Cosmos

C

"You are the universe but society teaches limitation."

- The Afterlife of Billy Fingers

* * *

Despite the dark shade of blue that blanketed the night sky, myriad of stars still scattered its twinkling lights like little fireflies in a garden. The cool wind blew like a storm, causing leaves from trees to rustle aimlessly in the peak of midnight. In the midst of the beautiful chaos, sitting alone on her backyard, a girl remained motionless, continuing to admire what was above. She only hugged her knees to her chin, letting her body heat sink in. Her eyes sparked never ending awe at the sight the unique heavenly bodies had to offer.

At the center of it all, there was the gleaming moon, its curves and lunar spots distinguished all too clearly. The girl smiled to herself. Her love for what was beyond there was too much. It often made her curious, enthralled, and eager on what lied over the layers of atmosphere on the planet she lived in.

"Artemis."

Her eyes immediately tore off like it was a burden doing so. She glanced at the source of the call, eyes being met with her neighbour and best friend, Orion. Unusual name to say the least, but Artemis thought that in all honesty, it was endearing. Well, both of their names were.

"Hey," she just said.

She felt him sit next to her when their skins unexpectedly touch. It caused a flow of shudders surge along her but she recomposed herself and even managed to scoot a little, leaving decent spaces between them.

"Admiring the sky again, are we?"

She nodded. "It's just beautiful to look at. Makes one wonder what's out there."

The boy's eyes flickered faintly, gazing upon the diverse lights up above. He observed each star very carefully, letting the silence sink between them. It wasn't soon that his sight fell to the unsuspecting girl, taking immediate notice of her blooming and sweet features.

Her hair was the same shade as the night, naturally wavy as it blew with the wind. Her eyes sparked innocence and youth, like it was actually a part of the light show above them. Her skin was pale, one of the things she disliked the most about herself and one of the things that Orion would always hear her complain about. However, the way the gibbous moon highlighted every inch of her face, surfaced all the appealing features Orion never knew his best friend could even possess. Her skin reminded him of a snowflake. Intricate and pretty. This thought slightly took him off guard, releasing an awkward cough in the process.

"Isn't it amazing?"

The boy's reverie was cut down suddenly. "What's amazing?"

"What's out there," she replied, then gave a quick inhale of air. "Clusters of stars, balls of hot plasma, floating rocks, darkness, and the unknown. Kind of a shame that we couldn't see everything with a naked eye, a different perspective could change how we see everything -- everyone.

It's just that sometimes, we just sit here and be damned wondering what our place is in the cosmos," she added, glancing at Orion for a sheer moment then turning back up.

"As humans?"

"As individuals. You'll never know, Orion. Tomorrow might be the end of the world where aliens invade the planet or some kind of existential shit. But the question is, what have you done so far? Are you satisfied with the past seventeen years of your life, huh? Are you? Some might have excelled more than you ever had, some might have experienced less. No one's the same and that's the truth."

Orion paused to think. It was an excruciating period for him to reminisce all his successes, failures and in-between. His face expressed different emotions thereafter, taking to account all of the memories that replayed to him like a movie in a theatre. Fiddling his thumbs nervously, he looked towards Artemis.

"I guess, it's just the present we have to worry about. Make most of it while we still can . . . uh, is that what you're implying, Artie?" Orion asked.

She rolled her eyes, ignoring Orion's special nickname for her. She then held up her hands high, stretching it as much as she could. It looked as if she was reaching for something – something that was beyond to Orion's understanding. The sudden and enigmatic gesture startled him as his eyes started blinking profusely. His interest piqued even further, as he watched in utter confusion at what kind of objective did Artemis' actions could possibly gain.

"Look at the stars, Orion," she said, pointing towards the bodies of light that continued to magically shine. Orion obeyed her and focused his sight to one shimmering star, then on to another, then another. Some stars brightened far more than the others, but Orion admired them either way. Soon, he formed a line of stars, connected the dots like he was working from a preschool textbook.

A figure soon dawned to him.

"That's Orion," she whispered. "The Greek huntsman that was placed among the stars by Zeus as a constellation. He was strong, brave -- blah, mythology, facts, blah -- and was known to be undeniably handsome."

Orion the human cannot help but snort when hearing this. "Tell me about it."

But then, with a single glance at the girl he was with, registering the natural beauty she effortlessly framed, he added, "It was also said that he was a loyal companion to the Moon Goddess --"

"Artemis," she answered for him. Both of them seemingly locked their gazes at each other, an unknown fuzzy feeling rising in their chests. The girl's cheeks started to heat up . . . odd.

"I knew that," he stated deliberately.

"We both did."