☆andromeda:
the chained lady☆

Stella would never admit it to her brothers but she got motion sickness. Which was ironic to the point of being purely ridiculous, considering the fact that her job was to zoom across the night sky at the speed of light granting wishes to earthlings.

It's not like she didn't find her job fascinating, she'd found Earthlings hugely entertaining if not a tad bit annoying. They were an unusually needy bunch if she was being perfectly honest, always clammering over things they didn't have, which made her posting on this particular planet even harder.

But that was the case with all new planets and Earth was younger than most which meant it was a lot more hectic.

Usually flying over a quiet area Stella would thank her motion sickness which gave her legit excuse for slowing down and stare at the beautiful planet below. But today had been a particularly trying day, with hundreds of earthlings out in flocks, all looking up and wishing for something.

She would do anything to go back home right about now even if it meant her brothers taunting her for being the slowest. They had probably already reached betting on just how slow she would be this time.

She didn't mind it that much, she had never been part of the game they played. A competition, actually as to who could finish their rounds the fastest, get wished upon the least and grant even less.

It varied as to who won on a day to day basis but if there was one constant it was that Stella would always come last. Mostly because she couldn't be bothered and she was the slowest of the lot.

Being slowest of the lot meant being spotted more often which in turn meant being wished upon the most which resulted in granting more wishes.

In fact Stella made it a point to grant whatever wishes she was authorised to do so, maybe it was because of her inability to say no or maybe because she just felt guilty for the people whose wishes she couldn't fulfil.

The ones that asked that they wanted someone close brought back from the dead for them or something like that. Of all the wishes they asked for only a few were truly unselfish and sincere and Stella hated that those were the only ones she couldn't fulfil.

She sighed thinking it was nearly dawn which meant that she was almost done, even the Earthlings were fast asleep now which meant peace and quiet.

Her eye caught a pair of earthlings a female and a male holding hands. They were young (All earthlings were, they had pitifully short lives) but they were young even by this planets standards.

Teenagers, if she wasn't wrong that was the term for them back down on Earth.

Stella allowed herself a rare smile, if there was one reason she always took the Earth assignment it was because of this.

Love.

Earth was graded a class Z planet which meant that they were barbaric, selfish and cruel, so much so that they were bordering on an uncivilised level.

But the way they loved.
And how they loved.
It made Stella come back for more even after she had convinced herself that she had enough of the planet.

They fell in love like stars, slowly, steadily and they burnt so bright that even Stella had to admit that stars dimmed in comparison.

Looking at those small pockets of love amongst all the negativity gave her a feeling that Stella wasn't used to having, hope.

"I love you." The male said,"I love you so much that I will do anything for you and I know I've made mistakes and I know you probably hate me for everything, for-"

The female pressed her lips against his before he could say anymore.

Stella looked away. Stars, glowed, they burnt brightly, competing with each other, but they never touched. Amongst her kind touching, even a brush of fingers or their light was almost unheard of. In fact it was looked down upon, a sacrilege almost.

But Earthlings were a particularly touchy bunch. They used it to convey their anger in the worst way possible but at the same time they used to convey their love.

And sometimes Stella allowed herself the sacrilege to wonder what it would be like to touched like that.

"I love you too." The female said pulling angered smiling,"And I forgive you for everything."

And that was the power of this thing called love. It washed over all of Earth's worst corners bathing it with light.

"Look a shooting star." The female said pointing towards Stella,"Make a wish Derek."

Thats when Stella realised just how slow she was going and what stunned her was that she was doing it purposely, she wanted them to make a wish and more so she wanted to grant it.

"I have you, there is nothing more that I want." The male said smiling.

But none the less they were Earthlings and all of them wanted something.

The female was first; I want to be this happy with him, till the day I die.

Stella's Asteriameter flashed yellow. It was a device that measured if the wish was authorised to be granted or not.

Usually yellow meant that her wish was authorised but just on the boderline and while it would come true just maybe not in the way the female had hoped for.

Stella granted it anyway.

The male: I want her to be just the way she is, always and nothing ever happens to her.

The Asteriameter flashed a heartbreaking red. Usually for wishes like this Earthlings who lead an uneventful happy life this would flash a green.

But this was one of those times where the fates had already decreed an end to a particular life and the wishes which seeked to change its course, tend to be completely off limits for stars to grant it.

Stella sped away not being able to look at the pair anymore, especially when she already knew their end.

Love.
It made them and it broke them.

And sometimes just sometimes Stella wished that she could fall in love because she had seen enough Earthlings to know it was worth it.

She closed her eyes, I wish to fall in love.

The Asteriameter turned a bright green and she looked at it stunned. She hadn't expected it to actually register her wish, after all could she even wish upon herself?

Not to mention love was usually an off limits wish. Most earthlings who wished that they wanted someone to fall in love with them the meter usual glowed red and yet....

It was silly, she thought, stars can't wish on themselves.

And yet curiosity got better of her and she granted it.

She granted her own wish.

At first nothing happened, she was still zooming across space over the planet.

She couldn't help but feeling disappointed, even though she knew that it had been a far shot anyway, not to mention she was being completely delusional and it was probably one of her brothers who had messed with her Asteriameter trying to play an elaborate joke on her.

And then she began to fall.