Chapter 4 Home #2
“Celest try to understand that we could not tell you who you were until now. You have a destiny, and I can’t tell you anymore of it. Just know that Aylin has been waiting 150 years to meet you and when you turned 18, three years ago at 10pm, which is the time you were born,
he felt your presence for the first time. He howled to the Moon Goddess that night. It was so loud it shook the ground. I am sure he will find you sooner than you think.”
She then gestured to the final painting.
The final painting has two wolves like the first one.
An all-white wolf with those purple and blue swirling eyes, who looks like Capella and an all-black wolf with blue swirling eyes, that must be Aylin’s wolf.
They were sitting close together with her head under his.
The look of pure happiness from their body language.
Hera goes to speak, and I put my hand up to stop her.
“This one doesn’t need a description,” I walk over to the painting and touch Aylin’s wolf and Capella. “Sterling, I’m home.”
Hera breaks her silence with a mix of awe, relief, and careful reverence.
“You remember,” she whispers, her voice barely louder than a breath.
She lowers her head, her posture softening completely.
“We weren't sure if the connection would hold through the poisoning all these years.”
She takes a small, hesitant step forward, eyes shining. “Welcome home, Capella.”
“I never really forgot,” Capella says, her voice coming through my mouth, thick with emotion as my fingers linger on the canvas. “The pieces were always there, scattered in my head. I just needed to see them together like this to remember.”
I turn my head back to look at her, a tear finally slipping down my cheek, though a genuine smile breaks across my face. Capella then nods to Hera and pulls back into my head. I blink a few times, “what just happened?” I asked Hera.
“Capella came forward Celest, your eyes changed to hers. She allowed me to speak with her momentarily, but she pulled back.”
Hera explained. “Please have faith in this new life. Many things will be different, and you will be different. But you will grow to find that this new world is not bad, or scary. I will always be here with you” In a whisper I say, “okay, Hera I understand,
I will do my best to stay positive and become the person I am meant to be,” I shut my eyes.
When I opened them again, I was in a dark room with no light besides the moon shining through the open window.
I walked closer to the window past the bed, I could hear a wolf howling from a far distance and I knew in my heart it was Aylin.
I crawl into the bay window and rest my head against the wall.
I wonder how my life is going to look after I meet him.
When I wake up the next morning, I am still lying in the bay window with cold winter air blowing across my face.
I guess I had fallen asleep listening to all the sounds of the forest including a howl from a very lonely wolf.
It sounded so hopeful and full of sorrow at the same time.
I had found myself needing to restrain the need to run to him.
The pull was so strong, but I knew I couldn’t.
We didn’t even know each other and what if he didn’t like me.
Capella spoke within my mind, “He will love you Celest. You are his fated mate. I’m sure he is so excited to get home and meet you.”
“I have been told my whole life that I am a useless nobody Capella, this is all new to me.” I close my eyes.
It’s dark, so very dark. My eyes are open but I see nothing, just like it has been for the last four days.
I was accused of taking my mothers diamond earrings and matching necklace.
I didn’t take them. I saw Zion in my parents bedroom the night before, so I can assume he took them.
I don’t say anything though, nothing I tell my parents will matter.
Zion will never be accused or punished. This room is so small and cold.
The walls are made of wood, they are damp and smell of ammonia and mold.
There used to be a light in here, it used to hang just above my head.
One of the previous times I was sent here, the light had been broken, and the glass lay on the ground.
I carefully swept the glass into a pile, and hoped that I wouldn't sit on it.
I don't like coming in here. I never know how long it will be.
Once you go in, you are alone. No light, no food or water, just myself and my own pee and poop.
There is no bathroom, not even a bucket.
When I have to go, I just go. My skin hurts where I pee on myself.
I don't talk here. The last time I did , they sprayed something under the door that made it hard to breathe and my eyes watered for a whole day.
I cried until there were no more tears. On day 6 the door opened and my mother stood there with a look of disgust on her face.
“You’re a useless nobody, Celest,” she would say as the light blinded me and my body gave out.
A servant would pick me up and carry me back to my room, wipe me down, and then leave me…
alone. I never knew where the wood room was, I had a bag over my head before going in and I passed out normally right as the door opened.
Last night was no different. I was 8 years old at that time.
When I come out of the flash back I have tears running down my face, and I can feel Capella cower into the back of my mind.
I am going through many emotions. I am so happy to be away from the people I once called family, but also sad because they literally chased me out.
They had been poisoning me since I was little.
All my hopes of school were gone in a flash.
The tears rolled down my face for what felt like hours.
I know eventually I will have to leave this room, but I am nervous.
I have no money, and this is an inn. What am I going to do?
A small tap on my door made me jump from the window and I slowly walked to the door.
To my surprise when I opened the door the small boy from yesterday was standing there.
“Hello Luna Celest,” he said, and my eyes went wide, “oops, I didn’t know mama hadn’t come to see you yet,” he bowed his head and continued, “You are very beautiful,” he said as his cheeks flushed, “I can see the Galaxies in your eyes, Aylin is going to love you so much!”
He says giggling. His mother appeared, “Asher, I told you not to bother Luna, get out of here. She will come down when she is ready.”
A tall light skinned woman, with brown expressive eyes that conveyed warmth, a refined nose, and long dark hair which framed her face, shooed her son away from my door.
“Good morning, Luna Celest, how was your night? I’m sorry if my son woke you.”
She bowed to me, and I just looked at her, my mouth hanging open and eyes wide, “Oh dear me. My apologies, I figured Hera would have told you everything. Why don’t you come down and have some breakfast, and we can talk about what you know, and I can fill in the other information that is missing?
Or I can come back with some breakfast, and we can talk in the comfort of your room? My name is Zeta by the way and my husband, Archer, and I own the Hutchins Burge Inn.”
“If it’s not too much to ask Zeta, I would like to stay in my room. I feel like everyone has a lot of expectations of me and I don’t even know myself yet.”
“No problem at all, I’ll be back in a few moments and then we can talk,” she bows her head to me and walks back down the hall.
After I close the door, I pull two chairs close to each other near the window.
I truly can’t get enough of the beauty here.
I know the Hutchens Burge Inn is located in the territory of Pleiades, which means I made it away from the full power of my parents.
I take a seat in the left most chair and stair out the window.
There is a stone church with a small quiet graveyard.
Multiple small cozy homes fill the gently sloping grounds.
There is a babbling brook lightly running through the lower half of the homes that leads into the forest.
The snow has fallen and with each second the sun rises the snow sparkles in the light, it looks like a field of diamonds.
Small animal tracks can be seen heading in and out of the forest.
The cool winter wind is blowing and the breeze blows in the occasional snowflake, each one seems to be more beautiful than the last.
When Zeta comes back she taps lightly on the door and she pulls my attention back to her as she walks in.
As she sits down I tell her what I know.