Ash:

"Bye, Mrs. Harrison!" Ash said, giving the lady's poodle a handful of liver treats.

"Thanks again, Ashleigh. Tilly looks gorgeous. You've done a terrific job!"

Ash waved as dog and owner headed out the door. She was just thankful that someone appreciated her work, because that poodle had taken forever to wash, blow-dry, groom... She'd even added a bow as a final touch just because it would keep Mrs. Harrison coming back.

Their clinic needed all the help it could get now that developers were pressuring her parents to sell. And it wasn't just Rendwick Veterinary Clinic under pressure, the entire strip of six shops, like Jasper's Coffee House, had been getting the same propositions, too, all with the intention of building apartment blocks in their place. All six shop owners had petitions circling the neighborhood, but Ash had a feeling it wouldn't be enough. If the shops were forced to move they were at risk of losing some of their regular clientele, something they couldn't afford to let happen.

Her mum and dad were seriously stressed, all the time. They never used to bicker. Now they did, all the time. Ash hated it. She hated the developers. It was like they weren't just breaking up a business, but her parents, too. She was pretty sure her dad had been sleeping in the guest bed for the past few months, and the nights he arrived home late had been becoming more frequent. Sometimes half a week could pass by without Ash laying eyes on him, but as soon as her parents where in the same room together the silence was gone. Even now, her mum was snapping at her dad from the next room, "No, David. We should hold on to...longer... I'm not giving up." Whatever David's reply was a mystery—all Ash heard was the low mumble of his voice through the wall.

Deflated, Ash wandered back behind the reception desk and slumped in the chair. The door on her right opened behind her, and her mum strode out in a huff. Marianne Rendwick's blonde ponytail was frizzed and her mascara had left blotches under her eyes, evidence that she'd been crying. The second she saw Ash she went into yoga breathing mode, her go-to guide when she didn't know what else to do. Her jaw relaxed marginally, although Ash suspected it would be clenched tight if nobody was in the room.

"How's your science project going?" Marianne asked. "Have you finished?"

Ash groaned. "Not yet."

How she hated that project. She'd been struggling to write the remaining two thousand words for days now. Instead, she'd accomplished an inordinate amount of hours staring at the computer screen, re-editing the bits she'd already done. Physics just wasn't her strong point. Sometimes people, like teachers and parents, needed to accept that. She had. Besides, it was Sunday. Who wanted to do homework and reception work the entire weekend?

"Why don't you take off home. We have a meeting at one, anyway," Marianne said.

"Oh? Who with?" Ash looked down at the schedule on the screen, but she could only see a greyed out block from one o'clock onwards. When she'd seen it earlier, she'd assumed they were having a late lunch.

"An investor."

"Really? But I thought this was a family business. It's even called Rendwick Veterinary Clinic. What if the investor wants to change that?"

Marianne's mouth pinched together. "We need the help."

"I know we do. But how would an investor help us if the entire strip of shops is expected to leave? Us having more money won't stop the developers from taking over. I mean they want to buy us out. They want to give you money, not have you spend more in the street."

Her mother frowned, apparently stumped by Ash's question.

"Hang on..." Ash said. "Are we moving the clinic?"

Another frown from Marianne.

Seriously, nobody tells me anything!

"It'll be alright," Marianne said. "We'll talk tonight, once we've had our meeting. Don't worry." She kissed her daughter on the forehead, then took a right down the corridor. A moment before the office door slammed, she called out, "Focus on your assignment!"

"Thanks for the reminder," Ash muttered.

With a sigh, she pushed off from the desk and gripped the chair as it shot backwards. Ash braked and skidded, then leaned forward, spinning the seat. She let out a yelp as something dug into her thigh. Sitting up, she searched her jeans pocket and latched onto a silk cloth with something square inside. A second later she was staring at the silver pouch in her hand.

Where did this come from?

And how did I not notice this in my pocket all day?

She wheeled back over to the desk and ran her fingers over the silk. It was the finest, smoothest cloth she'd ever felt, and depending on which way you tilted it, it shimmered with far more shades than grey should ever possess. The twine bow was strange, though, like it had been plied from a whitish vine. Its call to be opened was stronger than ever.

