When you wish upon a Star [part 1]

And Introducing…

The Stars

Arcturus: The King

Sirius: The Dog

Pollux & Castor: The Twins

Polaris: The Guide.

Vega: The Best Friend

Gemma: The Banished

Capella: The Greedy Queen.

This story opens with a strange scene, a strange scene to fit a strange story. A seventeen-year-old girl was lying on top of a shiny black limousine that was parked in front of a cheap motel. It was nearing midnight and the girl looked up into a sky that was as black as the plastic upon which she lay. She was talking to someone, or perhaps to many people. People that she alone seemed able to see. A gray cat lurked in the bushes near the limo. The cat wasn't aware of any people around her except for the eccentric girl, lying not far away, on top of the car. The cats' tail twitched and her eyes widened as a mouse entered her line of vision. The gray cat watched the mouse inch obliviously closer, sniffing with quivering whiskers at bits of crumbs. The cat was a moment away from pouncing when a strong breath of wind made the mouse bound away to whatever hole it called home. Disappointed, the cat slunk away, leaving the girl on top of the limo talking to the sky.

I'm tired, Pollux," sighed the girl. Her strawberry blonde hair was mussed from lying on the plastic and she gave an uncomfortable twitch, as if she thought she could make the hard surface more agreeable. "Not like sleepy tired, but I'm tired of moving. Of never staying in one place. Daddy says I'm lucky. I'm seeing the world in a way that most of the world never gets to see. Ya know, Pollux? I've been almost everywhere in the world and I haven't been in one single place I liked. I'm bored of Earth."

A few moments later, one of the windows on the upper story of the motel was flung open and a head poked out.

"KATYA! Get inside!" yelled the person. The girl named Katya didn't stir. She continued to address the Stars.

"NOW!" the person shouted from up above. A light flicked on in the adjacent room and another window was flung open.

"Do you mind? Some people are trying to sleep!" screeched a woman's voice. The man sticking his head out of the window paid no attention to her and continued to bellow to the girl lying on the limo.

"Katya I am your father and if you aren't up here in two minutes, so help me…!"

Another light flicked on on another floor.

" Soyez silencieux! J'essaie de dormir!" shouted a different, deeper voice.

Katya sat up groaning.

"Guess I better go back inside before we have another French Revolution," she said, slithering over the side of the car and dropping lightly onto the ground. She spared the Stars one more look and blew a kiss to a particularly bright star twinkling happily over her head. Then she ran to the motel door and muttered under her breath, "I wish you guys could take me away from here…anywhere…" Then she dashed inside and up to her floor.

Meanwhile, in a building approximately thirty-six light years away, a young man sat at a beautifully carved wooden desk in a spacious office. A book was open in front of him. It was an extremely large book and the young man was having trouble focusing. Two suns shown bright outside the window and their rays beat down upon his neck. The man wore a sparkling crown on his head that was slipping off; he pushed it back up. He shook his head and flipped through the rest of the book. The book was filled with pictures and descriptions of people; people from a far away planet that the man had never even heard of before. "Why'd they have to pick such a huge planet? I don't have time for this!" he murmured to himself. He closed the book and pushed a discreet button on his desk. A squat old woman hurried in. "You called, Sir?"

"Liesl, I'm busy. Go through the book and pick someone," said the man, tossing the book to her.

"Sir," said the white-haired woman quietly, "don't you think you ought to do it? You're going to be spending a lot of time with the person you pick. Don't you think you ought to pick someone you'll at least like?"

The man looked at her through tired eyes, "I would if I actually had time. Why didn't my dad tell me that setting up the Tour consumes so much of your life?" The woman walked over and patted his arm gently. "Now now, dear, don't worry. I'll help you." Liesl dropped the book onto his desk and opened it at random. She pointed to a random picture. "How about her?"

Arcturus looked at the picture. The picture showed a stunning girl with blond hair and bright crystal blue eyes. Liesl read her description.

"Her name is Katya, seventeen years old—good gracious! So young! — Current location: Paris, France. Well she looks lovely! How about it, Sir?" Arcturus gazed at her picture. Her smile was sweet and her eyes were warm and comforting.

"Yes. She'll do."