Cosmos (tentative title)

Chapter One: Celeste

When I get to Andromeda, the first thing I do is cut off as much of my hair as possible. Thick chunks of black hair fall to my feet, and settle there, like little bits of shadow. When I look at it I begin to feel better. The long hair I once wore, customary for Air District royalty (the longer your braids, the better, my mother always said), lays around me like dead flowers. I'm leaving a life behind as I begin this new guardianship. I'm not a princess anymore. I'm no longer held under my father's thumb like a gnat, I'm not living in my sister's shadow, I'm not disappointing my mother. I'm Celeste, that's all. I look at the scissors in my hand and the hair at my feet and suddenly I don't feel so scared anymore. I'm thousands of light years from home, yes, but homesickness is overrated anyway. Chopping off my hair separates me further from home than the distance between Andromeda and Earth.

I'm working alongside three others, from each district. There's me, from the Air District; Cenere, from the Fire District; Marina, from the Water District; and Daichi, from the Earth District. Each of them, like me, but with the exception of Marina, are the second-born children to District royalty. Second-born only because the first born must take over the Districts after their parents' retirements. Really, we're unimportant until all of the standing guardians pass. Each guardian gets about a century to do their thing, protect the Earth from impending doom and all that, and then they die. Frankly, though, they're rarely needed. They came in at the eleventh hour after the old Earth collapsed due to climate crisis, but otherwise they're distant. Once each guardian has died, though, The second-born children from each District take over the position. It's a running deal the four Districts of Earth have after getting their asses saved by the Zodiacs. Previously, the guardians were taken from other planets at random. Now, Earth sacrifices four kids between the ages of thirteen and twenty five and sends them away to Andromeda for the rest of their lives.

I look at myself in the mirror provided in my temporary room. I don't totally recognize the girl looking back at me, but I like her. My hair frames my face now, bringing out the fierce gray of my eyes. It makes me feel like I actually belong in such a position as "guardian". I stare at myself for a little while longer, but eventually I have to shake myself and clean up my mess.

In the hallway, I nearly  collide with a strange looking woman. She has one face, but it's split in two with a golden mask. She looks at me in surprise.

"Do you know where I could find a broom?" I ask, quietly. I still haven't quite found my comfort here. The woman nods, smiles, and pulls out a compact cell phone. She must know exactly what I've done, judging by the expression on her face. "I'll have it delivered to you." She says, moving away from me smoothly. Feeling awkward, I return to my temporary room.

About fifteen minutes later, I've gotten the broom and I've cleaned up my mess. Now, I'm lying on my bed, hands clasped on my stomach, and wondering what will happen next. The lights outside and around me flicker off as the activity in the background slows to a stop. Nothing, I guess. I roll over, place my glasses on a nearby chair, and fall asleep.

My hair looks much worse after sleeping on it for the night, so I spend a ridiculous amount of time trying to revive and style it after my short shower. The other guardians and I are expected to be down to the plaza for official introductions in an hour, and I'm swimming in regret. My hair looks awful now, and nothing I do has saved it. Andromeda doesn't carry any gels or mousses, not that I've seen, so my hair is organically messy. And frizzy beyond belief. Holy shit.

I don't have much more time to fuss, unfortunately. Amnis, Libra's loyal assistant, knocks at my door softly. "Hello, Miss Celeste," she calls. "Libra is ready for you!" Without replying, I slide off of my vanity stool and sling the government provided satchel over my shoulder. No matter what else I do, I will scour Andromeda's version of a drugstore for some type of hair product. A straightener or some decent conditioner, maybe.