No. I shouldn't. It's not mine.

What if someone slipped it in during the festival and there's something horrible inside?

Ash flipped it over and put it down. She picked it up and squeezed it, hearing a crackle of paper wrapping inside. Unable to resist its lure any longer, she had the twine unraveled in seconds. She tipped the pouch slowly, and a square parcel slid into her hand. The wrapping was parchment, upon which a message had been written in elegant script:

Ash,

Carefully unwrap, but do not push anything until you have read the back of this paper.

Fingers shaking, she unwrapped the parchment and a silk bundle clunked onto the bench. "Oops! Sorry!" she breathed to the mysterious present giver. As instructed, she left the gift alone and smoothed out the paper. A handwritten letter stared back at her:

Ash,

Read this entire letter before touching anything! Anything!

To activate this gift, keep your hand at least an inch from the circumference while you press the clear diamond in the star. Better still, press it while it's on a table or the ground.

Practice throwing it. Master it. One day it might save you.

Keep this star on you at all times—preferably retracted while it's around your throat, unless you want to bleed to death. Not advisable. To retract, press the center diamond again.

When you can understand the inscription, maybe you'll remember...

One more thing,

Happy birthday, my love.

My love? she thought. Such a strange letter. Bossy, yet sweet. And a little ominous sounding. Save me? Why would I need saving? The neighborhood is pretty safe, generally.

She traced her finger over the words, 'My love'. Too affectionate to be a family member, and she'd never had a boyfriend serious enough to use endearments such as 'love'. Come to think of it, no boy she knew would ever say 'My love'." And how did this end up in her jeans?

Ash was sober last night—she remembered that much. She'd danced with Emmy and Lara as two other bands had performed and Immortal Kiss eventually took to the stage.

She touched her cheeks, feeling hot.

Jasper had sung happy birthday to her on stage. She'd blushed. A lot. Afterwards, Emmy had gone on about how Ash was going on a date with Jasper. But he'd only done the date as a show for the crowd. He'd even admitted it this morning when Ash had come into his coffee shop. Her thoughts returned to last night. Emmy and Lara were suffocating her. She'd gone for a hotdog. Did she eat a hotdog? She couldn't remember. After that...

A guy with messy blond hair had been at the edge of the crowd. They'd talked. Although, she couldn't quite remember his face. He'd given her a fleeting kiss by the donut tent. She'd given him her phone number and...

Ash pushed through her memories, collecting every detail.

That's right. He said he'd call in a year or so, when he was on leave from military school. His name was K...

Kyle?

No.

Kane.

No.

Will?

Yes. Will.

Shadows moved through her mind—murky silhouettes of a crowd, a person close up. He'd been dancing with her, and she was pretty sure it wasn't Will. Silhouette Guy's voice had been rich, curled slightly at the edges, as he'd said, "I made you something ..." He'd dropped the pouch into her palm. "Hide this somewhere...until you're alone. Now pretend you don't know me."

She didn't need to pretend. She really didn't know him.

Trying to remember his face, his name, any detail other than his voice, she began untying the bundle on the desk. The silk fell away to reveal a circular pendant hanging from a twine necklace that had been perfectly braided. Examining it closely, the star was made of two yellowish clear crystals that had been shaped into discs and set together, leaving a few millimeters gap around the circumference. To be honest, it looked like a fancy yo-yo that had a filigree engraving around the border. Holding the two discs together was a small round diamond that was so clear she could see through to the desk. It was almost like the diamond was acting as an axel to the wheels. She re-read the letter. Centre diamond = activation button.

Sounds expensive. Scary.

Squinting in fear, she jabbed her finger at the center. Tooth-shaped spokes of yellowish clear rock flicked out from the circumference, beautiful and deathly sharp. With careful fingers, she slid the star from the necklace. It was then she realized those yellowish spokes were the star's beams, and it was also a nasty weapon.

