Snacks, water, clothes… Snacks, water, clothes…

Fallen Star repeated those words like a mantra as he tore through his room looking for the perfect things to pack. He wasn’t escaping for good, he’d just be… taking a step out. Yeah. Mr. Ares and the other Horsemen did it all the time, so why couldn’t he? All the people here praised Fallen Star, anyway. If anything, they should be happy he wanted to step out!

After he packed his bag, Fallen Star made sure to cover his bases. He ordered the cooks to prepare his favorite chicken stew dish, knowing it’d take them all day to finish it. He instructed the seamstresses to create new, elaborately patterned robes for him with materials he’d hidden in his room to ensure they’d have to scramble to please him. Finally, he ordered the scribes to leave him to his devices for the day as he needed time to “focus on his studies”.

Once he finished that, escaping the facility was as easy as walking out the front door. He walked down a mossy dark hallway and up a long flight of stairs before ending up in front of a heavy steel door with another of Mr. Ares’ runes on it. Fallen Star stared at the symbol and felt as though he were being watched despite there being no one around. He’d made sure to leave today because the Horsemen were out for the week. Nothing he said to himself calmed his anxiety, but the thought of being able to come back to his birthgiver with stories of the outside world and an answer to what “family” was gave him the push he needed to push the door.

The first emotion Fallen Star felt when he stepped out was disappointment. It was so… barren!

Sand, sand, and more sand! The scholars said there would be trees! And animals! My robes will be covered in sand by the time I get back!

And then what? They’d know he was outside, and there’d be no telling what they’d do then… What if they told the Horsemen he’d been outside? Would they listen if he attempted to intimidate them into silence? They usually listened to Fallen Star, but when Mr. Ares was around it was clear who they respected most.

Is it because I’m “Cursed” and not “Mythic”?

Fallen Star had no clue what any of that meant, but they’d thrown those words around a lot around him growing up. It used to bother him, too. So what if he wasn’t “Mythical”? Fallen Star was Fallen Star! They’d worship him either–

A loud, earth-shaking growl bellowed from the distance. It sounded from every direction, and Fallen Star struggled to find the source of the creature. Unsure what to do, he ran straight ahead into the forest. If he opened the door back home while this creature was around, they’d also hear the growling and they’d definitely know he’d been outside. If he stood still, though, he might turn into a meal!

The growling continued, though it got softer as Fallen Star ran deeper into the thick forest. Sure, it was terrifying, but he felt alive! He’d never been afraid like this before, and as he ran through the thick forest he saw so many animals and bugs! The atmosphere was so moist, and it all smelled so… rainforest-y! It was all new to him, but he was in love already.

I can’t believe this was all right outside!

Fallen Star turned around, curious to see how much ground he’d covered.

He’d regretted it immediately.

Instead of a clear view of his home, he’d seen a massive creature as tall as the trees chasing after him! Well, maybe slithering was the right word. It had the head and body of nine snakes glued together and the legs and tail of a dragon! The thing was fast, too. It’d been gaining on Fallen Star, and it took everything in him not to scream for help. Not that it’d matter. There was no one out here to help him, anyway.

Think… I can’t beat it up. I need to escape! Look around… There!

Fallen Star spotted a cave to his left and ran straight for it. He lept inside, tumbling into a hornet’s nest and provoking the insects to attack. The moment they flew from their home and saw the massive creature outside staring into the cave, though, they decided to calm down. The nine-headed snake creature stared at Fallen Star for a long moment, roared, then finally walked away. Fallen Star let out a deep breath. Even the hornets seemed to buzz a sigh of relief when the beast left.

He sat in that cave, heart beating out of his chest, and started to laugh. Only five minutes outside and this was easily the most fun he’d ever had in his life! There’s no way anything could happen that could–

“H…h… heh… hell…oooooo…! Wh… whats…. Y-y-y-.... your n-name?”

Fallen Star froze, turning to the source of the voice behind him. No more than a foot away from him stood a two-foot-tall blob of flesh with oversized feet with lumps shaped like a face that’d been poorly reconstructed with clay. Behind it were two massive black dogs with red eyes, sharp teeth, and frothing mouths. They sat behind the flesh ball, waiting for Fallen Star’s response.

He never gave one. The boy ran for his dear life, suddenly not so enthusiastic about his choice to escape. Why were there so many monsters around his house?! Did the Horsemen have to deal with them? All questions for another day.

Or another life, perhaps. Fallen Star tripped over a tree stump, and with that fall his adrenaline seemed to leave like a popped balloon. His breaths were suddenly much heavier, his limbs suddenly much weaker. There were more monsters in this rainforest, and Fallen Star didn’t have the energy to move.

Get up. Get up…! Get… up…!

Fallen Star collapsed.

