Secrets in the Stars

Vision flew us to the other side of the dried up lake beyond my field, to a little clearing that was barely still alive. Next to it sat an empty, burned up little cabin (that was still pretty well intact, actually) with vines growing around it. There were some white daisies next to the small steps going up to the cabin’s porch, and I picked one as I let my bare feet glide against the wet grass as I walked.

I could see the ashes of my field blowing in the wind from the edge of the dirt where the lake used to glisten in the light of day. I turned my back to the dirt and the ashes, trying hard not to think about what was behind me.

“Why did you bring me here?” I asked quietly.

The smile on Vision’s face hadn’t faltered. “It’s just far enough away for us to have some privacy, and just close enough to your home.”

I scoffed, “My home…”

“That’s what Xavier’s School is to you, isn’t it? You were born there, you were raised there—“

“Until I was shipped off to Seattle as a teenager,” I snapped. Realizing my tone, I apologized immediately. “I’m sorry Jar—Vision.”

He nodded. “It’s quite alright, Miss Ray. With the pain you’re in, anger is quite imaginable.”

“That doesn’t mean I have the right to take it out on other people.” I said. Thunder went off above our heads again, but it wasn’t nearly as loud as before.

“Then what exactly happened with Captain Rogers, if you don’t mind me asking?”

I swallowed hard with embarrassment. “You saw that?”

“I did, I’m afraid. I apologize, and I didn’t mean to infringe on a private moment.” Vision said, his tone calm and earnest.

“That moment was… Was the ending of something special.” I said, letting the rain cry for me.

“You love him,” Vision’s tone had a slight edge to it now. “And he loves you.”

I shrugged. “We were only together for a little over a week, it wasn’t love.”

“Love doesn’t measure itself in time spent, Miss Ray.”

I gazed at him curiously, asking my next question delicately, “How do you know?”

I expected some sort of offense from him, yet still received his kind disposition instead. “Love is something I come to understand more and more each day.”

For a second, his gaze seemed far off, as if he could see something I could not. I couldn’t help but smile a bit, seeing that loving look on his semi-human face; the rain began to soften.

That’s when I began to shiver.

Vision stood up straight and walked over to me from the porch, where he had previously been leaning. He removed his stunning gold cape and wrapped it around me. “You must be freezing, here. But I know what could help you better than this.” He stared up at the sky then looked back down at me.

I knew right then what he meant, but I shook my head. “It changes with my emotions and I don’t have a lot of control over either them or my powers.”

“Well, you can’t learn how to control it if you don’t try. Everyone has to start somewhere.”

I sighed. “How did you start?”

“Attacking Thor, actually.” I stared at him, unable to respond or to close my mouth; the expression of bewilderment seemed to amuse Vision, though. He chuckled lightly, “Another story I’ll have to tell you sometime.”

“I just—“

“No, don’t make excuses, don’t try to avoid this. Start here,” Vision gestured to the rain, then the lake. “Picture what you want, focus on it, and then will it to be.”

I pulled my eyes away from him and over to the dried up lake. I handed Vision the daisy I had been twirling in my hand, and walked over to the dirt. I hesitated for a moment, turning to him again and attempting to protest. “I don’t—“

“Picture, focus, will.” Was all he said, not even looking to me; his shining eyes were transfixed on the flower.

I took a deep breath, then placed my feet into the wet, rich earth, remembering the feel of the water at my feet going up to my ankles. I thought about the feel of a warm summer night, a gentle, sort of barely existent breeze blowing through my hair.

Then I could feel everything I was picturing, everything that I wanted to feel at that moment. I focused my thoughts, silently wishing I could make this happen; that I could make anything happen.

“Just believe,” I heard Vision say. “Know that you have the power to make it happen, and it will.”

I followed his direction, attempting to find the confidence to know that I could bend the elements to my desire. The sound of silence filled the air then; nothing could be heard, not even the chirp of crickets. I could almost feel myself expelling some kind of energy, or force, and it was spilling down all around me.

