Chapter 33
Stella
T he dream that was yesterday quickly fades when I open my eyes again the next morning, struggling to catch my breath after a nightmare.
I can’t breathe. I can’t see. I’m back in the city.
But wait—this doesn’t feel right. I’m not in the city.
My mind races, and as I blink, the disorienting fog lifts.
I’m in my room. In the cabin. I’m still on vacation, still far from the chaos of my life from the city.
The sun is weak through the curtains this morning, casting long shadows over the floor.
Thump. Thump. Thump. The pulsing in my chest matches the rhythm of my heartbeat and I instantly understand what’s happening.
Oh crap. I haven’t felt this in so long. When I was training, I would often have weird dreams and wake up to my powers acting up, twisting reality to match whatever my dream was.
Thump. Thump. Thump. The pressure intensifies, and the walls around me pulse. I leap out of bed, but the room . . . it’s warping. The cozy cabin is gone. The walls stretch, flickering into the very nightmare I just woke up from.
I breathe in, sharp and frantic, but nothing around me feels real. I’m not even sure what is real anymore.
Focus, Stella, I remind myself. I have to breathe through it. I have to remember what to do.
I run outside. I inhale deeply, sucking in the cool morning air, hoping to find some calm.
But it doesn’t work. What were once towering trees have morphed into skyscrapers, their glass reflecting the sunlight like blades, making it hard to see. The air feels thick, stifling. The glow of neon lights presses down on me from every corner, and my chest tightens as the chaos overwhelms me.
I feel small. Weak. Insignificant.
I try to run, but my magic twists everything around me. Roads split apart, turning into an endless maze of speeding cars. Each path I try to take only leads me deeper into the labyrinth.
Please let this be a dream.
My vision gets blurry and I trip over something, crashing into the ground violently. I wipe my eyes and get on my knees, breathing hard. Why can’t this stop? Why can’t my life be easy for once? Why do I have to ruin everything when my life is going down a path I love?
I’m never good enough. I always mess things up.
I sniffle and push myself up using my hands, then I freeze. I recognize the feel of rocks under my fingertips. I spent so many mornings here with Adrian.
I made it to our spot.
I open my eyes, and everything shifts. The world around me pulls and twists, but I recognize the cliffs. Our spot. It’s still here somehow. But it’s different. The cliff is turning into a road, a downward slope leading to an ocean I know is below it in reality.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
I inhale, shaking. Focus. I’ve been here before. I can control this.
I sit at the edge of the cliff, the rocks beneath me steadying my body. I close my eyes, letting the sensations of the earth below calm me. The wind pulls at my hair, but I ground myself. I know this place. I know it.
I picture the spot I’ve come to on so many early mornings in the last week clearly in my mind: the rocky ground, the ocean stretching far beneath, the towering trees behind me, the early morning sunrise.
I breathe in deeply, focusing on the air moving around me, my racing heart starting to slow. I feel the magic thrumming in my body.
Exhale.
I feel a gentle flutter against my shoulder. A butterfly. I smile. You’re getting back control for the first time, Stella Brookstone!
I inhale again, remembering Hazel’s grounding technique and the safety I felt with Adrian’s arms wrapped around me.
Five things you would see if your magic wasn’t twisting your reality: the ocean, trees, rocks, cliff and a sunrise.
“You’re safe now. Let it out.”
I exhale roughly, feeling small gushes of wind around me. My signature glowing green butterflies surround me. It’s working!
Four things you could touch if your magic wasn’t out of your control: rocks, dirt, trees and leaves.
I run my fingers along the rocks beneath me. Yes. It’s all coming back to me.
Three things you could hear: birds chirping, the leaves rustling, and the waves crashing below you.
I smile as I take a deep breath. I can feel the warmth of the ocean air around me, the refreshing scent of the forest behind me. I’m taking back control. It feels like a new beginning, a stronger version of myself.
Two things you could smell: the saltiness of the ocean and the fresh scent of the forest.
One thing you could taste: the lingering sweetness of whatever I ate last night.
I open my eyes again. The sun is breaking through the clouds, and I’m blinded by its brilliance. Tears well up in my eyes. I did it. I really did it.
I can’t help the wide grin spreading across my face as I look around to find our spot back to its enchanting charm. The huge forest is behind me again, the ocean is coming back to life below me, and the place that brought me so much peace is back to its beauty.
I laugh, pure joy surging through my veins. I can feel my magic everywhere, coming back to life. I feel like me again.
Not only did I get my magic back, but I got back control over it when I never could before. I’m stronger than I ever was. My eyes get teary.
Everything feels right again.
Footsteps approach behind me, and I turn to find Adrian standing there, a soft smile on his face.
I grin, my heart warming. “Hi, Adrian.”
He sits beside me, looking out over the ocean as the waves crash below. “Hey, Stella.”
I’m at ease around him, the high from the emotions I felt minutes ago finally fading away. Adrian seems to notice because he scoots closer to my side and makes me lean my body against his side with my head on his shoulder. I smile as my eyes flutter closed.
He’s my favorite place to go to when my mind searches for peace.
My heartbeat slowly settles into a peaceful pace, and my body stops shaking from the adrenaline I felt earlier.
“Do you want to talk about what happened?” Adrian asks softly.
I sigh, letting out the last of the tension.
“Back home, I would often have these weird nightmares. I’d wake up with my magic acting up, twisting the world around me, changing it into whatever my dream was.
I’d spend the day locked away in my apartment, trying to get it back under control. I never succeeded.”
He wraps his arm around my back and secures me closer to him. “That must have been so hard for you to go through.”
I nod. “It wasn’t easy, but I dealt with it.
But that’s what happened this morning. I had a strange nightmare about cars and roads, turning into a labyrinth I couldn’t escape.
I woke up, and nothing was right. It wasn’t just a dream anymore.
So I came all the way here and I actually took control of my magic.
” I grin as I wipe away a tear. “It’s the first time I managed to take back control, Adrian.
I feel like me again. Maybe even a stronger version of me. ”
He grins, his eyes lighting up with pride. “I knew you’d be able to do it the second I saw you in my sister’s coffee shop, Stella.”
I wipe away a happy tear. “I think I’m realizing why I came here in the first place.
I could have gone anywhere, but I chose to come here.
I had no idea why I picked this place, apart from my curiosity.
But now, I think a part of me knew this is where I need to be.
I always needed something slower, Adrian.
A place where I can catch my breath and find my footing.
To be surrounded by people who light up my life.
To be with the person I fell in love with.
To be somewhere that feels like home. I need to be here.
I want to stay and build a future here.”
Adrian smiles, his hand squeezing mine. “Then we’ll build that peaceful life together.”