Stellar

Chapter Four: A New Hope--Hopefully

 As the afternoon melted gradually into night, Lucine's impatience only grew. She stomped across her backyard in her bare feet, freckled cheeks puffing with anger (a habit that made her look like a pissed-off chipmunk), mind grappling for a way to catch the moon's attention.

What did it take, anyway? Earlier that day, she could hardly get the moon to leave her alone. Now, after shouting at the heavens and waving her mother's stolen phone in the air and threatening the heavens, still she couldn't get so much as a passing glance--much less an explanation.

Because an explanation was what she needed. She needed someone to explain how she could sense water and burst pipelines, how she could knock her teacher out with a flick of her fingers. And most of all, she needed an explanation on why this stupid watch still cinched around her wrist just wouldn't. Come. Off.

Lucine paced a few more laps. Then, at the peak of utter frustration, she began storming toward her back porch.

"Someone's impatient," came a snarky tone from behind. Lucine whirled and found herself face-to-face with a transparent figure--a familiar transparent figure.

She wore the same tattered Pink Floyd shirt and boycut denim shorts as she had when Lucine had first seen her only the night before. Crouched on Astro's roof, peering down at her.

Orion, that seemed so long ago. Not even twenty-four hours ago she had been so consumed with worries of her father's plans for her future. Now, after the school day she had been through, her worries extended far beyond daddy issues.

Lucine crossed her arms. "Moonie, I assume? And I was trying to get your attention for three hours! That's not impatience; that's madness."

A smirk curled on Moonie's pale face. An evening breeze caught strands of her silver hair, lifting it off her shoulders. "Oh, boo hoo. You hung up on me, remember? Making you wait was just some sweet revenge."

"Fine. Whatever." The energy of a thousand questions roared through her bloodline. It took all Lucine's strength to ground herself to the spot, rather than pace anxiously through the night. "So you mentioned a universal threat? That only I can stop?"

"Oh. Yeah. No biggie, really. The Galactic Council--you don't want to know, it's a boring crowd anyway--said some power source was originating from here. Apparently, there's been a Stellar right under our noses, with enough power to wipe out a continent with a sneeze."

"Wait, wait. You lost me. What's a Stellar, exactly?"

Moonie huffed. "It's what you are, genius. They're kids descended from galaxy bodies--usually minor stars who got a bit too...uh...excited with humans."

Was she actually talking about the birds and bees with Lucine? Except it wasn't the birds and the bees; it was the stars and the human race...

She shuddered just trying to comprehend how any of that was possible. "So I'm a Stellar then?" Fisher's accusations pulsed through her. "A...moon child?"

"Good, you knew that part already. And since I'm a moon figment, that makes us half-cousins or whatever."

"Right. Half-cousins." Yesterday, Lucine would've laughed and walked away. Actually, she wouldn't even be having a conversation with a stranger--she was too introverted and awkward for that. But now...

Now a transparent Pink Floyd fan from the moon was telling her that she was a descendant of that big cheeseball in the night sky. And worse...she was actually believing all of this.

Then again, this day had gone too far to be some clever prank. Which meant all of this--all the threats and dangers and crazy water superpowers--was real.