The Cross in Our Stars

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The almost deafening quiet surrounding the passengers worked with the comfortably cool interior of the limousine, creating an atmosphere of calm. Tinted windows make the late spring sun a balm to the eyes, instead of a stabbing pain every time there are gaps in the fast moving stationary trees blooming with life. Plush leather seats, a humidifier filling the air with elderflower and cucumber, refreshments in a small fridge, and an extended space tops off the ride exuding with luxury.

It all just makes the young woman irritated.

All of that combined could never rival the roar of the wind over her ears, how it raced over her skin as she sped through the sky, the crisp view from above, nor the barely there softness of the clouds she wished she could fly through. Boredom is clear as day on her face as she stares out the window, tapping a finger on her lap. Her chin rests on her palm while her elbow takes up what little space there is on the door frame. The window that separates the backseat from the driver is rolled up.

"We could have just flown." Her patience for the unexciting ride is wearing thin, and thoughts of pulling over and driving the limo herself starts to brew.

A grin comes her way from the woman's companion. "That wouldn't look good for the press. I thought you said to keep a low profile, anyway?" The other woman sat across from her with blunt cut bangs and long black hair kept loose, yet hers has more volume than her friend, who has a sleek look with soft curls on the ends. The big difference between them, besides their clothing, is that she has brown fox ears and a slender brown tail that's half her height. "Besides, we get to finish our ice cream sandwiches!"

Looking at her friend blissfully enjoying the treat only makes her give a wry smile before biting into hers. Pistachio ice cream sandwiches are hard to come by, and she knew eating them on the literal fly wouldn't have been all that enjoyable. "I wonder what this Indigo person is like. She and her family's rich, so what sort of event do they need me to sing at?" Her tone comes off as already bored with rich people using their status to pull special requests. "Why else would she contact Benny for a meeting with Vivid?" She licks the sides of the ice cream bar, trying to prevent any of it from dripping down her fingers. It's then that she opens up a hidden compartment of the seat next to her for a box of tissues and uses one to hold the ice cream sandwich, handing another tissue to her friend. "And you know how picky he is about who gets to chat chit with me in private."

Now it was the other woman's turn to shrug, thanking her for the tissue. "You're a big name celebrity, Ria, so who knows what they could want. Just don't agree to be a mascot or anything." She continues eating her treat, using a napkin to wipe off what little of the ice cream that was melting onto her fingers.

"Yeah, that's your job, Nira," is the quip Ria gives before Nira throws the tissue she used at her, causing Ria to laugh while Nira smiles.

"These ears don't equal a mascot, okay!" Nira goes in for a bite, pausing just before to add: "and neither does the tail!"

With the atmosphere much more lively, the drive down the busy streets of City Center seems much faster. After finishing their treats, they ready themselves to present their personas to the world. Ria clips in a few loose curled neon green hair extensions onto the underside of her hair, touching up her foundation, lining her dark almond eyes with shocking blue liner, and matching the liner with a matte lipstick.

As her friend prepares for their meeting, Nira watches the scenery pass by. The buildings are pointier than what she's used to, with their lack of luster. She knows living in the city is vastly different from the outskirts where they live, yet she still couldn't get over how harsh the architecture is.