My body felt warm in that moment, my oversized shirt no longer soaked and sticking to my skin; but my feet, from my toes to my ankles, still felt kind of cold… I opened my eyes, seeing my feet underwater.

The sight nearly sent me into a panic—or, more honestly, it did, because I felt all air escape my lungs just then. Vision came to my side and handed me the daisy; the rain was gone, the clouds had parted, and the stars were as bright as I had ever seen them; I hadn’t just been imagining that I was dry, because I was; and the lake was restored, up to the edge of the grass behind me with the sparkliest, cleanest water I had ever seen.

I smiled bigger than I think I ever had before, placing the daisy in the lake and letting it drift away. “I can’t believe I did it…”

“I can. You just need to find the right person to help you control your energy, your power.”

“Are you that person for me, Vision?” I asked.

“No, but I know someone who could be, the same person who helped me,” He said. “Thor.”

“But… Isn’t he on Asgard? Exploring the universe or something? I asked when I was still back at the Tower with the other Avengers, but no one had a clear answer.”

“Well, they aren’t completely sure of where his is, but I am, because I’m the only one who has been in contact with him.”

“And you’re sure he can help me?”

“He can try, better than we can.”

I took another breath, then nodded. “I’m willing if he is. Besides, I’ll still be able to get the combat training I want, considering that Captain and Widow won’t be doing it anymore.” My heart twanged with pain as I said it.

“Why wouldn’t they?” He asked.

“Because Steve and I are over, and I don’t particularly have a desire to train with my ‘ex’.”

Vision shook his head, “Don’t let anyone, or anything, take away an incredible opportunity. And training with the most revered war hero of all time is exactly that.”

I let myself get quiet, feeling sadness wash over me again. “He thinks that the Spirit—my powers—put him under a spell. He thinks that I made him fall in love with me, and that what we have isn’t real.” I walked back over to the cabin and sat down on the second step of the porch.

Vision followed me, but didn’t sit, he just faced me. “Why does he think that?”

“Because… One of the many problems with my powers is that everyone seems to believe they come with the ability of unavoidable attraction. Xavier thinks so, Tony thinks so—“

“But what do you think?”

I thought on his question for a second, trying to figure out how to word my answer. But no matter how hard I thought, it was always going to be answered the same way. “I think that it’s bullshit. I think that it’s an excuse to pretend that they aren’t afraid of me, when I know that they are. Everyone is. But they don’t want to admit it, so they push me away and tell me it’s my own fault.”

“And I agree,” Vision said, taking a seat next to me. “I can’t say that their fear of you is completely unjustified, but at the same time they all have to fear what they don’t understand… The X-Men, the Avengers, have all seen too many things and experienced too much.”

“I still don’t think it’s a good reason to make me feel like this… Like I’m a monster.”

Vision wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close to him. “You’re not a monster, Star, and don’t ever let anyone think you are.”

“Then what am I, Vision?” I replied.

“You’re the physical incarnation of the element of Spirit. You are the long lost art of magic. You are… A beautiful young women who needs guidance and support, regardless of whatever seemingly ails her. But I don’t think the Spirit makes you ill, either. I think it makes you strong.”

I wiped away a tear and smiled at Vision, before gazing up at the stars. “When can we get out of here?”

“First thing in the morning, I promise,” He answered, grinning back at me. “But first, you need to rest.”

Vision flew me across the lake and back to the school, dropping me off through my bedroom window. Before he left, I leaned out and placed a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you for everything, Vision. I mean it.”

“Thank you for letting me in, and for letting me help you,” He responded. “I’ll be back in the morning, a little before noon. Sleep well.”

I kept the window open, staring up at the stars and moon as I drifted to sleep.

Climbing out of bed that late morning, I felt excited and a little devious; I had a plan, and none of them were in on it. Likely, the only person I could trust to support my plan was Storm, so I called her to my room as I got dressed and let her in on it.

