Prologue

All Types of Stories

“I’m ready!” Calian announced as his small hand patted the spot next to him on his bed. Aside from the dim starry nightlight on his bedside table, the only thing that exuded vibrancy was his bright red hair.

Calian was tucked in snuggly—hardly even able to move, and yet, he never felt more comfort and warmth than in this moment.

“Oh, are you now?” His mother replied, playfully. She gazed lovingly at her five-year-old before she reached for his shaggy hair, mussing it up as she continued. “What exactly are you ready for, hmm?”

His meadow green eyes shone brightly as he cheered, kicking off his blanket. “For a story! A story!”

“Weeellll… I suppose you can have ONE story.” She said, pointer finger raised before she reached for the nearby stool by his little desk and leaned over the bed. Cal’s mother placed her hand against her chin as if she was thinking hard.

“It has to be a good one.” Calian insisted.

“Of course!” his mother agreed just before she gasped. “I’ve got it! But…” she paused, frowning a bit. “… it’s kind of sad. Do you still want to hear it?”

Little Calian pondered this seriously. His expression was one of a deeply conflicted man. “Is it exciting too?”

“Oh yes,” She declared, animatedly. “Deeply so.”

“Does it have magic?” Calian wondered, eyes bright with curiosity.

“Definitely.” His mother smiled like she was about to reveal a secret, which made her son all the more thrilled.

“Mmmmm… alright.” He approved. “You’ve always said there’s all types of people. So… there must be all types of stories too, right?”

“Of course!” His mother nodded, fixing his blanket so that he was tucked in once more. “Now, this is a long tale. We won’t be able to finish it tonight, but if you like it, I can tell you more tomorrow. Deal?” Cal’s mom put out her pinky finger, waiting for an answer from her excitable son.

“Deal!” he yelled, immediately completing the promise.

Before she started, she gently moved her long black hair over her right shoulder. Her white strands sprinkled even through her blunt bangs. But this small gesture only made the young boy even readier for the tale. He knew this was his mother’s tell. That she really was getting prepared to share something spectacular. She did the same thing anytime she talked to him about the items in her apothecary.

“This is the story of a little girl, much like you.” His mother started. “Her name is Nova Laurant Grimaldi.”

“That’s a long name.” Calian commented, already invested in the story.

“Yes, it is. But that isn’t the strangest thing about her. Whatever she attempted to do, she became immediately good at it. She could draw illustrations that were so realistic, it almost seemed as if the object would come to life. She could play the piano like a professional pianist after just one try! And she could fence like the King’s best soldiers.” Cal’s mother enjoyed seeing the delight on her son’s face as she kept telling the story. “And if that wasn’t impressive enough, she was beautiful. She looked unlike anyone else. She had long silver locks and eyes that twinkled like starlight.”

“Starlight!?” the boy said, amazed. His gaze trailed up to the ceiling, looking at the amber stars from his nightlight before glancing out the open window. “That is pretty!”

“You think so?” His mother smiled, gently.

“Yeah…” Calian’s gaze was still fixated on the glistening stars above before looking back at his mom. “So, what happens to Nova?”

“Well, even though she was so beautiful and so talented, she found herself drowning in loneliness. She didn’t have a single friend or family member to share her time with. No one would go to her. No one would even look her in the eye.”

“Why not?” Calian frowned, surprised by this turn of events. “She seems like fun.”

“Because she was cursed.” His mother revealed. Calian’s emerald eyes widened in shock, but he dared not say a word as he waited for more. “You see, Cal, anyone who touched little Nova —” she poked her son, lightly, making him squirm with a soft giggle. “—would die.”

“What?” Calian looked positively devastated. “No one can touch her?”

Cal’s mother shook her head, her light brown eyes looking dark in the dim lighting. “No.”

“No one can hug her?” his brows pulled together, clearly perplexed by this news.

“No.” his mother shook her head again.

“Not even when she’s sad?” Calian unconsciously reached for his mother’s hand, and she gripped his tiny palm tightly before kissing it.

“Not even when she’s sad.”

“How come this happened to Nova?” Cal asked, mouth scrunched in a way that said he didn’t like this story at all.

