Author's note: Hi, this is my first fanfic, I really hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my OC Astrid Polaris and the plot!

Today is going to be a great day, I just know it! This was the first thought that Astrid Polaris had when she woke up Saturday morning, refreshed from a restful night in preparation for future plans. Usually considered a creature of the night, the unusual cheeriness in her attitude was caused by the fact that her father, an astronomer working for NASA, got permission to let her see the telescope at the observatory outside of the city. Throwing the covers off of her, she stretches on her way to the bathroom. After taking care of the need to pee and then splashing her face with cold water, she rushes downstairs to grab some breakfast.

"Hi mom!" she says as she pulls her dark brown hair into a messy bun, a few curls sneaking out.

"Mornin'! Though I'd have to say it's a little late for morning... Aren't you cold in those shorts?" Maria Polaris arches an eyebrow at what her daughter's pajamas consist of: a baggy T-shirt with a graphic of Einstein smoking a pipe with nebula smoke and a pair of pink polka-dotted shorts.

The 17 year old shrugs at her mother's inquiry, "Meh, not that cold right now." she looks at the clock on the microwave and notices the time, 11:42. "Woah, thought I actually woke up early on my own for once..." her mother just hums in confirmation, her tone full of 'told you so.' "So what's for breakfast?" Astrid says as she hops onto a stool at the island in their kitchen.

"Go make something, I'm not your personal chef" her mother says as she gives her a look, "now hurry up so you can get ready to meet your father later, unless of course you don't want to go anymore," she says with a smirk, her aged eyes sparkling with humor.

Astrid's dark chocolate eyes widen and she jumps right out of her seat, " You wouldn't!" she exclaims as she makes her way to the fridge. She pulls out two eggs and a pack of bacon. Her mother chuckles as she swears she's never seen her youngest daughter move so fast. "That's not funny, mom!"

"Oh but it is from here," she replies, looking bemusedly at the teenager try to balance all the food in her arms. "Your brother and sister already left an hour ago, so how do you plan on getting to the bus stop?"

"I'll just walk," she says, as she looks over her shoulder. She cooks the eggs and bacon, smiling wide when she smells the familiar scent of delicious comfort food.

"You know I don't like it when you're by yourself," Maria says as she crosses her arms. Astrid's parents tended to be...helicopter parents. They are very protective of her, she knows they do it because they love her but she can't help but feel suffocated. She needs some freedom, "Mom, I'm 17, and I didn't take self-defense classes for no reason. Besides if anyone suspicious comes near me, I'll just act psycho and possessed, then they'll just run away in fear" she says with a cheeky grin.

Maria sighs, unsaid words hidden in that breath, "I know...I just want you to be safe."

*:.｡. .｡.:*

Astrid steps out of the bathroom in a towel, feeling refreshed and squeaky clean. She walks to her closet and takes out her favorite big, blue knit sweater, the design on it a star made out of bones, and her burgundy ombré skinny jeans. After putting on her pink panties with cream lace ruffles on and matching bra, she gets dressed, and rushes back into the bathroom. After combing her thick, layered hair, she puts it in a purposefully messy bun on the top and pulled it tight to make sure it won't fall out.

She applies a some mascara and chapstick, knowing its just a hangout with her dad but feeling that this was a special occasion, she felt like dressing up a little. It's NASA and the Hubble telescope! Like hell, I won't dress up for this. Never know when you'll see some cute scientists or maybe meet some aliens! She smiles, her eyes twinkling with childish glee. Of course it sounds ridiculous, but she believes whole-heartedly that aliens exist, that among other things. She knows it may sound stupid but she believes in magic, the supernatural, and the incredible. A part of her nags her for believing in urban legends and myths, part of it's why she's so paranoid. But another part of her can't help it, she feels, no, knows there's a whole other world, or worlds, out there.

After she shakes herself out of daydreaming, she grabs her gold star chain ear cuff and crescent moon earring, tugs on her black, motorcycle boots, and heads out her room with her jean backpack. She skips down the stairs, humming Dream a Little Dream of Me by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. After kissing her mom goodbye, she grabs her keys and her phone and heads out the front door.

*:.｡. .｡.:*

Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God! I can't believe this is actually happening! I am going to see the Milky Way with a big, beautiful telescope! Half skipping, half dancing, Astrid moves along to the beat of her music. IAMX's The Unified Field keeping her peppy mood up.

Too much in her own little world, she ignores the looks given by strangers. Usually a timid, and quiet girl in public, she lets out extra energy during the walk to the bus stop. Once there, she plops down onto the bench, waiting patiently for the bus to arrive.

