The old grandfather clock in Fei Hong's apartment had just struck twelve when Marice called. 

The ping of her augmentation glasses jolted her from her thoughts; its sudden sonance was a knife that pierced through her wandering thoughts. Reluctantly, Fei Hong tore her eyes away from the world that slept below her feet.

Fei Hong blinked her visuals on. A blue line of text greeted her.

"Incoming call from Marice."

Fei Hong hesitated, considering blinking the message away. But she shook her head, quickly clicking "accept" before she could change her mind. 

"Fei! Are you awake?"

Marice's orotund voice was vibrant and full of life, and Fei Hong could picture her violet-haired friend's enormous grin as she listened. She allowed for a small smile to tug at her own lips before replying. 

"Well, I am now." 

Her answer sounded flat and distant, even to her own ears. Fei Hong bit back a wince and tried to force a note of excitement into her next words. 

"So, Marice. What adventure do you have planned for us tonight?"

The phone crackled with the sound of Marice's soft laugh. "Does that mean you're coming with us this time, Fei Hong?"

Fei Hong hesitated. It was a split second; merely more than a few split seconds. But Marice's tone immediately softened.

"Fei, I know you've been through a lot. More than I ever could imagine. If you're not ready yet, then it's okay. You can come with us another time; whenever you're re--"

"No. It's...I... I'll be okay. I want to come." Anything to stop these memories. Anything to escape sleep.

"Really? That's great! That's amazing! We'll come by at two-a.m. to pick you up. We're going to the hub to see the stars. Elora said that they used some kind of fibreglass to make them, and they look ridiculously real." 

"The stars... That's great. I'll see you at two."

There was a soft click, and another message flashed across her screen.

Call Ended.

She cast a wistful gaze at the jet black sky outside her window, where not a single steady glint pierced through the raven hue. Fei Hong had been devastated the first night on Erisua, where she'd tipped her head back to look for the constellations she'd loved as a child. There had been none. Not a single pinprick. She'd later learned it was because of Erisua's thick atmosphere that blocked all the starlight. They'd said it was impossible to see the stars on Erisua.

"The stars..." She murmured quietly to herself. I wonder what it'll be like to see them again.