Star Bright

(Author's Note: Thanks for all the feedback. My biggest fear was that the science fiction direction of the story would turn readers away, and I'm glad to know that I was wrong about that fear. To Panda, sorry that you were fooled about what they really were, but did want readers to think that they were vampires for a while, although I did put a lot of hints about what they were with the analogies of the night sky. If you want vampire romance, try "You've got problems?", that one has a 'real' vampire in it. And one last thing, if anyone thinks that I concepted this story from Twilight, I didn't. I was listening to Five for Fighting's 'Superman', and when I heard the lyrics- "I wish that I could cry, fall upon my knees, find a way to lie, about a home I'll never see", an image of a pale skinned girl with silver hair sitting on top of a roof gazing longingly up at the night sky filled my mind, and that's how this story was created. But enough of my ramblings, here's the next chapter.)

“LANCE!!!” Cathleen screamed as she looked over Lance’s still body. The creature flashed it fangs sinisterly as it poised its claws to strike a certain killing blow on him.

“You son-of-a-bitch!” David charged past her in an immense surge that nearly knocked Cathleen over. For the first time ever, Cathleen saw his unusually kind face twisted into one of pure anger. In a streak of bluish hue, he threw himself at the monster and smashed his fist into its face. The blow sent the large behemoth stumbling backwards. As it did, its tentacles jerked from Lance and began to wildly whip around at Davis. Heedless of the danger he was in, Davis threw himself at it relentlessly, driving it further and further away from Lance. Once the two combatants were far enough away, Cathleen leapt to her feet and rushed over to where Lance was.

When she finally reached him, all Cathleen could do for a moment was stare down in silent horror. Lance was on his back in a pool of blood, his mouth dangling open and his eyes closed. She didn’t see his chest moving even slightly.

“Lance.” Cathleen said weakly, dropping by his side.

She placed a trembling hand on his chest, just above where the monster’s barbs had pierced his crystal like skin. A revulsion grasped at the core of her stomach as she saw her hands instantly become stained red. Glancing down at the wounds, Cathleen felt as if she was dying too. Not only were faint trickles of blood seeping from the holes, dozens of small cracks spider webbed out in every direction. Not knowing what to do, Cathleen took Lance’s head in her arms and cradled him, the way he had done for her before.

“Please, Lance.” she begged. “Don’t die. Don’t leave me.”

He didn’t say anything. He didn’t even move. The reddish hue of his crystal skin had dimmed to the point where it no longer reflected the moon beams that bathed over him. All trace of life had faded from him. Seeing that, tear drops fell from her cheeks, splattering across his forehead.

“Lance, please…” Cathleen sobbed, tightening her grip on him. “I can’t lose you. Not now. Not ever. I…”

She blinked through the tears as she felt a cold tip of pure suffering pressing into her heart at the sight of Lance the way he was. She bent down so that their faces were only inches away from each other.

“…I…I love you.” she said weakly, searching his unmoving face for even the slightest sign of life. When he still didn’t move, Cathleen did the only thing that she could think of. She bent over and gently touched her lips into his. In that kiss, she poured all of her heart and soul into her lips.

Cathleen didn’t know what to expect from it. There was a hope, maybe a childishly vain one, that a true kiss of love would somehow bring Lance back to her. She held her lips to his, not daring to even think that there was nothing that she could do to save him. She continued to hold the kiss, far longer than she knew she should have. An emptiness fell over Cathleen when she didn’t feel anything back from Lance’s lips. With more reluctance than she had ever felt in her entire life, Cathleen broke the kiss. Looking down, her purple iris shimmered for even the faintest hope that she had made a difference. When she saw that Lance’s body hadn’t changed one bit, Cathleen broke down.

“Oh god, Lance. No.” she sobbed, letting her tears fall upon his motionless face. “Please…Lance…come back to me.”

But he didn’t. And he never would. She knew that, no matter how much she wanted to deny it. She was powerless to save him. Lance…was dead. As the full realization of that consumed her, Cathleen felt her heart break apart as she fell into uncontrollable sobs.

She was so consumed by her misery that she didn’t even hear the approaching footsteps. Small, slender hands grasped her shoulders, pulling at her, trying to tear her away from Lance. Crying, Cathleen fought against them. Despite her efforts, the hands dug deeper and pulled her away from him.

“Get away!” she screamed, turning to slap at her attacker.

“Cat, stop it!” Maude cried out to her, dodging her feeble slaps.

She knew that her friend was only trying to help, but she didn’t want anything from her. All Cathleen wanted was to hold Lance in her arms and wish beyond everything that she knew that he hadn’t just sacrificed his life to protect her. Maude, however, didn’t let up. She kept pulling at her, saying something that Cathleen really wasn’t aware of. The pain of her loss flared through Cathleen, and she sprang to her feet and turned on Maude. Without the slightest hesitation, she threw a hard punch right at Maude’s face. By some twisted form of luck, Maude narrowly escaped the blow.

“Cat, you idiot! I’m just trying to help!”

Cathleen did the last thing that she was sure either herself or Maude would do. She fell against her friend and broke down. Her tears instantly dampened the fabric of Maude’s shoulder.

“He’s gone!” Cathleen shrieked. “Lance’s gone! He’s dead!”