***

When he came to, Fallen Star was lying on a bed in a house unfamiliar to him. While the couch itself was plaid, the walls were light green with dark green forest-y wallpaper and pink curtains over small rectangular windows. He was alone in this room, though the loud tick-tock of the clock on the wall mixed in with various voices in accents unlike any he’d ever heard sounded from outside.

There was a mirror in the corner of the room, thankfully. Fallen Star examined himself. His face had been cleaned off, but his clothes were different from any he’d seen. Were these not undergarments? He wore khaki shorts, a brick-red short-sleeved shirt with two buttons on the top, and light brown sneakers. Who’d undressed him and put him in these rags? Where were his robes? And more importantly, where was he?

Before he had time to think, a young woman came into the room.

“I said I’ve got it, mum! I’ll make sure I–... shit! The bloody ballbag’s awake!”

Bawbag?

The girl looked to be a few years older than Fallen Star himself. She had massive beady eyes, unkempt black hair, her two front teeth had a gap, and she wore blue overalls like a farmer. Fallen Star found it difficult to hold her gaze.

“Figured you’d be tuckered out for the rest of the day! You’re a tough little cunt, innit?”

“M…mind the way you speak to me…!” Fallen Star tried.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

The woman’s eyes widened for a moment before she burst into laughter. “That ain’t happening, kid. I’m from the ‘-burgh’ part of ‘Bukimiburgh’. You’re gonna have to get used to it.”

Get used to it?! Who does she think she is?!

Before Fallen Star had a chance to correct her, more people came pouring into the room. Another young man with dark blue hair dressed in a striped tracksuit. An older man in a long-sleeve brown shirt with gray pants. A woman in a black skirt and a white button-down shirt. They each looked at Fallen Star with varying levels of shock and concern, though he needed to get ahead of this before any of them started treating him like the girl had.

“It was kind of you all to rescue me from those woods, though I would have expected you all would have kept someone in my room to attend me as I recovered,” Fallen Star motioned to himself. “Secondly, I would like to know who placed me in these filthy undergarments. Surely one of you has skill with making robes? I understand that is a feminine skill,” He said, gesturing to the men in the room. “But it is important for each of you to be versatile with regards to your skillsets.” Fallen Star turned to the steadily-reddening older lady, ignoring the rolled-up paper in her hand. “And you. I can only assume you are the master of this house, yes? Prepare a meal for me. I’ve grown quite peckish.” He clapped. “Anything will do. Unless you have my pack nearby? In which case–”

“You absolute bloody ingrate!” The woman yelled. She bonked Fallen Star in the head with the rolled-up paper like she was trying to send him back into unconsciousness.

“How dare you–... ow! Ow! Hey, stop! Stop!”

She didn’t stop. Everyone in the room had been crying from laughter, save the woman who’d smacked him over and over until she’d run out of breath. When it ended, Fallen Star found himself red now. Not from anger or anything, but sheer humiliation. He’d been overwhelmed by shame. These people didn’t have to save him. It would’ve been easier for them to leave him to those monsters in the rainforest, but they’d clothed him and cleaned him up. He was stressed and afraid, and he’d taken it out on them.

“...I’m–”

“When someone saves you from a Curse, you don’t go making demands, boy! You shut up and say ‘thank you’ you bloody bellend!”

“That… is not what I was… taught…” Fallen Star tried, keeping an eye on the paper still clenched in her fist.

“You from one of them cults?” The young man asked.

“Bukimiburgh is cult central,” The young woman shrugged. “And you hear the way he talks? I wouldn’t be shocked.”

“I’m not… I don’t know. I’m from… beyond the rainforest? I grew up underground.”

The older man whistled. “You mean that door to nowhere outside the forest? Well I’ll be! Always wondered what was in that door. Those Rogues out there around you are all in the 400s, you know. Bloody miracle they didn’t eat you alive.”

There’s that word again… ‘Myth’.

Fallen Star wasn’t sure how he’d missed it, but the man had gauze wrapped around his eyes. A yellow light floated in front of his forehead, moving with him as he turned his head. He had no clue what that meant, but after all the weird stuff he’d seen earlier he decided not to question it.

“Would you like to know more about my home? You all… saved me… so, I… guess…”

The older woman, who’d been silent so far, clutched her paper even tighter. Fallen Star felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to find the gap-toothed woman mere inches away.

“Say ‘Thank You’!”

Fallen Star did as instructed. “Th…thank you.”

Those words may as well have been magic. The older woman loosened her grip on the paper. “Thought I’d have to turn into a Berserker to get that outta you,” She sighed. “Come on now, let’s all get something to eat.

