This Is Stella's Reality

May 4, 2012

I think I screamed.

I can't be certain.

I remember falling for a long time.

And then I was in someone's arms, being carried to safety by a blonde man with intensity in his eyes. The air smelled like ozone and tingled with electricity.

He set me down and stared at me with deeply confused eyes. "Who are you?" He asked. His voice was deep and demanding.

"Stella," I answered easily, but it startled me. It was reflexive. There was not much else behind my eyes.

"Where did you come from?" The man asked me.

I stared at him blankly. "I don't know," I breathed. My mouth felt dry as I scratched at my mind, digging for answers. Who was I? Where did I come from? Why had I been falling through the sky?

The man's face softened as he saw my eyes beginning to well with tears. He stepped towards me and offered his arms. "My apologies," he mumbled. "I am Thor, son of Odin. Allow me to contact someone to come help you."

He brought me to his side and held me there, letting my weight lean against him as he touched his fingers to an earpiece he wore. He said something I didn't pay much attention to.

My mind was focused on the scene around us. Cars were flipped over. Alien creatures screamed and shot aimlessly. There were explosions. People ran. I trembled.

Another blonde man appeared, disheveled and with another set of bright blue eyes. However, he looked more in control of himself and the situation, whatever that was.

"Who is this?" He asked.

The man named Thor shrugged. "She says her name is Stella. That is all she knows."

There was a great deal of screaming behind us. The two men looked at each other. "Go," the second man said. He stared down at me with apprehension in his movements.

"I'm not dangerous," I whispered. My voice felt so hoarse. Tears began to burn in my eyes again as I saw the distrust in his expressions. "I swear," I nearly sobbed, "I won't hurt you."

He swallowed and looked away from me. "Okay," he sighed. "Listen, I don't know what the hell is going on, but you need to get somewhere safe until this is over. If you follow me, I can take you-"

One of those alien creatures landed beside us, screaming in our faces and pointing his gun at the blonde man.

Something came over me, and reflexively, I held my hands up. A bright blue wave exploded in front of us, absorbing the shots fired at us.

The man beside me froze, staring blankly. His eyes narrowed, but he blinked and threw a red shield he carried at the head of the alien. His weapon broke through the glittering barrier and smashed into the thing's head. Blood splattered everywhere, hitting my face and soaking into my hair and clothes.

I recoiled away and screamed. The man seemed unphased as his eyes turned back to me after the creature fell. "You don't remember anything?" He asked.

I looked down to my hands and my vision blurred with tears. My face felt too hot. The world was too loud. I sank to the ground and sobbed. "I don't," I cried, looking up at him. "I don't remember. I don't know who I am, what that was, where I am, where I came from."

"Okay," he said quickly as he knelt in front of me. His hands held my shoulders, and he moved his head so our eyes could meet. "Okay, hey, listen to me. My name is Steve. You're in New York City. Okay we're in a bit of trouble right now, but I need you to breathe for a moment. What can you see? What can you focus on? Name three things you see."