There was a long pause as Cathleen cried her heart out. Maude didn’t say anything, she remained still as a statue.

“Oh man.” she whispered softly. “Oh Cat, I’m so sorry.”

Words were worthless at this moment, and Cathleen knew it. Nothing Maude could say would bring Lance back, and with it the large piece of her heart that had just died. As that endless void of despair she had once lived by began to ensnare her once again, with even more deadly potency. Blinking through the tears, she stared at her hands, stained with Lance’s blood. Her fingers no longer looked so gentle and delicate, bathed in the red liquid, they were disgusting. She just wished…that there was something that she could do…

A small warmth emitted from the crystal pressing against her chest. The warmth instantly shot up into her mind. Cathleen’s eyes shot open as if she had been struck by a lightning bolt. A recent memory flooded her mind, filling it with a faint hope to still save Lance. Without saying a word, she blindly grabbed at the pockets on Maude’s pants. Maude made a stuttering question, but Cathleen didn’t have time to answer her. She dug her hands through the pockets in blind desperation, and felt a faint glimmer of hope come back to her nearly dead spirit when a sharp point stabbed into one of her exploring fingers. Ignoring the pain, Cathleen pulled from Maude’s pocket…the tiny crystal shard.

She stared at it for but a moment, before turning her eyes to the finger tips that held it in their grasp. She remembered what had happened to her earlier. It was an extreme long shot, based on merely gasps of hope that she had no way to prove were true. But it was all she had. If she didn’t try…

Cathleen backed away from Maude and dropped to her knees beside Lance’s body. Taking one last look at the shard clenched between her fingers, Cathleen could do nothing else except place all of her faith into what she was about to do.

Please work. Please work. I…can’t live without him. Cathleen begged over and over inside her head as she reached out with a trembling hand to roll Lance over. Maude, her face full of dirt and having lost a lot of its color, bent beside her and helped Cathleen lift Lance’s heavy body until he was on his side. As she glanced at the grizzly wounds that encompassed a significant portion of his back, Cathleen shut her eyes and made a silent prayer to something, anything, that this would work. If it didn’t…she didn’t dare think about that. With her breath held and her pulse surging through all of her veins, Cathleen placed the crystal’s tip against Lance’s back. An unexplained urge overtook Cathleen as she did, and she followed it without hesitation. Grasping her own crystal, she let her fear and suffering fade from her mind. She focused all of her mind on one single thought.

“Come back to me Lance.” Cathleen whispered. “I need my bodyguard. I need you.”

Pouring all of her heart into the thought of Lance breathing once again, Cathleen pressed the sharp into Lance’s back and gripped her own crystal tightly. Immense warmth radiated from her crystal and raced through her body like an unstoppable wildfire. It surged down through her arm, through her hand, and collected at the precise points where her skin was touching the shard. A jolt of raw power exploded between Cathleen’s fingers, crippling her hand and sending waves of intense pain rolling up her arm. Crying out, she fell over, clutching at her injured hand. Maude was by her side in an instant, trying to talk to her as she writhed around.

Although she was hurting bad, Cathleen forced her eyes to open. When she did, her heart flipped. Lance arched his back off the ground on his own force, his face twisted in one of even worse pain than she could ever imagine. His mouth hung open in a voiceless scream. But…he was breathing once again. He was alive.

Lance was alive!

Blocking out her own suffering, Cathleen scrambled across the ground to him. She looked just once at his injuries, and breathed a faint sigh of relief. The wounds on both his back and his chest were covered by a layer of crystal that was a lighter color of red than Lance’s skin. And…his ruby like skin was glistening in the moonlight once more.

“Lance.” Cathleen said softly, brushing a hand over the smooth surface of his face. “Say something to me. Just…open your eyes.”

And that’s exactly what he did. They fluttered lightly at first, but slowly they did open. Cathleen gazed deeply into those deep red irises, and saw nothing but the unyielding devotion he had always shown for her. And just like Davis’, glistening dots were etched all across his eyes, sparkling in the moonlight. There was nothing that Cathleen knew to compare them to, but they still caused her breath to be lost in their nearly endless wonder. To her amazement, Lance weakly lifted a hand and gently caressed the tips of his fingers across the skin of her cheeks.

“Cat.” he said in a voice that was far weaker than she had ever heard from him.

Hearing that weakness from him only enhanced the feelings that were coursing through Cathleen’s heart. Still crying slightly, Cathleen placed her hand over Lance’s and surrendered herself to the feeling of his impossibly hard, yet smooth skin against her face.

“Why did you do it?” she sobbed, unable to look at him. “Why did you risk your life for me?”

“Because…” Lance wheezed, fighting to get enough breath to speak.

“You don’t have to protect me,” Cathleen said. “I don’t care what we’re supposed to be. You didn’t have to do that…just because I’m the princess.”

“…I did it…because…” Lance gasped, making her face turn towards his. Unable to stop herself, Cathleen looked down at Lance, and realized that he was peering straight into her eyes. Cathleen froze as she recognized that look. It was the exact same one he had given her just before his eyes had closed for what she had thought was the last time.

“…I…love you.” Lance hissed.

