Thursday morning is grocery time, a necessary evil of living on your own.

Afterward, I trek up the steepness of Wellesley street, watching other university students as they trickle off buses. As they exit, they take off their masks and stuff them into the pockets of their jeans. The straps of my shopping bags cut into my palms as I head to the traffic lights, in the center of campus. I use my bags to clamp down on the edge of my skirt, preventing the Auckland winds from getting hold of it. 

While I'm waiting, a girl approaches the intersection. She stops ahead of me, inches from the curb. Two meters away from me though; I like her immediately. She's breathtaking: a young Māori woman with chunky combat boots, wearing a shapely purple knit dress, and a dark denim jacket against the winter winds. Her black hair is tied in a spiralled bun. Tiny white feathers hang from her earrings. They fly in the wind.

Waiting for the lights, she re-ties her hair. It falls free in a glossy stream. A 24R bus grunts past, blowing her hair backwards and over her shoulders. It catches in the streaming sunlight. I see reflecting starlight, and can't look away. 

She twists her hair - once, twice, thrice - weaving it up into a higher bun. She's the sort of proud that glues my eyes to the concrete in front of me. I look away. When I try to catch another fleeting glimpse, she's turned around and is matching my gaze. A pounamu pendant hangs from her neck. The deep green stone is carved into a large, intricately shaped ring that rests on her chest. 

I choke out- "Hi-"

She smiles at me like the sun in full summer. "Do not worry, girl. It's my first time leaving home too."

"Wha- Watch out!" I shout.

Without warning, she crosses. The signal is still red. She weaves calmly between the frantic current of cars, scooters, and busses. Then she disappears down the Engineering underpass.

As soon as the pedestrian crossing goes off, I take a detour to follow her; to be braver than I am. I want to tell her my name; ask her what she's studying; if she likes coffee; where she got that dress-

But she is gone.

You can be as brave as you want in theoretical meetings; in my mind, has a rainbow pin on her lapel, and she laughs at my shy jokes.

***

The sky in downtown Auckland is almost enough to convince me that moving to the city for University was a mistake. It's never properly dark. Every night, the skyscraper skyline sucks the Milky Way dry, silencing all but the loudest of the constellations. I miss the darkness of the country. I'd relish a city-wide blackout, just to see them again for a few precious hours.

Tonight, I've come out to see Matariki. I'm set up on the roof of my hall of residence, wearing a thick wool blanket around my shoulders. My telescope is useless so far; tonight's sky is practically white with clouds, reflecting the leeching luminesce of the city down to the ground.

I've been a captive to the stars from my earliest memories. Now that I'm older, they fascinate me for different reasons: every person that's ever walked on the planet - from every culture that's existed - we've all seen the same natural masterpiece, and given them different names, stories, and legends.

 Until light pollution ruined it. There are growing generations of kids who've never seen the Milky Way, a sad and growing fraction of human history cut off from their birthright of galaxies.

I check my phone: MetService promises that the clouds will lift soon. A strong wind blows on the screen, bringing a pocket of clear sky. I lurk on the Psychology Discord server and re-read study notes while I wait. The exam is tomorrow, so of course, the server is going off. It has so many Nitro boosts at this stage, that it could pay its own course fees.

I check in on my favourite channel, #dorothy_and_co

@savanahSista: "What about that new girl who interrupted our class today? 🔥🔥" 

@yaBoiRicky: "Stunning!"

"Nah," I replied. "I skipped to get groceries."

@yaBoiRicky: "💀boo. You never come to study sessions anyways"

"Too early for me," I replied.

@savanahSista: "Bet you're out moping at the moon tn, ha"

"💫You betcha 🌠 ," I said. 

@savanahSista: "Should have seen her outfit - THE BEST dress and combat boots 😍 "

The clouds ease off just after midnight. I drop my phone, lower my eye down to the eyepiece, and line the viewport up to Matariki. 

Matariki is a seven-star cluster, made up of Matariki herself (the biggest and brightest star) and her six daughters. Its arrival in the sky celebrates Māori new year. Next year, it's finally going to get its own public holiday.

The constellation is well-known globally: the Ancient Greeks named it Pleiades. It's known as Subaru in Japan. So, the next Subaru car you see, check out its logo and know it's because someone looked up at the night sky once. 

My view is blurred and distorted, so I tinker with it. The six stars of Matariki come into focus, sharp and crystalline against the backdrop of space.

Wait, only six?

I look at the sky without the telescope and count them. Six. Ururangi is missing. Stars don't just disappear, they're constants to us. 

How-

I blink, rub my eyes. Vertigo pulls at my stomach. Impossible.  I have to look away. 

On the street below, I notice a familiar girl. The same girl I'd seen at the traffic lights this morning. She looks different. Glowing faintly. That's some highlighter.

Her hair looks bright as starlight, it glows in the darkness below.

Goosebumps rise on my arms as I abandon my stuff, and rush towards the elevator. I have to know. Her.