2. Unauthorized
Chapter two
Unauthorized
A t first, I’m falling slowly through a phantasmagoria of colours; it’s a mesmerizing hypnagogic state. And before I know it, the speed of my fall begins to increase. A fiery tingle starts from my head and spreads all over my body. I’m hot, then cold, then so hot that I want to strip off my skin.
The heat recedes once I start picking up additional speed, and I become alert again as I shoot towards Earth. I glimpse back at the yellow streak of light I’m leaving across the sky—the last photon rolling off me before an amazing white-blue starlight covers every inch of my skin.
A titter nudges itself past my lips before I am hysterically laughing at the sight of my new glow.
I extend my hands, curling and uncurling my fingers so I can gape at my starlight.
The entire process takes about twelve minutes, and a jolt lets me know I have entered the planet’s atmosphere.
I haven’t touched the ground yet but breathing already feels different here.
Then I remember I haven’t considered the landing process and panic surges through me.
I hike my knees upward, wrapping my arms around my legs and tucking my head to my chest. The ground comes into view quickly but I haven’t slowed down, which means I’ll be colliding with the earth’s surface at full force.
And there’s nothing I can do about it but brace for impact.
When there are only 100 meters left, my speed increases again and, unceremoniously, I connect with the Earth’s crust.
My head is spinning and the vibrant, celestial colours in my vision start fading; the pigment is being replaced by what I assumed is natural for the planet.
Then, my starlight begins to dull until it disappears into my skin.
This is normal, a part of the process. I have to remind myself to suppress the rising anxiety.
I stand up and take a deep breath, which immediately converts my trepidation to a sense of adventure.
Throwing caution to the wind, I step out from my small crater though I have no idea where I am or where I’m going.
As I move, I look up through the canopy of silhouettes created by the tree branches. Looking at my family and friends from here, and watching them in the night sky, is an odd feeling. But I understand at this moment why the others say humans dedicate their time to constantly staring at us .
The grass bends under my weight when I sit down, and the scent of the earth encircles me like a giant pillow. I inhale deeply, running my fingers through the grass to feel its blades before I relax my body onto the lush surface.
I know it won’t take long for someone to notice I’m gone since the engagement party was only halfway over when I impulsively fled to Earth.
I close my eyes and think about how I just violated every stellar-journey protocol I’ve been taught.
As a royal, I’ve probably broken a handful more I'm not aware of.
The momentary serenity rapidly leaves me with a scream I stifle, as it sinks in that I've left without a flight plan or a specific destination scheduled.
When we take flights, our first or our last, we have to go through extensive planning and education.
Stars don’t just shoot from the sky—although that’s what humans think.
We have to apply for a travel date and time, or there would be millions of stars shooting across the skies simultaneously at any given moment.
And we don’t automatically get approved either.
We have to attend classes to learn about how things on Earth work.
We don’t need to be experts, but we need to be proficient enough in humanity's way of life to survive. When we prove we know enough to blend in, we’re approved and we pick a geographic location.
Then, there’s the duration of our trip because we can only stay for a certain length of time before we are unable to return home.
It’s the one thing we’re told repeatedly as we get older: “If you stay too long, you’ll end up human and forget your life as a star”.
I don’t think anyone knows the exact length of time we’re allowed to stay.
Maybe our elders do. But they mostly keep to themselves, circling through the unexplored spaces of the universe and visiting the rest of us every other epoch.
So, most stars stay on earth for a human week or two, the fear of never returning home, pulling them back to the sky.
Like everyone before me, I will return home because that's where my heart belongs, with my family and friends, and maybe even with Uziel.
I groan, disgusted with myself. I needed to remember that he treated me like shit then took six years to apologize.
But my conflicted feelings kicked my heart around in my chest. People change, right?
They learn, grow, and acknowledge their mistakes.
Make concerted efforts to be better? And that must be true of stars too.
I sit up, then push myself off the ground. I need an action plan since I didn’t come to Earth to sit in one spot for the entire time. I start walking again, with the hope that I will formulate an objective as I go .
About ten steps in, I hear a small voice say, “You have to turn around”. I spin in a circle, confusion dictating my movement. “You have to turn around; you’re going the wrong way.”
It takes a little while before she becomes visible; she is petite and a little translucent. She’s standing with her hands on her hips.
“Who are you ?” I arch an eyebrow at her. She rolls her eyes and doesn’t bother to answer me.
I examine her closely, stepping forward so I can see her more clearly. She has a giant, kinky-curly afro, her skin dances with indigo and orchid, and her icy blue eyes glint when she blinks.
“Wait, you’re a nebula!” I’ve never met one of them before.
“I’m your guide,” she answers without looking up from the tablet that materialized between her hands.
“My guide?” I move even closer, twisting to my left, in an attempt to see what she's looking at, but she counters my movement and pulls the device closer to her chest.
“Yes, your guide. Surely you didn’t think we let you stars come to Earth and run amuck with no supervision.” She looks appalled at the idea. “My name is Nyari, by the way.”
“You’re Nyari , the nebula ?” I ask as I try to suppress a giggle at how adorable the alliteration is.
“And don’t you forget it!” The flicker of her chin upwards causes her hair to shake a little, before she turns and starts walking in the opposite direction. “Didn’t you hear me tell you? You were going the wrong way.”