Once everything was settled, Vernisha thanked the doctor and she left.

  Vernisha scanned the room and spotted Ferzan sleeping on the tiger-striped couch.

  His left leg was crossed over the other, and he was snoring. A gentle breeze from the window near his head lifted the blonde and red strands of his hair before letting them settle softly back down.

  Vernisha wasn't sure when he had changed, but he was now in a long blue shirt and pants, covered in scattered star patterns.

  "Yo," she called, trying to wake him, but her voice wasn't loud enough. She raised her volume until he startled awake.

  He wiped the dried saliva from the corner of his lips and looked around the room, probably searching for the doctor. "Things done already?" he asked.

  Vernisha scooted to the edge of the bed, her feet hovering just above the floor. "Yeah."

  "Are you okay? The doctor didn’t check your face," Vernisha asked him.

  He brushed his fingers over the small cuts on the side of his face. "Oh, this? It’s not a big deal."

  Ferzan rested his hands on his lap and then asked, "So, how are you feeling?"

  Vernisha nodded after a brief moment. "Pretty good."

  He didn't buy it. Slouching in the chair, he muttered, "Sorry."

  "For what?"

  "For not being able to help."

  "... You did," Vernisha replied, biting down on her lip. "You saved me. You helped a lot."

  "I didn’t," his tone was firm. He looked down at his hands. "You, a kid, had the strength to ask me for help protecting your family. What did I do? Took everything too casually. Not with the urgency I should have."

  "I’m not some child," Vernisha snapped, grabbing the bed sheets tightly.

  Ferzan looked at her, slightly confused, before saying, "Of course… I’m sure you've been through a lot."

  Vernisha loosened her grip on the sheets. "I lied to you."

  He raised an eyebrow, prompting her to continue. "My father and brother, they ate something bad, some bread, one I wasn’t supposed to take. They started getting unstable, so we brought them here, hoping to get them fixed. I needed money to keep them from getting worse. I came to you to level up so I could become strong enough to work as a bodyguard. To get money."

  He nodded and leaned forward. "And it didn’t work out."

  Vernisha stared down at her hands, which had moved to rest on her thighs. "I made things worse."

  "You tried to do good."

  "What does it matter? Besides, aren't you mad I lied to you? I got so many of your people killed. So much destruction."

  "My people—are you not a Terrafallen too?"

  "Yeah, but I lived a completely different life from them. I’m sure you were close to them. You must hate me."

  "If I killed my sister by accident, does that make me a bad person?"

  "But that's different—"

  "How is it different? Did you mean to cause harm?"

  "No. But that's all I seem to do. You can’t understand. You never will... A cockroach isn’t born bad, but just by existing, it spreads diseases. Its existence is a plague."

  Ferzan sighed and raised his chin in exasperation. "Stop with the nonsense."

  "It’s not nonsense!" Vernisha snapped. "You think so because you're perfect. Perfect and good, like the hero of some stupid story."

  "Yeah?" Ferzan stood up. "You think I’m some dumb kid because I’m trying to be sympathetic? Maybe people praise me, see me as some blessing. But I don’t. I know I’m not. How could you think I am? My mother’s sick because I was born into this world. She hides it well, that's all. Not even the birth of Katie made it worse. I don’t know what makes you think you’re a plague, a curse, but you’re not alone. And I’m not saying this to compare our struggles. I just want to help. I like helping people. I want to be the kind of person people see as good. So no, I don’t hate you. I don’t have a reason to."

  Vernisha stared at him for a long moment. "Sorry."

  "This isn’t about apologies. Beating yourself up like this isn’t going to help. You went after the bread for them. The ones to blame are the ones who made it, not you."

  Vernisha didn’t respond, but his words settled inside her. The ones that made it.

  Ferzan stood up and went to the door to open it. "Let’s get out of here."

  "Right," Vernisha said, walking toward him. Once outside, he closed the door behind them. Abella and her mother sat on two wooden chairs, talking to each other. They turned their heads to them.

  Vernisha nodded at Abella. "I’ll be going now."

  "Where?"

  "Home."

  "With who? Ferzan told me you no longer have anyone."

  "Yes... I'll make do."

