"You'll be alright, Yuri Kwon."

My mind was spinning, the remnants from last night's dream was still running in my head. I shifted on the bed, from the sunlight hitting my face. It was an unusual dream, something about meeting a woman who was a star. I sighed, maybe my love for the galaxy was already way too much. I opened by eyes slowly, adjusting to the morning light given by the sun, seeing some dust-motes in the little space between the two curtains. Turning my vision to the bedside table, the bright red numbers on the clock revealed the time of seven in the morning. In the weekends, I don't wake up until it was twelve. I pulled the covers over my head when I heard the sound of running water which I was certain came from my bathroom. 

Each member in the household had their own bathroom, so no one should be using my own. Must be my brother to annoy me again. I groaned and sat up on the bed, the sunlight coming in contact with my eyes, making me close them for a moment. Funny, how it reminded me of the light from my dream. I put on my slippers and walked to the source of the sound. 

"Hey, Jun! If you're not coming out I'm barging in!" I banged on the bathroom door loudly and forcibly, not caring if it was removed from its hinges. "Yah! This is my bathroom!" I tried turning the knob and surprisingly, it was unlocked. I gulped, I don't want to walk in on a man! My eyes were still innocent. "I'm coming inside! If you're not dressed, I can't promise you're leaving my room alive!" I said in a warning. 

I kept my eyes on the floor as I stepped on the bathroom tiles, counting each one as I made my way inside. I heard the sound of the faucet being turned off, but he didn't answer. Irritated, I scratched and lifted my head. "Listen, here you--Holy sh*t!!"

I tumbled backwards, my feet having the struggle of keeping me balanced as the damp tiles made contact with my soles. My back hit the door, pushing it close. Standing in front of me was the woman from my dreams. Okay, I am still sleeping. I am still dreaming. I pinched myself, hoping to wake myself up, but ultimately leaving my skin with a patch of red. What is this?!

The woman giggled and turned towards the mirror, as realization hit me she was still . "Holy sh*t? Is that a form of a greeting here on Earth?" She locked eyes with me through the mirror as I tried to stand with the strength departing from my legs. Unlike the night before, her eyes were now brown. No stars, no black color to it. Her hair still had the hue of blonde, shimmering like gold on her porcelain back. 

"Who are you? What are you?" I placed my hand on my chest, calming my nerves. 

"I already told you last night, haven't I? I am a star." The woman looked behind her shoulders to look at me and smiled. Her teeth were the whitest I have seen. 

"Why are you here?" I gave her a glance then looked around, not wanting to see any more of bare skin.

"A question for another time." Her voice turned soft by then. "I never knew women have such... anatomy. What are these two mountains of flesh I am holding?" Two mountains of flesh? My eyes widened as I turned to look at her. Oh my gosh! She was... she was cupping her mounds! "Why are they so heavy?" My jaw dropped as the heat started to fill my cheeks. 

Then, her hands started to travel downwards sensually. The woman started to breathe a little heavier. She slightly spread her legs as a finger touched her cent-- "NO! YOU DO NOT TOUCH THAT PART!" 

She paused and turned to look at me, her finger frozen in place. "But it feels good." I just stared at her, not sure if I was hearing right. My jaw fell down another tad, my drowsiness now slipping away without a trace. Before she could explore her sacred place below, I marched towards her and grabbed her elbows. 

"Listen to me. You cannot be here." I told her firmly, pushing her towards the rack where my bathrobe was found. "Wear this." I grabbed the robe and faced her, not noticing she closed the distance between us, leaving no more than a couple of inches between our faces. I merely blinked as the sternness faded from my face. Being this close made me smell wisteria flowers from last night, and it frustrated me how I could not tear myself from her eyes. Somehow I wanted to see the galaxy in them again. But this woman was a stranger. "What are you doing?" 

"You're so beautiful." I have heard such words from my parents, my friends and my boyfriend, but when they came out of , it sounded perfect, sincere and real. The woman walked a little closer, her wet chest pressed against mine. Her hands started on her shoulders and took their time roaming down, her touch making me shiver. Slowly, she unwrapped my fingers from the robe and took it from me, putting it around her body, hanging loose on her thin frame. "Is this right?" 

I reluctantly took a step back, not so certain what transpired just moments ago. "Yes, that is right. Like I said, you can't stay here. Whatever you are, you can't be here." I said, turning away in embrassment. 

The woman barely stirred at my words. She tilted her head and gazed longingly at me, her deep brown eyes bearing into mine. "I can't leave, yet." She replied quickly. 

"I am going crazy." I rubbed my forehead as I paced back and forth inside the bathroom, showing a flash of stress across my face. "Are you going to take over our planet?"

She stared at me for a moment before holding her stomach as she went through a series of laughs. Oh my, a laugh that was meant for a woman of her appearance. "Me? I'm not like those species in your entertainment in the form of movies. Even the entities in other planets have no such plans in having the Earth for their own taking." 

"Entities in other planets?" I asked, perplexed at the idea of having other living organisms aside from the known species on Earth.

"Well, of course. I have lived for a long time to be a witness to them all. Earth is only a speck of dust in the whole galaxy. I can tell you more if you'll let me stay." Her voice finally reached me, pulling me from my confounding train of awe and curiosity.

"You're lying. You can't bribe me with false information." I tugged at her arm, pulling her towards the door. 

"Please, you have to let me stay in your abode!" 

This woman was unbelievable! "No! Whatever plans you have, I do not want to be a part of them. Whatever you are looking for, I'm not the one who can help you. But there is an organization called NASA. You claim to be a star? Well, they are the ones who would be interested in you." She struggled against my hold, pulling her herself in the opposite direction I was taking her. But I was stronger, her efforts ended in vain.

