Crystal: Starlatten Book One Read online

  CRYSTAL

  Copyright © 2020 by Darby Cupid.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations em- bodied in critical articles or reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organiza- tions, places, events and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  For information contact :

  http://www.darbycupid.com

  Cover Design Copyright WHIMSY Book Cover Graphics

  Amulet artwork by Emily Bowers Illustration

  First Edition : July 2020

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

  CHAPTER FORTY

  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

  Rebel

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Acknowledgments

  CHAPTER ONE

  Crystal

  I’m dead. That’s the only possible explanation. I wince as pain flashes across my chest and neck, my blood throbbing in a steady, aching rhythm. With each pulse, my stomach clenches and I suck in my breath to keep the nausea at bay. Somewhere nearby, a slow hiss competes with a high-pitched wail. Both harmonise jarringly with the thumping rhythm in my skull. Darkness pours into my nostrils, filling my lungs with every breath.

  I’m dead. Definitely.

  I’m also not alone. My skin prickles and my heartrate accelerates. Every molecule wants to move away from the presence I can sense looming in the darkness. A loud pop sounds in my ears and the high-pitched wailing fades, becoming a steady beeping noise. I frown, realising that despite the dense blackness, I can feel my fingers. As I wriggle my aching digits, something cold and metallic presses against my arms.

  A bark of laughter escapes my lips as I realise it’s not dark. Despite the skull-crushing pulsing in my head, I force my eyes open, crying out as bright light sears my retinas. I snap my eyes shut. What in the stars? Heart pounding, I cautiously pry my eyes open once more, peeking out from under my eyelashes.

  Sprawled in front of me, a control panel blinks and flashes with lights of every colour. I turn my head toward the hissing sound coming from a cracked panel and yelp at the streak of pain that shoots down my neck and along my spine. Breathing hard, I move my eyes to take in the rest of my surroundings, squinting at the pale silver metal encasing me and the large frosted window, charred grey with scorch marks. I’m in some sort of small spacecraft. I search my memory, but darkness dulls my senses.

  Exhaustion floods through me and my head rolls forward. Spots of blood fan out along the shimmering white material of my robes, giving the effect of delicate crimson flowers. As I peel my curls from my forehead they crunch between my fingers. Nausea pulses in my stomach once more and any calm is replaced with panic. I need to get out of here. Now.

  Scratching and clawing at the fastenings across my shoulders, hot tears streak down my cheeks as I growl and grunt in desperation. The straps retract with a hiss and I fall forwards out of the seat, landing on my knees beside the oval doorway. Concentrating on the doors, I will them to open.

  Nothing happens. My heart throbs in my fingertips as I try again. Panic rising in my gut, I reach out and grasp the handle. I have to get out. I can’t breathe.

  Trembling, I wrap a hand around my amulet and concentrate on the handle once more. A moment of silence, but nothing. My body roars with heat, and with a scream that rips at my throat, I kick the door with all my might. The noise echoes around the small chamber, hammering back against my aching skull like a thousand fists. All my energy slips away, and I sink helplessly down to my knees. My skin, tight with dried salt, loosens with fresh tears.

  I’ve never felt so confused. So alone. Why am I in this ship? The answer dances in the furthest corner of my mind, just out of reach. What did my father tell me to do if I didn’t know where I was?

  I gasp as my chest contracts painfully; as though someone is squeezing my heart. Even though my eyes are open, the presence of the dark looming shadow is there in my peripheral vision. For a moment, I try to concentrate on it, but part of me doesn’t want it to come in to focus. If I see what it is, things are going to become much worse. That, I’m sure of.

  Choking back my sobs, I lick my salt covered lips, rub the tears from my eyes and draw in a deep, shuddering breath. My eyes follow tiny dancing specks of dust drifting in and out of a small stream of golden light in an otherworldly way. The light ends in a small circle on the floor nearby and I wriggle my toes within it. My breath catches in my throat. The light is streaming through a gap in the door. It’s a very small gap, but it’s a gap.

  Reinvigorated, I heave myself up and throw my shoulder at the door once more. Concentrating on the warmth of the amulet against my chest, purple light trickles along my veins, filling my body. Each slam is fresh new pain, turning my shoulder from muscle to an agonising mush of flesh and bone.

  The door groans open, just enough. I squeeze my body into the gap, ignoring the sharp metal edges as they attempt to keep me from leaving.

  With a gasp, I emerge into a tangle of sharp, spiky vegetation. My forearms and hands sting as the branches clutch and claw at my robes. I stop, my legs quivering as I take in the vast expanse of green grass beneath a clear blue sky and bright yellow sun.

  Wait. Green grass? Blue sky? The green, blue and yellow muddle together as the throbbing in my head mounts again. I reach out for something to lean on, but there’s nothing. Panic beats steadily in my blood. Out of the corner of my eye, the dark shadow draws closer.

