

“That’s how you manipulated your first wish,” I state.

Val nods simply and turns to his brother. He smiles fondly at him, almost as if he is a younger brother that looks up to his older brother. I learn, in that instant, that Val is not the leader amongst them. The person that I should fear the most is Ego.

“We have found you, Star Ca
ster. It has been a long wait,” Ego says with that evil grin. “Come now; we must go upstairs and into the civility of our new home. Please, join us.” Ego bends at the waist, much like his brother had moments ago, and holds his right arm out, indicating where I should walk.

I hesitate, but move when I feel Sterren’s hand on my lower back. He gently pushes me forward, through the men standing before us, and up the gravel walkway that I have stared at for the past couple of hours. “Why aren’t we fighting anymore?” I whisper.

“There is no way to get out of here. This is the only direction we can go,” he states.

“Then why did you take me all the way toward that wall?” I
ask, confusion present in my tone. I wait for the answer and let Sterren take his time.

“
I panicked and didn’t know what else to do,” he admits. “I’m sorry.”

There is no reason for me to be mad at Sterren, so I give him a reassuring glance and continue making my way up the dark alleyway.
Our footsteps echo along the path, and I trip once or twice on the loose rocks. Sterren’s steady hand on my back keeps me standing and keeps me moving forward.

Up ahead, a dim light shimmers through a cracked door. For some reason, the light scares me, but I know that I have no choice but to walk through that door, no choice but to find myself in some room with Ego and
Val.

Chapter 4

When I push open the door, I am blinded by fluorescent lighting. I step into a cold, damp room. The floor is a polished stone and the walls are the same dull, brownish grey as the floor. As I look around I take in the fact that we are still underground, and my heart sinks further. Where are we right now?

I step further into the room and begin to take in the other things. There is a plain
, wooden table to the right of me. Four chairs frame it and a bowl of fresh fruit sits on top of it. A small kitchen stands against the wall nearest the table, the same wall where the door sits; I look further to find plain cabinets and countertops, along with smaller versions of the appliances in every kitchen. It’s weird, seeing something like this, something almost normal. It makes me realize that even these evil creatures eat, that they need something most would claim as “human” to survive. I make a mental note to remember this fact and move into the next area.

A fireplace sits in the wall opposite the kitchen. A plush, brown sofa
faces it. A wooden table, similar to the one in the kitchen, is placed between the couch and the fireplace. On top of it sits piles and piles of papers, notebooks, and writing utensils. Ego pushes in front of me and closes or pushes everything until no words or scribbles can be seen. Then, he gestures for Sterren and me to sit. Sterren and I do as we’re told, and sit on the squishy fabric. Sterren pulls my hand into his, holding it on his lap. Once again, I’m hit with a wave of confusion and desire. What is he doing to me?

“Here,”
Val says from over my shoulder.

I look up to see him holding a small, handheld mirror. It’s black, with a handle attached to the frame. I sigh and reach
for it, so that I can look at my reflection.

Wow. I am completely different. My brown eyes are no longer plain and boring
. One of them is the same gold of Sterren’s left eye, and the other shimmers with speckles of gold. My eyes mimic Sterren’s, and I look over at him, feeling that overwhelming sense of connection again. He is staring blankly ahead, so I knit my brows for a moment, and turn back to my reflection. My cheek, right underneath my golden eye – and the very spot where Sterren caressed me – is fully covered in a tattoo. The tattoo depicts three stars that stand in a row. They angle up to imitate the curve of my cheek, and shimmer, a glittering silver.

I blink and look at the rest of me, noting that my hair is still the same, straight blonde. It’s still parted down the middle and tossed into a careless ponytail. My skin is still
tan and my mouth is still pouty. But I shouldn’t expect anything less; I was kidnapped for crying out loud. And I’m still stuck.

“What do you think of it?” Val asks me.
He leans over and pulls the mirror from my grasp.

My jaw drops open slightly. No one has ever done something that rude to me. These evil men surely know no manners.
“I think it’s okay,” I say. I shrug, not really knowing what to say, because I don’t want them to know me. I’m going to play it right, and I won’t let them in. I won’t let them figure me out or learn my weaknesses.

“Good,”
Ego chimes.

“The tattoos,” I ask him, “do they symbolize your three wishes?”

Ego smiles like I have just correctly answered the easiest question on the test; it is condescending and vulgar.

Val claps.

I stare at these two uncouth men like they are idiotic. This is entertainment to them? Oh my gosh. They really are insane. So, I try to focus on the only other person in the room, but he has been staring straight ahead for the past couple of minutes. I squeeze his hand comfortingly and lean over. “Sterren?” I ask nervously.

“We wanted to speak with you alone,” Ego says as he smiles snidely.

