Dark Star Rising Chapter 0.5
AIM
By Lina Darkstar
ff3Desh: You’re kidding.
Liz42: I’m absolutely serious.
ff3Desh: You lost track of it then, or you fell asleep.
Liz42: I retraced the constellations over and over. I got up, walked around, and looked back up. It still wasn’t there. I probably would have started jumping up and down, only my brother woke up when he heard me on the roof.
ff3Desh: Yikes ;)
Liz42: No kidding.
I sighed, remembering. Doug had been leaning out the window, whisper-screaming as quietly as possible to keep Father from waking up. His face was rapidly purpling from the effort, an interesting color to mix with his bright red hair. I’d slipped off the roof, slid through the second window, and padded down the stairs without a word. Some of the remarks he flung at my retreating back still stung. I shook my head and returned to AIM.
Liz42: But still!
ff3Desh: “When faced with the impossible...”
Liz42: So the improbable, then, is that Alhena went supernova. Except I went to astronomy.com and there was nothing.
ff3Desh: *goes and looks*
Liz42: A few bits of ice and rock continue to whirl around the universe; that’s all it says.
ff3Desh: Heh
ff3Desh: Doesn’t that pretty much summarize the entire activity of the
universe to date?
Liz42: Hehe
Liz42: I suppose so.
Liz42: ...except the inexplicable disappearance of a large and well-known
star.
Inexplicable? What an odd word to use. I’d grown so used to being able to explain anything, I suppose. If one learns the explanations to everything she once considered mysterious and unknowable, true mystery and wonder quickly become extinct.
I smiled slightly, opened up a small text document entitled “Possible Theses,” and added a sentence to the list.
American public schooling unconsciously promotes atheism by leaving nothing to faith or chance.
A small *bip* drew my attention back to AIM.
ff3Desh: o.o
Liz42: ?
ff3Desh: www.skywatchers.net
Liz42: *looks*
Liz42: !!!
ff3Desh: ...
ff3Desh: I don’t think you fell asleep.
Liz42: And mass hallucination is such the overused bogus explanation that I won’t even bring it up.
ff3Desh: heh
Liz42: Ok, so astronomy.com is worthless, good to know, but what does it mean!?
ff3Desh: Er, Google is good?
Liz42: ... *thinking madly*
ff3Desh: Don’t hurt yourself.
Liz42: Aw, c’mon, Desh, aren’t you the least bit interested?
ff3Desh: Sure. But it doesn’t seem like a solvable problem.
I envy Desh sometimes. He’s the most rational and clear-thinking person I know.
ff3Desh: Come up with anything?
Liz42: Maybe it was eaten.
ff3Desh: ...
Liz42: I don’t know! I can’t think of anything! It didn’t supernova, it didn’t leave anything behind, it just disappeared!
ff3Desh: So maybe there isn’t an explanation.
Liz42: I have to find one.
ff3Desh: ...
ff3Desh: Why?
Liz42: Alhena is important.
Liz42: ...that didn’t say much, did it?
ff3Desh: Not really.
Liz42: This star... holds a strong and concrete place in the universe as
I perceive it.
Liz42: With its absence, I feel as if my entire universe is fundamentally
disrupted.
Liz42: ...that still didn’t say much.
ff3Desh: Good luck.
Liz42: :) Thanks.
ff3Desh: :)
“Hey, Amelia, I needta check my email.”
My smile quickly faded at the sound of my brother’s brusque and unwelcome voice. For a long moment, I simply stared at the screen, thinking through all the things I’d love to say to him if he weren’t bigger and nastier than I.
First off, it’s Liz, you idiot. I haven’t gone by my first name in five years, thanks for noticing. And even then, it was Amy, dork. Secondly, was that a “May I please use your laptop?” Nooo, of course not, just because Father’s promised you he’ll cut off my internet access if I don’t lend you my computer, you’ve decided that the standard courtesy you’d give to any girl you met on the street is too good for your own sister. Fuck you. I’m busy.
But, of course, I wouldn’t say anything of the sort to my own brother, now would I?
Liz42: Aa, gtg, my bro wants online. Thanks for finding Skywatchers for me! *hugs*
ff3Desh: You’re welcome. :) Bye!
ff3Desh: *hugs*
Liz42: Bye!
<Liz42 signed off at 6:46 pm>