Cathleen felt like she had been both sucker punched. Feelings of shock, tremendous joy, and gut wrenching guilt swirled around inside her as she tried to make sense of the revelation. She had known that Lance had cared deeply for her…and that she really did love him. But now, she knew the truth. Lance felt the same way about her. In that instant, she thought back on that night not long ago. She remembered the way he had held her when she had so desperately needed a pillar to brace her tortured and weakened spirit against, how he had made her feel so safe, and the promise he had made to her.

“Lance.” Cathleen sniffled through her continuously falling tears.

Not wanting to give herself even a moment to dwell on what she was doing, Cathleen shut her eyes and leaned over. Lance made a mumbling sound, but it was abruptly cut off as she planted her lips firmly against his. Lance’s body instantly regained some of its lost strength, she felt it through her lips, as if she were passing some of her very life into him.

It was only with the greatest exertion of self control that Cathleen managed to make the connection between their lips last only a few moments. She lifted her head slight from Lance so that they could look into each other’s eyes. Within Lance’s blood red eyes, she could see warmth, and underneath it, a hint of fear.

“Lance,” Cathleen said, “I…”

A horrendous cry of pain that was mixed with a sinister clicking broke the lock that they had on each other. Their heads snapped in the direction the screams had come from. And both froze in horror.

Davis was fighting ferociously in single combat against the monster. He was fighting with more strength and courage than Cathleen could have ever imagined from him. He was like a shimmering knight fighting against true evil, the way Cathleen had pictured heroes from her fairytale stories as a kid. And he was losing.

Even though it was down half an arm, that hardly made a difference to the monster as it relentlessly tore into Davis. Its four tentacles lashed out at him with blinding speed, the deadly barbs tipping each end slashing at Davis. Complete fear, the exact kind that she had felt when Lance had been stabbed, gripped Cathleen’s heart. Davis brought his arms up to guard his chest, and both were pierced by the barbs. Even from the distance they were at, Cathleen could see the shower of blue crystal sharps spray into the air. A horrible cry of pain escaped Davis’ lips, and was abruptly silenced when another tentacle whipped around and smacked him in the side of the head.

“Davis!” both Cathleen and Lance screamed at the same time as he went down.

A dangerous growl came from the depths of Lance’s chest. Before Cathleen could say anything to him, Lance tried to climb to his feet. As he moved, there was a sickening noise that sounded awfully close to grinding stone. Lance’s growl instantly turned to a muffled cry of pain. Although he clearly tried to stay up, he collapsed back to the ground in a helpless heap. As he tried to move again, Davis leapt into the air, narrowly avoiding being impaled by three of the monster’s barbs. The fourth one lashed out, stabbing Davis in one of his exposed legs. He cried in pain again, falling to the ground on his back.

“Davis, no…” Lance growled. His body was shaking all over, he was clearly in a lot of pain, but he still tried to get up. He managed to rise to one knee before falling flat on his face, crying in twisted agony.

“Lance!” Cathleen cried, grasping his shoulder. “Stop moving!”

“Davis…” Lance said weakly, now only able to lift his head. As the monster threw itself at him again, Lance reached out towards him as if to pull him away from the danger. Despite all of his efforts, his thick arm dropped to the dirt.

“No.” Lance muttered weakly.

“Lance…” Cathleen said, not knowing what to do.

“H…h…” Lance said, straining to roll over. When he did, his face twisted into one of absolute pain. Seeing him like that, Cathleen felt a terrible sinking feeling deep within her gut. There was no way that Lance was going to be able to help Davis. She had save his life, but only barely.

“Lance,” Cathleen pleaded, “you’ve got to stop moving. You’re going to kill yourself.”

“He…help him…” Lance whispered, unable to muster the strength to even open his eyes.

Cathleen’s eyes went wide. “What?”

“Help Davis. Please, Cat, help him.” Lance said.

Cathleen began to take in short, deep breaths as she looked first from Lance, then to Davis. She couldn’t leave Lance lying there helpless---but she couldn’t bear to sit back and watch as Davis was slowly cut apart by that monster. Worse of all, Cathleen didn’t know how she could help him. Even if she did go over to him, she would only get in the way.

“Lance, I…”

“He can’t…fight it…by himself…”

“But I can’t…”

“You have the power.”

“But I don’t know how to use it!” Cathleen shrieked. “I can’t do what you can.”

“Yes, you can. I believe in you Cat.”

“I…” Cathleen felt as if she were falling to pieces in front of Lance. She didn’t know what to do. She didn’t know what she could do. “I…can’t…”

“He’s the only family I have left. Help him, please.”

To Cathleen’s complete shock, tears began to roll down the side of Lance’s face. As they traced a path down the ridges of his skin, the moon’s ray combined with the reflective nature of Lance’s skin made the streaks glow. As he lay there, weeping in obvious helplessness, Cathleen suddenly realized a truth. She finally understood…just how vulnerable Lance truly was. Despite all of his otherworldly power, his immense strength, his seemingly unbreakable will, he still had a heart that was just as fragile as her own. And it was dying. Dying along with his best friend.

Cathleen shook her head in utter despair. Davis, Lance, Maude, her parents, they were all suffering because of her. And she was helpless to do anything to save any of them. As she fell into the endless abyss of suffering, strong hands pulled Cathleen to her feet. She was whirled around to come face to face with Maude.

