The Stars of Lost Hope

Chaz gave Mills the weapon and the Ghost practically carried me as we ran.  There wasn’t any fancy sneaking away.  We just ran for our lives through the forest.  At first I wondered why no one was chasing us, but when the forest seemed to loop us back toward the mansion, it became pretty obvious.  They didn’t need to chase us.

“Amy,” Chaz whispered to me.  “I’m sorry to ask you this when you’re tired, but do you think you can find a way out.”

“Argyle is a little turned around,” Mills added.  “He’ll take the lead once we’re able to get past the loop point.”

I nodded and Chaz picked me up before I could protest.  He assured me that he would be able to carry me the entire way, thus giving me the chance to focus solely on finding our escape.  And so I did.  I wrapped my arms around his neck and closed my eyes.  I leaned my head against his chest and thought about it for a few moments.  Then I pointed.

It’s hard to determine when exactly, but I did pass out.  I’m assuming that’s what happened.  One moment, we were running through a forest.  The next time I was completely aware was when we were collapsed in a field.  There was no forest.  Just a wide open meadow of wild flowers that we practically disappeared into when we lay down.

“What time is it?” I wondered.

“We have about an hour to get from here to the other side of the Realm,” came Mills’ muffled reply.

“Are you okay?” Chaz asked me.

I smiled and used Chaz as support to pull myself to a sitting position.  Chaz and Mills didn’t look very good.  Mills actually looked worse, evidence of being the fighter was clear in all the cuts he had across his body.  Poor Argyle had one of his straps cut cleanly in half.  Chaz looked a little sick.  His glass-like appearance was cracked and yellowed in some places.

“What happened?” I asked.  “Where are we?”

“You passed out not long after we reached the loop point,” Chaz said quietly.  “Argyle was able to lead once we passed that point, but then the thieves followed.”

“They sort of cornered us,” Mills added.  “But we put up one incredible fight.  And then we got help from the last hour.”

I blinked in surprise and felt my pocket.  The hour was still there.  “What?”

“The Stars of Lost Hope,” Chaz said.

I looked up and saw the incredible sky above us.  The night sky was incredible, full of shooting stars and swirling galaxies.  Chaz may have called it lost hope, but watching it was incredible.

“The stars had taken an hour from wherever it had first resided, and then they watched us,” Chaz explained.  “They brought us here.  Which, to be honest, I’m not sure where here is.”

“All I know is that the closest place of the stars is still a hike from my grandfather’s factory,” Mills sighed.

“But we have all the hours,” I said as I pulled the one out of my pocket.

“The stars still have theirs,” Chaz corrected as he took the hour I held.

“Can we just ask nicely, or will twenty-three do?”

“I say we stay here until we get it,” Mills voted.  “Without all twenty-four, the situation is still a little grim.”

“How so?” I wondered.

“You’ll probably be sent back home, and they’ll probably try to do something to your memory to keep you from finding the Realm,” Mills guessed.  “I’m probably going to still end up arrested and I’ll go to juvenile detention, and that’s if my parents don’t get to me first.  And Chaz, well, he probably won’t survive the hour extraction process without all twenty-four.”

“And when were you planning on telling me that?” I demanded.

“It’s nothing you should worry about,” Chaz said quietly.

“Nothing I should worry about?” I asked, and then I sighed.  “I’d rather lose an hour than you.”