His mother sighed as if she was recalling something but quickly focused on her son. “Well, that’s something Nova wanted to know too. So, she wandered all over her grand home. It was a giant magnificent mansion called Gravitas Manor. It was filled with all types of treasures, treats, and portraits of her ancestors. And the grounds were HUGE! There wasn’t a single neighbor nearby because her home was in the middle of the woods just outside the kingdom of Cisluna.” She glanced down at their conjoined hands. She rubbed little circles on the top of his skin with her thumb, hoping to comfort him for what would come next. “But even though Nova was technically one of the masters of the house, everyone was too afraid of her to even nod a greeting. Even her parents feared her power. So, they left her, taking nearly all the staff except those that she would need to keep up the pretense of a noble.”

“So, she never found out how she was cursed?” Calian’s frown was deep with worry, but still, he felt compelled to know more about the girl.

“Even though many people ran at the sight of little Lady Nova, her caretaker and head maid, Bailey, did not cower. She was not afraid of this child, but instead, felt she needed a guiding hand—someone to help her when things got tough.” Calian’s green eyes glowed with joy at hearing that someone was finally kind to the young girl. Meanwhile, his mom’s heart swelled at seeing how considerate her son was and knew that this quality would help him in the future. However, Cal didn’t notice his mother’s pride as he eagerly waited for more. “One evening, Nova was playing on the grounds and saw an injured bird. Of course, she wanted to help the poor thing, and before she could think twice, she went to pet its petite feathers, but…” she shook her head and frowned. “The second she touched the creature, it ceased to chirp, and it no longer fluttered along the ground. It was so still that Nova’s heart thumped heavily in her chest,” Cal’s mother pounded her hand against her torso, completely enamoring her son in the tale even further. “And it was that moment that the little Lady really understood why even her parents kept their distance. She wailed and wailed, clutching the tiny blue bird in her pale hands.

“At her cry, Bailey ran over to Nova. She quickly realized what had happened. She pitied the child who finally understood her curse. She desperately wanted to hold her but knew she could not. The best Bailey could do was to stand two feet away as she said, ‘Miss Nova, what’s the matter? What happened?’

“Nova almost couldn’t breathe as she sobbed, ‘I-I just wanted to help it! But… but I killed it! Why? Why am I like this, Bailey!?’

“Bailey handed the little miss a handkerchief, insisting she put the dead bird down. ‘You were cursed, Miss Nova.’ Bailey informed her. ‘From the moment you were born, your touch causes all living things to die.’

“This only confused Nova more. She simply couldn’t understand why anyone would do this to her. So, at her prompting, Bailey reluctantly revealed that a witch cursed her but gave no reason why. ‘How can I break this curse?’ she asked, drying her tears with the handkerchief. She stood tall; a determination she had never felt before overcame her. It made her head maid proud to see her so resilient.”

“Nova has a strong heart.” Calian interjected, proud of her like she was truly his friend. Like she was someone that he knew well.

“That she does, sweetheart.” His mom grinned as she booped his nose. “That she does.”

“So?”

“So??” his mother’s expression teased the boy.

“How does she break the curse!?” Calian was frothing at the mouth to know.

“Bailey leaned in quite close.” The boy’s mother imitated the movement to her son as she whispered, “Closer than anyone has ever dared to get to Nova, and she said, ‘Love.’”

“Love?” Calian’s confusion was evident on his face as he rocked side-to-side.

“Love.” His mother confirmed. It was clear that the young boy didn’t understand, and he was itching to know more when his caregiver finally announced, “And on that note, it is time for bed.”

“But… but what happens to Nova next? Does anyone ever love her? Does she break her curse?”

The older woman swallowed a lump in her throat, but the anxious gesture went unnoticed. She leaned over, kissed Calian on the forehead, and replied, “That is a tale for another time.”

Reluctantly, the boy agreed, but when his mother was good and gone, Calian still could not fall asleep. All he could think about was poor Nova. He wanted her to have a good ending. To be happy.

Silently, he tip-toed over to his desk, grabbing a notebook and pencil, and made his way to the window. The moonlight shone brightly against the sill, giving Calian just enough light to draw clearly. He could perfectly picture Miss Nova Laurant Grimaldi. He saw her starlight hair. He saw her sparkling eyes, and finally, he saw her solemn face.

Feeling he had little option, he drew her and drew her and drew her until he could no longer hold onto his pencil.