Stella's POV

I never was close to Else, but watching her body catch flames in front of me brought tears to my eyes. Her body laid on a wooden table which was set ablaze. Ash was kicked up into the night sky, swirling around the stars. In silence, it reminded me of the times I interacted with Else. She wasn't my favorite person in the world, but there was something about her passing that wore heavily on me.

Else had been dead for only a few hours and the school seemed to have already moved on. It appeared as if little cared about Else. It was only a few of us that stood in front of her fiery body.

I never asked what Gray thought of it. I hadn't asked a lot of things since returning to Churchwell school. As much as I needed to return to Jackson, I knew that this was more important. Gray just lost his mother figure and though I didn't understand the details of how that happened, I just needed to be here for him, even if he didn't tell me that directly.

Before her body was lit, a few said words of remembrance. They said how fearless she was and how devoted she was. I knew this fact all too well. I saw how devoted she was to protecting Gray. She would give anything to keep him safe and on the path she thought was best for him. I saw how fearlessly she fought in the war just a few months ago. How she jumped in front of Darklings and pushed others out of the way. Else was difficult and, honestly, she annoyed the hell out of me most times. But I wouldn't deny that she was true to her colors. She picked her side and stood by them until the end.

I wiped a tear from my cheek, then looked over at Gray, who stood beside me. The scene made him ridged as he stared at the flames.

He had barely said anything since Else died. He had barely done a lot since she died. It was like he had shut down completely. Gray was not his normal self. Things had changed a lot since the last time I was here. But I wasn't sure what I could do to fix it. Did he want space? Or did he just want me to be beside him?

I wasn't sure what he needed, but until he told me otherwise, I reminded beside him. For hours, I hadn't slept or done anything besides follow Gray around like a shadow, hoping he felt supported.

As I helped set up Else's table for burial, he told me to get some sleep, but I couldn't. I made up some excuse about helping him and wanting to give my respects to Else, but that wasn't all the truth. The Umbra Mortine was most powerful when I slept, and until I had time to explain that to Gray, I couldn't sleep. Not with the fear of killing someone else.

Instinctively, I entwined my fingers with Gray's. He looked at me as tears came streaming down his face. He had barely shed a tear since Else passed. But in the night's darkness, I think he felt it safe to let his guard down.

"Oh Dinlyen yild iz lara," a woman said, breaking the silence as she placed her fingers to her lips, then pointed to the starry sky.

Gray repeated what she said with the same motions and soon everyone was holding their hands to the sky.

"It's means to the listening stars," a girl who went by Birch whispered beside me.

She had been helpful to me since I arrived, but I couldn't help but feel a little jealous of her. She had been so close to Gray for months, building something I wish I had. I tried to convince myself that it was a good thing someone was here for him, but it didn't work. I just wished I was here instead of her.

"We believe that after someone dies, they continue on somewhere out there, in the stars. May the stars listen to the goals of the dead and help them on their path," she continued.

"That's beautiful," I breathed.

Birch nodded as the fire died out, leaving nothing but a pile of ash in front of us.

Even though the fire was done, people refused to move. I wasn't sure if it was part of a tradition or just someone was waiting for the first move. Whatever it was, I waited patiently, hoping someone would clue me in on what to do next.

Slowly, people moved back towards the school, but Gray stayed still. He glared at the ashes in silence as people left.

Birch placed her hand on his shoulder, then left without another word. Moments ticked by until Gray and I were the only ones remaining around the ash pile.

As exhaustion hit me, I let go of his hand, although I was too scared to say anything. This was his time to grieve, and I didn't want to disrupt that.

Gray sighed as he wiped the tears from his eyes. Silently, he walked over to the pile of ash and knelt down beside it. He muttered something under his breath, then waved his hand in a circle.

"Aren't you such a good girlfriend?" the Umbra Mortine's voice rang out.

Franticly I looked around and met the eyes of the Umbra Mortine.

It moved from behind a group of trees as it took the shape of my reflection. With its black hands, it scratched against the nearest tree, craving deep gashes in it.

The loud crunching filled the air, causing me to look at Gray. My heart raced as I worried about how Gray would react. He was not ready for an attack like this. However, he remained still. It was as if he couldn't hear anything the Umbra Mortine said or did.

"We can get revenge if you like," it said as it leaned against a tree. "Go after the witch that cursed the woman."

I shook my head in silence as Gray took a handful of ash and stuck it in a jar.

