“Our family crest,” he said as he slipped it over my head. It sparkled on my chest in the bright fluorescent lights of the transport ship.
“It’s beautiful.” Adrian’s parents died during the civil war on Vega, and his uncle and aunt had raised him on Earth. Giving me his mother’s necklace, one bearing his family crest, seemed like a symbolic and meaningful gesture.
“Thank you.”
I placed my hand on his chest and moved closer to him. We were alone in the hallway outside of the cafeteria, and I wanted to kiss him. I lifted my face and stared at him with my best, dreamy, kiss-me-now look. He immediately complied. His lips, warm and firm, slid over mine.
Sadly, only moments later a banging noise interrupted us as someone dropped a pot in the cafeteria and it clattered to the floor. I didn’t have time to decide if Adrian's kiss made me see stars or not. But, as we pulled apart, and I looked out the portal window, I smiled because an ocean of stars surrounded us. The bright sparks of light shone in the dark, endless sky, welcoming us as we sailed slowly toward our home…and our future.
Four
“We have seen better days.” William Shakespeare’s Timon of Athen
My first impression of planet Vega was it seemed a lot like planet Earth. From the window of the transport ship, I could see water and swirling white clouds. But as we got closer, I realized it didn’t resemble Earth at all. For one thing, three moons hovered in the distance. Also, the landmasses were all wrong. No giant continents like Asia and Africa existed, only smaller blobs that looked more like large islands than continents. It was as if the planet was made up of a bunch of tiny round versions of Australia. Not a marble, like Earth; Vega was a blue and green polka-dotted beach ball.
Astra squeezed my hand in excitement, tears glistening in her eyes. “We’re finally home.”
“Yeah,” I said, less than convinced. This place looked nothing like home to me, and suddenly, I didn’t want to be here. At all. I wished I could turn this ugly green transport ship around and go back to my real home planet, Earth.
Astra must have seen the look in my eyes. “Starr, calm down. It’ll be okay.” She put her hands on my shoulders and looked straight into my eyes. “As long as we’re together, it’s home.”
I stared numbly out the window. I tried to find something happy to think about but could only focus on what I’d have to give up. Malls. Christmas. Black Friday. Thanksgiving. To make things worse, Adrian had given me some distressing news the night before.
“Starr,” he’d said, pulling me aside. “I assumed we’d live in the capital, near you, but I was wrong. My aunt and uncle aren’t from Celesta.”
“Where are they from?”
I pulled out the necklace he’d given me only a few days ago from the top of my t-shirt and fingered it as I waited for his answer. The chain on the necklace was longer than what I usually wore, so I had to keep the pendent tucked inside my bra. I’d worn it once outside my t-shirt, but nearly choked myself when it got caught on one of the bolts of the transport ship. I’d never change the chain, though, even if it might be inconvenient and potentially dangerous. It was, after all, a valuable keepsake from Adrian’s mother.
Adrian ran a hand through his golden hair, looking exceptionally handsome. He wore a tight long-sleeved blue thermal t-shirt that set off his eyes beautifully. It also nicely emphasized the muscles in his arms and chest.
“Their home is in Bergula. It’s hours away.” He leaned against the wall and watched me intently, his eyes the clearest and most intense blue I’d ever seen.
“Hours?” I moved closer to him. “How many hours?”
Adrian exhaled slowly. “By boat, close to twenty.”
I stared at him. “What about by plane?”
“No planes on Vega.” He shook his head sadly. “Bad for the environment. No cars, either.”
I didn’t know what to say. I’d dreamed of owning a car my whole life, but my sadness over the car couldn’t compare to my grief over being separated from Adrian. It crushed me. I kept my head down and stared at the necklace he’d given me as I willed myself not to cry. I hadn’t worn waterproof mascara today, and crying could potentially ruin both my face and my brand-new white t-shirt.
“I’m sorry, Starr.” He pulled me into his arms, and I buried my face in his neck. He smelled delicious, like soap and cologne, and I breathed him in.
