Ad Astra

Chapter 1

The world had been a kaleidoscope of vibrant colors before, filled with the laughter of friends, the warmth of her mother's embrace, and the promise of a bright future. Now, it was a dull, muted canvas, painted with shades of gray and the heavy weight of grief. Isadora, barely 14, felt like she was drowning in a sea of sorrow, her world shattered into a million pieces by the cruel twist of fate that had snatched her mother away.

The days following the funeral were a blur of hollow condolences and forced smiles. Isadora retreated into her room, finding solace in the worn-out pages of her favorite books, each turn of the page a brief escape from the crushing reality that surrounded her.

Mrs. Andrews, her assigned social worker, sits across from her on an old, fake leathered couch.

Her mom had bought that couch.

Now, it would not longer be her and her mother there, sitting and laughing at goofy TV shows. No. Now, it would be sold off to a new family, and so would she.

A steaming mug is placed in her peripheral vision, looking and smelling briefly of hot chocolate. Isadora looks up at the kindly old woman, nearing her 60s.

"I... know this is a terrible time for you. I cannot even begin to imagine how you are feeling, but... well, I would like to ask, is there any known family you know might be willing to take you in?"

Isadora remains quiet for a bit, contemplating. Because, no, she did not. Her poor grandmother on her mother's side, Linh Nguyen, would have been, had it not been for the fact she was in a nursing home with early on-set dementia. Her grandfather, Minh Nguyen, bless his soul, has passed on, and the only children they had were her mother, Chi and her uncle, Anh.

She had wondered, once, why her Vietnamese mother had named her Isadora, and she had simply said her father was of Hispanic descent.

So, no, aside from her uncle, who was currently deployed in Venezuela, no one was available as a caretaker.

"...No."

The woman looked at her for a second, not with pity, no, but with genuine understanding and kindness. She studied the young child for a bit, before taking a slight breath, saying,

"Well, if you are up for it, would you be willing to get a DNA test done? I know you stated you are not sure of your father, and if it's okay with you, and you are comfortable, we would like to at least try and contact him."

Isadora inhales a bit quickly, coughing slightly at the sharp pain at the end of her throat, and she doesn't answer for about a minute or two.

Both hear the loud ticking of the clock on the wall, the silence slowly choking them, and the social worker watches the girl inhale, exhale, look past her out the window at the falling snow, before throwing out another word.

"Okay."

---------------------------------------------------------

Eddie leaves the tall building of Angelo enterprise, once again failing to snag a job, interview after interview, bitterly reminiscing the memory of his firing approximately 6 months ago.

Breaking into Life Foundation, that disgusting black freak, parasite, sliding its way into his body, and now all he ever felt was sweaty, hungry, and sensitive.

It's been a day since the incident. One day since he ran into his apartment, all of his senses and needs heightened, desperate for food. He remembers vomiting up the disgusting contents of his trash, remembers freaking out over the voice in his head, slipping into the bathtub, his curtains torn off.

He hated it. And he still kept hearing a deep voice in his mind, slowly calling out his name. He's lost in thought as he makes his way to his stuffy apartment building, giddy and nervous as he thinks of what to eat. He was starving. He was always starving.