Star

In a room in one of the boats that set off to another island, Tala, the star of Sikat Troupe's night performance was alone practicing her song. She liked to stay here most of the time to avoid being disturbed by the other casts.

The door to the room suddenly opened with a loud bang, stopping her singing. She frowned at the person who interrupted her practice but the man was unconcerned about her current mood.

"Tala, my star! What was this I heard from Inggi that you declined to keep the mayor company?"

Despite the glare that he was getting, the man still continued his rant while walking around the small room. "You know we can't have him think badly of us or there's a chance you won't get a performance in that town next time!"

Tired of hearing this man's annoying voice, Tala closed her eyes and inhaled slowly to calm herself. Her internal struggle to keep herself from shouting at the man was broken when she heard that irritating man speak again.

"We need you to represent the troupe as our 'star'! You have more experience onstage compared to our 'young' performers so please be a model to them."

When she opened her eyes, the man was wagging a finger at her. "You know I'm the one in-charge here while Mayari is still away. That man! What is he busy with, not concerned about our work here?!"

Tala had been with the troupe since it started twenty years ago when she was still a child. Her parents were former slaves of the Sikat Clan which was now the Sikat Troupe.

Her former village was destroyed by a hurricane and the 'haze' from these deaths ravaged most of her clan members. Her family was saved when the Sikat Clan took these free servants.

The clan later dissolved when there were arguments among the next leaders. The grandparents of Mayari then decided to be a travelling troupe and they took a few slaves for the troupe.

The Sikat Clan was famous for their control of the 'mist' by producing illusions. The family head was an investor on theater groups and later married one of the leading actress. He also had afairs with other actresses of the groups he was investing in. Had many children with them and the interest passed to their children.

As for Tala, being able to survive their clan's calamity as a child, she was able to withstand a strong amount of 'haze' that was why she was the main star of the troupe aside from her acting and singing skills. At twenty-five, she could be considered too old for acting as the princess in the troupe's skits but nobody could surpass her talents.

Tala sighed as she replied, "I'm busy practicing. It's because you would want the best performance from your 'star', am I right, Wagub?"

The man opposite her frowned but kept his composure as usual. He walked over to stand in front of Tala. "Aren't you already so 'great' and 'experienced' in all the corners of performing? Why do you have to spend so much time on practice?"

The scrutinizing look he gave her from the top of her head to her feet made her tremble. Her hair stood up on end, as she already knew this man's usual drill. "Give way to guide the younger generation and devote yourself to do more useful things as long as you can still 'perform'."

Still offended by the insinuations, Tala raised her hand to slap him but he managed to block her by grabbing her arm. However, he was made aware that a physical attack was the least of his worries.

Suddenly, he stepped back and let go of the arm he was holding. Using that arm to clutch his chest, he stared horrified at the sight before him.

Still glaring at the man, Tala maintained the 'mist' surrounding her. "Remember, Mayari is still the owner of the troupe and you have no right to command me as you please just because he is currently not here to supervise you. He can still fire you if you ever destroyed his 'star'."

After that calm reminder, the 'haze' inside the room dissipated when the door opened and closed again, leaving the man inside now kneeling while trying to catch his breath.

Meanwhile, Tala decided to remain in her room before they reached the Kanan Island. Nobody was brave enough to go near her chambers aside from Mayari. It was partly due to her status but others knew they could not endure the heavy feeling from the 'mist' surrounding her room.

As she was walking in the hallway, another practice room had its door opened slightly, making the sounds inside reach the hallway.

"I already talked to Wagub," a smug voice uttered, "That mayor was too old for me so he'll have Tala 'entertain' him."

The laughter inside stopped when they felt an ominous presence. All of them recognized it so the one talking shivered while the others looked at her with fear in their faces.

The frightening aura lasted for only a minute but the people inside the room waited for a while before they moved again to be sure that that person had already left. The girl named Inggi sulked in a corner because the others surrounding her before were now ignoring her.

Once Tala reached her room, her tense posture relaxed. She understood the others' attitude towards her. She was a former slave, already too old compared to other actresses but she did not plan to renege her current status.

Since she did not have any family now, she decided to remain with the troupe. However, she could not be a parasite to Mayari so she would do all she could to repay everything by remaining the star of the troupe while she still could.

Entering the bathing room to relax herself before sleeping, Tala hummed one of her performance songs. Because her room was shielded, she was not afraid to exert her 'mist' as she sang the soothing song.

When she got out of the bath, a low growl came from the direction of her bed, followed by a soft voice, "Mother, I'm hungry."

Her head turned fast and she saw someone was on her bed, still rubbing his eyes as he woke up. 'Who is this child?!'

While her question was not verbalized because of her shock, Tala heard the boy ask her himself while clutching the blanket, "Who are you?!"