What? So they just put Sterren to sleep? I look up at the twins, appalled by their choices. They could have just sent him out. “Why do you need to speak with me alone? Why can’t he hear you two? What do you want from me?”

“You ask too many questions at once,” Ego says plainly.
“One at a time, Star Caster. I will only answer one question at a time, okay?”

I sigh but nod, knowing that it isn’t the time to be brave. Without Sterren guiding me through the twins’ madness, I know I’m not clever enough to survive.

Val leans over the couch again. “Magic,” he whispers as his rough lips touch my ear. I jump away from him, nervous that they’ve got some weirdo fetish with me. It would be an unspeakable double-whammy if something paranormal and normal happened from a female kidnapping. Only then would my night be complete.

I shudder at my most recent thought and stay in my current position. I am half-leaning against Sterren
right now, and I fight to remain comfortable like this. There will not be any more lips touching me tonight – not unless they are Sterren’s.

Val pulls back, aware of my discomfort.
He laughs nervously, another sign of his insanity. I’m starting to think that Ego is the sane one around this place.

“Now that you have earned your answer,” Ego begins, “we shall talk about what we want from you.”
He moves until he is facing me from the other side of the table. A fire begins roaring behind his back as Val moves to light it, and Ego stands there basking in the warmth. “My brother and I are seeking revenge.”

Great.

Ego lifts his hands, placing them together as if he is in prayer. His fingers are long and thin, and I can’t help but think of a skeleton. “The humans that we have known have been cruel. We are seeking to find a way to end them. Humans are nothing more than power-hungry tormentors that seek ways to humiliate anyone that is different than they are.”

I feel the
lawyer in me claw at my insides. I want so badly to argue my point, the
right
point in this lose-lose situation. But, I hold my tongue, having learned this technique from an old professor of mine; I just have to wait for it. So, I do.

“We want to harm them by letting them harm themselves,” Ego continued.

“They already do that,” I say seriously. I raise my eyebrow at them and offer my best
are you stupid?
smile.

Val and Ego laugh.
“They do,” Val agrees heartily. He claps again and I roll my eyes at his childish behavior. When he stops, because of my response, he becomes oddly serious and heated. “Do not laugh at me, Star Caster, for I am a great enemy to claim.”

I swallow. Oops. Maybe Ego
isn’t the worst of the two. I guess it’s time to stop underestimating either of them. Sterren was trapped because of them, and he stated that they were masters of the spoken language. I, myself, might be handy at finding my way through verbal confrontations, but I’m probably nothing in comparison to these two. “I’m sorry,” I say humbly, and I mean it. I am sorry to see this side of Val. I want the old, crazy Val back.

Val smiles meanly, but reverts to the former and better version of
himself. I silently thank him for doing so and smile outwardly. That other Val was making me nervous.

“We need you to help us,”
Ego says. He continues as if nothing has happened with Val, and I look up at him, pretending that nothing has transpired either; if Val didn’t just have a damn fit, well, he did
not
have a damn fit. And I wasn’t going to act like he had.

“We need you to help us with our wishes. After Sterren trains you in the ways of the Star Caster, and after you pass your tests, we will come back to claim what is rightfully ours. Then, we will watch as the humans destroy themselves. We will watch as they suffer in their pain, sorrow, greed, and lust. Their sins will be their demise.”

Okay then.

The two of them just stare at me then, their dark eyes boring into me like I am supposed to answer a question. I blink, taking it all in slowly, and nod once. These guys are a joke, a seriously scary and screwed up joke, but still a joke nonetheless. And I don’t have plans of giving them what they want. But, I will sit here and pretend that I understand; I’ll pretend that things are fine. And then, when I find my chance, I’ll run. I’ll escape with Sterren, just like he had planned before.

A moment later, my trainer wa
kes from his spell. Val leans forward, his hood covering his nearly translucent skin. He licks his brown, cracked lips before speaking to him. “Train the girl. That is all you are to do.”

And don’t attempt to escape. You won’t succ
eed.

I gulp and look at Sterren. He
nods and sighs before looking at me. His grey eye is still dazed, almost like he was still in the process of waking up. It would be endearing, if I didn’t know the cause. Those greedy men are monsters, the kind that people imagine, and the kind children believe exist. I shiver and shrug it off.

We
ll, we aren’t going to be going anywhere. At least, not with Sterren’s help and definitely not with my help. So, when Ego and Val leave the room, venturing up into higher levels of this enclosure, I just sit and wait for Sterren to talk. His hand is now limp in mine, and I can tell that he has given up on saving us. The mysteriously haughty man that I met earlier is now gone, and in his place, sits the shell of someone claiming to have been a Star Caster. Well, he doesn’t look like one to me, and I am going to change that; I’m going to bring back that annoyingly honest man.