  The grandmother almost sneered. "Young, vulnerable Vlandos girls making do? You’re just handing yourself to a trafficker. A waste of being born."

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  Abella ignored her mother's comment. "You can stay here."

  Vernisha didn’t understand the offer, even though the words were clear. "I don't have any money."

  The grandmother laughed. "You should be thankful for such an offer, child." She gestured toward a black-haired girl in a brown dress with white sleeves. "Like little Tar—"

  Vernisha locked eyes with the girl and felt a strange sensation, a sense of familiarity she couldn’t place. Her left palm began to ache, and her gaze dropped to the girl’s right palm, which was smooth and unmarked. The girl’s eyes shifted to Vernisha’s clenched left hand.

  The grandmother muttered, "Are you two related? Now that I take a closer look... they look so damn similar."

  Abella commented as well. "They do, how peculiar. But that's not important. Vernisha, am I pronouncing your name right?"

  Vernisha nodded. "Yes."

  "There is no price. Ferzan made a request, telling me about your situation. I accepted it. I don't think my husband will have an issue with it either."

  The grandmother added, "It's a shame you weren't born a Starlight. I would've taken you off Abella's hands."

  "Mother, please be respectful."

  "I am. As precious as Vlandos are... only a star—"

  “Please don't say such things when Katie could hear.”

  “That regular child is in her room. She hears nothing...”

  Abella clenched her fists, turning her attention back to Vernisha. “My daughter, Katie, you can share a room with her. After what you've been through, it would probably be better if you don't sleep alone.”

  Vernisha bowed her head. “Thank you. A lot.”

  Once again, she wasn't fully conscious of what she was doing. It felt like she was operating on automatic. The grandmother sat up. “Be grateful, child. A demi-mortal god's wife offering you such a favor is almost unheard of.”

  Tarnisha spoke up, “Miss Abella is a [hero], too.”

  “I’m aware. But the other obviously outscales something as amazing as being chosen as a hero by Balash. You agree, right?”

  Abella slowly nodded. “Yes.”

  “But Goldbon wouldn't agree,” Tarnisha added. She almost seemed to be doing it to annoy the grandmother. “He would never.”

  Abella placed a hand on Tarnisha's shoulder. The grandmother responded, “I couldn't care less what he thinks...” She stood and walked toward the downstairs. “I'll get a glass of water.”

  Abella ran her fingers through her hair, making ripples in her blonde curls.

  Then she slowly trailed a finger under her nose, wiping away a trace of blood. “I’ll be heading to my... healing chambers.”

  She walked past them toward a staircase leading to a higher floor. Tarnisha followed her, but as they passed near Vernisha, she and Tarnisha exchanged a long stare.

  Ferzan frowned. “Follow me. The bedrooms are on the second floor.”

  They walked down the stairs and approached the door at the far edge of the hallway. Vernisha glanced at him and asked, “Your grandmother... she doesn't like regular people, does she?”

  “She thinks humans are unevolved creatures, unloved by Balash.”

  “And Vlandos are great beings, and 'Star bloods' are even better?”

  “Yeah. Pretty much.” He stopped in front of a door and opened it.

  Inside, the room was massive, much larger than Vernisha expected. Against the left wall, two sets of king-sized bunk beds stood, one stacked on top of the other. The sheets were slightly rumpled, and a few pieces of clothing and books were scattered around, giving the room a lived-in look.

  The white concrete ceilings contrasted with the dark blue fur carpets.

  On one of the lower bunks, a girl with red and blonde hair lay curled up, breathing steadily in her sleep.

  Ferzan called her name. “Katie.”

  She remained asleep, so he had to call her multiple times before she stirred. Finally, she opened her eyes and blinked at them. Ferzan pointed to Vernisha. “She's staying with us for now.”

  “Hello,” she greeted Vernisha sleepily.

  “Hi. My name is Vernisha.”

  “I heard. Well... welcome.”

  Ferzan gestured to another door at the far end of the room. “There's a bathroom inside. You should take a shower. There are extra clothes in there—I’ll get a servant to pack some for you.”

