Beyond The Stars (UNDER REVISION)

Finally

Sitting in the Dean's office, I bounce my knee excitedly. "Well, here you go." The Dean pulls out a folder with two pieces of paper. "And you're sure you don't want to wait till graduation and walk with the others?"

"I'm positive."

"Well, congratulations, Dr. Iverdottir." He extends his hand.

"Thank you!" I happily shake it, grabbing the folder. We let go. "Thank you! Thank you!" He smiles and I leave the office. Once I arrive back home, I see mom and dad waiting patiently for me. "I'M OFFICIALLY DOCTOR ELDRID IVERDOTTIR!" I yell. They both hug me tightly.

"I'm so proud of you, Bumblebee!" Dad yells. "I think this calls for a celebration! Dri's Life: The Highlights!"

Embarrassment crosses my face. "Oh, dad no."

"Oh, dad yes." He shoots me finger guns and walks over to the small closet under the stairs. He pulls out a box with my name written on it. I see Loli sitting on the couch, reading. He's been very calm these past few days. That's when I notice the four small kittens in his lap. Regular old cat mom. I smile softly. "Adam! Come down, son! We're going to embarrass Dri!" I hear Adam's feet running from his room and down the stairs.

Loki finally perks up. "What is going on?"

"We're embarrassing Dri. It'll be fun!" Dad says. I hide my face in my hands. Dad carries the box to the couch. I watch as Loki carefully sets the cats in their box. We had to get a bigger one so they had room to play. I sit on the floor in front of Loki, so I can spend time with the cats. "Let's start with... 'Dri, Welcome Home, 1994.' This was when we first decided to take in Dri." My father pops up on the screen, trying to figure out the video camera.

"Woah! Dad, you look like Kurt Cobain and Tom Selleck all at once." I look at my dad's grungy clothes and thick mustache. I laugh. I feel the ends of my hair move. Knowing who it is, I smile.

LOKI'S POV

I gently play with the ends of Dri's hair. It's so soft. "Eldrid Iverdottir, welcome home. I know it won't be a home to you. Not for a while, but that's okay. Ooh! Let me introduce you to your siblings! This is Mack," I look at the girl with short black hair and dark makeup. "Sometimes her music is too loud, but we don't mind." The girl throws up two fingers. "And here's Tommy. He thinks he's cool, but he's really not."

"Hey!" The boy in a bright shirt and baggy pants yells.

"And finally, your little sister Courtney." The small girl in a pink dress waves a wand at the camera.

"You shall turn into a frog!"

"Ribbit, ribbit!" Dad says from behind the camera. Dri chuckles softly. "And this is your new foster mom! She is always right."

"Mmhm," I watch as Steph puts a color on the walls. "We heard your favorite was purple!" She looks at the camera, purple splattered on her face. The video soon ends and Charles puts in another one.

"Dri's First Play, 1997!"

"Oh, dad don't."

Steph touches Dri's shoulder. "You made an adorable Dorothy."

I look at the small girl on the screen. "She isn't coming yet, Toto. Did she hurt you? She tried to, didn't she? Come on. We'll go tell Uncle Henry and Auntie Em. Come on, Toto."

We watch various videos. Most were of birthdays and plays. The day goes by fast. As everyone is getting ready for bed, I continue to look through the box of memories. I recognize a small, Asgardian blanket. The white cover with gold trim. They were given to all newborn Royal Asgardians. I set it on my lap, deciding I should tell her the importance of the blanket. About to stand up, I notice a dvd that wasn't played. I decide to take it to Dri and ask about it.

DRI'S POV

I look up from braiding my hair to see Loki enter the room. He's holding something. I finish the braid as he sits on the bed. I join him. I see the blanket in his hands. "Oh, wow. I haven't seen this is forever." I hold the blanket tightly.

"Do you know what this blanket means?" I shake my head. "A blanket like this is given to all Royal newborns or children born to someone of high status in Asgard."

"Do you have one?"

"I do."

"What does this mean?"

"It means you can learn more about your parents in the Royal Archives."

A smile crosses my face. "I can know more?" I rub the fabric between my fingers. I see someone else in Loki's hands. "What's that?"

"That is what I came to ask you." He hands me the disc. I look at the title and my shoulders drop. Loki picks up on this. "What is wrong?"

"I remember this. Sophomore year... Chelsea Brown."

"Who is she?"

I feel a lump rising in my throat. "A friend in my class." Loki still doesn't understand why I'm sad. I mean, I haven't told him. "She, uhhh... She killed herself..."

"What? Why?" I just shrug. "Why would anyone do that?"

"Sometimes, people just can't handle being alive anymore. There were times I couldn't." Times I wanted it all to stop. I feel arms wrapping around me.

"I do not want you to ever feel that way again."

I let out a sad laugh, "I haven't in a long time." He sit still, holding each other for a minute. Once we pull away, I can tell Loki wants to watch the disc. I grab my laptop and put the DVD in. The soft song begins. "I wrote this song for her," I say as pictures of the beautiful girl with red hair show on the screen.

(QUICK AUTHORS NOTE: I DID NOT WRITE THIS SONG. ALL CREDIT GOES TO THE ORIGINAL CREATORS!! THANK YOU!)

After the video ends, I close the laptop and set it aside. I feel Loki wrap his arms around me. I don't want him to let go. I take a deep breath, burying my face in his chest. I put my hand on his stomach and we just lay there in silence. "Loki?" I hear his heart speed up at the sound of me saying his name. "Thank you."