“You’re really going to leave the planet?” She asked me, clearly worried.

“If that’s where Thor takes me, then yes,” I said, snapping my bra shut and coming out of my bathroom. I walked over to the closet and pulled out clothes from my teen years; my favorite black t-shirt and my dark blue skinny jeans, amazed they still fit. “Vision helped me realize that the help I need right now, I won’t find here.”

Storm eyed me carefully. “But what about last night? About wanting us to train you? I mean, who can help you better with the weather than me?”

I shook my head. “There’s more than just my ability to control the weather Storm, and you know that.”

She nodded reluctantly. “I know… You can control all four major elements, right?”

I shrugged, thinking of a television show I used to watch. “I don’t know. My mother only had control over plants, according to Uncle X. I mean, I guess my situation is different, but the element I seem to connect to is water.”

“Yes, but if what you said about last night is to say anything, you also have a connection to air and earth. Fire is the one you haven’t tried yet.” Storm said.

“No, I haven’t,” I thought on one of the students that used to live in the school with us… Pyro, he called himself. He was part of Magneto’s Brotherhood now. “I’m not sure I can.”

Storm repeated a familiar sentiment to me, “You can’t know if you don’t try.”

“And I’ll try, once I’m off this planet and away from anyone that I could hurt.” I argued.

Storm sighed, “Look at the abilities of some of the kids here, Star. We can help you, just like we’ve helped them.”

“No, you can’t, because they don’t have other worldly beings living inside of them.”

“Jean used to feel the same way…”

“It’s still not the same.” I knew I was being stubborn, that I was being harder on Storm than I needed to be; she was right to be worried, especially after everything I had been through since coming back to New York. But she knew what I meant—training mutants would be different from training me, no matter what any of them wanted to believe.

Storm got up from the bed and hugged me tightly, “As much as I want you to stay home, I know you need to do this. But I also want you to know that you are safe with us, always, no matter what happens.”

I wrapped my arms around my surrogate mother and embraced her back, taking in the scent of her perfume like I had the day I left for Seattle, making a memory. “I just want to control this, and if that means I have to leave, then that’s what I have to do. Please understand that, Storm.”

“I do,” She said sadly. “That’s how I felt about my powers before I came to Xavier’s School… I had some control, but not enough. Leaving home wasn’t hard for me, especially once I knew it was what I had to do.”

Storm let me go after another minute or so, and then said she would meet me downstairs once I was ready. I finished getting dressed, and made my way out of my bedroom and down to the kitchen.

I was just about finished with my bagel and coffee when Xavier found me, saying, “Star, I need you to meet me in my office once you’re done with breakfast.”

“Okay.”

I put my dishes in the sink and went to Xavier’s office, thinking that I knew exactly what was waiting for me when I got there; I had been expecting the Avengers, the X-Men, and Xavier gathered around as if to begin an intervention. But instead it was just Uncle X, sitting at his desk with a little wooden box in front of him. “Happy Birthday, my darling girl.”

I sat down in the chair across from his, reluctant to pick up the box. “Thank you, Professor.” I said lovingly.

“Please take it,” He said, gesturing to the box. “I should have given it to you when you left, but part of me wasn’t sure I could part with it.”

I knew what it was right when he said that. I stretched my hand outward hesitantly, but picked up the box and opened it up. The cherry-wood box was lined sleek, soft black velvet, made to protect the treasure inside; the treasure itself was an antique necklace. The chain and its clasp was gleaming silver, leading down to the amulet at the bottom; the silver base wrapped around the round sides of the stone in a beautiful, vine design. And the stone itself was impossible to ignore, shining bright and beautiful, a rainbow moonstone.

“It was your mother’s,” Xavier said, as if I might not know. But of course I knew; I had seen it and other ones just like it in all the pictures of her I had ever seen, the moonstone in particular was the one she wore in the photo of her that I kept by my bed. “She never took it off, until the day she gave birth to you. She told me once that it was her only family heirloom, handed down from mother to daughter for generations. She said it would be wrong to not give it to you.”

