I smiled at his polite way of referencing my actual lack of training, I felt like that was as nice as he was going to get. I wasn’t embarrassed of my lack of skills though. Even if tomorrow I faced an army of the Darkness, I wouldn’t regret the life I’d lived so far. Experience had to count for something. And I had plenty of life experience. Well, at least sixteen years of it.

“Will it be hard for you to move?” I looked to Seth, wondering if he was as regretful about leaving typical high school life behind him as I was.

“No, why would it be?” his eyes turned curious and his spoon suspended itself midway to his mouth.

“Oh, I didn’t know if you were leaving behind a lot of friends or something,” I tried to explain without looking at Jupiter, but heard his mocking grunt and couldn’t help but turn to him.

“Unlike you, Seth has focused on his training, real training. We chose to abstain from unnecessary human interactions,” Jupiter explained in the most condescending voice I had ever heard.

Seth set his spoon down, ready to stand up to his mentor. I could see how he respected Jupiter more than anyone else in the universe, but there was also the overbearing instinct to protect me. I knew he felt because I felt it, like the hottest, most honest kind of liquid truth running through my veins. It was consuming and bonding at the same time.

Seth shot a warning glance at Jupiter that sent the message he wouldn’t stand for any more. The look of pride and slight excitement Jupiter returned with was surprising, but I wondered if Jupiter had been goading Seth to see if he could get some kind of reaction like this, just to make sure the bond between us existed. Plus, I suspected Jupiter was always looking for a good fight.

No other Star and Counterpart had been raised the way Seth and I had. Usually, they grew up together, paired together at a young age from a natural bond. The Elders watched every Angel’s training and paired them with a Star accordingly.

But our case was different. Hell, our case was an experiment. As Earth remained the sole remaining planet with sustainable life left in the galaxy, the Elders had decided it was time to try a different tactic. They decided Seth and I would be raised on Earth, with humans, immersed in the culture and able to call the planet they protected home. Because of the danger of living not only amongst humans, but also surrounded by the Darkness, it was decided to keep us separated for the sake of secrecy until the time when we would take over together.

The Elders had relied on destiny and the natural order of their way to keep the bond between Star and Counterpart intact. It was a risky thing to do. Not meeting each other until the night of battle could have had dire effects, a team not willing to bond, or able to get along. But as Seth gazed across the table at me, filled with the same fierce desire to lay down his life for me that I had for him, I knew they had gambled with success.

“What about school?” I asked him, pulling him away from his soup again.

“Oh, Jupiter and I just did that in between training sessions,” Seth shrugged.

“You were homeschooled?” I laughed loudly, and then slapped my hand over my mouth. “Jupiter, how is homeschooling immersing Seth into humanity?” I couldn’t help but ask, while trying to hide my amusement.

I wasn’t sure where exactly Seth and Jupiter had come from, but I decided wherever it was had deprived not only Seth of a high school experience, but some random teenage girls as well. Shouldn’t all high schools have an unattainable heart throb Angel walking the halls? And then the laughter bubbled over again and I dipped my head so I wouldn’t have to explain that concept to Seth.

“Obviously your parents and I have different methods,” Jupiter replied coolly. “I wouldn’t exactly call contact sports weapons training after all. The ability to dribble a basketball did nothing to save your skin tonight.”

I took his point and settled down a bit.

“We can talk more about this tomorrow, when your parents get home,” Jupiter instructed. “Where will we sleep tonight?”

“There is a guest bedroom down the hall for you,” I addressed Jupiter, not really knowing the state of his fragility or old age, and deciding the room downstairs might be difficult for him. “And Seth, there’s another room downstairs that you can have. I’m told it’s freezing and kind of creepy down there when you’re alone, but hopefully none of that will bother you.” I smiled at him, but he only looked at me curiously.

“I don’t get cold,” he answered matter of fact.

“No, I know you don’t. It was a joke….” I sighed; apparently it was too late at night to be a comedian. “I can walk you down there if you’re ready. And Jupiter, help yourself to more soup; when I get back, I’ll take you to your room.”

I stood and Seth followed. I walked to the hallway and opened the old wooden door that led downstairs. My basement had been finished years ago, but it was still an old farmhouse basement. I wasn’t supposed to scare easily; my job expected me to be brave, courageous… to laugh in the face of danger…. required it actually. And usually I did. But even if the cold, dampness of the basement didn’t bother me, there was something about being down there, underground and without direct access to sunlight that did.

I opened the guest bedroom that sat off the rec room and turned on the light for Seth. “The bedding is fresh and there are toothbrushes and toothpaste in the drawer in the bathroom. I think they’re all new….” I sighed, trying to remember if anyone had been down here recently. Sometimes my parents housed Stars or Counterparts passing through, and that’s why there were so many guest bedrooms and such a huge house for just the three of us. “There’s a shower in the bathroom too, with soap and shampoo and all that stuff. The towels are in the cabinet next to it.”

