When Stars Die (The Stars Trilogy) by Amber Skye Forbes Read Free Book Online Page B

choked. “I--I--”
    Oliver looks away from me and averts his gaze to the corner of the infirmary. On tired arms, I pull myself up and look where he looks. Colette lies in bed beneath a white blanket, burnt arms, face, and neck exposed. Her appearance brings bile to my throat that I quell with deep breathing.
    I bring my fingers to my face as the horror of what I did plays as a clear slideshow in my mind. “Sister Colette--” I set her on fire. I killed her. “She--she--”
    Oliver grabs my hands with his slim, cool fingers, and pulls them away from my face. “It’s all right, Amelia. Sister Colette only fainted. Mother Aurelia said she had an epileptic fit, that it’s an affliction she’s had since she was a child. It’s not uncommon for epileptics to have fits in tight spaces.”
    I shoot up straight and look at Colette, blinking my eyes at the pace of a bee’s wings to assure my reality hasn’t become distorted. “Epilepsy?” No. What happened in the cell was not epilepsy. I saw fire on her, real raw fire that came from me. Now she lies in bed with unmistakable burns and no bandages to stop the bleeding. “But she…No, she…” I don’t even know how to get out the words without sounding like a complete loon.
    Oliver brushes his bangs out of eyes that have taken on a patient look. “She what?”
    I just have to come out and say what I saw. My voice trembles, tears threatening to pour down my face. I bring my voice to a soft, audible whisper. “I-I’m a witch. I set her on fire.”
    Oliver pulls me up fast and plants his hands on either side of my face. Though I know he is naturally cold, the iciness of his hands nonetheless brings a yelp from me. I grab his wrists, instinct goading me to pull them off, but I leave them there. His eyes bear down on me. “Don’t speak such nonsense. It’s these trials. I shouldn’t have made that promise with you, should have figured it was too much to expect. Besides you’re--”
    He lets go of my face, but I keep a grip on him. “I’m what?”
    He disentangles my fingers from his wrists and looks away from me, darting his eyes to the white ceramic tiles. “Mother Aurelia removed you from the initiation process. I overheard her speaking with Theosodore about this decision. They thought it was best. It was nothing personal against you. They just didn’t want you…damaged, so to speak. Mother Aurelia thinks you need another year, some more maturity before you can pick up the process again.”
    Too stunned to speak or even process what he told me, I look back at Colette who is now surrounded by other visitors. A nun with a vase of roses leans into another nun and smiles. She puts the vase down and begins to speak. Though her voice is a whisper, I can still hear what she has to say.
    “Her epileptic fit must have been caused by all the excitement. My grandfather was an epileptic, and he was an easily excitable old man. We could never keep a fit away from him, not even for a mere week.”
    The nun who isn’t holding anything fingers the petals. “It was still frightening though, to see her like that. Deus will be kind to her. She’s been a good girl since coming here, and there’s no sense in Deus doing away with her when she will be such an asset to the Professed Order.”
    They continue prattling, but I’ve had enough. I know what I saw. I did not see an epileptic fit. I saw fire. Either everyone is in denial about Colette’s condition, or I have gone mad.
    Oliver puts a hand on my shoulder and draws me down on to the bed. He pulls the covers up to my chin, and pulls away with a small smile. “You need your rest too, Amelia. I can tell you’re still not convinced, but I promise you’re just really stressed. You’ll feel much better when you wake up, and when you do, I’ll be out in the plum orchard, the usual place. You can vent then. It’s not the end of the world. You still have a chance to be professed. Just not right now.”
    This is just a