Prologue.
It was a rainy day, not too heavy but still enough to get you wet. And as the young 10 years old Marco Diaz was slowly strolling back home from the local store, a little soaked in the shoes. Within his hands, one bag of groceries his mom had reminded him to buy before she gets home from work. Yep, life was normal and happy for him.
Setting the bag down, the boy took out the keys to open the front door until... he freezes, the door is already opened?
"What!? But Mom couldn't have been back already? And Dad is still busy at an art convention," he thought. Marco was worried that there might be a thief in the house, but if that was the case then why didn't the alarm go off. Trusting his karate training, he slowly moved into the house forgetting about his groceries bag.
"Hello? Anybody here?" Marco asked carefully, peeking into the kitchen to check if his Mom was home early.
"Hi, Marco!" a girly voice broke out from behind him causing Marco to jump to his feet into a fighting stance, releasing a karate kick at the intruder. His feet, however, was met with his Mom
"Ouch!, Marco! Is that how you said hello to your own mother" His mom said rubbing her belly where his feet made contact.
"OMG! I'm sorry Mom! I just heard a strange voice, I didn't know that it was you!" Marco apologized quickly, then something catches his eyes. There was a girl wearing a small packback standing behind his mother, with long blonde hair that stretched just barely pass her shoulder.
"Oh, that voice you heard belongs to sweet little Star here, her father was a close friend of our family, so she would be staying with us for a while" Star peeked out from behind his Mom waving her hand excitedly at Marco. "Did she just say live? No way I must had misheard her," Marco thought.
"Why don't you two get to know eachother, while I go get some lemonade," the woman said before walking out of the living room
"Thanks, Mrs. Diaz!"
"Wait, Mom how did she know my name?" Marco asked his mother.
"I'd told her son" she responded with a smile, he was about to ask more before she disappeared into the kitchen. Sighting Marco turned back to look at a smiling Star.
"Ummmm, your name is Star...right?" Marco had never heard such a strange name before.
"Yep! That me. Your Mom told me all about you Marco! We are gonna had so much fun together and even better I would be living with you!".
"Wait! What!" So it's true... His mind was in shock, what with all the sudden news. What was his mom thinking, does this mean he had to share his personal space and all his stuff with her now? "What the heck Mom?".
Marco, despite his inner storm still tried to play it cool, he will talk to his mother later.
"Okkkk...so where are you from?"
"Oh, I'm a magical princess from a different-magical world!" Star exclaimed. "It's so nice to meet you, Marco," she said extending her hand out to him.
The boy's eye widened at her introduction. "...Oh god, this girl is crazy. Whyyyyy me?!" Marco screamed in his head
"Well...uhhh it's been nice meeting you too Star," Marco said before running into the kitchen to find his Mom, he didn't notice the way Star's face dropped.
"Mommmmmmm!" he cried out
"What's wrong Marco," His mother asked, squeezing some lemons.
When she reached for the sugar, his mom remembered something.
"Marco, did you get the groceries?".
Remembering the bag of groceries he left outside. Marco quickly exited the kitchen to look for it. As he carried the bag inside Marco glanced into the living room to see Star sitting legs tugged on the couch focused on the TV, a sad look painted on her face. Seeing her like this made Marco feel something drowned in his chest, but he ignored it.
Setting the bag down on the table next to his mothers, Marco watches as his mom ripped open a sugar pack and poured some into the mix.
"Marco, you don't want to go play or talk to Star?" his mother asked, looking at him while stirring the pitcher.
"No Mom, she is weird" her son responded, the mother was not pleased with that answer.
''Well that isn't a very nice thing to say, Marco. You hate her just because she is different?" the mother asked gently, trying to teach her son an important lesson.
"...She said that she would be living with us?" the boy asked changing the subject.
"Yes Marco, I already told you about that" she replied.
"Why?! We don't have any room for her...Why would you agree to this? Also, she talks about magic and different worlds, she is crazy Mom!" he asked, full of disbelief.