“So, I guess this is where you tell me we’ll never see each other again. Ever.”
Adrian pulled back to look at me, his hands on my shoulders as he gazed into my eyes. “No way. This is where I tell you I’ll find a way to get to you. I don’t care how far it is or how many stupid boats I’ll have to ride on.”
I stared at him in shock. It was the most romantic thing any guy had ever said to me. He rested his forehead against mine.
“I’ll come. I promise. Wait for me,” he said, and gave me one soft, sweet kiss before releasing me and walking away.
As I stared out the window of the royal suite with Astra, I touched my lips, remembering Adrian’s kiss. I’d fallen for him fast and hard. Usually, I was a little more careful about these kinds of things. I made lists of pros and cons and consulted my friends before I would even consider the possibility of liking someone, let alone dating someone. This thing with Adrian had hit me out of the blue. He was perfect for me, and I didn’t need a stupid list to tell me that.
Maya’s family had a house in Celesta, which was good news. Her dad worked for the government, so she’d be close. Her proximity made me feel slightly better because I knew we’d have fun exploring the city together. I always had a good time with Maya.
And I had Astra too. I glanced over at my sister as she readied herself for the arrival ceremony. As soon as we stepped off the ship, a crowd of Vegonians would be waiting to see their queen and their royal family. It was a pretty big deal.
“Is that what you’re wearing?” I asked.
Astra had on what she and my mother insisted was traditional Vegonian dress. It was a lot like what they had worn back on Earth, a nightmare of clashing colors and patterns, except this dress had even more gold lame and sequins than usual, and it was also a horrible cut. It had a high neck and ballooned out from her shoulders and down to the floor. A wide striped sash wrapped around Astra’s tiny waist, but all it did was emphasize her sizeable butt and bosom. It seemed to me like Vegonian clothing had been designed to draw attention to figure flaws, not to hide them.
My mother had asked me to wear a Vegonian dress for the ceremony, but I refused. I insisted on wearing the strapless gown I’d purchased for homecoming, and thankfully my mother hadn’t pushed the issue. I tucked the pendant from Adrian’s necklace deep into the black velvet of the dress and felt better knowing it was there.
We all met in the captain’s lounge right after the transport ship had safely landed. My father wore a military uniform, and was downright dashing, as always.
“Girls, you both look lovely.”
I smiled up at him. “So do you, Daddy,” I said, and he patted my cheek.
My mom fluttered up to us in a cacophony of lime green lace and feathers. A large gold medallion adorned her chest, and she had on the crown she’d worn for the nightly news. She reached for our hands, tears swimming in her eyes.
“I have something for each of you,” she said, her voice trembling. Captain Augustus stood behind her, looking as handsome as my father. He held open a wooden box. Inside were two small, yet perfect, tiaras.
I gasped. “Diamonds.”
“These are not your true crowns,” my mother explained. “Those went missing during the confusion when we were trying to escape. These are substitutes until we can find something better.”
I couldn’t imagine anything better. The tiaras seemed perfect. I leaned over slightly so my mom could slip it onto my head, glad I’d decided to wear my hair up in a French twist. The tiara was beautiful. I admired myself for a few minutes in the mirror before looking at Astra. She and my mother s
tood side by side, their dresses positively painful to the eyes, and I sighed. I hoped they didn’t humiliate themselves too much at the ceremony. They looked like clowns from a circus performance.
My father, of course, didn’t seem to notice. He bowed and kissed my mother’s hand gallantly before linking it through his arm and leading her out the door. I could tell it was an emotional moment for both of them. They were returning to the home they loved after being exiled for so many years. Even I could feel my throat tightening up.
Astra walked up and took my arm. “Are you ready?” she asked, and I nodded. It was time to face the music, or the Vegonians, as the case may be.
We stepped out into a warm, sultry evening on Vega. Lights had been set up all around the landing bay, and we followed my parents to an elevated platform near the ship. A crowd awaited our arrival, and as soon as my parents stepped up to the podium, the crowd roared.
