Chapter 3 - Starlight, Starbright
It was dark, and the lights in the house wouldn't turn on. The little girl started to panic when none of the light switches would turn anything on. She ran down the dark hallway to her parents' room and knocked. Silence. She knocked some more. Silence. She opened the door to see there was absolutely nothing in the room. EVERYTHING was gone! The little girl ran back out of the house. The car, the house number that was usually hanging next to the garage door, and her family's name on the mailbox, there were all gone. She started to cry and then ran next door, but no one answered. She turned back to look at the vacant house she once called home to see that she was now surrounded by forest. "What happened? Where's home?" the little girl asked aloud VERY confused on how she had gotten there. She looked up and saw the night sky lit with hundreds if sparkly stars, she had never seen that many stars in the sky before. She heard rustling and looked back at her surroundings and then froze when she saw two gold eyes staring at her from within the dark forest. The girl's eyes glowed gold. The gold eyes that were staring at her seemed somewhat familiar. She walked back a bit, she had been lost for some time now.but before it had been in a white dull place. Why had it changed? Why had she been at home? And why was she now in the forest? "Who are you?" she asked frightened a bit.
And from the forest a women walked out, she looked kind. She had blonde hair and brown eyes when the feral gold faded from her eyes. The woman smiled at the girl. "Hello.""
"Who are you?" the girl asked again.
"Who are you?" the woman asked the girl.
"Me? My name's Alissa Kane."
"Alissa Kane. Must keep Alissa safe. Keep her safe for Adam."
"Adam? That's my dad's name!"
"Safe. Here. Alissa."
"What's your name?!"
"Alissa. Safe. Here. There. Shalimar."
"Shalimar?" Alissa asked. "Is that your name?" But before the woman could answer she disappeared. "WAIT! Come back!" Alissa yelled, but she didn't come back. Alissa was crying now. She was so very confused and afraid. She laid down and curled up into a little ball. And then just stared up at the stars wishing she could be home again. "Starlight, Starbright," Alissa said softly to herself. "First star I see tonight.I wish I may.I wish I might.have this wish I wish tonight.I wish that I was home." Alissa looked down from the starry sky and fell asleep.
Early the Next Morning.
Shalimar came back around 3am the next morning. She checked on Alissa, kissed her forehead, turned off the TV, and then got into the shower. When Shalimar came out she got into bed and turned off the lights. "Night Alissa," Shalimar said tiredly.
"Night Shalimar," Alissa's quiet voice came from the darkness.
Shalimar sat straight up and turned on the light. She looked over to see that Alissa's eyes were still closed and she hadn't moved. Shalimar let out a sigh of relief, "ah, get a hold of yourself.its just your imagination." Shalimar turned the light off and laid back down and fell asleep.
Later that day.
Shalimar rolled over in her bed and opened her eyes to see Alissa sitting up in bed. "Good morning Shalimar," Alissa said in almost a whisper.
"Alissa?" Shalimar asked tiredly sitting up as well.
"Where's my mommy and daddy?" Alissa asked curiously.
"Well, your dad is well.not here.he left you with me so that I could keep you safe," Shalimar tried to explain, "and your mom."
"She died, didn't she?" Alissa asked sadly, but all Shalimar could do was nod. "While I was asleep.I could hear everything.and when Daddy said that Mommy had gone to heaven.I thought it was just a nightmare."
Shalimar tried to smile for Alissa, "you know your dad will be VERY happy you're awake."
"When can I see him?"
"Well, we're suppose to be hiding out.and that's at LEAST for four more months."
"Oh," Alissa said quietly disappointed and looked down away from Shalimar.
Shalimar swung her legs over the edge of the bed and walked over and sat down next to Alissa. "Why don't we unhook you from all of this stuff?" Shalimar asked motioning to the IV and stuff that was hooked up to Alissa. asked motioning to the IV and stuff that was hooked up to Alissa. asked motioning to the IV and stuff that was hooked up to Alissa. Alissa nodded and Shalimar started to unhook everything. "How are you feeling?"
"Hungry and thirsty," Alissa said.
"How about we go out for.well its lunch time now.we sort of slept through breakfast."
"How long have I been asleep?"
Shalimar finished unhooking Alissa and then looked up at her. "You dad said that you have been in a coma for five years."
"So, I'm eleven then?" Alissa asked.
"Yep, and you know what?"
"What?"
"I need to take you clothes shopping."
"Really?!"
"Unless you WANT to go back into that coma?"
"NO! That's okay." Alissa said laughing a bit.
"I've got an idea." Shalimar said.
"What idea?"
"Okay, so we're not suppose to contact Adam for another four months, but we move to another state in a month.so, right before we leave we'll call your dad."
"That way no one can find us if they track the phone?"
"Right."
"Okay.but what do I do?"
"You mean while I'm at work?" Shalimar asked and Alissa nodded. "Sleep?"
"But then I'll only see you when you wake up at lunch time and before you go to work if I'm not sleeping yet."
"Well, you could always get up when I get up.it's not like you're going in school or anything."
Alissa smiled, "Shalimar?"
"Yeah."
"Are you like me?"
Shalimar smiled, "like you how?"
"Daddy said that I was a feral, a New Mutant."
"Yes, you are."
"And are you a New Mutant, too?"
"Yes I am."
"A feral, like me?"