Checking her phone for the time, she realizes its 4:30. Since its almost winter, it's been getting darker earlier, and she hopes she can make it on time without wandering in the night. Just as she felt butterflies in her stomach from anticipation, the bus arrives and she all but runs onto the bus. Once she sits down in a spot in the back, she daydreams of all the possible scenarios that could happen: discovering a new star, finding another galaxy, finding a UFO! To her, the possibilities are endless!

*:.｡. .｡.:*

As she steps off the bus, she can't help but notice how awfully dark it is. The observatory is about 10 minutes down the road if one walked, but to Astrid, that seemed like an eternity in this surrounding darkness. Sure people lived out here too but it's not the same as it is in the city...

I swear to God, if some crazy person or a zombie comes out from anywhere, I'm stabbing them regardless of their living state. She thinks to herself as she wraps her arms around herself. The night is chillier than she thought it would be but she figured she could tough it out.

A snap sounds off in the woods, and she hears laughter. The childish giggle seemed to echo throughout the shadowy forest, taunting her. "H...hello? A-anyone there? Show yourself or I'll skin you alive and pour salt on your wounds!" her fear taking over her, she tries to put up a bravado.

A red ball comes bouncing out of the bushes, scaring her half to death. She squeaked and did a little hop to move away, only to realize how harmless the projectile was. Following the ball, two little kids come running out. A boy and a girl, both looking to be about 5-6 and identical twins. Their auburn curls bouncing as they moved, and freckles sprinkled across their little button noses.

They both looked at her, smiled and giggled and went on their way, chasing after their toy.

Feeling ridiculous for being so scared, she walks over to them. "Hi, what are you two doing out so late?"

The little boy looks up at her, "Our ball ran away so we went to get it. Mommy said we have to hurry though." He then turns his head to see his sister picking up the ball, which was in the middle of the street. He runs over to her shouting, "Hey! Mommy said we can't go on the road!"

"But my ball!" she said with a little pout. She clung the ball to herself, huffing in annoyance. Her twin runs up to her, tugging on her arm.

Astrid jogs over to them, "Hey guys, why don't we go back on the sidewalk, ok?"

They nod and start to walk back, but once they did, they spot a car coming down the road. She urges them to go faster and when they get back, the car slows down.

The car pulls over to their side of the road and a man gets out and eyes them. Feeling uncomfortable, she ushers the children to walk faster. The man, who looked to be in his late 20s, started walking towards them. Astrid tenses up, preparing for the worst.

The man looked sleazy and up to no good. He speeds up and calls out to them, "Hey, you there, you guys want some ice cream?" The children look back but Astrid urges them to keep moving forward. "Hey, I'm talking to you! Don't you know to listen to adults?" he yelled at them.

"Please leave us alone, sir." Astrid replies as she keeps walking forward, quickening her and the children's pace.

"Come over here and say that to my face, bitch!" he shouts at her, "don't you want some of this masterpiece?" he gestures to himself with a lewd look on his face.

"Ugh, leave us alone, or I will call the police on your ugly ass!" she shouts back, pissed off and a little scared. Her anger takes over but breaks once she hears a click. She freezes, and looks over her shoulder. She sees that he has a gun, the click was the sound of the safety being pulled. She looks down at the twins and tells them that when she counts to 3, they need to run as fast as they can back home.

She turns around slowly with her arms raised up in defense. He waves the gun at her, motioning for her to move toward him. She walks slowly, until she is about 3 feet away from him, the gun almost in her face. She can tell he is drunk, taking in his sluggish form and swaying body. "1...2...3!" she shouts as she swings both arms towards the gun and knocks it out of his hand.

She hears the children run away, and makes a dive for the weapon. Unfortunately, so does he. They struggle over it, him pushing her, her clawing him. She kicked the gun into the bushes, away from his reach. Angered, he gets up and pulls her by the collar with him. Swinging her left arm over his hands to hold him, she punches him with her right in the ear and swings again with her elbow. He headbutts her, stunning her, but she quickly recovers when she hears a yelp.

Astrid looks to see that the little girl tripped and drew his attention. Muttering "little brats" under his breath, he starts to make his way over to them. Astrid gets up and roundhouse kicks his back, sending him sprawling. With their given time, the twins make a run for it into the woods. Sighing in relief, she tries to make her get away as well. She is stopped when the man grabs her ankle.

Struggling to kick him off, she grabs a branch off the ground, and swings it. She hit his arm but he grabbed it with his other hand. While she tries to get up, she doesn't notice him swinging the branch. He hits her upside the head.

Stunned, the turns on her back. A huge mistake she made on her part. The man had easy access to her vulnerable neck. He stood over her and he started to strangle her. She tried her best to release his hold, but he exceeds her in strength. The most the could do while gasping for air was grip his hands and look at the full moon and then to the North Star as best as she could through tear filled eyes. As her vision fades in and out, she thinks one last thought with her dying breath.

I wish...I wish I could've done more.