“What are you standing around for Cat?” Maude pointed over to where Davis was fighting. “Go help him.”

“But I…I can’t change like them.” Cathleen said weakly, looking down at Lance. “I can’t do anything.”

“Well you need to do something. Fast!” Maude screamed.

Cathleen looked over her shoulder at Davis, then back down at Lance. She didn’t want to see Davis get hurt any more for her. She loved him too much to ever want that to happen. But…she didn’t want to just leave Lance helpless on the ground. She looked from one to the other again. Either choice felt like abandoning a piece of her soul. Maude, apparently seeing the indecision in Cathleen, gave her a light shake.

“Don’t worry about Lance.” Maude said. “I’ll watch out for him. Now go!”

Cathleen looked sadly down at Lance’s trembling form. She shook her head weakly. “Maude…I can’t…just leave…”

Cathleen was jolted from her state of perpetual despair by a hard slap across the face. She stumbled back a step, but was grasped by her the collar of her shirt by Maude. Her best friend glared at her with a wild fire burning in her eyes as she held her firmly.

“Cat!” Maude shouted right into her face. “Davis is going to die!”

Cathleen looked back to Davis once again, and winced when she saw him get stabbed slightly in his side by another barb as he wildly fought to fend the others off. The monster wasn’t just trying to kill him. It was torturing him. She turned back to Maude. The strong gaze of her friend didn’t waver for even a moment.

“Don’t worry about Lance, I’ll protect him.”

Maude snatched up a nearby piece of discarded wood and held firmly in her hands. Against that monster, she didn’t have a prayer of even defending herself, let alone Lance. One look into Maude’s eyes, and Cathleen knew that she was completely aware of that. But still Maude gripped the hunk of wood tightly in her hands and got between Lance and the monster. She stood her ground with dogged determination, clearly ready to put her life on the line to keep Lance safe. It was a show of extreme bravery from her friend that caused something to snap inside Cathleen.

Everyone. Lance and Davis…Maude…her parents…they were all suffering because of her. They were being hurt and killed because that creature wanted her. She had almost lost Lance, and was now watching Davis being killed in front of her. And her parents…she couldn’t see them anywhere. If nothing happened, if she did nothing, then she was going to lose all of them. She couldn’t let that happen. She wouldn’t.

“Stop it!!!” Cathleen screamed towards the monster.

At the sound of her echoing voice, its head snapped in her direction. Suddenly, it lost all interest in Davis. And not a moment too soon, as Davis dropped weakly to his knees from the multiple injuries he had sustained.

“Stop it!” Cathleen repeated, holding her arms out wide to catch its attention. “Leave him alone. I’m the one you want.”

Although she was terrified beyond all known comprehension, Cathleen couldn’t stand by while everyone else around her was torn apart by this living nightmare. She slowly walked towards it, her body trembling with each new step that brought her closer to it. This had to end. No matter how it happened, she just couldn’t stand by and watch anymore. The monster remained where it was, but its tentacles began whipping back and forth in a sinisterly gleeful manner as it realized she was bringing herself right to it. The long fingers on its one remaining hand twitched eagerly as she approached.

“I am Izzara!” Cathleen shouted to the beast. “I’m the princess. I’m the one that you’re after.”

“No Cat!” Maude screamed from behind her. “That’s not what I meant!”

“Don’t hurt anyone else.” Cathleen pleaded to the beast. “Just…take me and leave everyone else alone.”

“Cathleen…please don’t…” Davis cried, his face contorted in unimaginable pain as he clutched his various wounds.

Cathleen didn’t even look at him. She just couldn’t bear the sight of seeing what had happened to him because of her. Not after what had happened with Lance. It would break her spirit in so many ways that she doubted that she would ever be able to recover from it. Now completely submerged in fear, but also completely unwilling to give in to it, Cathleen continued to walk until she was almost upon the monstrosity. In her heart, she knew that death was almost upon. To think, something she had longed to embrace for such a long time was now about to happen, and now she didn’t want it more than anything. Because, Cathleen realized, she had finally found something worth living for. But…ironically, she had also found something worth dying for. Struggling just to breathe, Cathleen took one final step forward. It was a step that brought her easily within range of the monster’s lanky arm. Its unnatural mouth twisted and formed into a very human like sneer, and it reached out for her without hesitation.

“NO!!!”

Before Cathleen could even jump back, Davis hurled himself into the towering beast. As big as it was, the creature crumpled under the withering punches from Davis’ good arm. Again and again, he rammed his fist into its side, until it broke through the rubbery layer of skin. The monster stumbled on uneven feet as Davis jerked his hand from its side, his fist coated in transparent goo.

There wasn’t even time for Cathleen to shout a warning to him. One of the thrashing tentacles coiled around Davis’ hand like a massive snake. With a mighty flick, Davis was sent spiraling into the air, thrashing like a rag doll as he went. With its alien face clearly in a state of pain, it lashed out with another tentacle and smashed it across his back. Davis hit the ground and did an instant back flip. His quick reaction saved his life, as the monster smashed the ground with its one fist where he had just been. Davis threw himself weakly at the beast, dodging under a wild swipe of its claws. Rearing his fist back, he gave it an uppercut that knocked its head back and sent it tumbling away. As it went down, one of its deadly tentacles lashed out and stabbed Davis in the chest.

