Lost Among Stars

Chapter 2

When I wake up, I expect to be in my bed back home. however, when I look around me and see that I am in the pod ship, it all comes rushing back to me.

I am going to die.

the computer said it itself. There have been no successful attempts of this mission. But what mission? What were the other soldiers trying to do when they came down to earth in the first place? I don't know. 

I sit up, not wanting to be on the floor any longer. When I look out the windows, all I see is Stars and stars and stars going on as far as I can see. there are occasional nebulae and planets, but mostly stars. And I don't seem to be going in any direction in particular. 

I think about just moments ago, when I was back in the docs safely. When Kian had kissed me. Sadness hammered on my heart. When word gets out that I was missing, everybody would probably think that I was dead. I think about Jazzin. And my mom. the world that I would probably never get to go back to. if I never make it to Earth, I will be lost in space for the rest of my life. if I do get to earth, I don't even know if their atmosphere has enough nitrogen to supply my lungs. I don't even know if they will accept me. But either way, I will never get to go back home. I feel a tear start to run down my cheek, and I let myself cry. I will never get to go back home. Is that not a good enough reason to be miserable? 

After what seems like hours of crying, I seem to be all out of tears. I move myself to the comfortable seating on the side of the pod, and a compartment underneath me opens up to reveal freeze dried food and games for the trip. I remove one of the freeze dried fruits, and it actually doesn't taste too bad. But I don't eat a lot, because I don't think my stomach will hold it for that long. 

I sit there, numb, for what feels like an eternity, until I hear a stirring outside my pod. When I look out the window, I see nothing. So I just go back to what I was doing before, sitting and sulking. but I hear it again. I jump to the window quicker this time. But again, there's nothing.
I sigh. 

Then I hear the noise again. I get up lightning fast, and this time, I see a creature that I thought was only legend. A star spirit.

It has a form of a tiger, made completely out of shining stars. It bounds through space, coming to a stop at my pod continuously. 

I stare in wonder.

and, even though I've been taught against it, I go to the airlock at the back of my pod and open it. I see it step through the doorway. Then I close the outside door and open the inside door, and it steps right into my pod, assuming the body of a real tiger. A white tiger.

I think I would have fainted again, but I am too amazed to move. The spirit walks up to me, and I reach out to stroke its fur. I'm surprised to find it feels real.

My mom loves star spirits.

the thought of her brings tears to my eyes again. If only she was here. 

The spirit seemed to sense my distress, because it suddenly hopped up onto the bench and lay down with it's head in my lap.

I'm surprised, but the spirit doesn't seem to want to hurt me.

"what's your name?" I asked it.

Suddenly a thought formed in my mind. It squirmed around and I wondered what it was doing there until it formed into a word.

Aonani.

"Aonani?" I ask. "That's your name?" 

Aonani purred. 

"OK then," I said. "Maybe you can make the last couple hours of my life more interesting."

Aonani growled like she didn't like that.

"I'm sorry, girl." I can just tell she's a girl. "I'm going to die and you know it."

Aonani growled louder. Then she shifted into a roaring lion. 

I hear about star spirits transforming around my culture, but again, I used to think it was only legend. 

Before I can blink, I'm enveloped in white light and I pass out. 

Seriously?

Twice in less than twenty-four hours. 

I've never passed out before today. What's up with me?

I can't see, everything is black. For a second, I take back my passing out thought and think I'm dead. This is what being dead's like? I wonder. It's not nearly as painful as I thought it was. But I don't think I'm dead. Then why can I think and not see? I try to pry my eyes open, finding that they're stuck shut and that's the reason for my blindness. I start to get used to my state, as time goes by. I start to wonder if I'll ever get back to my pod ship and Aonani. 

Then, Blinding light sears through my eyelids. I groan and roll over, surprised I can move. But the light shines through the lids over my eyes until I get used to it.

I tenderly open them.

I'm looking into a blue sky. And not dark blue like Argentiah has, but a bright, blinding blue like I've never seen before. Aonani is looming over me, though now she looks like a deer. 

I'm scared for a second. Where am I? Definitely not space. Not back on Argentiah. So where?

Aonani jumps. then a word enters my mind, but it's not like a word at first. It's like a feeling. But my mind works at it until it forms into the word that it is. Earth. 

Earth? what in the universe?

But the word enters my head again, and Aonani nods her deer head like it's from her. 

Earth. 

"Am I on earth?" I ask, barely a whisper. It's too much to think, really. This is the planet that the pod ship failed to land on two thousand four hundred and ninety-two times. How was I still alive?

Aonani nuzzles under my back like she wants me to get up. 

when I try to sit up, all of my spinal joints pop. It feels good, but it's unnerving. How long have I been laying here to get such kinks in my back? I finally get to my feet and look around me. I am in a  meadow, and the sun's high in the sky. It's much bigger and brighter than our sun on Argentiah. 

Aonani looks at me, and I can't help feeling like she helped me survive. Did she teleport me here somehow? did she cushion the fall? Did she somehow let the pod ship land safely?

then, without warning, Aonani, as a deer, takes off across the meadow. I jump to my feet. Where was she going? I run after her, but realize I know absolutely no idea the layout of this planet, and it's about twice as big as my own. But I keep running. I'll just have to find out.