Constellations

By B.S. CASEY

Lyra spends most of her time staring at the night sky, just trying to find her place in life.

Aion has known for hundreds of years that his place is with her.

In a world that has long stopped believing in vampires and magic, he wants nothing more than to become a mortal again and grow old with her.

But that’s hard to do when she can’t remember that he exists.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Aug 19, 2021
• ISBN: 9781291186796

Book preview

CONSTELLATIONS

B.S CASEY

Also by this Author:

What If? (2020) – available exclusively via amazon and Kindle.

Copyright © 2020 B.S. Casey

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarities to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. 

ISBN: 978-1-291-18679-6

Imprint: Independently published - Lulu

Cover image by Thais Silva © 

Cover Design by B.S. Casey

Non est ad astra mollis e terris via 

 There is no easy way from the earth to the stars  

  - Seneca

CHAPTER ONE

Lyra

Ever since I was a young girl, I have done the exact same thing almost every night. The moment it gets dark, I'll go outside to lay on the ground and stare up into the sky. I can name all the constellations; I think I could do it blindfolded by now.

It's quite foggy tonight, but I always manage to find them. I always can.

The autumn air around me is cold and crisp, and I can hear the crunch of fallen leaves under the feet of people wandering in the streets outside. It's a rather peaceful night surprisingly, considering this block of flats I live in is full of students. I let my mind relax into the darkness.

On the other end of the small courtyard, there's a group of girls sitting close together on a bench, talking excitedly over a bottle of wine. There's laughter and chatter coming from the people sitting on the grass, and on the balconies above me. Everybody is slowly coming back after their summer

break, filling this almost empty building with noise, light and life once again.

Pulling my attention back to the stars, I breathe deeply and search for the Virgo constellation, my birth sign.

I can always find Spica, the brightest star without any effort at all. Tracing the night sky with my finger, I go back to Spica and follow it around up all the way to the tail of Hydra, silently reciting the name of each one in my head until my phone rings and breaks my daydream.

I rub my eyes, making my gaze come back down to earth and reluctantly answer the call.

Lyra!, I relax as I hear the happy voice singing down the phone. My roommate for the past two years, Ceri, was coming back home today. God, I really had missed her. She'd quickly become my best friend and partner in crime over the past couple of years.

Guess who's back!, her melodic voice makes me smile every time I hear it.

Oh no, not you again, I laugh down the phone at her, I was having such a nice time with you away!

Well, I guess you don't want the presents I bought back from holiday for you then? She teases.

I take it back. I missed you so much, my life is so meaningless without you, I jest back at her, only mostly joking.

I missed you too. Now get up here and help me unpack!.

I wasn't lying, life did get a little boring without her around. Moving into London for university from the quiet countryside wasn't an easy adjustment but having someone like Ceri around made it so much easier. I didn't think I'd ever be able to keep up the pace, the hustle and bustle of city life. But now whenever I visit my parents at home, I miss all the people. I miss the vibrancy and the variety; I miss the town being alive all through the night.

We hang up and I take a second to gather my thoughts, taking in the night one more time before heading back upstairs to our flat. It's nothing special really, but it's home. Within a few days of moving in, we'd hung tapestries and string lights on almost every wall, strung up photographs and mementos, and covered almost every surface of our flat in candles. It had become our personal little safe haven, and we loved it.

The harsh fluorescent lights in the stairwell sting my eyes a little bit, and I blink a few times to adjust myself to the brightness. Taking two steps at a time, it takes me no time at all to reach the fifth floor. I never take the elevator; those things have always creeped me out too much. I'm always convinced the cable will snap once I'm at the top and I'll fall to my death. It's silly, I know, but I still can't be convinced to get into one.

Before I can even try and open my front door, I'm pulled inside by the whirlwind that is my best friend. Wrapping her tightly in a hug, I take it all in. Her curly black hair, always curled and pinned precisely in a classic up do, her perfectly made up face and trademark pencil skirt. Today's' was bright blue with polka dots. I've never known anybody to love polka dots the way that she does.

Dragging me to the sofa, she jumps down beside me and thrusts a box onto my lap as she stares at me excitedly. She claps her hands in enjoyment as I open the carefully wrapped box to take out my presents. Inside was a beautifully hand painted candle holder to add to our ever-growing collection, painted with a darkened skyline of Santorini. Next to that, is a very dangerous looking bottle of liquor that I'm sure I won't remember drinking.

I love it, thank you so much, I place the candle holder on the coffee table and curl up on the sofa next to her, Now, tell me all about your trip, we can unpack later.

I listen as she recalled all the details of her latest family vacation. In theory, it sounded beautiful, but things are usually different in reality. Her dad was awfully sunburned as usual, insisting that he did not need sunscreen. Her mum refused to even try any of the local food and sulked until she found somewhere that served fish and chips, and her little brothers mostly just played on their phones next to the resort swimming pool. She mostly just hung out with some other girls who were on their own family vacation and needed a break from it too. It made me a little glad that my parents were very content staying in their own little town whenever Ceri would tell me about these trips.

After talking until the small hours of the morning like we always do whenever we're apart for a while, she and I finally crash into bed, knowing we should have really gone to sleep a little earlier with classes starting again in a few days.

Everything was back to normal.

CHAPTER TWO

Mara

My Dearest,

It's been almost a century since I've last laid my eyes on you, and whilst I often wonder how you are faring, I'm sure that you are still pursuing your foolish errand to find the girl.

It feels like it has truly been forever and a day since we fought so fiercely, have you honestly not found it in your forgiving heart to absolve me of the sins you still seem to believe I commit? I could forgive you of anything, and I do forgive you for everything.

You say, my love, that you are an honest and just man, one of honour, so how do you continue regarding me with such hatred?

Despite your constant apathy, know that I still love you as I did eons ago, and when you have grown weary of this escapade, which I expect you will soon, you