Cold fear surged through Cathleen as she saw blood and dark blue crystal shards sail through the air. She raced over to Davis as he dropped on his stomach and clutched at the wound inflicted on the right side of his chest. Cathleen fell to her knees in front of him, and felt a chasm split her heart right down its center upon seeing how badly he had just been hurt. Aside from the one large wound to his chest, over half a dozen smaller punctures peppered his glimmering blue body. Small red streams trickled from the holes and cracks snaked out in all directions from their epicenter.

To Cathleen’s horror, she realized that Davis had just been hurt almost as badly as Lance had. Despite all of his wounds, Davis somehow still found the strength to weakly lift his head and look at her.

“Davis…” Cathleen sniffled, placing her hands on his face. Knowing that she hadn’t wanted to leave Lance earlier only made her feel guiltier than ever as she gazed into Davis’ pain wrecked, but still zealously protective, eyes. She felt horrible for having even been reluctant to go to him.

Davis slowly raised a trembling hand and placed it over hers. “Cath…leen…”

Unable to sit by and see Davis the way he was, Cathleen grabbed him by the shoulders and cautiously turned him over. Resting his body against hers, she ran her fingers through his silver and blue streaked hair, the way her ‘mother’ had done for her when she had been little. Although badly hurt, Davis somehow still managed to curve his lips into a faint smile for her. Seeing that just made Cathleen want to die.

“Davis…why…” she cried weakly, shedding tear drops onto his glistening face. “You’re fighting…killing yourself…for…”

She could see the understanding deep in his twilight blue eyes. Cathleen knew that Davis hated fighting. That had been apparent on first day she had met him, when he had done everything he could to avoid having to throw a punch. It was the same way whenever he had butted heads with Lance. Davis had always tried to find a way to resolve the issue peacefully. But now…he had fought like a maniac against the monster, and nearly got killed doing it. Cathleen already knew why he had done it, but she couldn’t stop herself from asking the question.

Davis took her hand in his and stared straight into her eyes. “There’s….” he struggled to breath as more blood poured from his chest each time it lifted. “…nothing wrong…with fighting…for something…you love.”

Cathleen’s entire body froze. He had said it. Not directly. But she knew the meaning of Davis’ words. Just like Lance only a short while ago, he had just professed his undying love for her.

“I…” Cathleen’s words died in her throat. How could she say it? How could she find the strength to answer him, after what she had told Lance? How could telling him what her heart felt in that moment not be a betrayal of some kind?

“Cathleen…” Davis fought to push the words out of his trembling mouth. “You have…to help…”

The hopelessness was completely strangling her in its vicious grasp. Everyone was begging her to help them, and she was powerless to do anything. Cathleen hated herself more in that moment than she had ever throughout her entire life.

“Davis…” she said, “I don’t know how…”

Davis’s head fell back against her chest. Cathleen felt his body going limp in her arms, and she feared something worse than death was about to happen. She had narrowly avoided it with Lance. But now, she didn’t see how it was possible to dodge that soul killing bullet a second time. Davis gazed up at her, and a look which could never be placed in words passed between them as the twilight iris of his eyes twinkled with glistening points like the star filled sky above.

“Let it go…free your spirit…” he said, shutting his eyes as the first trickle of glimmering tears flowed down his cheeks. “Let your crystal…and you…become one.”

“But…” Cathleen said, not knowing anything that she could say which would make sense of how she was feeling.

“I…I know how you feel…Cathleen.” Davis said with a faint sob. “But you can’t…hold back…any longer.”

In that moment, Cathleen could no longer deny her heart what it truly felt. She had told Lance. Now she needed to tell Davis. No matter how much pain it might cause later, she had to say it. If not now…she might never get another chance. Cathleen lowered her head until it was almost touching Davis’ face.

“Davis.” she whispered. His eyes fluttered softly. With a tremendous show of effort, his eye lids lifted halfway, so that he could see her. As she stared into his gentle gaze, Cathleen felt the words building within her, coming from the depths of her heart.
“I…I…”

Davis was suddenly snatched from her arms with a ferocity that knocked Cathleen back. Icy pinpoints of fear stabbed into every portion of her body. The monster was back. Looking madder than ever. It clutched Davis in its hand as if he were nothing more than a crystal doll. He struggled to free himself from its grasp, but it was too strong. Its large fingers flexed, causing Davis to cry out faintly.

“Davis!” she cried. Cathleen jumped to her feet and frantically waved her arms around, trying to catch the monster’s attention. “No, please, don’t hurt him. Take me. Take me!”

Her cries went unheeded as its thick fingers clenched tightly around Davis’ shimmering body. His mouth hung open in a visible cry of pain, but Davis had no breath for it. As the monster’s grip tightened, a sickening cracking sound filled Cathleen’s ears. It was the sound of a crystal shattering. All across his reflective body, Cathleen could see the cracks along Davis’s crystal body spreading as he thrashed about feebly in its grip.

