I have a friend, my best friend since kindergarten. Lee, we're inseparable. We were, until the day Lee got taken from me. I didn't go home after school, I took the bus to the hospital, my usual way for the last months. I knew where I had to go, which stairs I had to take, where his room was. "Hey", I sit beside his bed on the uncomfortable green plastic chair. "Hi", he replied, he looks worse and I wonder how that's possible when I've just seen him yesterday. "How are you feeling?" "I'm fine...Your hair.", he looks at me, not into my eyes. I hastily brush away a strand hanging into my face, now that it only barely reaches my chin, this happens all the time, "Donated it, it was getting too long anyway. My head feels a lot lighter." "You looked good with long hair", he lifts his gaze to look into my eyes. "Well, then I'll grow it out again." "I guess it looks kind of cute actually. It fits your face:", and his eyes smile through the dull haze that has been laying over them. I chuckle "You're just saying that because you don't want to offend me." "Oh come on Tara..., you know you don't have to visit me every day right?" "But you'll get lonely." "I won't, I'll be fine." I drop my gaze to the floor, holding back tears again, every time I am almost about to cry, but every time I manage to stay strong, "I'll get lonely."

Lee shifted a bit on his pillows between the plush toys I and his family had brought him, "When I die, I hope I become a star... If I became a star, I could watch over you and everyone from the heavens, and when you get lonely you'll just look up in the sky and you'll see me." "Not with all of the light pollution." "I guess so but does that matter? It's not about seeing each other, it's about being there for each other." He looks up at the ceiling "I hope I don't die, Tara, I really do hope." "You're not going to, Lee." I say trying to sound reassuring and firm. "Yeah.. you're right, man I can't wait to go back to school, I even miss all of the homework and studying, weird, huh?" "Well you are a weird guy, and now that we're speaking of it, I have a paper due tomorrow I need to finish, I'll be back tomorrow." "Yeah it's fine.. but wait!" "What what is it?", I hear myself almost sounding anxious. "No, no you need to concentrate I'll tell you tomorrow.." "Tell me now!" "Hey you'll come back tomorrow, I'll tell you then." I sigh leaving the room.

When I visit him the next day he's lying asleep in his bed, his skin so pale it matches the sheets. "Lee?" "Hm?" "I'm sorry I woke you." "What's wrong?" "It's nothing", I say, I know when I see his face that today means goodbye. "Just spit it out, if you swallow too many things that bother you, you'll get sick, sick like me." I stay silent, from when all this started I knew that I wasn't going to bother him with any of my feelings about this, I didn't want to worry him more than he is already on his own. "Happy Birthday, Tara.", he moves his eyes to the wooden table nearby, "That's for you.", on it lays a tenuous silver necklace with a rose quartz star attached. "Sorry, we couldn't do anything more fun." "It's okay." I say tears forming in my eyes. He closes his and for a moment I think he's just taking a deep breath and will open them again any second, but I hear the continuous flat line sound, and I hear footsteps on the floor outside and I sink to my knees and cry on his bed.

I thought that I was already mentally prepared, so I wouldn't cry. I knew this would happen for so long and I still can't grasp it. I walk outside and make my way to the bus stop, it's afternoon and everything is just running down like it always is, but it all seems pretentious as if the world would ignore that my world has just been shattered.

I sit down at the bus stop. My head hurts, I should really go home. "Wait Ry!", I hear loud voices and I prepare myself to ignore everyone that might walk up to me. A boy runs past me, but suddenly stops and walks back, he turns to his companion with wide eyes, "Whoa, look a person!", he has dark messy hair, seems to be tall, at least from my stance, and wears a grey sweatshirt with a red jacket on top, which make him look very youthful, his friend however is the complete opposite all his clothes look worn out, the green cord pants, the brown leather shoes and the beige long jacket, oh and he's wearing a white cardboard box with eye holes on his head. "Nice to meet you, I'm Ry.", says the dark-haired one, "and this is Quoto." This Quoto looks nervous suddenly, "R-Ry, what are you doing?" "And you are?", Ry continues. "Tara. So.. What do you want from me?" Ry quickly looks taken aback, "What we don't want anything, we were just saying hi, isn't that normal around here?" The box-boy starts waving his arms "Ry, Shh! Uhm we really should be on our way now, come on." "We just got here.", Ry counters, not taking his eyes off of me. "We just stopped for maintenance.." "So? We can still check this place out?". The box-boy starts shifting nervously again, and I'm asking myself why I'm putting up with this and am not getting up and walking home just to get some quiet time. "If we're not back in time, he'll leave without us." "Tsk, Mag would never do that." Finally I get up and start to leave. "Hey! where are you going?", Ry asks. "H-home." "Can we come with you." What kind of weird people are this. I decide to just answer truthfully, I don't care right now "I actually need some time to myself, someone really, really close to me just died, okay? So leave me alone, is that asking for too much? " They both soften their stares as if they'd suddenly understand. "No.", Ry says, "Actually you're not asking for enough." "What?" I really don't know what's going on with these people. "Ry?! What're you doing?", the dark haired boy shakes his companion "Come on! This is too perfect." "No! We can't." "Tara! This way!", and he grabs my arm and is instantly walking off. I don't know why I'm not refusing, maybe this distraction isn't too bad of an idea, and these guys don't seem dangerous although they sure are plenty weird. We basically break through a thick hedge and walk towards a big abandoned factory, I know this place, Lee and I used to come here when we were kids and dare each other to go close to it, later when we were teenagers we hid here from problems at home until they fenced the whole property, we walk through a big hole in the fence and I wonder how they did that, the metal seems to have been melted. I'm getting more nervous now, following two strangers to an abandoned building. We reach a big.. plane? It looks more like a purple bus with wings and more lights than it should have. Great, aliens, is this a hoax? A Weird looking man stands in front of the vehicle, looking at a clipboard. "Maintenance complete, we're ready for take off." , he looks up, "Huh? a new face?" He doesn't look really surprised, he's wearing a white suit no fancy, going-out suit, more of a space captain suit, even white gloves, he has blue hair and a disinterested look on his face. "This is all on Ry, I have nothing to do with this!", box head blurts out. "Soo.. you're aliens huh." "Tara this is Mag, the captain." Ry introduces. "Hi", "Hi". "Yeah so someone close to her just passed away, she can come along right?" "Does she want to come along?", Mag asks, and I mentally thank him for considering me, also I'm relieved that they apparently don't want to kidnap me. "See! He didn't even ask, why do we listen to him?", Quoto puts his hands up against his box, how can someone be this jittery. "Where are you guys going", I ask clasping my bag in my hands. Mag answers "To the Constellations, it's where deceased people go. If you pay a Price, you can bring them back to live." "What", I'm in disbelief, they're kidding, this is all a sick joke, they don't even look like aliens what do they think they are doing? "To the constellations." "Yeah I heard you the first time, see, I don't have time for whatever you're doing, I gotta get home now, goodbye." "Tara!" "So you don't want to bring them back?" "I can't just.. leave." "Don't worry, I won't tell anybody about you guys!", I shout while walking away hastily. 'When I die I hope I become a star.' it echoes in my head, Lee said that. By the time I reach the street I doubt my fast exit, is this a sign or something? I notice a bright light and my vision starts to blacken.