  I put one foot in front of the other, my toes sinking into the cold grass. I need to find answers. Squinting, I try and make sense of what I’m seeing. In the distance, rows of unusual cubed dwellings stand in a line. I lift my head as my ears pick up a rumble somewhere, but I can’t see any sign of life. I turn, looking for the dark shadow behind me.

  It’s not there anymore.

  It’s in front of me.

  Explosions and death shine in its eyes.

  It’s everywhere.

  Darkness swallows me whole.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Dylan

  “Are you kidding me?”

  I glance up from digging a small stone from the wheel of my skateboard. Beside me, Eddie claws a hand over his face, which can mean only on
e thing. I turn to look in the direction of his despair and smile as his sister and her friend, Sera, cycle towards us.

  “Come on, man,” Jordan chuckles as he joins us, heel braking his board. “She’s not that bad.”

  Eddie turns and glares at us in disdain. “You don’t live with her.”

  Linda is only thirteen months younger than Eddie. They get mistaken for twins all the time. They both have the same thick straight black hair, light brown skin and dark brown eyes inherited from their Thai mother. I’ve known them both since I was five and Linda’s honestly not that bad. To be honest, she’s a good laugh. Then again, Eddie is usually the butt of her jokes, so I guess I can see why he feels the way he does.

  “Hey dingbats!” Linda grins as she skids to a halt in front of us.

  Sera glides in behind her, her long blonde hair coming to rest around her shoulders like a cape.

  “Dingbat yourself.” Eddie frowns with no attempt to hide his annoyance. “What are you doing here?”

  Linda glances around the empty skate park and shrugs. “Free country isn’t it? What’s up, Jordan? Dylan?”

  I lift a hand and smile in response.

  “We were just out for a ride,” Sera explains, twisting her long hair between her fingers. “What are you guys up to?”

  I bite back a smile as Sera looks at Jordan, her cheeks flushing bright pink. To be honest, Jordan’s probably a shade pinker as well, but it’s harder to tell under his dark brown skin. These two have been circling around each other since Easter but Jordan denies there’s anything there.

  Not much.” Jordan shrugs, then frowns. “You should be wearing a helmet you know.”

  Sera rolls her dark blue eyes in response, but Linda practically leaps off her bike.

  “See!” Linda nods, tapping her own matte black helmet. “I keep telling her. Brain damage is for everyone!”

  “Well this was fun.” Eddie claps his hands together and puts a foot on his board, motioning for me to do the same. “We’re off into town to get some food, so–”

  “Great!” Linda grins. “We’ll come with.”

  I fight the rising corners of my mouth, pursing my lips together at the expression on Eddie’s face. Before he can respond, the girls have already started riding away.

  “Do you guys want to stay here a bit longer?” Eddie asks, his eyes fixed on the girls as they disappear down the path.

  I stand and shake my head. “Seriously, man, you need to relax. Come on. It’ll be fine.”

  We kick off and head after the girls, Eddie muttering under his breath.

  We haven’t got far, when I spot the girls standing beside their bikes. I scan the area around them, failing to see any reason for them to have stopped. They’re standing side by side staring out into one of the unkempt fields that line the path into town, the grass waving in the wind at knee height.

  I glance at Eddie, but he doesn’t seem to have noticed. Either that or he doesn’t care. Probably the latter. Jordan has already sped up, eager to be the first at Sera’s side.

  “What’s wrong?” he asks, skidding to a halt in a shower of fine gravel.

  Sera lifts an arm and points; her eyes fixed on the field in front of her. “Do you see that over there?”

  I squint against the sun in the direction she’s pointing, my eyes finding something bright white not far from the bushes separating the field from the next.

  “Probably a sheet blown off someone’s washing line,” Jordan suggests.

  “That’s what I thought,” Sera says with a frown, “but I can’t shake the feeling we should go and investigate.”

  I turn to Eddie to see what he thinks. He’s stood poking at his phone. “Eddie?”

  “What?” He looks up from the screen, disinterest clear in his dark brown eyes.

  I shake my head in disbelief. Until this moment, I was torn between humouring Sera or not, but as I open my mouth, I find my brain has made the decision for me. “We’re going to go and investigate.”

  “We are?” Linda looks up at me in surprise.

  “Sure.” I shrug. “Why not? Besides, if it’s something important, perhaps there’ll be a reward.”

  At the mention of a reward, Eddie’s phone is in his pocket as he swings a leg over the wooden fence that separates the field from the path. “I’m not splitting it!” he calls out over his shoulder. “First one there, gets dibs!”

  Sera gasps. “Hey! I spotted it first!”

  “You’d better hurry then!” Eddie laughs as he launches himself off the fence and into the field, ploughing through the knee-length grass.

  After a split second, Jordan, Sera and Linda clamber over the fence in pursuit.

  “You coming?” Linda asks as she jumps down on the other side.