“Please.” Cathleen begged, falling to her knees in front of the monster. “Just let him go. I won’t fight you or anything. Just…let him go.”

Even hurting in ways that she could never dare to imagine, Davis weakly managed to look her way. When she did, Cathleen just wanted to die. There was nothing in his eyes except an unyielding desire for her safety. His lips moved weakly as if he was going to say something. Cathleen realized with a breaking heart that even as much as he was hurting, Davis had managed mouth a warning to her. A plea to get away while she still had the chance.

“Davis…” Cathleen sobbed. She looked away from him and up at the monster, right into its glimmering eyes. “Please…don’t hurt him anymore. You…you can do anything you want to me. Just…stop hurting him.”

There was a strange expression that passed over its alien face. It bent down to stare at her, the light from its eyes washed over Cathleen, bathing her in their unnatural light. Its head twisted slowly from her over to Davis. The harsh look etched into its semi-liquid face faded as it watched him stare at her. Its head shifted from him and back to her. Cathleen didn’t dare look away from the beast, least she invoke more rage from it. As she fought with all her strength to keep her eyes upon it, she saw something that made her mouth fall open. Although there was no human expression that it could match, Cathleen saw the change. And she instantly knew what she was seeing.

The monster…this nightmarish beast…understood the feelings that were flowing through Cathleen in that very moment. It knew what she was feeling. But more importantly, it knew what Davis meant to her. She could never understand how such a living demon could know about love, but this monster clearly did. Against everything that Cathleen had expected, the harshness vanished from its face. Its crushing grip around Davis eased, and he drew in a deep breath. As he hung limply in its large claws, the monster began to lower Davis to the ground gently.

Cathleen could barely believe what she was seeing. How, or why, it would do this was beyond her. She weakly climbed to her feet, her lips quivering and tiny trickles of joyful tears streaming down her face.

“Thank you.” she said to it, stepping closer to the monster with a few sniffles. “Thank you for…understanding.”

The short spell that had fallen over her was shattered when the corner of the monster’s mouth curved slightly. Cathleen had seen that expression a thousand times before, and instantly knew what it meant.

“No!” she begged, rushing towards Davis. “Don’t! Please!”

Jaws snapping, the monster suddenly raised Davis high over its head, and smashed him into the ground with such force that it knocked Cathleen off her feet. Dust filled her face, both choking and blinding her. Coughing furiously, Cathleen whipped her eyes clean. Blinking through the thick haze, Cathleen saw a still form lying in the dirt. Her heart felt as if it had just died when she realized that the body was Davis. He was lying face down on the ground. He wasn’t moving at all. Small pools of blood collected around his still form, and cracks were etched across every part of his crystal like skin. The glow of the moonlight had faded from his body, the same way it had when Lance had…

Cathleen shook her head repeatedly, trying in a vain effort to deny what she was seeing. But the truth couldn’t be denied. Davis was dead.

“Davis!!!” she screamed at the top of her lungs.

All thoughts of him, and her shattering heart, were erased an instant later as think tentacles shot out from the endless darkness that surrounded her with the speed of a striking snake. The strong tendrils wrapped tightly around all of Cathleen’s body, trapping her in a grip that felt as if it was breaking her bones. Pain rocketed throughout every portion of her body. It was all encompassing, blocking out any form of thought from her mind. Completely helpless, Cathleen was hoisted off the ground as if she were nothing more than a pitiful stuffed animal. Suspended in the air, she could do nothing except watch with hazy vision as the monster materialized in front of her like the nightmarish entity that it was.

It was like it had been before. The unstoppable monster was looming over her, but now Cathleen knew that there was no hope for her. No one was going to be able to come and save her. And, although she was completely petrified by her impending death, that was the way Cathleen wanted it. Because she now knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that there were some things that were worse than death. And one of them was watching on helplessly as someone she loved died because of her. She wanted nothing more than to run to Davis and see if he was still alive, but that was impossible. There was no more magic shard to use to bring him back. He was gone forever.

As the hideous creature lifted her up to its sinister face, Cathleen could do nothing except brace herself for the unimaginable pain from its jagged fangs. She waited, and waited…and waited. As it slowly began to dawn upon her that she wasn’t about to be eaten, Cathleen weakly lifted her eyes to meet those of the monster. Gazing into those empty shimmering orbs was like staring into the eyes of the grim reaper. It flashed its fangs at her, and the tentacles around her coiled tighter. Cathleen wanted to scream as pure agony shot all throughout her body, but she couldn’t even draw in a breath. As she hung there, suspended like fly in a web, the monster raised its remaining arm.

Those talons that tipped its hand looked even more menacing than they ever had before. Cathleen felt the sense of dread mounting as those wickedly sharp tips inched closer and closer towards her. She tried to brace herself as it appeared she was about to be impaled by those talons. But, Cathleen realized, there was nothing she could do to prepare herself for what was about to come.

What did come was the last thing she ever could have expected. The monster’s jaws widened, to the point where it appeared like the creature was smiling at her. Then it reached out with a single talon, and pressed the tip firmly into her forehead. The pain was excruciating, destroying any sense of rational thought in her mind. And quite suddenly, the world around her faded away.

