The City of Stars

Everyone called the city the City of Stars. In fact, it was so commonly referred to this that nobody could remember the old name, or perhaps nobody cared. The city glowed, quite literally--when people first visit they would gasp and murmur about how it didn’t look like the pictures, how it was much more beautiful than anything ever shown in pictures. The buildings rose so high that the tops seemingly brushed the sun, the stars, the planets. The roads were painted in all the colors of the night sky, from deep, dark blues to soft purples. And in the middle of the city, in the heart, was a lake.

The lake had no name. People didn’t dare go near it. Locals told stories of how shadowy monsters that fed on human souls would rise out of the depths in the middle of the night, when nobody was awake, and strike. Don’t go near the lake, they said, if you value your life. Those who ignored the warnings, who so much as dipped their feet into the cold, icy grasp of the lake weren’t seen again. But the lake, nonetheless, was almost as beautiful as the city itself, but in a cold, ghastly sort of way, that made you shiver when you laid eyes on it. The air around it smelled sort of sour, and some said they could hear the faint wails of victims when they passed the lake. Some said they even saw figures rising out of the water, only to disappear once you blinked or looked away.

But mostly, people were enraptured by the city and all its beauty, its glory, so most people didn’t give much thought about the lake. They just stayed away from it.

Beauty can do things to people. It can make you forget, it can make you swept up in it, too swept up.

So people didn’t notice when the children started going missing.

Nova was a young boy with hair the color of stardust and eyes that shone with a certain coldness that made you not want to look straight into them for long. He has ran away from the orphanage that he used to inhabit long ago, when it was having guests over and had locked him in the attic to stop any “embarrassing moments.” By that they meant Nova acting troublesome and scaring off potential adoptive parents. He smashed the only window with a hammer and jumped, landing in a bush below and therefore avoiding any major injuries.

Nova sighed and shivered against the cold air, leaning against a brick wall. He hadn’t had much to eat that day, only a slice or two of bread that he stole from the marketplace. He closed his eyes and sunk down onto the ground, sleep starting to take over.

But only moments after, a voice cut through the darkness. “Greetings.”

Nova jolted and opened his eyes to see a man standing before him. He wore a long overcoat and had a large beard. He was wearing a smile, but it made Nova feel the opposite of happy, instead it made him feel sick. He caught his breath as he slowly raised his gaze up to the man’s eyes. Pure darkness enveloped them.

The man bent down to look Nova in the eyes, and held out a gloved hand. “Go on, don’t be shy. I don’t bite.” His smile widened and folded into a smirk, and Nova shrunk back into the shadows, his heart beating wildly in his chest.

Nova’s mind raced for something to say. “Who are you?” He meant to say it with spite, with force, but instead he sounded weak and fearful. He winced and scolded himself silently.

The man tilted his head to one side, still smiling that sick, twisted smile. “Captain Tory, of course. I’m the captain of...” He pondered this for a moment. “Well. It doesn’t have a name yet. But, my dear Nova, I’m the captain of a very fine ship.”

Nova narrowed his cold eyes. “You know my name,” he said.

“Indeed.” Captain Tory didn’t take his oily eyes off Nova. “I’ve been watching you. I’ve developed a particular interest in you, in fact. I have an offer to make.”

Nova shook his head wildly, rapidly pushing himself backwards. “No. Whatever it is, no.”

“But you haven’t even heard it yet.” Captain Tory let out a long sigh, and continued. “My boat, dear Nova, it contains... Many young children. Children around your age, fourteen years old.” Nova opened his mouth to speak, but Tory interrupted him. “Now, they all came to me willingly... Well, most of them. Do you want to know why they came?” Tory leaned down to Nova’s height and whispered, “They came because they’re unwanted. They have no one. Just like you.”

Nova shuddered, and swallowed back tears. “Get away from me.”

Captain Tory placed a gloved hand on Nova’s shoulder. “If you come with me, you’ll have anything you ever wanted. Safety. Warmth. Friends. You’ll have a home, Nova.”

Nova drew in a shaky breath. “But? I don’t trust you.”