“Thanks,” Seth turned to me. He had been eyeing the bedroom carefully, marking a fast escape route through the small window and checking for anything abnormal. Actually, he had been checking for Shadows since I met him, even though a Star’s house was technically blessed, after tonight he didn’t trust anything or maybe he was always this paranoid.

“I wish I had clothes or something for you to change into. Tomorrow, I’ll go through my dad’s things and see what I can find,” I promised.

“Yeah, I won’t need anything till tomorrow anyway,” Seth smiled, his big, wide grinning smile and started to take off his shoes. “Hey Stella….”

I looked up into his guarded, careful eyes and suddenly I was nervous for whatever he was going to say. “Yeah?”

“Listen, we don’t have to…. I mean…. there’s no pressure between us,” he stammered and an instant wave of relief washed over me. “I’m not expecting you to like be my girlfriend or anything. I just want to get to know you. You know, be friends first,” he smiled confidently and I mimicked his expression.

I did know.

“Oh thank goodness,” I relaxed against the door jam. “I feel the same way! No pressure.” I nodded my head in all seriousness and his eyes twinkled at me from across the room. “We’ve got like eight years anyway, right?”

“Uh, yeah, eight years….” Seth suddenly looked uncomfortable and I instantly wanted to retract my time limit. Maybe he was hoping to postpone our “relationship” even longer than that.

I almost told him he could have even longer than that but decided to change the subject from awkward to more common ground, “Well, thanks again for tonight,” I moved away from the door, realizing he was starting to undress and I needed to give him some privacy. “You probably saved my life.”

“Hey, it’s what I’m here for,” Seth’s eyes turned very serious for a second and then he tugged his shirt off. I couldn’t take him seriously anymore. Golden skin pulled tight against a perfectly chiseled chest. Every one of his muscles rippled with his movements from his thick, gorgeous neck down across every singly defined abdominal muscle.

I closed the door behind me, laughing again.

Mead High School wasn’t going to know what hit them when that boy walked through their doors.

Chapter Three

The beep of my phone woke me early the next day…. too early. I groaned and rolled over in bed. The early morning sun streamed through the window above my headboard, bathing me in natural warmth; I lay there for a moment soaking in the sun, enjoying the exhilaration of light.

I knew the truth about Stars, about the Earth’s sun, I had even met her once. Yet, I couldn’t help but smile into the warming light and breathe in the peaceful morning slowly. Even if that was a comrade up there, a fellow Star in arms, she was still heating this Earth with every bit of warmth she possessed and I decided to enjoy it.

My phone beeped again, a reminder of why I woke up. Although I knew exactly who it would be, the only person who would dare text me this early in the day. Not even my parents would risk a text message before eight.

Did you get home ok?

A lot of good this text does now…. I quipped back to Tristan. I wasn’t quite sure how to tell him the truth over text message, best to defer with sarcasm.

I’ll assume that’s a ‘yes’ then.

I made it home. “Ok” is still up for debate…. I couldn’t help myself but make him feel a little bit bad. I didn’t really blame Tristan at all for what happened last night, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that what happened was a well-planned attack and would have happened no matter what time I drove home. Probably, the late hour kept other motorists from getting hurt or involved. Still… Tristan deserved a little bit of a guilt trip.

Are you Ok? Seriously, Stella…. Do you need me to come over?

No! Don’t come over, I’m fine. I’ll explain later. Are we still on for a run later? I knew that text message would only worry Tristan further. He tended to be a tad overprotective. But this was a face to face conversation; acronyms and emoticons explaining the events of last night would only lead to more confusion and panic. And possibly to Tristan waging war against the Darkness himself….

Don’t come over…? Is there a boy over there you’ve been hiding?? 

Something like that…. Run later? I couldn’t lie to him.

That’s it, I’m coming over.

Tristan!!!! I will explain everything later, but in order to do that you have to go for a run with me!! Growing exasperated, I used the only tool I had to get his attention: exclamation points.

Fine. Yes, a run. Break into the school gym?

Sounds good. Now, I’m going to go force your grandma to make me chocolate chip pancakes. I tried to turn the conversation light again.

I swear you want me to come over there….

Stop it. I’m still in my pajamas.

What are you doing to me!?!

See you at 2. Oh that boy.

Later.

I sighed, a happy smile finding my lips. Tristan. He was something else, my closest friend and most exasperating life experience. But Earth wouldn’t be the same without him. I couldn’t wait to introduce him to Seth, especially if Seth was planning on starting school after winter break.