14. Are You Insane?
Chapter fourteen
Are You Insane?
I am alone when I wake up and I feel like absolute garbage.
My limbs are aching and my head pounds like I’ve rammed it against a wall.
The blinds have been drawn and I am thankful for whoever had the hindsight to block out the sunlight.
Moving is difficult and painful. Once I make it into an upright position, my heartbeat begins to accelerate.
My mouth is dry and my body’s clammy. I barely make it to the bathroom before I start retching over the toilet.
All the contents of my stomach flood out of me uncontrollably.
“Do you think she’s awake? ”
“Hopefully. I need to strip the bed so housekeeping can put on clean sheets.”
Eliam and Gabe are talking as I cling to the toilet bowl. I try calling out for help but the words die inches from my mouth. I take a deep breath in an attempt to muster up the strength but turn to empty my stomach again instead.
“You awake yet, sleeping beauty?” Eliam’s cheerful voice echoes through the bedroom. “Leeahla?” I hear his footsteps coming towards the bathroom; my body wracks with more retching. “Leeahla!”
He throws himself onto the floor next to me, frantically checking my temperature.
“I feel…” I turn to the toilet. My stomach is empty but cramping; a bitter, yellow liquid has replaced the previous contents.
“Gabe! Get in here! Something’s wrong!” Eliam is shouting, unable to hide the panic in his voice.
Gabe rushes into the bathroom, nearly tearing the partially open door off its hinges. My last bout of dry heaving is done and I try to push myself off the ground. When I can't, Eliam picks me up.
“Oh shit.” Gabe is analyzing me from the doorway. “When you’re done helping her, take her to the couch. I’ll deal with the bed right now.”
Eliam helps me at the sink while Gabe strips everything off the bed. Fifteen minutes later, I’m lying on the couch and housekeeping is in the bedroom. I must have fallen asleep, because when I come to, I am tucked in bed. Nyari is sitting in the corner waiting for me.
“They traded off watching you for a while, until the human decided to find you a doctor and Eliam left to find out what the hell is happening to you.” She gets up from the chair and sits at the edge of the bed. “We need to get you home, Leeahla.”
The thought of leaving terrifies me more than the fact that something unexplainable is happening to me. “I don’t want to leave.”
“And that’s why you have to.” Nyari looks afraid. “Look at you—stars don’t get sick. Not like this. Not even when it’s Earth sickness. We have no idea what’s happening to you. We need to get you back up there.” I don’t have the energy to argue.
“We’ll go when I’m better.” A knock at the door ends our conversation prematurely as Gabe walks into the room.
“Reporting for duty.” His smile doesn’t reach his eyes.
Nyari nods and starts to head out. “You might not have that long.” She walks through the door before I can disagree.
Gabe sits in the now-vacant spot at the end of the bed; close enough to hold my hand.
“You scared the shit out of me.” Distress is surging off him.
“Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize, it’s not your fault you're sick.” It wasn’t. In fact, if Eliam was right, it was most likely his . “A doctor’s coming to see you later. Hopefully they can tell us what it is. ”
“You didn’t have to do that so thank you.” It takes so much energy out of me to smile.
“You don’t have to thank me. Ever .” He moves closer towards me so he can cradle my face. “I mean it.”
“Thank you anyway.” He leans in and places a gentle kiss on my lips. There’s a static shock when we kiss and it startles both of us. For a moment the solar flares intensify around us which makes me nervous.
“Get some rest. I’ll come check in on you in a bit.”
Images flash through my mind—each one faster than the last and more quickly than I can register. All of them, accompanied by searing pain. It feels like my brain is on fire. I wake up screaming as I cradle my head in my hands.
“Leeahla! What the fuck is happening?!” Eliam is beside me. “Answer me, Princess!”
“My head. It hurts so bad!” Hot cosmic tears are streaming down my face as I wrap my fingers in my hair and yank.
