Seirra's heart pounded, shaking she lifted her head off of the mattress she had been on since she was just a child.

Crash!

Bang!

She jumped up startled. Slipping on her fuzzy slippers, she headed down the creaky steps of the orphanage. She knew just the right spots to make sure she wasn't heard. Swiftly she reached the bottom of the stairs. Seirra quickly deciphered that the noise was coming from the kitchen. Tiptoe-ing into the once noisy room full of plates and pans and cups of all kinds. Mentally noting where all the knives and forks, or just sharp objects in general were. Just in case the "intruder" decided to try something.

Continuing to follow the heavy footsteps, Sierra was almost going to turn around and go to Mistress Sharp's room. But they stopped at the boy's room.

What if this man is after Kaden?! I can't let him get to Kaden, never in a million years! She thought to herself. Kaden was her best friend. She couldn't think of living without him.

Determined to stop this "intruder" she crept up behind him, getting ready to gag him with a dishrag, she grasped in her left hand. But then he turned. It was what Sierra least expected.

Grabbing his wrist, Sierra pulled Kaden to a secret room. It was a small room, almost like an old cellar, that she had found it about a year ago. It was a safe haven for those who used it. It wasn't so much of a secret. Only the mistress didn't know about it, and that was probably for the better.

"Kaden!" Seirra hissed through clenched teeth. "What are you doing up at this hour of the night?" Sierra asked, clearly worried.

"Couldn't sleep I guess." Kaden smiled sheepishly.

Dark circles were under his eyes, an unnatural silver-blue against his fair skin. His brown hair was ruffled, he looked unclean.

"Kaden, what's up?"

"Look. If you'd get it, I'd tell you, but I'm only afraid you would leave!" His words cut through the barrier of happiness Sierra normally saw him hide behind. "Sorry." He looked to her, he realized what he had said.

"Look. I could be on a crowded street, but feel alone, nothing feels like home here." His eyes were longing.

Sierra could tell he was thinking about his small house in Sweden before his father enlisted, and mother died.

"Could you tell me?" She inquired.

Kaden looked to her confused.

"About Sweden? Before it changed?"

He understood, pain-filled his eyes.

"Yes. I can." He choked out. "The trees stood tall. Proud of being shade and protection. The fields were golden in the sunlight, a warm breeze carrying a fragrance of lavender. The grass was green and cozy. And at night, the stars were the maps of your imagination. Like playing connect the dots."

Tears filled his eyes as he remembered. When he was truly happy and didn't have to hide pain because he had none.

"What else?" Seirra asked. Hopeful he would feel better.

"Love, happiness. I miss that. I can't stay here Seirra. It'll kill me, it hurts too much."

"Oh, I wish you knew about Kascia. And Stargazer. You'd be amazed." Seirra chuckled softly.

"What and who is that?" Kaden asked blandly.

"Remember that book I wrote? The World We Do Not Know About? That's Kascia. And Stargazer was my main character. I've actually been there Kaden. It's so alive, and beautiful." She hesitated, "Now that Asadior is gone."

"Hold up, who is this "Asadior"? And how did you get there?" Kaden fired.

"In my book, I had a queen named Libbi. Her son, Asadior, was borderline between good and bad. He didn't have a father that I could think of. Anyhow, when I arrived there, I was there to conquer Kascia back. Asadior had taken over. He killed both his parents. It's really a sad story."

Kaden nodded, getting that she didn't know how it happened exactly. He was ready to believe anything at this point. It was so dark here at the orphanage.

"Could you describe Kascia and Stargazer?" He asked.

"Of course! Kascia is mainly mountainous. So there is landscape always, wherever you look. The sky during the day has three large stars. At night, things like the northern lights light up the sky all night, and it has two moons. The grass is as soft as clouds, the trees even softer. The bark of the trees are a little bumpy, but otherwise smooth. The flowers are amazing. There's this one called a Sunday. It looks somewhat like morning glory, but golden. They are healing flowers." Seirra smiled. Placing herself there.

She went on to continue, "Stargazer is a horse. She can talk. She has a blue pelt, and a teal mane that seems to be full of stars. She used to be the best friend of Asadior before he turned evil." She mentioned the last part quieter.