For one brief, and truly terrifying instant, Cathleen thought that she had died. Instead…something far worse was happening to her. Somehow, in a way she would never be able to understand, the creature spoke to her. No words were exchanged. Only images and feelings.

As these passed through her mind, she finally began to grasp the true magnitude of just how much this living nightmare hated her. And as those wretched feelings coursed their way through Cathleen’s mind, there was no way that she could ever comprehend that they were only a prelude to the living hell that was about to play out inside her mind. Before she had a chance to make sense of any of it, she found herself in another place, in another time, looking through eyes that weren’t her own.

She knew that she was inside a ship of some sorts as it glided effortlessly through the void of space. There was no concept of known reality to her that could effectively understand her surroundings, only that she was completely immersed inside an unknown liquid with thousands of little ropey tendrils snaking all around her and through her. She could feel the pulse racing through each and every one of these tendrils into her. It was like she was nestled deep inside a living creature. She could feel the tendrils snaking their way throughout the entire body of this living entity, connecting her to others like her. She could hear in her mind and feel in her heart all their thoughts. But all contemplation of what she was in and why vanished as her vision cleared. She gazed out through a transparent layer of what looked like flesh and saw what was looming before her. The instant Cathleen made the connection, her she felt a heart ache that could never be understood across the entire length of the cosmos.

What she was staring at through this monster’s eyes…

…was the bright blue star that her planet had orbited.

There was a great surge of maniacal joy that pulsated through her as everything around her shuddered softly, and she felt a piece of this living entity break away from the main body. It shout out from the main body, streaking towards the radiant blue sun of her home. The streak reached the blue orb in the space of an eye blink, and bore through its fiery surface like a bullet aimed straight for its heart. Cathleen instantly understood what had been done. That thing that had been shot into the blue sun of her home…had been some kind of bomb. She knew that there would be no immediate effects from what was done. But what had happened was unstoppable, and there would be only one end result from it. The star would collapse in on itself, and explode. Destroying every planet in the solar system in a fiery wave of apocalyptic destruction.

The great and terrifying truth had suddenly been revealed to Cathleen. The star to her home hadn’t just spontaneously collapsed. It had been blown up by these…monsters.

And worse still, other visions flooded her mind after that. This creature was telling her without speaking any words what it was planning to do. She saw images of Lance, of Davis, of Maude, and of her parents. All dead. All horribly killed by this beast…once it had crushed the life out of her. Her sacrifice for their lives would be completely in vain. She felt the prime satisfaction it would enjoy as it returned to the others of its kind, for it was the only one that had truly believed that some of her people had survived the destruction of their home world, and had spent her entire life scouring the stars for any trace of the survivors it knew had somehow escaped. Its seemingly endless search through the cosmos for her would finally come to an end. She saw it going back to that living entity in space, to the others of its demonic kind, and telling them of how a handful of her people had escaped. She trembled as this thing would look on in a state of near ecstasy as it brought them back to Earth, and watched with malicious glee as another weapon like the kind that had been fired into her own home’s star was launched into the glimmering yellow sun that gave life to her new home, and the destructive wave from the sun’s death would sweep across the solar system. It would obliterate Earth, and every other planet in the solar system. It would destroy everything.

As the great and sinister reality was revealed to Cathleen, she realized the truth of it all. Her planet…her home, had been destroyed by this monster and others like it. They had murdered her parents, her people. All the pain, the misery, the suffering she had endured throughout her entire life…the alienation, the loneliness, the fear…had all been because of this creature. And now, if it got away, everything that she had ever loved throughout her life would be destroyed.

She was going to lose everything.

Everything.

“NO!!!!!” Cathleen screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice echoing out into the night sky in a cry of pain that no living thing should have ever endured.

In that instant, something snapped deep inside Cathleen. She didn’t know exactly what it was, but it was a thing that she could never compare to anything she had experienced throughout her entire life. There was one thing that she was absolutely certain of…and it was that this otherworldly sensation was coming from her crystal.

A force exploded from the interior of the jewel and into her, racing its way through her like a lightning bolt. She felt it tickling across her skin, penetrating through her flesh, and encasing her bones. The old feelings that she had experienced ever since she had first gotten her crystal, the ones that had been growing and growing with each passing day, were now becoming everything that she could see, hear, and feel. The sensations had become her entire being. There was no longer any concept of separation between her own body and the crystal. They had become one.

Her eyes shot open with a burst of immense strength that she had never felt before. As she gazed up at the monster, she could see that all the emotions that had been lurking across its monstrous face had vanished, replaced by an expression that could be easily read, even within its inhuman face. Shock. Absolute, stunned shock. But Cathleen didn’t care. Everything that she had been experiencing had vanished from her mind as well. Except one thing.

Anger.

An unstoppable, uncontrollable firestorm of emotion swept through her, encompassing her every sensation. Gritting her teeth, Cathleen strained against the hard coils that had bound her. The monster’s glimmering eyes narrowed, and the grip around Cathleen tightened to the point where it could crush her. Or they should have.

