A Papa for Nova

By Hannah Carter

Nova trailed after Aster, her current guardian, as he strode down a road in the light of the evening sun.

“My legs are tired,” Nova said in case Aster hadn’t heard her the first seventy times.

Her purple, four-fingered hand reached for his special Darknight cape: a magical fabric that concealed their true nature as moon elves.

Aster chuckled as he passed her a maple syrup bite. “Here. I’m guessing that will make your legs stop hurting. But please hurry; we have to beat the fae hunter to the big top. I’m sure she’ll attack during the show.”

Nova chewed her treat and frowned. Aster had been tracking a fae hunter for a whole year now in hopes of her leading him to another kidnapped moon elf child. Yesterday he’d returned from patrol and announced he’d followed the fae and missing boy named Sirius down to a circus.

“Do you think…” Nova began, but the words got all jammed up, sticky as her candy.

Aster latched onto her hand. “Think what, little mouse?”

Nova scrunched up her face. Oh, the words were all gummy!

Do you think we need to rescue this boy? What if you love him more than me? Do you want to be my papa?

Stupid, sticky words. Nova sniffled a bit.

Aster paused so he could kneel and smooth her white hair. “Please don’t cry. You don’t need to be scared that the hunters will get Sirius. We’ll save him.”

Nova’s mouth twitched. Aster drew her forehead closer to his. It was a familial moon elf gesture, one of the many nuances of her heritage Aster had taught her.

Papa.

The word got all jumbled up in Nova’s throat.

Aster pulled away and patted her head. “Come on. We can’t let the hunter win.”

The circus tent rose into the sky, a gigantic red-and-white beacon, all lit up. Its bright joviality was a jarring juxtaposition to the dark feelings that lurked within Nova.

Aster drew Nova closer to him as they entered. His obsidian eyes scanned the crowd. “I’m going to grab Sirius, and you’re going to stay hidden. Then we escape.”

Aster picked a spot on a bench and positioned Nova there. “I don’t see the fae, which can’t be good. Stay here; I’ll go look around. If you see anyone suspicious, run. I’ll get Sirius and find you later.”

He patted her head once as he walked away.

Stupid Sirius! Aster had been so distracted because of him.

The show started, heralded by jaunty music. The interloper took to the trapeze in the opening act. Nova glared at him as he somersaulted between bars and—

Sirius shrieked as one side of the rope that held the highest bar, the one right before the final platform, snapped.

The thread on the remaining cable popped but didn’t break. Sirius held onto his lifeline and revolved in a slow circle.

Nova’s hands flew to her mouth. What if Aster was wrong and the hunter had struck before the show? She must have sabotaged the trapeze earlier and decided to let gravity be the instrument of murder.

Chaos erupted. People jostled Nova as they hurried to escape, and one man knocked her out of her seat onto her backside.

Where was Aster?

Nova crawled through the dirt toward the ring. Sirius cried as he hung in the air. Why hadn’t Aster reached him yet?

The frayed strand of the rope loosened a bit more.

“Help!” Sirius wailed. “Please, somebody help!”

Memories from before Aster replayed in her mind—back when Nova occupied the attic of Miss Daisy’s orphanage. How she’d been locked away, unloved, without hope of rescue. Each day, each month, each year, for eight years, Nova had suffered and been ignored and mocked for her heritage.

Until Aster.

Maybe Aster was not her papa. Maybe he would replace her with Sirius.

Or maybe she could give him a chance to have a papa, too.

Nova scrambled toward a large ladder. Her hands shook and her stomach tumbled the higher she climbed.

“Do it for Aster,” she whispered to herself. “You can do it, little mouse.”

A platform loomed at the top, and Nova pulled herself onto it. She whimpered as she scooted forward, flat on her tummy.

She peeked her pointed chin over the ledge. The rope gave a bit more, and brought Sirius an inch closer to his doom.

“Hey!” she called. “Give me your hand!”

Dark, frantic eyes met hers.

Sirius stretched out, their fingers a few inches apart.

He couldn’t reach.

Nova edged closer.

He swallowed, his gaze still locked on hers. She could almost hear him counting under his breath: one… two… three.

Sirius swung his body with a grunt. The rope snapped, but he was already airborne. His hand grasped Nova’s… except a nine-year-old was no match for gravity.

The added weight jerked her over the edge. Both of them tumbled down, and time slowed.

“Nova!” Aster bellowed from below.

“Papa!” The word exploded from Nova’s lips, the usual stickiness gone.

She clung to Sirius and squeezed her eyes shut. A thud—groans—dirt—pain.

Nova moaned and peeked one eye open. She’d collided with Aster, his expression a contortion of agony. When their eyes met, he cried out and pressed his forehead against hers.

“Papa,” Nova sobbed. She clung to Aster and clutched Sirius’ hand. “Papa.”

“Oh, Nova.” Aster pressed a kiss against her head. “You saved him. I’m so proud of you.”

Nova sniffed and nodded. “And—I know you might love him more than me, but… please don’t give me back to the orphanage. Maybe you can love both of us?”

“Yes,” Aster said. Now his voice sounded gummy. “I can love both of you very much. I already do.”

Aster placed his forehead against hers, the moon elf greeting between family members.

Sirius whimpered, and Nova and Aster separated.

Slowly, Nova pressed her forehead against her new little brother’s. “We can both love you.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hannah Carter is just a girl who loves to dream and write, and still wakes up every day hoping this will be the day she figures out she’s secretly a mermaid. She currently has two published novellas, Amir and the Moon and Seashells. She has had over a dozen devotionals published in various magazines. She also won a competition with her short story “Lara.”

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