The Star Caster Read Online Free Page B

through my brain. I pull myself back into the ball that has protected me thus far and toss up walls in my mind, fortifying my thoughts.
    “I am no threat,” he says to me.
    “How do I know that?”
    “Because of what you just told me, Danika. I cannot lie. However, he isn’t in my mind. I’ve been cursed.”
    “Why? How? Why would someone do this to you? I don’t understand.”
    “You will.”
    “When you tell me, I will.”
    Sterren shakes his head again. “Just wait. You are too impatient.”
    I growl at him, angry again because he won’t just tell me the answers. Why does he have to make me figure them out myself? Why does he have to be so manipulative, deceitful, and frustratingly honest?
    “Fine,” I mutter. “Can you go lay down now? I know that you don’t want me to fall asleep but we don’t have to talk the entire time. I promise that I’m not expecting it.”
    Once again, Sterren says nothing; instead, he moves so that he is reclining on the blanket. He is lying so that his head is turned to the left, and he is watching me now. His hands rest on his incredibly flat stomach, and I turn away quickly so that I don’t have to feel stuck there, with my eyes focused on him. Now that I’m looking away, I can feel his eyes trained on my face, reading me. Ugh, he is so annoying. But, I can’t forget that he’s here helping me.
    The silence is comforting. I focus on the things that welcomed me to my new home: the oil lamp that still swings in an invisible breeze, the scent of polluted water, barbed wire. There is nothing around me that can harm me now, except for the betrayal of my own body and mind. So, I must stay strong; I must not allow my mind to fall into a dreamless sleep. I won’t let it happen. No matter how weak I am, I will not sleep.
    My eyes flutter a moment later and I glance at Sterren’s sleeping figure before letting myself rest. My body stays in that rigid position long enough for me to fall asleep and dream for a moment.
     
    A sharp pain rouses me from my sleep. I sit up and pull myself together, thinking that it has something to do with the barbed wire. However, it doesn’t, and I’m stuck holding my head in my hands as I am overcome with a huge headache. The feeling of someone hammering a knife into my brain overwhelms me. I grit my teeth, trying not to scream out. Whatever, this pain is, it’s something that I’m going to keep hidden from the men that are somewhere above me. I will not let them know about it.
    The sharp pain subsides for a moment, and I gather the strength to whisper Sterren’s name. He wakes up gently; once he spots my disheveled appearance, however, he moves quickly. His hands grip the outer edges of my cage, and he is telling me that everything will be fine. I nod my head, pretending to listen as another flash of pain explodes behind my eyes. I literally see stars, and I press my palms against my eyes to block it out.
    “Hold it in,” Sterren says to me. “Don’t let them hear you.”
    The pain fades again and I sit there, panting. “I can’t take it,” I whisper. “I can’t. I can’t hold it in.” I look up at Sterren then, and catch him looking at me in wonder. A small smile forms across his lips.
    “ It won’t be much longer,” he says. “You didn’t cause much of an issue when you were born, did you?” he asks.
    I shake my head instead of answering, because another round of the debilitating pain pushes its way into my left eye. I bit e my tongue to keep from screaming, because I swear that some creature is clawing my eye out. There’s no way that I can survive this.
    As this newest pain ends, I let the tears fall. This is hopeless. All of this mess. Even Sterren can’t help me now.
    “ Don’t cry,” he whispers. “The pain will end soon. I promise you.”
    “How can you be sure?” I ask him. My voice trembles as I do this, and my lower lip quivers as I realize that I can’t keep my pride right now.
    “Look at me,” Sterren