I stood arm in arm with Astra, taking in the moment. The city of Celesta glittered in the light of the setting sun, just beyond the crowd of people assembled before us. It sparkled like glass. I could see what must have been the royal palace on one side of the city on top of a small hill, and it reminded me of Aladdin’s castle, all gilt and white marble. I decided I could get used to living there.
As I stared at the people in front of me, however, I noticed something odd. The women here were not at all what I’d expected. Supposedly the most beautiful women in the universe, they all looked a lot like my mother and sister, with oddly shaped bodies and large behinds. They also dressed like my mother and sister, in a riot of colors and patterns.
A quick assessment confirmed I was the only pretty girl around, other than Maya, and without a doubt, the best dressed. Maya had been forced by her parents to wear a Vegonian monstrosity made out of a hot pink iridescent fabric. Torture. I, on the other hand, felt like an elegant swan dumped into the middle of a bunch of plump, gaudy peacocks.
I heaved a sigh of relief. I’d been a teeny tiny bit worried when I’d heard about how beautiful Vegonian women were. It was good to realize those rumors had been a pure exaggeration. No one in this crowd could hold a candle to me.
Another quick look around told me there also wasn’t a single bad looking guy here. I was utterly devoted to Adrian, of course, but I couldn’t help but admire and appreciate male beauty when I saw it. The boys here were all works of art. It was as if I’d landed in a huge candy shop full of the most delicious boys I’d ever seen. I knew I could have my pick. I would never cheat on Adrian, but it seemed like a candy shop here, nonetheless.
My joy proved short-lived, though, because none of the boys even looked at me. At first, I thought several of them stared at me, which made me happy, but soon I realized it wasn’t me who'd caught their attention. They had their eyes locked on Astra.
A cold wave of shock crawled over my body. They stared at her with the same sort of enraptured expressions boys usually reserved for me. Boys never looked at Astra like that, especially when I stood right next to her. Something was wrong here.
I smoothed my hair, which was perfect and didn’t need smoothing. I stuck out my chest and turned my body to show off my best angle, but none of them even noticed me. It was Astra, not me, who’d suddenly become the center of attention.
My mother gave a lovely and heartfelt speech. When she finished, the crowd roared, and people waved and cheered with tears streaming down their faces, but I felt numb.
When our parents introduced us to various dignitaries, they said, “How lovely,” and “She’s a vision,” when they met Astra. When they saw me, they looked confused and mumbled a banal phrase like, “Nice to meet you.” My worry grew by the minute. How could this be happening?
I searched the crowd for Adrian. One sexy, appreciative look from him might have been enough to restore some semblance of balance and order to my universe, but he wasn’t around. I’d been cast adrift in a sea of beautiful boys to whom I was invisible.
“Art thou okay, Princess Starr?” asked Captain Augustus. “Thou art pale.”
I blinked as I digested his words. The Vegonians spoke English, but a weird form of archaic Elizabethan English mixed with modern slang. The only people who had spoken like that on the transport ship were the captain and the crew. All of the Vegonians who had been on Earth for the last fifteen years spoke standard, modern English, although I’d heard an occasional “thou” and “thee” slip into the language of the older passengers, including my parents.
“I’m fine. Thank you.”
As the captain bowed and turned away, I realized I wasn’t fine at all. I stared around at the sea of happy, glowing, faces, and understood the truth. Suddenly, and without any explanation, I had become the outsider.
“Thou art in hell, Starr Valentine,” I murmured to myself.
“How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child.”
William Shakespeare’s King Lear
Act I, Scene IV
Five
“How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child.” William Shakespeare’s King Lear
By my third day on Vega, I finally figured out the truth. I, Starr Valentine, the prettiest girl not only in my town but also possibly in the entire state of Ohio, was now plain. Homely. Unappealing. On this stupid planet, with its multiple moons and handsome men and funny little monkeys wandering the streets and terrifying me constantly, I had become the ugly duckling of the Valentine family.