I held back tears. “Then why did you wait so long to do so?”

“It was all I had left of her…” As Xavier said it, I knew now more than ever how in love with my mother he had been, even in their short time together.

I thought then about what I had said to Vision the night before… Had Xavier done to my mother what Steve had done to me? I highly doubted it, but I still wondered.

I shook the thoughts out of my head and removed the amulet from the box, putting on the necklace. Suddenly, the stone changed—it turned into a lapis lazuli.

My eyes grew wide, “It changes?”

“It changes with your emotions.” He clarified.

I almost rolled my eyes, but found myself laughing instead. “What else is new?”

Xavier ignored my comment, “It’s meant to protect you… At least, that’s what your mother believed.”

I watched looked at the gem closely, seeing the inside of it move like water; for some reason, I suddenly felt more awake than I had before. And… I felt stronger.

“I love you, Uncle X,” I said happily. “Thank you for everything.”

I got up from the seat, went around and hugged him. Right as I pulled away from him though, the Avengers entered with the X-Men in tow.

That “intervention” I was worried about was about to start.

The stone transformed into a black onyx.

“Star, we need to talk.” Tony said.

“Sorry I took your car,” I replied honestly. “But I’m not really up for talking to any of you right now. And anyway, I’m on my way out.” Knowing there was no way for me get around them and out of the office door, I spun around and used my magic to blow the windows open like I had before, realizing that Storm was right about my connection to air.

As I climbed into the windowsill, I felt a sudden rush of energy heading towards me; I turned back around and stopped one of Hawkeye’s arrows in midair, redirecting it to the floor and hopping out of the window.

I knew I was being followed, and who by, so I ran as fast as I could for the fountain in front of the school, where I was supposed to meet Vision.

He was there, waiting for me, with the God of Thunder himself at his side.

But Steve was right on my tail, and he was a lot faster than I was. I called on the wind to aid my speed, and it lifted my feet nearly off the ground, keeping me just barely out of his reach.

“Star!” Steve called. “We just need to talk to you!”

Tony had suited up; I could see because Iron Man was flying right at me. I was getting the distinct impression that they didn’t just want to talk anymore.

I used the wind to my advantage again, and it brought me up into the sky like I was flying—well, I was flying.

I landed down at Thor’s side and he wrapped an arm around my waist, pointing his hammer at his fellow Avengers.

“Thor!” Steve called, coming to a halt at least ten feet in front of us. “What are you doing here?!”

“Vision informed me of the situation, and I’ve decided to take her back to Asgard for protection—from all of you.” He snapped, clearly angry.

“You don’t even know—“ Tony tried to protest.

“Keeping the Spirit in cage like an animal will lead to nothing but harm!” Thor yelled, his voice booming.

“YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW HER!” Steve yelled, angrier than I had ever seen him.

“Maybe not, Rogers, but I know how to help her!”

Tony removed his helmet and snapped back, “And how are we supposed to know that? We have no way of contacting you, Thor!”

“And have you ever stopped to think of why I keep you all at a distance?! After what happened with Ultron, I can’t trust you, Stark! And Rogers, I am beyond disappointed with how you’ve treated this girl. You won’t be taking her back to the Tower, or the compound. She’s coming to Asgard with me, and I’ll take charge of her training until she’s ready to come back.”

Storm and Natasha came to the front of the group.

“Let her go,” Natasha pleaded. “We’re treating her like a criminal and it’s not right.”

“We need to find a way to control her!” Tony shouted, his face turning fire red with rage.

“ENOUGH, STARK!” Thor retorted, his own frustration echoing through the space between us and them. “You’re going to STOP messing with things you don’t understand for once and for all! NOW!” Thor’s hammer shot into the sky, calling upon an incredible bridge of light to rain down upon us.

I held tightly onto Thor as my friends, my family, Steve, and the Earth disappeared below us.