"I really don't think you should go."
"I'm going whether you like it or not!" Star snapped. This was her one getaway from Marco. Who knew? Maybe she and Tom really could work something out, then the pain would be gone. It was the hope of a madman, but it was the only hope she had. Was she going mad? Three breathless nights in a row. She managed to be distracted during the day, but at night reality overwhelmed her. She had learned a sleeping spell just for the occasion. Last night she had tried it. She had had to cast it eight times throughout the night.
This was her one chance to maybe find reprieve from her situation.
Turning away from Tom, Star saw a humanoid creature with a weird face. He took her hands. Star moved the the music, which Tom hadn't yet changed, with the stranger. Stranger seemed to be the wrong word. Star had the feeling she knew this person. Person. Of course, it was Marco in a mask! He took off the mask, confirming Star's realization. Even though Star was mad that Marco came for her, she didn't want to stop dancing with him, didn't want their hands to part. Star smiled wide. She was finally able to do something romantic with Marco, which is what she'd been wanting for a while.
"Marco," Star said. Her voice was dreamy.
"Yeah. We should probably get you home."
"Why don't we keep dancing?"
"Well, your ex-boyfriend's here, and I kind of-"
The mentioned person's voice boomed, "You stole my dance! That dance was meant for me and Star so our souls would be bound together!" He started to hover, his eyes turning red and being engulfed by flames. Fire danced upon his hands. As he pulled back to launch his flame and incinerate Marco, Star acted. Without rush, she froze Tom in an ice cube. Then, remembering why Tom convinced her to come here, she changed his 53 days anger-free to 0. Haughtily, she left with Marco.
Back home, Star let out her anger. "He's so infuriating sometimes!"
"I know. I tried to tell you not to go, but-"
"No, you're so infuriating! You don't trust me to do something on my own. I'm fourteen; I can handle a demon. Just because I don't know much about Earth doesn't mean I know nothing. I need a bo- I mean, I need a friend, not a hero."
"Yes, you're right, Star. I should have let you go. I misjudged Tom, and…"
"Well, not really. It was all a trick to 'bind our souls'. Even if he has changed, he's still selfish. But I knew that. I wasn't going to let him dance with me."
"I should have trusted you. I'm sorry I ruined your night."
"Well, it wasn't a total loss. We danced and bound our souls together." Star tried to laugh, but Marco could tell she was trying to cover up the sincerity behind her words.
Marco sat on the guard of the balcony with Star. "You know, it's okay to admit you have a crush on me."
Star quickly moved her hand away from Marco's, which her hand had been creeping toward, and stood up. "No, I don't." She walked into her room a bit too fast.
Maybe she really doesn't, Marco thought. Then he realized he was keeping Tom and Star apart for more selfish reasons. He sulked to his bedroom.
He lay down, sleepless, turning his thoughts over in his head. She likes me, he decided eventually. Just before he drifted off to sleep, he awoke himself with his next thought: Maybe she doesn't. He continued to battle, unable to settle on any decision for more than fifteen seconds. At 2 AM, he finally snapped out of it. Dios mío! I need a flower to pluck the petals from!
He sighed, eventually landing upon one thought: I'll save it for the morning.
Star had never gone to bed. She stood on a balcony hanging out from her room. She watched the beautiful night sky. The cool night wind whipped against her ball gown. It was cold, but at least it took away the suffocation of the air. She looked above the jagged horizon to the dark blue and white tapestry lining the sky. The stars, which she once considered beautiful, disgusted her. There were so many of them… so many just like her, so many better than her. She was just a tiny voice among a billion, nothing very special. But there was only one Sun. The other stars were immeasurable to it, at least where she stood. It dominated everything; it was what everyone lived for. People basked in its warmth. They were helpless without it. But who cared about one measly star? No one would even notice if one went missing. No one even knew its name except the astronomers, and even they didn't care much about any one star. Maybe… maybe she was the Northern Star, something important. No, she was just a tiny, unnamed star out there that no one would give a second glance at. Sure, she was a phenomenon… but she was taken for granted, and that wasn't anyone's fault. She was just another boring little star up there in the sky.
She scanned the night, looking for a particular white globe. It was nowhere to be found;only a faint outline was visible. No, she wouldn't have any help on this issue. She was alone in space. So small, so insignificant. Her problems were her own, and it wasn't her place to bother anyone else with them - especially the Sun.
And there she slept, her chin propped up on her palm, still wearing her poofy dress. She slept more than she had in the last three nights combined.
A/N: So... what do you think about my revisions!? I added the opening scene to show Star's desperation to escape her problem, and the two closing scenes. I really like my metaphors in the final scene. In case you didn't catch it, Marco is the Sun (his original name was Sol). Also, her mother (and anyone else she could potentially talk to) was represented by the nenexistent Moon. What did you think?
