A Matter Split into Five of Us

Chapter 3: The Stars of Us

Sitting in my room, coffee in hand, I feel the familiar jittery rush of caffeine. My eyes dart around the space, as if all the energy in my body is bouncing off the walls. "Okay, Preeti, focus," I mutter to myself, pacing like a caffeinated chimpanzee. "Now I'm just jumping around like an idiot." I laugh at the absurdity of it all. "For what?"

Nothing much, really. "Let me start by saying this: sleep deprivation is insane." I sigh, rubbing my eyes. "Eight hours of sleep? Important? Sure. But seriously, do people with burning desire ever get that?" Yadadadada. Whatever.

Wait, what did I just say? "Burning desire..." I stop, the words hanging in the air. "Hmm..." Something's there. Something just clicked.

"The five of us..." The thought tumbles out of my mouth before I can stop it. "Are we the stars of the human race?"

I pause, standing frozen as the absurdity of the thought strikes me. "Is that even real?" It sounds insane, but deep down, I know it's not. It's like the line from that song, 'Burn.' The idea isn't just some crazy could-be... it definitely is. There's a connection. I know it.

"Preeti, focus." I start pacing again, letting the thought run wild. All five of us—we've been through this, haven't we? We've all felt it at some point, that nagging sense that we don't quite belong here. Not really. At least, not in the same way others do.

"The rabbit hole," I murmur, and it hits me: we've all fallen down it, one way or another. The feeling of not belonging has tugged at each of us, sometimes in the smallest ways, sometimes in moments that shake us to the core. I've felt it. The others must have too.

I stare out the window, feeling the world around me, but also beyond me. "It shakes you," I whisper. "It shakes you to your core." Every time that sense of not fitting creeps in, it feels like the universe is tugging at my soul.

"Maybe we're meant for something more." The words come out before I even realize I'm saying them. "Maybe... we're the stars of the human race."

I take a deep breath, still high on caffeine but finally, things are starting to make sense. We're connected, the five of us, for some greater purpose. I can't explain it yet, but I know it's real.

"Okay, enough of that." I glance at the clock and groan. "I'm getting late for tennis practice. I can't afford to be sleep-deprived and physically inactive at the same time!" I grab my racket, heading for the door, but I pause for a moment. "But Preeti, don't let this go. There's something here."

With that thought still swirling in my head, I step outside, my mind locked on one thing.

The stars. The five of us. And whatever it is we're meant to be.