"Star is not crazy Marco, maybe she is a little excited and strange but that normal for her, that little girl isn't from around here." his mother replied soothingly.
"Of course she isn't, she's from a magical world?" Marco said, waving his arm around to make his point.
"Why don't you believe her then?"
"Oh Nooo...Mom lost it, that girl made her go crazy too, but if she is crazy then doesn't that mean I'm crazy too? What is going on here?" A storm was raging inside Marco's mind.
"Star isn't lying Marco, you will soon find out for yourself. Her Dad was a close friend of ours, and Star just needed somewhere to stay, try to be nice to her" and with that the mother stood up with a tray of lemonade, heading toward the living room with Marco trailing behind her.
"But Mom, I don't want her here!" he whined.
"Shush! You don't want to hurt her feeling, do you?" his mom replied, walking into the living room, her son just grumbled something in response
Mrs. Diaz then spotted Star sitting with her socked feet on the couch, the girl's chin resting on her knees, eyes glued to the TV. When the girl felt a presence near her, her eyes moved from the screen to spot Marco and his Mom, she smiled brightly at them.
Putting the tray down on the table, Mrs. Diaz sat down next to Star, offering the girl a glass which she accepted with both hand, then handed one to Marco.
"Did you packed everything you need Star?"
"Yes, Mrs. Diaz! I got everything all packed,".
"Since we don't have a spare room would you be ok sharing a room with Marco, it's only temporary, just until Marco's father and I done arranging for your stay, Star"
"Of course Mrs. Diaz...but does Marco want to share his room with me?" Star asked nervously, noticing the glare Marco is giving her.
"He would be delighted to Star," his mother said,
"No, I won't" Marco spat back.
"It's only temporary Marco, just until Star get her own room," Mrs. Diaz said calmly.
"I don't care Mom. I am not sharing my room with her! I hate her!" Marco lash out, pointing a finger at Star before storming up the stairs to his room, ignoring the tear in Star eyes
"MARCO! You come back here mister!" his mother scolded, but her voice fell on deaf ears, she was furious with the boy's action. Soon light sniffing reached her ears and the mother is anger melted away.
"I'm so sorry for the way Marco acted Star," she said, stroking the little girl's head to comfort her.
"Mrs. Diaz...why does Marco hate me?" his mom hesitated a bit, choosing her next words carefully
"He doesn't hate you Star...trust me he will come around," she said with a soft tone and a smile. Star nodded, using the back of her arm wipe her teary eyes.
Later that night when the family was having a pasta dinner.
Marco's Dad had returned from the convention and was proudly showing off his award-winning sculpture of himself to his family. The sculpture and his face looked oddly alike, and Marco's dad looked like a Viking wearing French mustache (I will never understand art...ok author out)
While his parent was having conservations with Star about his dad sculpture, Star's home, and Star herself. Marco was busy tuning out, lazily stuffing his mouth with more pasta.
"Hmmm need more salt," he thought. Reaching out to the middle of the table to grab the shaker when someone else is hand beaten him to it, Marco looked up to see Star smiling at him, holding the shaker close to his hand for him to take, he glared at her but take up on her offer anyway.
Star never had a pasta dinner before, it so new to her, but she was enjoying it, sloppily devouring the meal. Star then noticed the stare of the Diaz family, realizing her action, she stopped to wipe her mouth, feeling embarrassed by her new found love for pasta.
"It's ok Star, besides this just shows how much you appreciate my cooking, unlike someone I know" Mrs. Diaz said, raising a brow at Marco who just shrugged. Star smiled and continue with her meal but at a slower pace this time.
A moment later Marco finished his plate quickly, so he could leave.
"Ok I am done," he said standing up to head to his room "Wait a min, Marco, could you help Star get settle while I and your dad go out to fill some paperwork for her?" His mom said.