"Yep."
It was dark, and the lights in the house wouldn't turn on. The little girl started to panic when none of the light switches would turn anything on. She ran down the dark hallway to her parents' room and knocked. Silence. She knocked some more. Silence. She opened the door to see there was absolutely nothing in the room. EVERYTHING was gone! The little girl ran back out of the house. The car, the house number that was usually hanging next to the garage door, and her family's name on the mailbox, there were all gone. She started to cry and then ran next door, but no one answered. She turned back to look at the vacant house she once called home to see that she was now surrounded by forest. "What happened? Where's home?" the little girl asked aloud VERY confused on how she had gotten there. She looked up and saw the night sky lit with hundreds if sparkly stars, she had never seen that many stars in the sky before. She heard rustling and looked back at her surroundings and then froze when she saw two gold eyes staring at her from within the dark forest. The girl's eyes glowed gold. The gold eyes that were staring at her seemed somewhat familiar. She walked back a bit, she had been lost for some time now.but before it had been in a white dull place. Why had it changed? Why had she been at home? And why was she now in the forest? "Who are you?" she asked frightened a bit.
And from the forest a women walked out, she looked kind. She had blonde hair and brown eyes when the feral gold faded from her eyes. The woman smiled at the girl. "Hello.""
"Who are you?" the girl asked again.
"Who are you?" the woman asked the girl.
"Me? My name's Alissa Kane."
"Alissa Kane. Must keep Alissa safe. Keep her safe for Adam."
"Adam? That's my dad's name!"
"Safe. Here. Alissa."
"What's your name?!"
"Alissa. Safe. Here. There. Shalimar."
"Shalimar?" Alissa asked. "Is that your name?" But before the woman could answer she disappeared. "WAIT! Come back!" Alissa yelled, but she didn't come back. Alissa was crying now. She was so very confused and afraid. She laid down and curled up into a little ball. And then just stared up at the stars wishing she could be home again. "Starlight, Starbright," Alissa said softly to herself. "First star I see tonight.I wish I may.I wish I might.have this wish I wish tonight.I wish that I was home." Alissa looked down from the starry sky and fell asleep.
Early the Next Morning.
Shalimar came back around 3am the next morning. She checked on Alissa, kissed her forehead, turned off the TV, and then got into the shower. When Shalimar came out she got into bed and turned off the lights. "Night Alissa," Shalimar said tiredly.
"Night Shalimar," Alissa's quiet voice came from the darkness.
Shalimar sat straight up and turned on the light. She looked over to see that Alissa's eyes were still closed and she hadn't moved. Shalimar let out a sigh of relief, "ah, get a hold of yourself.its just your imagination." Shalimar turned the light off and laid back down and fell asleep.
Later that day.
Shalimar rolled over in her bed and opened her eyes to see Alissa sitting up in bed. "Good morning Shalimar," Alissa said in almost a whisper.
"Alissa?" Shalimar asked tiredly sitting up as well.
"Where's my mommy and daddy?" Alissa asked curiously.
"Well, your dad is well.not here.he left you with me so that I could keep you safe," Shalimar tried to explain, "and your mom."
"She died, didn't she?" Alissa asked sadly, but all Shalimar could do was nod. "While I was asleep.I could hear everything.and when Daddy said that Mommy had gone to heaven.I thought it was just a nightmare."
Shalimar tried to smile for Alissa, "you know your dad will be VERY happy you're awake."
"When can I see him?"
"Well, we're suppose to be hiding out.and that's at LEAST for four more months."
"Oh," Alissa said quietly disappointed and looked down away from Shalimar.
Shalimar swung her legs over the edge of the bed and walked over and sat down next to Alissa. "Why don't we unhook you from all of this stuff?" Shalimar asked motioning to the IV and stuff that was hooked up to Alissa. asked motioning to the IV and stuff that was hooked up to Alissa. asked motioning to the IV and stuff that was hooked up to Alissa. Alissa nodded and Shalimar started to unhook everything. "How are you feeling?"
"Hungry and thirsty," Alissa said.
"How about we go out for.well its lunch time now.we sort of slept through breakfast."
"How long have I been asleep?"
Shalimar finished unhooking Alissa and then looked up at her. "You dad said that you have been in a coma for five years."
"So, I'm eleven then?" Alissa asked.
"Yep, and you know what?"
"What?"
"I need to take you clothes shopping."
"Really?!"
"Unless you WANT to go back into that coma?"
"NO! That's okay." Alissa said laughing a bit.
"I've got an idea." Shalimar said.
"What idea?"
"Okay, so we're not suppose to contact Adam for another four months, but we move to another state in a month.so, right before we leave we'll call your dad."
"That way no one can find us if they track the phone?"
"Right."
"Okay.but what do I do?"
"You mean while I'm at work?" Shalimar asked and Alissa nodded. "Sleep?"
"But then I'll only see you when you wake up at lunch time and before you go to work if I'm not sleeping yet."
"Well, you could always get up when I get up.it's not like you're going in school or anything."
Alissa smiled, "Shalimar?"
"Yeah."
"Are you like me?"
Shalimar smiled, "like you how?"
"Daddy said that I was a feral, a New Mutant."
"Yes, you are."
"And are you a New Mutant, too?"
"Yes I am."
"A feral, like me?"
"Yep."