Cathleen didn’t know why, but their combined strength suddenly didn’t seem all tough anymore. It was as if they had become as puny as strands of yarn. But, Cathleen realized, nothing had changed in the monster. The change had occurred in her. She felt a strength pulsing through her that she had never known before. Calling upon this newfound might, Cathleen pushed back against the constricting coils around her. The monster’s jaws snapped as tremors began traveling down the full length of its tentacles. It was fighting now with all its strength to crush her under its grasp. And it was failing.

Cathleen gave one tremendous push, and the bonds that held her suspended off the ground were sent failing through the air. The monster stumbled back, hissing in pain. As it struggled to stay up, Cathleen dropped to the ground. Her fall felt little more to her than setting her foot in a bed of feathers. She was hardly aware of that. She was hardly aware of anything, except the beast that stood before her.

This…thing, and others like it, had taken everything from her. And now it was planning to do it again. She wouldn’t let that happen. Ever. The anger of what had been done to her, of everything that she had lost, flowed through her. She felt its power radiate down the length of her arm, and into her trembling hand. Her fingers curled into a tight fist as her eyes bore into the monster. It regained its footing and looked back down at her. Cathleen expected it to attack her, but it didn’t. There was a strange hesitation in the way it stood before her. Although it was truly alien to her, there was a universal body language that permeated all across its body from looking at her.

Fear. For the first time since she had laid eyes upon this nightmare, she saw an unmistakable look of fear in its inhuman eyes. And Cathleen was glad. Without the slightest hesitation, she drew back her fist and threw the first punch she had ever thrown in her entire life. A roar leapt forth from the back of her throat, echoing out into the night sky like that of a lioness. Her tiny fist smashed into the center of its massive gut, and she watched with glee as its body folded in against her hit. The monster doubled over, clutching where she had punched it with its remaining hand. Falling down, it writhed about on the ground before her in obvious agony. As she stared down at it, the first hint of shock hit Cathleen.

Where Davis and Lance had fought with all their might to just hold their own against this beast, she had brought it down with a single punch. Thinking of her fist, Cathleen lifted her hand to her face, fully expecting to see it all twisted and broken from hitting such a hard surface as the monster’s skin. What she did see made her jaw drop, but in a completely different way.

The pale skin that she had come to hate her entire life was gone. In its place was a purple crystal like surface. The soft light from the moon high above in the sky illuminated its entire surface, casting Cathleen’s entire body in a purplish glow. Across her new skin, the light collected on points, each that glowed with intensity. To Cathleen, it was as if all the stars in the night sky had been pulled down from the heavens and wrapped around her. As she stared at her new self, Cathleen instantly became aware of everything all around her.

She could suddenly hear every blade of grass swaying around her, feel the most minuscule gust of wind tickle across her hardened skin, a detect even the faintest movement that crossed her eyes. A slight movement passed the corner of her eyes, and she focused her now laser like vision upon it. Cathleen should have been stunned to realize that she was seeing a tiny grasshopper jumping from one blade of grass to another as if she were sitting right on top of it. These new found senses were only a fraction of Cathleen’s transformation.

A change had come over her mind. No longer would she let the fear of the unknown control her and hold her back. Deep in her heart, Cathleen knew in this instant that she had been changed forever.

She was princess Izzara. The immense weight of what that meant fell upon her shoulders, and she embraced it willingly. All across the world she had come to call home, there were others out there. She could feel them, their fear, the loneness, their despair. All lost and afraid, all without the slightest trace of hope. And now, she understood, that hope lay within her. Without her, there would be no future for both her people and humanity.

As she thought of everything that was resting on her shoulders, Cathleen was taken completely by surprise when the monster sprang from the ground and lunged at her. Its speed was insanely fast. There wasn’t even time for Cathleen to blink before the monster lashed out with its gigantic fist and smashed it into her face. Her entire world blackened, and she lost all sense of being for an instant. The next sensation that Cathleen was aware of was her body spinning wildly through the air. Instincts she had never been aware of instantly flooded her mind. Cathleen smashed into the ground feet first and rolled into her momentum. She came to a stop in a crouched position.

The monster’s punch had knocked her back a good fifty feet. A punch from that monster should have knocked the life completely out of her. And yet…she was still standing. The left side of her face hurt twice as bad when Maude had hit her. Knowing that she had just taken the best that monster had to offer, Cathleen felt fire flair up inside her once again. There was no longer any fear within her for herself, only the lives of everyone and everything that she cared for. As that anger grew, Cathleen willingly embraced it. She stood her ground as the monster crouched low, preparing to strike. But as she braced herself for its attack, she saw a hesitation etched into every last fiber of its body.

She thought of her parents. Her best friend. And the two boys whom she had surrendered her heart two. She was bound to all of them. It was now her responsibility…her destiny to protect them all. And she would. No matter the cost…

“This ends tonight.” Cathleen shouted to the beast, her commanding voice howling out into the night wind with the fury of a tempest. “You won’t take anything else from me. Ever!”

The monster clicked repeatedly, raising its tentacles out with their deadly barbs pointed straight at her. Flashing its curved fangs, the monster threw itself at Cathleen with the ferocity of a wild animal. Cathleen’s instincts kicked in, and she shifted her body to brace for the attack. As it closed in on her, Cathleen…Izzara…prepared herself for the first fight of her entire life. A fight which she knew wouldn’t end until either her or the beast had stopped breathing.