“Stop it! You’ll hurt yourself.” Eliam’s fingers are prying mine out of my curls as the images and pain assault me .
A floodgate of memories containing Gabe rushes through my mind. When the last one falls into place, it is with the realization that this isn’t our first time meeting.
“Nyari! Get in here!” The tiny nebula materializes instantly. “Start prepping her journey back. She leaves today.”
Nyari starts to fade when I stop her. “I’m not leaving! Not yet!” The searing pain in my head is subsiding.
“Are you insane?” I can see how terrified Eliam is. “Leeahla, listen to me. We know you don’t want to leave, but you have to.” He is brushing my curls with his hand.
“I’m okay. I just—”
“You’re not okay and you look like shit!” Nyari interjects, still hovering in nebula form. “I’ll leave you two alone but I’m preparing your journey back. A royal is not dying on my hands. Especially one I actually like.”
I yell after her as she disappears. “Nyari, I know you can hear me! Don’t you dare!
” I turn my attention to Eliam who is staring at me; fear and discombobulation are plastered across his face.
“I’ve been here before.” The words feel like a dream as they leave my lips.
The reality of the statement hitting me like a ton of bricks.
“What are you talking about? Been where? To Earth?” He waits for me to clarify.
“I thought I hadn’t. I was wrong. Th-th-they messed with my mind.” I’m crying again .
“Who messed with your mind? How is that even possible?” He’s wiping away the freshly fallen tears.
“My parents. To get me away from Gabe.” Eliam freezes at my revelation, his hand lingering on my cheek as my tears keep flowing.
“They bound your memories of coming to Earth?” His voice is barely above a whisper.
“They took the memories of us away. Because I was ‘young, too immature to decide something so serious and promised to Uziel’. All of them—they covered it up after they forced me back.” I am sobbing into his palm when we hear the room door fly open.
“Leeahla! Leeahla!” Gabe is manically screaming my name as he barrels through the suite and tumbles into the bedroom.
“I remember! I remember fucking everything!”
“What the fuck is going on?” Eliam is staring back and forth as Gabe rushes to sit on the other side of me.
“You’re not just a princess. You’re a star. A fucking shines-bright-in-the-night-sky star!” Gabe climbs into the bed, brushing Eliam’s hand from my face so he can cup my cheeks in his hands.
Eliam doesn’t object. I watch from my peripheral vision as he moves out of the way and plops down in the chair; I can feel his eyes on Gabe who is staring at me.
“Gabriel—”
“I can’t believe I forgot you. I’m so sorry, Adhara.” He kisses me softly on my lips and my forehead.
“Leeahla, how does he know your royal name?” Eliam is horrified and he has every right to be. Humans shouldn’t be able to remember us.
“Because he remembers. He remembers that he loves me. That I was here.” I am talking to Eliam but looking at Gabe who hasn’t let go of my face.
“We’re in such deep shit,” Eliam breathes from his corner.
“You have absolutely no idea how true of a statement that is, cousin.” None of us noticed Nyari materializing again.
“Ny!” Eliam looks from her to Gabe.
“What? You don’t think I heard him? He knows she’s a star. Finding out about nebulas is where you choose to draw the line?” In the midst of everything happening, Nyari and Eliam still bickering makes me smile.
Gabe looks at Nyari, then Eliam. “You aren't human. Of course you aren’t! After last night, I’m not surprised.”
“What happened last night?” the inquisitive nebula asks, clearly very interested .
“Nothing important,” Eliam quickly interjects. “Now, what did you come to tell us?”
She sits on the edge of the bed where she was before, and I twist out of Gabe’s embrace to face her. “Your mother is requesting your return this instant. The royals have called an emergency meeting to discuss ending your engagement by having the wedding as soon as you return.”
“They what?!” I sit up, though I still feel like shit. “They can’t do that.”
“They can.” It’s Eliam who answers. “If enough of the royal families vote to modify the intended wedding date and the vote passes.”
