Stars. The nearest one is still millions of miles away, and yet we can see them from here on this tiny planet. She has always wondered how that can be- she decides that they must be so bright, so huge, that they can be seen forever. Infinitely shining, like a beacon at sea that never fails to show the way. She is ten years old and she sits up on the roof of the Powell Estate, arms wrapped around her knees, wishing that she could be on one of those stars instead of here.

Stars. Even now, she believes in them. She has learned that they are composed of gas, and that they burn out and so will the sun, one day. One day when she is dead and gone and her bones have become dust. She knows they are not as magical as they look, but deep down she still believes that there is more to them. She has to believe there's a better place than Earth, a place where things might be easier. A place where bullies don't exist to chase you home from the shops, where your mum doesn't sleep all day and work all night, a place where your boyfriend is more than a useless lump you're not even really sure you love. She is fifteen and she sits on a bench, clutching her grocery bags to her, wishing she could be on one of those stars instead of here.

Stars. Even now that her entire life is a mess and she doesn't feel like waking up, they are there. Beacons of light. Leading her. Sometimes she feels as if they're just in her reach, close enough to touch. Other times she almost believes that they are all just clouds of gas, meaningless and cold. She ends up still hoping that there is a star where she has a place. Where she doesn't have to have a dead-end job, gabbing friends, and that same sweet but useless boyfriend who by now she's fairly sure she doesn't love. Sometimes, she wonders if it is love. She wonders if love is just a faint happy feeling in the pit of your stomach. She wonders if love is runny eggs on her birthday and a terribly-wrapped present and kisses that don't make her feel any different at all. The idea makes her want to cry. She is nineteen and she stands amid a throng of moving people, wishing she could be on one of those stars instead of here.

Stars. She can see them in his eyes, those electric blue eyes with a sparkle deep within. They are truly in her reach now; all she has to do is take his hand. He scares her a little bit but more than that she trusts him and her curiosity drives her to explore with him. He takes her to a place where the waves are frozen in time, the planet suspended in motion, and he slips his hand in hers. She is Rose Tyler, and she has finally found her star.