The rest of the house was decorated similar to the room Fallen Star had been resting in. Even the dining room had the same wallpaper, though instead of a clock on the wall, there was a television at one end with cabinets full of nice pottery at the other. The first thing they did when they sat down was get each other’s names. The young man was named Jeffry Perrow while the gap-toothed girl was Clarissa Perrow. The older man and woman were Thane and Edwinna Perrow respectively, though Edwinna demanded Fallen Star call her and her husband Mr. and Mrs. Perrow for some reason. He went with it, for no other reason than to avoid another beatdown.

Thane and Mrs. Perrow were in the kitchen preparing chicken stew of all things, while Fallen Star sat at the table with Clarissa and Mr. Perrow. He’d been focused on the television watching something called “footy” while Clarissa kept badgering Fallen Star with questions all about his home life. Fallen Star found it hard to talk to her, though. She was the first girl close to his age he’d ever spoken to! Things were… awkward. Thankfully, he’d been saved by a dinner bell and a bowl of food. Once again, all eyes were on him when he got the meal, and he had to be sure to say “Thank You” and not “I expect this meal to be to my liking”.

And that’s how things went with the Perrow Family. Once every other week, when the Horsemen would leave the “Fallen Star Cult” as the Perrows had come to call it, he’d break out and visit them. At first, Fallen Star had to work to fit in with the Perrows and the way they spoke. After a few months, though, Fallen Star found he needed to keep up with his old persona. He had to actively stop himself from saying “Thank You” and doing things like cleaning the dishes after dinner.

His mother – not birthgiver, as that was “an odd thing to call your parent”– noted that he’d become more “childlike” in this past year. Something about that made him proud. More than that, though, it made him determined. Being with the Perrow Family was fun, but he didn’t want to be the only one enjoying himself. Fallen Star knew the Fallen Star Cult facility like the back of his hand. He was confident he could break out of the place even if the Horsemen were around. Knowing that, and knowing how much his mother wanted to see her sister, Fallen Star came to a decision.

“Mo–... Birthgiver. I have come to a decision,” Fallen Star began, heart beating out of his chest.

“What is it?” His mother asked, looking down at him from her seat beside him on her bed.

“We will be… no. I would like-... No… I…”

“Is everything okay, Fallen Star?”

“Doyouwannaleave?” Fallen Star blurted.

“Be quiet!”

His mother immediately pulled him close and covered his mouth with a hand. Her expression was frantic, and Fallen Star knew this kind of act was supposed to be reprimanded. Obviously, he didn’t follow protocol here. How could he?

“F-forgive me… Fallen Star… I… forget my–”

“No!” Fallen Star interrupted. “I know you heard me. Do you want to leave?” He asked, though it came out more like a statement.

“I… Fallen Star… I… assumed you had ventured out. If you’ve found a way to escape, I would be much happier if you left by yourself. I wouldn’t want you to risk your life trying to save me. I’ve made my mistakes. I’ve made my bed. I’m happy to lay in it.”

“I don’t care!” Fallen Star found himself saying.

There was a part of him, deep within, somewhere in his mind that seemed to speak on his behalf. It’d always been there, but he’d always seen it as his intuition. Now, though? He recognized it as his sense of reason. Everyone in this Fallen Star Cult said that he’d someday be the ruler of this world. Well, what kind of ruler takes orders from Horsemen? What kind of god takes orders from anyone? He’d been going about this wrong.

“WE’RE LEAVING,” Fallen Star declared. Was he hearing things, or was his voice a bit deeper? He coughed. “We’re leaving. You and I are family, and we move together. The Perrow Family said they’d be happy to let us stay with them for as long as we need before we find a place to stay.”

His mother laughed, pride and defeat warring in her tone. “Maybe we are family. You sound just like me when I’d drag Sidney somewhere sketchy.” She shook her head. “You’re right, Fallen Star. We are family. Whatever happens, we’ll go through it together.”

Fallen Star beamed, all traces of that weird energy gone. “Thank you!” He hugged his mother. “I was so scared you’d say no! You’re gonna love the Perrows. Clarissa has a potty mouth, but she’s still cool. Jeffry said he’d teach me how to play football when I’m tall enough! Oh, and Mr and Mrs. Perrow all said they can’t wait to see you! They’re really nice once you get to know them.”

“You seem to like this Perrow Family, don’t you? How long have you known them?”

“For… the past year…” Fallen Star admitted.

His mother put a hand to her mouth in mock surprise. “So you were lying about your homework? And all those days you made everyone do strenuous work was so you could sneak out?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to get caught. Also, I didn’t want you to be scared.”

His mother ruffled his hair. “That’s too bad. I was terrified each time you left!” Fallen Star’s heart sank. “So it’s a good thing that won’t be happening again.” He felt a bit better.

“No, it won’t. We’re going to be together forever. Because we’re family.”