Looking back he sees Star holding her packback in front of her chest giving him a wide smile. He really doesn't want to believe any of this was happening, but what can he do about it? Marco gestured Star to follow him upstairs, and she happily followed. Once they were in Marco's room Star looked around spotting all sort of thing, some posters hanging on his wall of some guy wearing a towel with a black ribbon around him.
"Hmmmmm" looking at his desk, she saw all sort of notes with algebra on them that she can't quite understand, and on his bed, there was a teddy bear sitting next to the pillow, "awww," she thought. While Star was busy taking in his room when Marco called her
"Don't get used to the sight Star...You won't be staying here long" Marco said, making Star frowned at him.
"Marco...why do you hate me?" she asked sadly, again Marco just shrugged
"Hmmm I don't know...maybe it had something to do with you crashing into my life, besides you are just too weird for me" Ouch, Marco don't know how much his word stung her
Star eyes start to water, anguish feeling flooding her up and like a broken dam, she released all of her feelings.
"UGH, I DON'T GET YOU! ALL I WANTED WAS TO BE YOUR FRIEND MARCO!" Marco was taken aback by her outburst, taking a shaky step back.
"You think I wanted to be sent all the way here!?, a place so far away from my home?" Star said in a low voice barely a whisper as she sniffed, tears running down her cheeks.
"You Mom said that you would understand me... or at least try to, but you never did, you didn't EVEN GIVE ME A CHANCE" Star screamed running down the stairs in tears.
"Star wait," Marco said, soon he heard a door slammed shut. Oh no, what I had I done, Marco thought as he ran down the stairs to chase after her. When he reached the front door Star is nowhere to be seen.
"Where could she have gotten too!? Oh No, Star is new here if she ran toward the city...she will get lost or worse, this is all my fault..." Marco thought as he made his way toward the city, panic pulling him in every direction.
Marco spends hours running around Echo Greek city, calling out Star name, he asked everybody he ran into if they had seen a blonde girl run through here, desperate to find any clue of Star in the mist of people. Minute turn to hours, and before Marco knew it, it is already dark out, if Star got lost in this city at night who knows what could happen to her, Marco shake his head to clear such thoughts,
"I must find her. I must" He keeps reminding himself of the memories of his actions toward the poor girl filled him with guilt.
Star ran out of the house closing the door behind her, she sat down in front of the backdoor that leads to the backyard of Marco's home.
Still sniffing she wiped the tear away, then wrapped her arms around her knees, watching the darkening sky, shivering lightly in the cold wind. Star then heard the front door slammed hard. "Must be Marco", she thought, he probably didn't even want to be in the same place as her.
"He must be so mad that I yelled at him." she whispered, looking down at her feet
"but he deserved it..." and with that final thought, she keeps wiping the tears away.
It's now 10 PM, Marco was slowly walking back to his house. He had searched everywhere in the city for a sign of Star but there were none.
"I had to tell Mom and Dad about this...they will know what to do," he thought, looking down at his shoes.
"I just hope she is alright." Worrisome thoughts plagued his mind that something bad happened to her and the worst part is. "This's all my fault" all of this just because he was being a selfish jerk, he can't ever forgive himself if Star didn't make it home safe.
Marco was just about to open the front door when he feels something sparked behind him. Before he knew what was happening, Marco was tackled to the ground.
"What the..." something covered his mouth. Turning his head, Marco sees a flickering portal, monsters creature were coming out of it, looking up at his captor, Marco sees some sort of fishbowl head entity with red glowing eyes and no face.
"Ok boys listen here, we don't have alot of time, just tell us where the girl is." Star? Were they here for her? How can those creatures even exist? Am I losing my mind, What the heck is happening here? He thought.
The purple entity holding Marco down released his claw from his mouth, holding him up by the back of his hoodie, facing him toward their leader.