  I blink, a little disorientated by how quickly things have escalated, before propping my skateboard beside Jordan and Eddie’s and swinging myself up over the fence to join the pursuit.

  We’re a few metres away from the object when Eddie stops dead in his tracks, his arms outspread.

  “Oh my god,” he hisses. “I think it’s a person.”

  My already accelerated heartrate, increases. “What do you mean, a person?”

  “A person,” he repeats, glaring over his shoulder. “What else could I possibly mean?”

  We stand warily in a line squinting at the object. It’s pretty clear from here that it’s not a sheet, but most of it is still obscured by the long grass.

  “Why would someone be lying down in a field by themselves?” Linda asks.

  Sera gives a small gasp. “Maybe they’re not by themselves!”

  We all take a step back, as Sera’s comment sinks in.

  “No,” I shake my head. “Whatever it is, it’s not moving.”

  Sera’s hands fly to her mouth. “What if they’re dead? Maybe this isn’t such a good idea, guys. We could get in serious trouble.”

  “Don’t be so dramatic,” Linda scoffs. “I’m going to take a closer look.”

  Before any of us can respond, Linda stomps forwards towards the white object. I glance at Eddie, who gives a small shrug before setting off after her.

  “It’s a girl!”

  My stomach flip-flops. Linda’s right. Sprawled face down in the grass, her arms limp at her sides, long tightly curled, golden-brown hair covers her face. She’s wearing something that looks like a weird shimmering white bathrobe, but it’s blood-stained and torn.

  “Is she alive?” Sera whispers.

  Something inside me clicks into place and suddenly I’m on my knees, carefully turning the girl onto her back, being careful to support her neck. Blood and dirt are streaked across her face, with blades of grass stuck to her forehead and cheeks.

  I place two fingers to her neck to feel for a pulse, hardly daring to breath. An eternity passes as I wait for her skin to push back against my fingers. Everyone else stands frozen, the wind the only sound as it rustles between the grass and bushes. I resist the urge to shout at it to be quiet. Then it happens, I feel her heartbeat.

  “She’s alive.”

  There’s an audible sigh of relief from the others around me.

  I turn and look up at Linda and Sera, who are staring, mouths open. “Do either of you have any tissues?”

  Linda drags her eyes from the girl’s face to meet mine. “Why?”

  “So I can try and stop this great big cut on her head from bleeding,” I explain as patiently as I can.

  Sera starts rummaging in the bag draped across her body, handing me a tissue from a small pack. I take it gratefully.

  “Have you seen her necklace?” Linda kneels down beside me, reaching out but stopping just short of the unusual necklace.

  Peering over at the long necklace draped on the grass beside her, I have to admit it’s unlike anything I’ve seen before. Not that I’m an expert on women’s jewellery or anything. The metal is a coppery-gold colour, twisting around a tear-shaped purple stone. As I stare at the stone, I swear the shades of purpl
e within it swirl slightly, lighting up like a galaxy. I blink and it stops.

  “Ugh,” Eddie snorts. “You’re such a girl.”

  Linda jumps to her feet and launches herself at him punching him in the arm. “And you’re so misogynistic! It’s no wonder you haven’t got a girlfriend.”

  Eddie’s face reddens. “You don’t even know what that means!”

  Annoyance prickles on my skin. We don’t have time for one of their childish squabbles. Not when we have someone literally bleeding and unconscious in front of us. I open my mouth to cut him off, but Jordan beats me to it.

  “Stop fighting, you two!” He spreads his hands out between them. “We need to decide what we’re going to do.”

  Sera kneels beside me, handing me another tissue. “We need to call an ambulance, right?”

  Jordan reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone. “On it!”

  “Wait!” Linda rushes forwards, waving her hands at Jordan, her dark eyes wide. “Let’s call my mum instead!”

  “Why would we do that?” I ask. “We need a hospital. She might have been attacked. She might be in a coma.”

  “Mum’s a nurse,” Linda persists. “She’ll know what to do.”

  I frown. “Paramedics will also know what to do.”

  “Yes,” Linda agrees with exaggerated patience, “but if we call an ambulance, they’ll whisk her away and we’ll never see her again. That will be it. The end of our adventure! Don’t you want to know what happened to her? She looks around our age. She might even be at our school after the summer!”

  “Adventure?” I repeat slowly. “This isn’t some Netflix drama, Linda. This is real life. If we don’t get her proper medical attention, she could die.”

  “Dylan’s right,” Jordan says. “We need to call an ambulance.”

  Linda throws her hands in the air, turning to her brother in a last-ditch plea. “We only live a couple of minutes away. Come on! Where’s your sense of adventure? If Mum says we should call an ambulance, we can do it from home.”

  Sera watches Linda, clearly torn between logic and loyalty to her best friend. “It’s not the worst idea, guys,” she admits. “We are getting her medical attention after all. If we get told off for moving her, we can always just play dumb.”