"Please! I can pay you! I can work for you! Just let me stay!" She exclaimed. Her loud voice could awaken my parents and brother, so I covered and carried her light body to the front door. She didn't bother to stir away from my arms as he must have sensed my decision and resolute mind. But before I can open the front door, I heard footsteps coming from the kitchen.

"Yuri, who are you carrying?" Mother's brow wrinkled in confusion and glanced at my supposed companion. 

I gulped, not knowing how to answer. "Mom, I--"

"Good morning, mom!" Mother's face was a mixture of shock and amusement. I shook the woman in my arms and harshly whispered in her ears.

"You do not call her mom! She is not your mother!"

The woman did not pay attention to what I have said. "You look too young to be her mother. Might you be playing with me and you're actually her sister?" Mother looked to the ground and cupped her own cheeks. This woman knew her way with words, and mother was falling for them!

"Dear, you actually think that?" 

The woman nodded excitedly, smiling. 

"What's your name, dear?" 

"I'm a star." She answered in a single breathe. 

"Her nickname is Star!" I added quickly, not wanting mother to be in a state of confusion and denial. I put her down, my arms starting to tire from supporting her weight. "She's uhh.. a classmate from school! I forgot to tell you she came over early in the morning." My palms started to sweat from nervousness. 

"Why is she wearing your bathrobe?" 

"She... uh.. took a bath! Yes, she took a bath and we were about to go outside and... and... walk around the neighborhood!" I rushed my words to try and cover up the truth. 

Mother's eyes widened as she walked closer and pulled "Star" away from me. "Yuri! How could you let Star walk around only in her robe in public! Have you no care for her?" Mother demanded, her eyes narrowing.

Mother was actually taking her side now? If only you knew what she claims she is! I shook my head. "It's not like that. We were searching for a place for her to stay."

"In the neighborhood? Are you planning to let her stay in the streets?!" Mother pushed Star to her back, protecting her from me. What the?! She's the dangerous one, not me! "I'm sorry, Star, I forgot to tell you Yuri is not always smart."

"Mom!"

Mother pointed a finger at me. "Shut up." She turned to Star and fixed her hair, soothing stray hair into place. "So Star, why are you searching for a place to stay?"

Star replied, "I have just arrived on this planet last night and have no other companions to offer me shelter. I came across this house and decided to stay here." 

"She meant that her parents will be away for a very long time and she had no other relatives here in Boston and staying in a hotel will be costly so she decided to find other options!" My eyes widened at Star, signalling her to just shut . She looked at me in confusion and muttered a "Huh?"

"If that's the case, you can stay here for the meantime, Star." Oh no, oh hell no.

"You can't be serious!" 

Mother once again pointed her index finger at me. I shut my mouth and zipped it in the air. 

"You can take the room in the attic."

Star nodded in satisfaction, I presume and clapped her hands. "I am thankful, mom. How can I ever repay you?"

Mother snorted. "No need. Just being with my bothersome daughter is already enough payment. Yuri, can you show her to the attic?"

Star can't be in the attic! I spend most of my time there than my own room! But I knew mother's decision was to be followed, leaving me with no other alternative suggestion. Early in the morning and my day was already ravaged by the woman who suddenly infiltrated my life. "Fine."

Star's eyes blossomed with renewed hope, her expression in high spirits. I cocked by head to the side, motioning her to follow me. With every step I took on the stairs, I muttered a curse, her face the only thing filling my vision. No, this is not a dream. Not when I am taking her to my fortress of seclusion with the dead of night where my objects of attention and love come out.

When we reached the only room on the topmost floor, I revealed her haven for her stay. I tore my gaze away from her, not wanting to see her reception to what the room looked like. The walls were made of thick wood, including the ceiling, but were painted with a deep blue navy color. Inside, I had posters of NASA that were placed in a neat rows. By the triangular window that took up the space from the floor up to the top stood my telescopes, all three facing the sky. The room had small wooden shelves that contained books about space, some books lying horizontally. Stars hung on strings on the ceiling., but what made the room special for me was the constellations I painted myself on the walls. Every moment I would be able to spot one, I would commemorate on the wall.

Star roamed around the room, taking in every single detail inside. She was smiling in delight. "I never regretted landing on your backyard. I think I never would." She said earnestly, giving me a soulful look in her eyes. When her eyes landed on a pattern, she walked to it at once, tracing it. It was my first ever constellation.

"Auriga?" The question made her halt in her actions, and it took a long moment before she turned her head in my direction.

"Auriga is very dear to me." For the first time since she had step foot in my home, I was able to return her smile, albeit only a little of my lips curved upwards. I internally screamed as I heard the sincerity in her tone. At one point I felt unsafe with the woman, but now, the overwhelming sensation of serenity washed over my system, and I did not know what to do with such a diversity in what I am feeling.  

I sat on the bed by the wall, desperate to figure out this foreigner on a foreign soil. The faster Star would complete whatever errand she was set to do, the lesser time I would spend another second of my life with her. "Look, I'll help you in your mission whatsoever here on Earth."

Star eagerly jumped to the bed. "Really?"

I faked a smile, though it was a forlorn thing to do, I needed her out of my life as soon as I could. "Before that, I need to teach you a thing or two about Earth and what we normally do. No blurting out you're a star and you came from another planet, got it?"

"Yes."

"But first of all, we need to think of a name--"

"Jessica." 

I was caught offguard. I never even thought she was aware of any human names. She looked serious and adamant as she blurted out the name she wanted to have. I tried to put on a cheery voice and put on a stiff grin. 

"Then Jessica it is."