Supernova

Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say. Or so I thought. 

As my eyes open, I'm running. The wind catches my face, and my feet hit the ground; I can feel every step, every breath. My chest heaves with every rise and fall. I look down, and I see snakes; they're everywhere - big, small, slithering beneath me. They tangle between my legs as I try to escape. There's no stopping now. I know I can't go back. This is our only chance. I try not to shudder as a chill creeps through my spine. The hairs on my arm slowly begin to rise. I put my head down and press forward. All I can think about is him. How could this happen? 

Small snow-like particles swirl around my face as the matter from the first explosion settles through the air. I draw my sleeve down to cover my mouth. Tears prick at the edge of my eyelids. 

God, where is he? Where the hell is he?

With every step, the more anxious I feel. Why can't you hear me? I scream again.

"DANNY!" Louder. Yell louder, Jana. I shake my head. A silent scolding. How could you let this happen?

"DANNY! Please!" This time I cup my hands around my mouth, and a hint of desperation laces my voice. 

I clutch my arms to my chest. I'm crying now. Tears fall, sliding down my crisp cool cheek, turning to ice as they hit the ground, shattering. 

We didn't mean for this to happen. 

I push through the dust and cough as it creeps into my lungs. I lean onto a rock beside me, and as I feel the tremble of Aurora, I look to the midnight sky above. She's angry. And I don't blame her. With every quake, the creatures circling my feet dissipate, and I wonder if they've been a figment of my imagination. I had heard that this place could do that to you - make you see things that weren't real. 

A piercing sound echoes above me, and I see purple lightning seethe through the sky, impacting the horizon ahead.

Danny…I whisper. It has to be him. He must have landed further away. I feel a slight pang of relief, knowing he's out there. We hadn't anticipated the fall to be so gruesome. By the time I realised what was happening, we had already been separated. 

I look down at my Magna still strapped to my left wrist and tap on the screen with my finger. Of course, it glitches from the accident, but I can still see the time. Four hours has already been four days, and If I don't get to Danny quickly - I'll be as old as Lady Zahn from Sarsnick, and that's old. If it weren't for the cyro-sleeps every cycle, I'm sure her skin would meet the floor. 

According to my Magna, we have four stellar tri's until Aurora collapses completely and turns supernova. Great. Let's hope it doesn't take me that long to find Danny. 

When Danny came to me a few days ago with his plan, I hadn't considered what it would entail. I know us being here has only accelerated the process - I can feel it. But for three months, we've been locked on that ship. Plucked from Earth and probed and prodded to reach our Mecca. Only four out of ten achieve it within their first year. 

"It's what you were born to do; it's what the four galaxies intended when they created us." my parents would say. Oh, how I wish they were with me now. The thought of what Lady Zahn could do to them once she realised Danny and I had escaped made me want to vomit. 

I walk for what feels like hours until I come to a dip in the rocky terrain. It's not much, but it'll do. I curve my body into the ridge and rub my palms together for warmth. Unlike Danny, I can't turn my power on and off as quickly, but I feel the frozen ground responding to me - it moves to protect me but repels me just the same - as if it's confused as I am about what and who I am. 

~

I close my eyes, and I'm back to the moment Danny helped me first use my power. We stand side by side, facing the universe's vastness from the ship's deck. I felt his hand toying with mine, and I welcomed the comfort. I laced my fingers through his and moved closer to touch our shoulders. I rested my head against his. He had this ability to make me feel calm and complete unhinged at the same time. 

"There's no going back? You know this, right?" I said to him. 

"Come on, baby, live a little." His smirk found the corner of his emerald eyes, and I noticed how vibrant they looked. His midnight hair curled softly, accentuating his jawline, and I knew I was in trouble. "Spark up." 

I looked down at my hands. The same nervous energy felt like a flurry of kicks and flutters in my stomach. It surged and swelled inside me as if something wanted to escape but couldn't. From the sole of my feet to the tip of my head, it coursed through my veins, and I could feel all of it - every inch - it gained traction and ebbed further through my system. Bubbling, just beneath the surface. Waiting for me to call upon it.  

I looked to the sky, and the stars blazed radiantly above me while the waxing moon glistened.

"It's time, Jana. You need to let go of what we've left behind. You won't reach your peak until you release your fear of what lies ahead." He said to me as I clutched his hand tighter. I could feel the lightning coming from him, surging into the sky. "Let go. NOW!"

~

I stir and turn. Realising that what we'd done had left me alone in this universe. That I am here - on this star - without Danny. Without anyone. Completely and utterly alone.