Callie could hear the muffled voices of her parents outside her bedroom door.
"We can't put this off any longer, Agathe! The city is in turmoil!"
"This is our daughter we're talking about, Cadmus! Our daughter! I'm not sending her off with some stranger!"
Callie was wide awake now. Something was very wrong. She could feel the fear and worry rolling off her parents in waves. Even at six years old, Callie's telepathic abilities were stronger than most. She concentrated on her parents, and the conversation grew clearer. She could see it in her mind's eye.
"Agathe, any day now, the city will erupt into civil war. We don't have the luxury of time anymore! We need to make a decision!"
Callie could see her father's face, flushed from arguing. Her mother looked close to tears.
"You think I don't know that Cadmus?" she began to cry. Callie watched as her father bundled her mother into his arms and held her as she cried.
Mother, are you alright? I'm scared! Callie thought. She saw her mother lift her head.
"Callie's awake. She's listening," she said.
Everything is alright, Princess. Go back to sleep. Callie heard in her head. Her parents than mentally blocked her out of the conversation, leaving her with her thoughts.
Callie laid back down on her pillow, staring up at the stars outside her bedroom window. She imagined she was up there with the stars, close enough to touch them. Callie's mind lingered on this scene, soothing her thoughts until she was able to fall back asleep.
ooOOoo
The next day, Callie's mother seemed on edge, as if she were waiting for something bad to happen. She forbade Callie from going outside, saying it would be much too hot out there. That didn't make any sense to Callie because it was always very hot outside. Nevertheless, she did as her mother asked.
Later, Callie was playing with her toys when she heard a knock at the door. Her mother ran to answer it. There was a man at the door, very gruff looking, with a scruffy beard. He gave Callie's mother a hug.
"Agathe! You've not changed a bit!" He said, letting go of her. Callie's mother smiled.
"Neither have you, Seamus." She led him inside. The man walked toward Callie.
"So this is the wee lass, eh? You've grown since I last saw you!" He ruffled her hair. Callie giggled. She liked this man. He talked funny. She voiced her opinion to him.
The man laughed heartily. Before he could say anything more, Callie's mother led him away to talk.
ooOOoo
That night, Callie was woken by her mother gently shaking the bed. She looked scared.
"What's wrong, Mother?" She asked, still groggy with sleep.
Nothing's wrong, princess. I just need you to wake up now." She was holding one of Callie's dresses and her warmest coat. She helped Callie dress and handed her a small backpack.
"We're going to go on a little adventure, okay? Why don't you pick a few things to take with you."
Callie immediately reached behind her and grabbed her teddy bear, Apollo, off the bed and stuffed it in the pack. She walked around her room, taking various items and placing them in her backpack. There was the bracelet her Father had given her, the rock she had found outside… Her mother placed a few items inside the backpack as well. A framed photo of Callie with her parents, a small package wrapped in brown paper, and a thick envelope. Finally, she placed a few of her other dresses in at the top. When the pack was full, she zipped it up and helped Callie put it on. Then she knelt down to her level.
"Callie, I have something for you." She held up a necklace with a smooth, black heart pendant on it. She hooked it around Callie's neck. "Don't ever take this off, okay? Promise me."
"I promise."
Callie took her mother's outstretched hand and followed her out of her room. Her father was outside the door. He picked her up and held her in a tight hug. Callie hugged him back, feeling his sadness creep into her mind.
"Why are you sad, Father?" she asked innocently.
Her father didn't respond. He just held her tightly for a few more seconds, before putting back down. Callie's mother knelt in front of her.
"Callie, I need you to listen to me very carefully. Can you do that?" She asked. Callie nodded.
"You and I are going to take a walk outside. I need you to be very quiet. We can't make any noise, or somebody might wake up. Do you understand?"
Callie nodded again. She understood the meaning of the message. They were sneaking out. They needed to be quiet, or they would be caught. Her mother stood and grasped her hand.
The stars were out, as they always were. There were no clouds to block them.
Callie and her mother crept through the shadows, quiet as mice. Every so often they would pause in an alleyway and her mother would listen. Callie wondered what her mother was listening for. As they walked the empty streets, Callie began to glimpse bits and pieces of the dreams people living there were having. Some were sweet and happy, but many were not. She gripped her mother's hand tighter.
She saw a large open area ahead and wondered what it was. Her mother moved closer. There was a ship docked there, a spaceship. Two big men were loading barrels and crates inside of it. Another man sat and watched. Callie was frightened of the men, who seemed very gruff and scary. Her mother picked her up and held a finger to her lips. Callie nodded in understanding. She watched as her mother picked up a large stone and threw it over the men's heads. It landed on something metal in the distance, making a clunking sound. The two men loading the ship left to investigate, leaving the one man. Callie's mother walked over to him.
"Did you run into any trouble getting here?" he whispered.
"Almost ran straight into a few sentinels, but we managed to get away quick enough."
Callie recognized the man as the one who had visited her home earlier that day. Her mother turned to her.
"Callie, this is Captain O'Connelly. He owns the big ship. Do you remember him?" She nodded.
"Hello, lass." He tipped his hat to her.
"It's not safe here for you anymore. Captain O'Connelly is going to take you away on his ship so you'll be safe." her mother continued, tears welling in her eyes. Callie threw her arms around her mother's neck and began to cry.
"Please don't make me go, mother! I want to stay with you!" she cried.
Callie's mother hugged her tightly for a moment, tears falling from her eyes. After a few seconds, she stood, wiping her eyes.
"Don't you worry, Agathe. I won't let your wee lass out of my sight," he said, giving her a hug. She hugged back.
"Thank you, Seamus. For everything." She turned once more to Callie.
"Promise me something, Callie. Promise me that you'll be brave. Promise me that you'll be brave and that you won't forget about us."
"I promise." Callie sniffed.
Seamus held out his hand to Callie, and she took it. He began leading her up the gangplank, away from her mother. Callie turned back and waved at her mother one last time. Her mother waved back. She watched the man who was like a father to her lead her one and only child, the most precious thing she had, away from her.
"Be safe, my daughter. My precious Calliope."
A/N: Hi guys! This is my first ever fanfiction and I'm excited to share it with you! I'm not sure how often I'll be able to update, but I will try and get the first official chapter up within a weeks time. I don't have a beta because I prefer to proofread my own work, but if you find any mistakes feel free to PM me and I'll fix them. I respect you guys too much to pester you for reviews, but I won't lie, they would be nice. :)