Before she lost her nerve, she stood and looked around the clinic's foyer. She picked out a target amongst the shelves of pet food and grooming supplies—the middle can of dog food on the top shelf. Three breaths in, she raised the star by her ear and flung it. The star spun from her fingers, ripping through a bag of dog food on the bottom shelf. Pellets streamed onto the floor, plinking across the tiles for an awfully long time.

Maybe a bit more practice on my part...

And maybe not in here...

Grabbing the brush and pan, she rushed to clean up the evidence. At thirty dollars a bag those pellets weren't cheap, and her parents would not be happy if they found out. As she scanned the pellets for any sign of her star, the door chimed. She swept faster, but she was nowhere near finished as a man approached.

Leaving the mess, she stood and did her customary welcome smile. But the more she stared at him, the more her smile faded. It wasn't that he was scary or anything. He only a few faint lines from where he'd frowned too much. Her guess, he was probably mid-thirties, forty max. With his dark hair swept back, he could have easily played a super spy in one of those films her mum adored. In fact, everything about him was debonair. It wasn't just the navy three-piece suit or the briefcase, it was the way he held himself, as if he had no fear of the world and it was his to take. But what really snared Ash's attention were his honey-colored eyes. She'd only seen eyes like that on one other person—herself.

"Hi. Can I help you?" she asked.

"I have a meeting with Marianne and David," he said, his accent cultured, British.

"Oh?" So this is the mysterious investor... "May I ask your name?"

He looked reluctant to tell her, but she held his gaze.

"Lücan," he said finally.

She glanced down, away from the man who'd made her mood plummet with merely a word. Then she saw it—the star sitting beside his shoe, calling to be returned. Ash stepped closer, but he was faster, scooping up the star and examining it just as she had done earlier. His eyes narrowed, and she wanted to yell 'Hey, that's mine!' but he was already flipping it over. She'd never thought to look at the back.

Peering across to his hand, she saw six silver symbols embedded into the yellowish stone, each symbol made up of fluid lines and scrolls worthy of art. The first symbol was the simplest, the last symbol the most intricate, and Ash was dying to know what they meant.

"Where did you get this?!" he asked.

Investor or not, she stood tall, showing that she would not be intimidated in her family's clinic. "It was a birthday present."

"From whom?"

"A friend." At least I think he was a friend.

Ash held out her hand. Really, she wanted to snatch back the gift, but her parents supposedly needed this guy.

"And does he have a name, this friend?" he asked, flipping the necklace.

"Why do you assume that it's a him?"

Lücan sent her a disapproving look.

Okay, I'm pushing him, but he pushed me first!

"Because," he sighed, "these are three extremely rare diamonds." He pointed to the front and back yellowish discs and the activation button. "Only a lover would spend time crafting a gift like this. And as for the inscription on the back—" He clenched his jaw.

She leaned closer, glancing at the symbols. "You can read that? What does it say?"

Shaking his head, he dropped the star into her hand. "Your parents are expecting me. Let's not tarry any longer, shall we?"

Tarry? Who says tarry? Thinks he's Shakespeare now.

Another disapproving look from Lücan.

She clutched the star to her chest. "How did you know they were my parents?"

"David happened to mention that the girl working today was his daughter."

"Oh." So, maybe I'm a little paranoid.

"Now that we have that mystery solved, are there any more questions? Or might I leave for my meeting now?"

Rude much?

He sighed, edging past the reception desk and to the corridor where the office and the clinic rooms were located.

"This way..." She ushered him down the corridor, as she would for any client. Except that he wasn't a client, he was the clinic's investor. And a horrible one at that. Even his shoes paced with an impatient beat behind her.

She walked faster.

How dare he interrogate me about my gift and who gave it to me! And he assumed it was a lover, and that it was hand-crafted...

A chill raced through her.

When they reached the door it seemed she did have another question.

"Something else, Ashleigh?" he asked.

"Yes. How did you know that he'd made the gift himself?"

"Call it a guess." He opened the office door. "Happy birthday for yesterday."

The door closed behind him, shutting her out.