“Bummer. Anyway, your schedule is cleared for two days. Then you will have that guest spot onThe Travelerfor the next two months.”
“Okay, call me if anything changes,” he instructed.
“Will do.”
“Hey, Vee, wait,” he said before she hung up.
“Yeah, what is it?”
“This might sound crazy, but do you believe in magic?”
“Of course I do. I'm a witch, silly omega.” She hung up before he could say anything else.
Star brought his phone down, looking at it strangely. “She's a witch. She's got to be pulling my leg, right?”
Things are so damn confusing.
* * *
A couple of days later,Star was so fucking excited, he was about to jump out of his skin. He walked on the set ofThe Travelerfor his guest role. It'd been a while since he'd been on a television set. Star had watched a few episodes for the past two days and studied the script just to be prepared. He couldn't wait to work with Blue Lennox. He had admired the man in his previous life and never came too close to breathing the same air as him, and now Star was going to be in the same cast as the other man.
"Hey, watch out!" someone shouted urgently, jolting Star out of his trance. He stumbled back, just in time to avoid being thrust out of the way, and tumbled to the ground. Instinctively, he raised his arms before his face, bracing himself for whatever was about to happen. But when he peered between his arms, Star's eyes widened in shock as he saw the light fixture dangling dangerously from the ceiling above him.
Star felt relieved that the light hadn't hit him, but his confusion grew when he saw it was suspended in the air, seemingly unsupported. "What in the world...?" he muttered, scooting back and surveying the scene. His eyes widened even further when he realized that the light wasn't the only thing that had stopped—the people on set were also frozen in place. Even the air around him seemed to stop moving.
Holy shit! What’s happening?Star was so shaken that it felt like turning into a cat was nothing compared to watching people stop moving.Could this be a dream?
Star gave himself a firm pinch and felt the sharp pain. But what mattered most was that he was wide awake. With his eyes on the light, he slowly rose to his feet and scanned the area for a power cord but couldn't find any. He then shifted his gaze to the person who yelled. The man's hands were spread out in front of him, his brown eyes filled with terror. Star waved his hands in front of the man's face, but the man remained still, even his eyes.
How did this happen?The word magic whispered in the back of his mind, then the words Chase had said to him a couple of days ago came back to him.
“Embrace the magic.”
Did this happen because of magic? If it is, then who did it?Then he had a crazier thought that would definitely make him insane.Was it me? But how?
Star tracked his movements from when he was pushed, and he remembered holding his hands up. He recreated the movement, and just as he brought his hand to his face, the light fixture suddenly plummeted to the ground, shattering into fragments and causing everyone to turn their gaze toward it. As the others rushed over to examine the now-broken object, Star was left flummoxed by his newfound ability to seemingly freeze time.
Does that mean I can do something magical? Did I really freeze time or even people?! I'm so excited and mystified to find out!
Star's eyes lit up with excitement as he tested his theory. He held up his hands, and everyone around him stopped in their tracks. Star couldn't help the giddy grin that spread across his face. He had no idea why he was so thrilled to be able to do magic, as opposed to waking up as a cat, but he felt surprisingly calm. He glanced at his watch, a little disappointed that he hadn't really managed to freeze time, just the movements of others. But he was still content with his new power and couldn't wait to explore it further. He'd have to wait until after work, though. Quickly unfreezing everyone, Star joined the crowd looking at the broken shards from the light.
“What the fuck is going on here?” came a boisterous shout. “Why the hell are you all standing around?”
Star's heart raced as he gazed at Anubis Ahket, his handsome features unmistakable even from afar. A wave of warmth engulfed him as memories of their passionate escapade a few nights ago came flooding back. The marks Anubis had left on Star’s body had faded, thanks to the cream Chase gave him, but Star swore he could still feel the heat radiating off them. As if sensing his presence, Anubis's golden eyes met his, a small knowing smile gracing his lips.
“Uncle Anpu, I think something broke.”
Star looked away from Anubis, noticing a kid standing beside the director for the first time. Star knew it was Kristoph DeVine, one of the stars ofThe Traveler.
“Director Anubis, one of the lights broke and...”
“It caused everyone to stand around rather than clean it up and get back to work?” Anubis snapped, and it pissed Star off. “We don't have all da—”
“I was almost smashed by the damn thing,” Star yelled, shutting the other man up. He was feeling confident after his short power trip.
"Are you okay?” His brows furrowed as his gaze roved up and down Star's body. Star felt his concern, but it was a fleeting emotion.
“Yes, I was able to dodge it in enough time,” he explained.