Life was clearly not fair. Although at last recognized as a princess, a role which I deserved and was naturally good at, as soon as I’d achieved this status, I’d lost what mattered to me most: my beauty. I had to accept that even though I looked the same, I still had the face and the body people on Earth considered beautiful, no one saw me as beautiful here.
Only one solution presented itself to me. I needed to go home. I had to return to Earth, where I could still be beautiful, and life made sense. It would mean giving up my family and my princess status, but I couldn’t live like this. I had to be pretty. I didn’t know how not to be pretty. I had no other option. I’d hop on the transport ship with Captain Augustus, and my life would go right back to normal.
It took one more annoying encounter with a Vegonian for me to decide on my course of action. It happened as I walked through the palace gardens, trying to catch one of the stupid monkeys hovering in a nearby tree. They seemed to take pleasure in jumping out on the path and startling me before running away. I swore they planned it. I suspected they even laughed at me from the trees after they did it, those little furry white balls of terror the Vegonians called marmesou.
I admit I thought they were kind of cute at first. They looked like a cross between a tiny monkey and a bichon frise. I decided if I put one in my purse and carried it around, I’d look like a wealthy socialite or a Hollywood starlet. I’d worn the sweetest little mini dress, and I’d paired it with high-heeled black boots and stockings for the occasion. I’d even picked out the appropriate sunglasses. Adorable. Unfortunately, the stupid monkey creatures refused to cooperate. They seemed tame enough when I pet them, but when I tried to convince them to enjoy the cozy comforts of my darling new Dooney and Bourke handbag, they proved less than cooperative.
That was when I met Julian. He walked around a bend in the garden path just as I tried to shove a monkey into my purse. I’d finally managed to catch one, tearing my stockings in the process, and now the stupid animal screamed its head off, causing all its friends and relatives to start screaming in every tree in the palace garden. There were a lot of trees. There were also a lot of stupid monkey creatures.
“What art thou doing? Art thou a complete idiot?”
Tall, like all Vegonian men, and handsome, like all Vegonian men, he looked at me like I was an absolute moron. That, sadly, was also like all Vegonian men. I’d noticed a pattern.
I looked up in surprise. “No, I art certainly not. I…thou…you…” I tried to speak proper Vegonian but quickly gave
up. “Who are you?”
“Julian.”
He had a small, pale scar piercing his lip. He also had one ever-so-slightly crooked front tooth. So, in spite of his dark hair and eyes the color of Godiva chocolate, he was slightly less than perfect. For some reason his flaws made me happy.
“I am Princess Starr Valentine.” I squared my shoulders and tried to ignore that my name sounded like a Japanese anime character or a Pretty Pony, the kind with stars tattooed on its butt.
“I know exactly who thou art. What I don’t understand is why thou art trying to shove a marmesou into thy sack.”
“Sack? This is a Dooney and Bourke handbag. Do you have any idea how much these things cost?” I shook my head in frustration. “Forget it. I’m trying to make this monkey thing go in my purse because it would look cute there. I made a bed for it and everything.”
I still held said monkey thing in my hands. It wiggled around, frantically trying to escape, the ungrateful little primate. Julian grabbed it without even asking and set it on a low hanging tree branch. He was tall enough he could reach it easily, so I was at a disadvantage. I had no chance of catching my little monkey again. It gave me one last dirty look before scampering happily up the tree to join all of its friends. They likely planned to poop on my head later — a sad commentary on my life. I shot Julian an evil glare, about to give him a piece of my mind, but he beat me to it.
“I was right,” he said. “Thou art an idiot.” He bowed at me once, quite elegantly, and walked away.
I stood in the middle of the garden, flabbergasted, as the monkeys screamed in the trees above. No one had ever spoken to me so harshly before. I hated Julian. He symbolized all the things I already despised about this whole stupid planet. I had to go back home to Earth, where I understood how things worked and was accepted and loved…and pretty.
I told Astra about it later as we sat in her room talking. “I wanted to carry the silly little marmalade thing around with me, and this mean boy named Julian grabbed it out of my arms and threw it up into a tree. It was awful.”
Starr Valentine Page 3