  Vernisha nodded and walked toward the bathroom. When she opened the door, she was surprised by how beautiful the space was. A chandelier cast a soft glow over the glossy white tiles, and a large tub sat against the far wall, accompanied by an equally spacious glass-walled shower. Fresh towels were neatly stacked beside the sink, and shelves were filled with various soaps, shampoos, and other toiletries. Each item was housed in sleek, translucent glass containers, with embossed brand names on the fronts.

  One of the bottles bore the label 'Brightskin,' accompanied by the image of a smooth blue hand. She assumed it was meant for skincare.

  She asked Ferzan, “The chandelier... what's powering it?”

  “Ether batteries. Why?”

  She shook her head, saying nothing. She was used to using blu-dust for light, so this seemed extravagant to her. Such was the life of the poor.

  She undressed and stepped into the shower, letting the warm water wash away the dried blood from her skin. The heat seeped into her muscles, and she stood there for a long moment, simply allowing herself to exist in the flow of water.

  Eventually, she reached for a soap bar, noticing the lion emblem carved into its surface. The scent was rich, almost regal. She lathered it in her hands and scrubbed away the grime.

  When she was finished, she wrapped herself in a towel and walked toward the mirror above the sink. Her reflection stared back at her—expression neutral, but her eyes betrayed the exhaustion that lay beneath.

  She stepped closer, her hips brushing the edge of the stone sink. The black and white stone swirled together in a hazy blend. The edge was rounded, giving it the appearance and feel of half a sphere.

  She glanced at her hair. The uneven cut irritated her. Half of it barely reached her shoulders, and some strands were longer than others.

  Next, her eyes wandered to her body—her small, frail frame. She pushed her hands forward, rotating slightly.

  Her bath towel slipped off, revealing her chest. It was so thin and lacked any real fat that her ribcage was visible beneath her skin.

  She stood there, her gaze tracing the contours of her poverty-worn body.

  Her attention shifted to the many scissors on the shelf. She tiptoed over and grabbed one with black handles. Then, she focused on her reflection, trying to even out the length of her hair.

  She tilted her head over the basin, watching as the strands fell into it. She took her time, and by the time she was finished, her hair was just long enough to reach the nape of her neck.

  For a brief moment, she caught sight of something else in the mirror. Behind her stood her old body—the one she had back on Earth. A grown woman with the same frown and the same look in her eyes.

  Black, curly hair—an inheritance from her North African grandmother.

  She studied her old body, one she'd long forgotten. Wide shoulders. A modest waist. Slightly wide hips; it once gave her a bit of confidence when she struggled with her image. Of course, her chest always deflated that confidence. It was something she’d convinced herself would change. Her sisters were blessed in that area, all of them inheriting it from their mother.

  She was sure her turn would come... but it never did.

  They’d say it was a blessing, complaining about back pain. Like she cared. Just remembering it irritated her.

  For a time, she wore tight-fitting shirts, hoping something would show. So she wouldn’t look at her chest and think, I look like a dude.

  What a life she had lived...

  Despite all that she did have a pretty face. A damn pretty face. So damn pretty.

  The vision faded as quickly as it had appeared, leaving only her current self behind.

  She gathered the fallen hair and threw it in a black bin, and stepped out of the bathroom.

  Near the door, a pile of neatly folded clothes waited for her. She picked them up, running her fingers over the fabric. Most of it resembled medieval European gowns, with high collars and intricate embroidery. A Starlight thing.

  Mixed in was the traditional clothing of Terrafall. There were long, flowing tunics (called kameez) decorated with intricate gold embroidery in shades of deep red and brown, paired with a long, draped piece of cloth (known as a shari, much like a sari). Naturally, she chose that one.

  She returned to the bathroom to dress, adjusting the outfit until it fit comfortably.

  Back in the bedroom, Katie and Ferzan were talking, with Ferzan’s hand on her shoulder, as if offering encouragement.

  He turned to Vernisha and said, “We’ll be downstairs for a meeting with our grandmother. You can have the bed on the right.”

  “Got it.”

  They left.

  Vernisha turned to one of the open windows and watched the white curtains sway gently in the breeze. Eventually she gazed at the stars, her eyes drifting from the dim ones to the bright ones. They seemed destined to shine for another ten thousand years.