“As you should.” Captain Tory’s eyes swam with something Nova couldn’t detect. “You just met me.” He looked away, dropped his hand. “The catch is... Well...” He hesitated. “You won’t be able to leave.”

Nova, a boy who always had a reckless heart, a soul full of wanderlust, gazed at Captain Tory with shining eyes, yet he couldn’t go with him, not yet. Not when he made Nova feel like a blanket of darkness was thrown over him every time Tory came close to him. “I still don’t trust you,” he said.

“Don’t you?” Captain Tory looked amused, but in a sickly sort of way that made Nova’s stomach churn. “Well, if you always trusted yourself every time you made a decision, if every time you looked before you flew, life wouldn’t be that fun, now, would it? Do you understand what I mean?”

Nova nodded, mesmerized, because of course he knew, every day he spent trapped in that orphanage he knew he had to fly, fly away from that horrible place, when he did fly away he landed in the middle of the city and nothing was better, he was still trapped in a cage of masked beauty.

Captain Tory held out a hand. “Join me, Nova. Come with me.”

And Nova did.

The boat rose out of the water on the third swing of Captain Tory’s lantern. The still icy depths shuddered and frothed as it burst out, water streaming down its sails. All the lights were on, and the boat had a strange glow to it that made Nova shiver underneath his coat.

“Ah, yes, here we are,” Captain Tory said, lowering his lamp. “That’s it right there, Nova. That’s your new home.” Nova glanced up at Tory to beam, but his smile faded when he saw the expression on his face. Though his voice was warm, his gaze was cold and hard and... Empty.

“It looks nice,” Nova said quietly, his gaze wonderstruck. Mistake, his head hissed, but it couldn’t be heard against his pounding heart. “How do we get there?”

Captain Tory swung his lantern a fourth time, and small boat popped out of the water beneath them. “Jump,” he said.

Nova sucked in a breath and, after a moment’s hesitation, clumsily climbed over the fence and hopped down into the boat. It groaned and rocked from side to side, water splashing into it. Captain Tory jumped next, and the boat dipped dangerously, water spilling over the edges. Nova brought his knees to his chest and let out a long breath, the water splashing his toes.

“Off we go,” Captain Tory said, and the boat moved steadily towards the ship at a rapid pace. When they reached the ship, another shiver ran down Nova’s back. It was beautiful and chilling, the sight of the ship, almost ghastly. Captain Tory grabbed a ladder and pulled the small boat towards it until they bumped. When they did, he lifted Nova up onto the ladder and climbed up after him.

As soon as Nova reached the top, he noticed something he hadn’t before. There were no children above the decks, which made Nova ask, “Where is everyone?”

“Below decks,” Captain Tory answered, a smirk spreading across his face. “Come with me, Nova. I have to show you something.” He lead Nova over to a trapdoor, and jumped down into it, Nova following.

They landed in a hallway carpeted in velvet. Along the walls, lanterns flickered, creating eerie shadows in the corners. Something stained the walls and floor, something that looked like blood. In the distance, a quiet, echoey scream sounded, and Nova started. “What was that?”

“That was... You’ll see.” Captain Tory grabbed Nova’s arm, and jerked him forward, pulling him along the hallway until they got to a room with a metal door, which he shoved Nova inside, and slammed shut.

Nova, too shocked to speak, sank into the floor, his ears ringing. He rubbed his sore arms, tears running down his cheeks, and he let out a small choking sound.

A soft voice cut through the horrible silence. “Ah, we haven’t had a new one for weeks.” A boy about his age was standing in front of Nova. He had hair so dark it looked blue, and brown eyes that glowed in the unnatural lights.

Nova shook his head in confusion. “Who... who are you? M-my name is Nova.”

The boy smiled, and when he did his whole face lit up. “Nova’s a nice name. I don’t have one. I mean... I’ve been here so long that I’ve forgotten it.” His smile faded. “I was the first one. The first one that he took.”

Nova wiped the tears off his face. “I’m--I’m sorry I look like this, I just... I mean, I’m not usually like this, I just thought...” He choked on his words. “Why am I here?”

