When You Wish Upon a Star

Chapter One

"INCOMING!"

The building shook furiously as we all held on to the stationary poles and handlebars attached to the crisp white walls. This was a daily ritual for S.T.A.R. Laboratories, so after the shaking stopped, everyone just went back to their normal activities. S.T.A.R. Labs is the biggest corporate office in all of Mercury, home of a group of special agents who work towards the happiness of people on Earth. It collects wishes from people who wish upon shooting stars, and when the wish is made, the star collapses on our planet, holding the wish within its core. That's what has created so many craters on Mercury.

I hoped since I was a child to work at S.T.A.R. Labs, it's always been my dream to make people happy. It was an amazing dream, but I never truly believed I could pursue it, with my fleshly nature usually getting in the way of my heart's true intent. Yet here I was, standing in the center of S.T.A.R. Laboratories and looking out of the glass window overlooking the extraterrestrial city of Sopae. About ten years earlier I arrived here, one of the first groups of people to live virtually safely in a known area in space. When I arrived I was 12, and I was beyond excited. I was the only one in the shuttle that didn't seem incredibly frightened, and I was more excited about traveling to a new realm than anyone else. People are scared of what they don't know much about.

"Arianna! The director wants to see you,"

"Be there in a second, Louise." Uh oh, this can't be good.

I knocked lightly on the foggy white glass door and stepped inside. The spacey light blues, majestic deep purples and brilliant white lights blinded me as my dark gray boots clicked on the smooth black floor that reflected the galaxies from the skylight above. I had never been in the director's office before, but apparently no one knew what he looked like. He could be a freaky alien for all anyone knew. I heard the slight squeak of the pearly white swivel chair as it spun around towards me, and then I saw, looking upon me, a dark figure, it's body perfectly hidden in the shadows, holding up a white and gold mask to it's face. The gold detailing on the mask provided an apt shape for the figure's face, so it wasn't a formless blob.

Okay, so maybe it's not a freaky alien.

A sparkly yet strong voice sounded from behind the facial covering, unrecognizable. Clearly a voice modulator. "Arianna, you have been assigned a mission from across time and space. One that I feel no agent other than you will be able to complete successfully," the voice said.

"Me? But you've never even met me, how do you know I'll be able to complete it? I'm nowhere near as talented as the other agents in S.T.A.R. Labs," My voice shook, and I had to clear my throat.

"I've met you now, and I've seen you around."

"You've seen me around? But you're always in your glass room... thing," I shook my head, confused.

"Well we clearly need to work on your confidence issues..." A deep resounding laugh bubbled from behind the mask. "You have been assigned. Your mission is to find someone's true love."

"Sounds easy enough," I replied, "I've always wanted to be a matchmaker."

"It's more complicated than that. The agency usually grants wishes from here, in Mercury. But for this particular mission you will have to travel back down to Earth."

"What? But I thought I never had to go back there," I looked up sharply.

"I know you've never wanted to return since your parents passed away in that fire. I know this seems like a safe haven. But sometimes, you just have to face reality."

"I thought this was my dream job! It has been, but now you're telling me I have to go back to the place where my parents were murdered?!" I was close to tears now, almost screaming at my own boss. "Why would you pick me, of all people, to go down there?"

"Because I know how you are Arianna! How you've always been," the director stood up from the chair, revealing a small sliver of a black glove, clearly used to cover up markings of some kind.

"I know you'll spend your life trapped in a bubble if you can, not willing to go out and do something brave."

"The bravest thing I've ever done is to come here, to Mercury. I'm not turning my back on that life-changing decision." I replied.

"Don't you want to be able to die knowing you lived a full life? Don't you want to make your parents proud?"

Those last words hit a nerve. I stood silently for a few seconds. "Alright," I swallowed. "what do I need to do?"