The Umbra Mortine continued to move closer until it was looming over Gray. "But look at him," it pointed out. "He's so lost. So broken. We could make it right. You just need to set me free."

Again, I shook my head silently. Just because Gray couldn't hear the Umbra Mortine did not mean he could not hear me. As much as I wanted to talk back to the monster, I would have to wait until I was alone with it.

As it walked closer to me, it frowned. It stood only inches from me. It was close enough that I felt the warmth of its breath on my skin. The Umbra Mortine curled its lip up into a smile, showing its perfectly white teeth. Their black eyes sparkled as it stroked my cheek.

"You know Stella. I'll only ask nicely for so long. Before long, I wouldn't ask at all. I'm sure you can feel it. I'm getting stronger and that means I'll be able to take control even outside of your dreams. It's then when I won't ask politely."

My eyes welled with tears as I stared at the monster. It was right. I felt it taking more of a hold on me every day. I was running out of time and it knew it.

"Stella, are you ok?" Gray asked with worry.

Almost instantly, the Umbra Mortine vanished, allowing me to see Gray standing right behind where the Umbra Mortine was. He brushed his hands off on his pants and frowned at me.

"What's wrong?"

I shook my head and quickly wiped the stray tears from my eyes. For now, I would wait to tell him. The Umbra Mortine was a tomorrow problem. For now, I would focus on what Gray needed. He needed to mourn without worrying about me.

"I just can't believe she's gone," I whispered as I looked at the ash in front of me.

He nodded as he looked back at the ash, then stuffed the glass bottle in his pocket. He let out a sigh, then looked in the direction of the school. "We should get back. It's been a long day. I am sure you want to sleep."

I didn't. Not without restraints. But how could I explain that to Gray without telling him about the Umbra Mortine. "Yeah. Alright."

As we walked towards the school, I heard a limb snap. In the moonlight, yards away, we saw a body swing from a tree branch.

A gasp escaped my lips as I stopped in my tracks. The body hung there silently. I wasn't sure how long it had been there, but as the body stayed still, I knew whoever it was had already passed. For a second, I wondered if Gray saw the body, too. Maybe I was now truly losing my mind. But after Gray and I exchanged looks, I knew he saw the body as well.

His stormy eyes told me he wanted to go closer to the scene. I for sure did not care to see it, though. But before I could voice my thoughts on the matter, he started walking towards the tree.

As we approached the body, my eyes widened as the hanging body turned towards us. The man with a rope around his neck looked familiar, but I couldn't recall who he was. He was dressed in all Black which matched his black hair. The lifeless look in his eyes made my skin crawl. I couldn't look at him any longer. Quickly, I diverted my eyes towards Gray.

Gray clenched his jaw and his balled his fists in anger. "I know him. It's Egrick. He was my trainer."

"Should we do something, then?" I asked, in concern.

Gray shook his head. "He's already gone. There is no use."

"But we should at least tell someone about this, right?"

He nodded. "Once we get to the school, I'll let the dean know. But for now, we will leave him here."

He was silent for a moment, but I could see that there was more he wanted to share. He just needed toms coaxing. "What is it?"

Gray turned his head away from the body. "Egrick let me down in the last opts mission. I begged for help after he saw me fight. He didn't provide it. Instead, he left me alone. He was a traitor. Else told me not to trust him and I did. Else is dead because I trusted the wrong person."

Not knowing what to do, I placed my hand on his shoulder. From the corner of my eye, I saw the Umbra Mortine staring at me.

"Looks like he got what he deserved," the Umbra Mortine spoke out. "And we never got to take part in it. That's such a shame."

I shot it a look, and quickly it vanished into the shadows. Fear bubbled up within me as I glanced around, hoping that the monster wasn't in another location, ready to talk at a moment's notice.

I wasn't sure if it was because I was exhausted from the recent events and lack of sleep, but the Umbra Mortine was showing up more often over the last few hours.

That thought alone scared me. I thought I had the upper hand with the Umbra Mortine, but maybe I had less time than I thought. Maybe I was like Else, who was supposed to live a few more hours only to die minutes after we arrived.

"Stella, are you listening?" Gray asked as he waved a hand in front of my eyes.

I shook my head, then nodded. "No. Sorry. What did you say?" I asked, as I turned my attention to him.

"We need to get going. I think I heard a Darkling in the distance," he replied as he pointed towards the woods.

With a nod, I followed him through the trees as we made our way to the school.