"Just give us the answer boy, and we will be out of your hair" a short bird creature spoke wearing pieces of leather, a scarf covering its beak. Behind him, some dwarfs, beast-like monsters and large mummified spiders creatures. Their lower bodies are supported by six spindly arachnid limbs and their heavily bandaged torsos are human in form. Lucky Marco wasn't afraid of spiders, cause god are they creepy.
"I don't know what girl you are talking about,".
"Don't play dumb boy, where is Star Butterfly," the bird said.
"I don't know where she is! And even if I do, I would never tell your goons" He really doesn't know where Star is. And after the ways he treated her, Marco swears he won't let these freak hurt Star.
"Ludo, we are running out of time," one of the dwarfs reminded him.
Gesturing for Marco's captor to bring him closer to his face, Ludo spoke.
"I'm running out of patience kid, just tell us where she is...you and your family don't have to be a part of this."
Then came a voice Marco didn't expect to hear.
"Let him Go!" everyone turned their attention toward the source. There she is Star, Marco was relieved she is ok and not lost but that was short lived due to all the monsters around them.
"Star? Who are these guys! What is going on?!"
"DON'T WORRY MARCO! I WILL SAVE YOU!" Star said, reaching in her packback in search of something, then pulled out a wand? For a moment Marco was like "Gosh I'm so dead" then the wand started glowing, followed by a heavy energy blast soaring through everything, knocking down all the Monster and Marco too due to the sheer force of it.
Star ran toward him and kneeled next to the boy, helping him up.
While the monsters were collecting themselves from the blast, Ludo's eyes went wide at the wand.
"That is! That the wand our lords was talking about, GET IT!". As his command, all of the group charged at the two kids. Star was facing away from the incoming monsters, too focused on helping Marco after the blast.
Marco opened his eye to see Star smiling at him. "Huh after everything, she still smiled at me" his eyes soon snapped toward the glass bowl head creature trying to grab Star from behind, instinctive he pushed Star away from him, releasing a punch straight into it glassed faced. The monster lost it balanced staggering back as his friend charged at the two.
"Marco just helped me" even though it's such a small action, Star can't help but drill into it.
"Thanks! Marco," she responded smiling widely at him, getting on her feet to help fight all the incoming monsters. As Marco use his fist on some monster and tripped them with his feet to stop their charging attack on Star while she uses her wand to blast off any monster too big for them to take head-on.
Ludo stood near a lamp pole looking at the two kids as his group tried to knock them out, binds them with webs,..."I wish the lords didn't want to take her alive, it would have made this so much easier."
Again as the dark fishbowl face entity tried to capture the two kids, he received another punch from Marco to the head, that sends it staggering backward, claws clutching its face
"That kid is not from this world," It whispered in an echoing voice.
"Common guys just knock them out or something!" Ludo said getting frustrated.
Finally, Star fired a beam randomly in front of her, all the monster dodged the beam. As the beam disappeared mid-flight, a black hole soon took its place. There was a moment of silence, everyone looked at the black hole in terror, Star too seemed to be in shock by her own action, like she didn't know that that was going to happen.
Quickly Marco pulled Star far away from the black holes as it begins to suck in everything, monsters along with it, it was chaotic.
"I will be back Star Butterflyyyyyyyyyyy," Ludo screamed out while falling into the rip.
The purple entity slammed it gauntlet claws onto the ground as it team got sucked into the blackness "Impossible..." It said before losing grip and fell into nothingness. The blackholes soon vanished afterward.
Star and Marco hid behind a mailbox looking at the empty air where the blackhole once was.
"Wow" was all Marco said. After being sure it was safe Marco and Star walked to the front of the Diaz's house. Leaves were everywhere along with broken fence, trees lying in the middle of the road, the grassy front yard all gone leaving only dirt left.
"If my parent asks...let just said a tornado passed through here," Marco told Star.
"Ok..." Star mumbled still taking in the damages her wand had caused.
"...I'm sorry for everything, Marco, I'm-I'm just gonna call my Mom to see if I could go back home or live somewhere else," Star said sadly, fixing her backpack before walking away.