“Well,” the boy said slowly, thoughtfully. He sat down next to Nova, their arms brushing just slightly. “Captain Tory, he’s raising an army. An army of soulless children. Children that aren’t afraid to kill. He’s been plucking kids off the street, kids that won’t be missed. Or noticed.” He drew in a breath. “He usually sucks your soul slowly from your body, until all you have left is a shell of yourself. It’s worked for everyone else. He has around a hundred soulless beings that he’s been slowly gathering up for a couple years now. I’m the only one... The only one that it hasn’t worked on.”

Nova scooted closer to the boy, his heart fluttering. “Soulless children? He’s going to steal my... My soul?” He buried his face in his hands. “I’m such an idiot. I never should have trusted him! Why did I ever-”

“It’s not your fault,” the boy said quickly. He drew Nova’s hands from his face. “You weren’t in the right mind. Captain Tory, he has a way of manipulating the mind. Just enough to sway your actions, but not enough for you to notice.”

Nova shakily took his hands out of the boy’s grasp, feeling light headed. “Everyone here is soulless. Except me. And you. How did you even...? How long is it going to take until--”

“I don’t know how I did it,” the boy whispered. “Nobody knows. Not even Tory. He’s started giving up trying to take my soul, because he just can’t do it. I have no idea why. And you, for you... It’ll be probably a hour or two until your soul is gone.”

“An hour?” Nova felt tears well up in his eyes again, but he forced them back. “How does it even work? And... Why are you the only one here with me?”

“I snuck in here,” the boy said quietly. “Tory never lets me talk to anyone because he... Thinks that I’ll rub off on someone. Or something. And he won’t be able to take their soul.” He glanced at Nova, and drew in a shuddering breath. “The procedure is terrifying. It only lasts a few minutes, but it’s so horrible that it knocks your soul right out of you.” The boy stared at his shoes. “It never worked on me.”

“Can’t you at least describe it?” Nova asked.

The boy shook his head, and ran a hand through his hair nervously. “M... Maybe if I stay with you? When it happens? I might be able to save you.” He hesitated, and then said, “But it’s a dumb idea. Never mind. Of course you wouldn’t want me to... Anyway.” He got up. “I’m going to go before Tory finds me.”

“No!” Nova said forcefully. “No, please don’t leave, it’s a good idea, I don’t want to...” I don’t want to be alone.

The boy gazed at Nova. “I don’t even know you,” he said.

Nova smiled, his eyes blurring with tears. “You never will, not if I lose my soul.”

The boy slowly sat beside Nova again. “It’s probably going to start soon, so you just have to remember that whatever you see, hear, experience, it’s just Captain Tory--”

But his words were fading, and red was flashing in Nova’s vision. “Help,” he gasped, his words slurring. He could see the boy’s eyes widening, and he started to say something, but everything melted away into a pit of silent darkness.

Silence.

Then, a ringing noise. It got louder and louder until it was screeching, searing. Nova let out a wail and clamped his hands over his ears. A pain started throbbing in his chest, and suddenly it seemed as though his whole body was getting torn apart, as though his chest was being pried open. Wracked with pain, he screamed. The ringing got louder, the pain got worse, and what happened after that was indescribable.

All that could be said is that it felt like someone was physically ripping your every bit of you right out of your chest, and all your bad memories and worse nightmares flooded out and entered your heart and mind and the space where your soul should be dwelling but... You’re empty. You. Are. Empty.

But when Nova opened his eyes what felt like hours later, he didn’t feel empty anymore. He had kept the last fragments of his soul, and he stared at the boy. “You weren’t there. You didn’t...” He drew in a heavy breath, and sobbed loudly.

The boy reached down. “I was there. You just couldn’t feel me through the pain.” He embraced Nova in a hug, a long hug that made Nova cry again. “Nova, Nova,” he murmured, crying softly on Nova’s shoulder, “I wish I could have known you.”

Nova nodded, a tear running down his cheek. “Me too,” he whispered, and slumped over in the boy’s arms as his soul fully slipped away.