"You seem to miss her." Kaden took notice of Seirra's sullen face.

"I do Kaden. I really do."

His eyes widened in understanding. He slightly dipped his head. They sat there in silence for a few moments.

"We need to get back to bed." He said suddenly. And he was right. As they clambered out of the hiding spot. He nodded his head in goodbye. As Seirra climbed back up the stairs, her thoughts came in jumbled trains. Thoughts similar to this;

When would I see Stargazer again?

Where is Asadior?

How is Ku- Crait's army fairing?

How is grumpy old Shade doing?

Can I ever go back?

Will I ever see their stars again?

These thoughts saddened Seirra. But as she climbed into her bed, her mind went quiet. It was like when her mother used to put her to sleep. Only she was doing it with her noise filled brain. As the blankets warmed her body up, throwing comfort signals to her mind, it was only then, when she fell into a deep and restless sleep.

"Stargazer? Is that you?" The mist was very thick, and Seirra could nearly see past her own nose. Not in a bad way, in a literal way. But Seirra caught a glimpse of teal up ahead. So, she followed it. Soon the mist cleared a little bit, Seirra saw she was on Saperena Peak.

"This is where Libbi was murdered," Stargazer said, emotionless. "Asadior killed her. You know that."

"You're telling me why?"

"Because I know Asadior. He is hungry for power. Don't let his kindness fool you."

Seirra shot up, drenched in cold sweat. Goosebumps lines her arms, hair sticking straight up. It was just a dream, right? But something in the back of her mind told her otherwise. It seemed too real, to just be a dream, or to be fake.

For the rest of the morning, Seirra lied awake, turning and tossing. Stargazer's words ringing in her mind. Over, and over. Like a pattern, until it stopped. Morning light flooded through the windows, warm unlike the first in the windowpane. Making her endless thoughts cease.

Seirra got up and went downstairs to start on the dishes, not bothering to not make the stairs creak. Entering the kitchen she found piles of dishes unclean. So she started to work on that. Silver spoons, bent forks, blunt knives, China mugs, corn ware dishes, from A-Z, give it a name, it was here. It was from the numerous time's people donated their cracked dishes. And if a piece was new, the smaller children made it their personal job to put more chips in it than the already broken ones.

So she scrubbed. Scrubbed away the pain, the hurt, the heartache for home, for Kascia, and Dyn. Seirra bit her lip. Just thinking of the tiger brought tears to her eyes.

Asadior was about to kill Seirra, when Dyn, one of the tigers that had captured Seirra, took her place. She stopped him for just a moment, so Kuma, who was also dead now, could save her.

Well, I did a great job of saving them. Seirra thought bitterly, as she continued to scrub.

She kept up the hard work, to keep her mind off of unwanted subjects. When she was done drying the last spoon, she started to make breakfast. It would have to be a huge breakfast, but she could make it. One dozen eggs, three packages of bacon, twenty-six apples.

It was indeed a pretty sizable orphanage. As others came down to help her, a familiar voice broke the small noises of Sierra flipping the eggs.

"Couldn't sleep either?" Kaden said in understanding.

"No," Seirra rasped.

She couldn't trust her voice, it was laden heavy with emotion. All the years of trying to hide were slowly inviting cracks in the wall she built up gladly. She moved onto the bacon. Getting some pieces dark, and others in between. Kaden offered to take over so she could help set the table. Mistress Sharp wasn't up yet, which seemed to be a miracle.

She was always grumpy. Never loving, except once, about five years ago. After Kathreen's mother died. Before Kathreen left. But that didn't matter now. For the most part, the past was in the past. Because one can only look forward, not behind.

So she continued to set the table, one glass here, another mug there. Until finally, the Mistress came down. She wore the frown she always did.

"Jòse, Miriah, Talon. Come here!" She barked.

Oh no, those are the smallest kids. What did they break now? Seirra thought, laughing a little bit.

Pretty soon they gathered around the long table, said a word of thankful prayer, and started munching away. But Seirra had lost her appetite because of last night. And she wasn't in any mood for chit-chatter. So the noise around the table almost drove her insane.

Then Mistress Sharp looked to Seirra, her frown turned into a welcoming smile.

And Sierra knew the day was about to get interesting.

(1,674 words)