My heart sinks. “My parents would never…” My voice trails off when I remember what they have already done.
“Your mother called the vote.” Nyari takes my unfinished sentence as disbelief, not realization.
“Unbelievable.” I lean back against the headboard. “So, what do we do?” The four of us stare at each other; everyone contemplating my options.
“I don’t want to be that celestial, but you’re still sick, Princess.” Eliam is rubbing his hand over his face.
“And my doctor won’t do you any good,” Gabe agrees.
I look at the three of them; three pairs of eyes stare back at me. “What? You all think I should leave?”
“It doesn’t seem like you have a choice,” Nyari admits, voicing what everyone else, including myself, is thinking .
“I can assure you she doesn’t.” We collectively turn our heads and my mouth falls open.
“Who the fuck are you and how did you get in here?” Gabe is in protective mode and already stalking towards the door.
“The more important question is, who the fuck are you and why were you in bed with my fiancée?” Arms folded over his chest, Uziel steps forward.
Gabe stops approaching him; all eyes are on me. I try to say something, but nothing comes out. Then everything goes black.
“Princess Leeahla, your parents have requested an urgent call.” The nebula stood in the middle of the living room by the coffee table.
She was an older celestial; beautiful and small. I felt bad for stressing her out so much on my first visit and I’d told her as much. She would always smile and tell me how fun it was to have an exciting star for her final assignment before she handed the reins over to her triplet grandsons.
“Do I have to call them now?” I wanted to see Gabriel, not talk to my parents .
“I’m afraid so. They are worried since the others have returned and you’re still on Earth.” She handed me the crystal, then stepped away.
“Leeahla Adhara, this is ridiculous! You need to come home now!” My mother was beside herself with anger. I could see her hands shaking, even in astral form.
“Your mother and I are concerned. You’ve been on Earth for far too long. If you get Earth sick too badly, you may not be able to return.” My father was squeezing my mother’s shoulders to calm her down.
“And would that be so bad? If I didn’t come back? Father, I love him.” I stepped closer to them so I could reach out for him.
“You want us to treat you like an adult? Act like one. You’re a star and he’s a human!
Stars can’t love humans. You’re also betrothed to a Cassiopeia.
Or did you forget about Uziel?” If I was being honest, I had.
We’d just started dating before I’d taken my first trip and he’d let it slip that we were supposed to get married.
But we’d barely hung out before I’d left. Plus, I’d caught him kissing Lynx.
“Uziel is an ass. And he told me to enjoy my first trip, like he’d enjoyed his. I—”
“Leeahla, please. He did not mean ‘fall in love with a human’ and you know it!”
“I don’t care what he meant! I don’t want to come back and you can’t force me to. I’m—” A cough interrupted my tirade.
My mother turned to my father, worry descended over her face. “Orion, it’s starting.”
“Nothing’s starting, Mother. I’m fine.” I coughed again.
“Carina!” My mother was yelling for the nebula.
“Yes, Your Majesty?” Carina appeared in cosmic form, her bright magenta captivating.
“Prepare her journey back now,” my mother instructed her.
“But I don’t want to—” Carina walked up to me and blew stardust in my face.
“I’m so sorry, my dear.”
I woke up in my bedroom. I hadn’t even gotten the chance to say goodbye to him.
To my Gabriel. I sat and cried for hours, not knowing how to describe what I was feeling.
At that moment, I decided to return to Earth and stay there forever.
I wrote farewell notes to my sister and my parents.
I was on my way to the edge when Uziel stopped me.
“‘Sup, future wife? Where are you going?” He was charming, but I didn’t care about being with him for the sake of duty anymore. I wanted Gabe. Even if that meant never coming home again.
“Hey, Zi. I’m actually on my way to take care of something important.” I tried to side-step him.
“Cool. I’ll tag along.” He linked our elbows together and turned me away from the descending point.