"Star WAIT!" Marco's hand reached out to stop her, Star turned around surprised.
"You were amazing Star! That fight was so awesome, also you saved me back there!" Marco said
"I don't want you to leave...I wanted you to stay with us, that it if you still want to" Marco told her gently letting go of her arm.
"Really? HUGGGG!" Star said, throwing her arm around him in a tight hug, too tight that he can't breathe.
"St-ar, to-o...t-oo tight...I ca-n't b-reathe" Marco said running out of airs, realizing this Star quickly released her hold on him.
"Sorry Marco," She said with a shy smile and for the first time, Marco returned it. Then a loud car's horn broke the moment.
"Kids? WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED HERE?" his Mom screamed while running toward them.
"Tornado!" they both said at once.
It's now 11:30 PM. Marco was making his way out of the bathroom down the stair to get his daily glass of milk before bed when he noticed his Mom standing next to the microwave getting her mud of warm milk out.
"Oh hello Marco, the microwave is free," his mom said.
"Thank Mom."
"Soo did you and Star gets along now?"
"Yeah, she is an amazing person Mom," his mom smiled.
"I know you would see that eventually, goodnight Marco," she said going upstairs to her room.
"Wait, Mom, How did you know all the things Star said about magic were real, or am I just losing my mind, I'm still so confused, where did Star come from?"
His mom thought for a minute before answering him
"I had always know Marco, as for the rest...you don't have to worry yourself about those things. Like Star said, she is from another world and her dad is a friend of our family, so let just keep it like that" his mom said before walking up the stairs
"Night Marco"
"Goodnight Mom" Marco whispered, still distracted by his thoughts.
Marco brought two glass of warm milk back to his room he noticed Star was setting her sleeping bag on the floor.
"Ahem, " he coughed, handing Star a glass of milk
"Thanks, Marco!" she said taking the warm glass of milk with both hands.
"You ready for bed Star?" he asked, Star gulped down the warm milk in one go then nodded quickly. As Marco finished his milk, he set both glasses on his nightstand. Star was just about to get into her sleeping bag when Marco stopped her, Star confusedly looked at him. Marco didn't explain he only grabbed her pillow placing them on his bed as he took his own white pillow in his hand.
"I'm sleeping on the floor Star," he said, Star just shook her head.
"But is you room Marco, I'm fine sleeping on the floor really!".
"I'm not, after the ways I'd treated you earlier this is the least I can do," he said, hearing his apology make her feel something warm in her chest.
"You-you don't have to be sorry for that Marco". Star know he better be sorry for that, but hearing his apology now she just doesn't know anymore.
"Just get in bed Star," he said with a smile, Star hesitated for a moment but finally relented and laid down on his bed, a wide smile making it way on her face. As Marco gets comfortable in Star's sleeping bag, Star whispered "Goodnight Marco"
"Night Star," he said before closing his eyes, a moment passed and Marco was just about to drift off after a crazy day when Star voice called him.
"Marco?Marco? Are you asleep?" Star whispered, gradually Marco responded with his eyes still closed.
"What it is Star?"
"It's just...Do you still think I'm weird?" she asked timidly.
"Yes Star I still think you are weird," he said simply, Star frowned at this.
"But in a good way," he finished before dozing off. Not seeing the big smile Star was giving him from above, laying down on the bed once more, she giggled before turning on her side to head toward dreamland.
I had this idea since SS1 but never actually spend the time to write it down so I just forget about it, hope you guys enjoy it.
I double checked to see if there is any grammar issue with the story if you do find some please let me know. I also put some detail from another universe into this story if you could find them and name what they are + where I took them from then you could request for something to happen in the story (as long as I'm cool with it :) )
All criticisms are welcomed. Feel free to leave any question or suggestion and I will get back to you (soon I hope )
The image belonged to and granted by Alison Donato.