Cristina - The Last Star Child

Ground Rules/History

David

Two cars ahead, the red compact car drove fast but somewhat reserved. I knew I'd startled her, and though at the time it had seemed a good idea to approach Cristina immediately after her work shift, perhaps I should have waited until she was back at home. Then again, the chances of her letting me into her apartment then were likely zero. Ryan would likely not be happy to know I had scared her. Not when finding her had taken us this long. In my defense, Cristina was in a lot of danger, and the quicker she knew that and who she was, the quicker we could ensure her safety. The safety of the fifth and final Star child was all that mattered.

The team had been around for years. Operating in the shadows, and always waiting for the Star children. They had seen many gifted agents over their time, each giving much of themselves in the pursuit of harmony. They had interfered when needed, and they had stopped what they could. Once they found the first Star, the team had been a bit riskier, but again, only interfering with events within their realm. The next two Stars had been found almost at the same time, making them a team of three. The excitement and the energy of the team had been at its highest then. When Amy, the fourth Star was found, they felt that everything they'd planned and fought for had been worth it. The world would be protected at last. Then, tragedy struck. Amy, though gifted, was impulsive, and her quick decisions and mistakes had caused problems. During their last team mission, Amy's reluctance to wait had given them away. Amy was destined to be the fifth Star's partner, and for this reason, Clara and Karl had given their lives to save her. Now, there was only Amy and Brock left. The first and fourth Stars.

I'd promised to stay back a bit, but two cars was all I was willing to give her. As she turned into the school parking lot, I pulled over on the opposite side of the road, carefully watching the entrance. It was my job as Cristina's protector to ensure her safety. It had taken the team 25 years to locate her, and she was the last of the Star children, and the most important. They had already lost two Stars, and Amy was in need of her partner. I was destined to protect the Star children like my father and grandfather before me. Although the rest of the Stars knew me as the team leader, I was their protector above all else. Cristina was not in the school long. As she came out the door, I could see her walking with Henry and Hope on either side of her, holding their hands. The fact that our fifth Star was a mother was not something we had prepared for, but the circumstances of their births was far from normal. All the research I'd done last night after Cristina had been identified had made one thing clear, Cristina's two children were her weakness. She would do anything to protect them, and this was evident by all she had already given up for them.

Cristina pulled out of the parking lot and began the drive home. It wasn't far, this I knew. I had already visited her apartment earlier in the day, conducting a security sweep of the building and carefully installing our own monitoring system to watch over her. I did not have access to her apartment, but after tonight, that would be remedied easily. As she walked to the door, I noticed she looked back when she saw me pull in. She let her children in and pointed to the call box next to her. She expected me to ring, this was easy to understand.

I parked my car in the visitor's lot and walked to the front. I dialed Cristina's apartment and heard the ringer and waited. Would she answer? Would she let me in? I certainly hoped she did, it would make it easier. I could let myself into the building without her, but something told me that I would have to play by Cristina's rules if I had any hope of gaining her trust. This was the first step. After a few minutes, Cristina answered.

"Hi. I will let you in, and you can knock when you get up here. As far as Henry and Hope, they believe you are here to help me with my schoolwork. You can join us for dinner, and we can talk after when they have a break before bed. Bedtime is at 8 pm, you have to leave by then."So she'd set some ground rules, this was expected. She was thorough, something I admired already.

"I accept the terms and will see you shortly." As I finished, I heard the door unlock. It seemed that for now, I had her trust.