Without Me

Home (Ch.4)

So I did everything the old alien told me to do. I passed that green dwarf planet, went through the Oedipus asteroid belt (which was a pretty bumpy ride) and now I'm drifting through space trying to find that place "where no star shines" or whatever. But I'm seeing shining stars everywhere. Something is telling me I'm heading the wrong way... or those aliens were complete wackos. Confused and frustrated at this point, I took a break and started eating my purple mango. It tasted like a blueberry apple fusion and I was completely weirded out by it, but it will have to suffice. The longer I stared at the discolored mango the more I thought about chili mangos. At home I would always sprinkle chili on my mangos because it just made the taste ten times better. And then I started to remember all the wonderful foods my mama cooked for me. I can't wait to come back home. I- my train of thought was suddenly interrupted as the pod rocked forward. I felt a source of energy pulse through the entire pod.

I put down my mango and looked around. Everything. Was. Pitch. Black. No stars in site, no comets, no asteroids, no planets, no moons. It's like the time we went through different wormholes when the teladuv teleported us away. Only I was in a small and fragile little escape pod instead of a lion. And there was no source of light in sight. The inside of my pod was flashing it's emergency light from the brash movement and I started to panic. "Oh Jesus I'm gonna die, dear lord I'm sorry for all the times I called Keith a mullet head, I'm so sorry for all the times I made fun of his stupid hair, I'm so sorry for all the times I pranked Hunk and Pidge please spare my life!" I mumbled on. I shut my eyes and braced myself, not really sure knowing what to do. The only thing that was calming me down was my stupid sense of humor, which I somehow manage to keep even in the most dire times.

After a few minutes passed I opened one eye and looked around. The emergency light stopped flashing and when I looked out of the pod I saw stars! And planets and comets and asteroids! Everything! Never in my life would I be so relieved to see all different sources of light in space. "I'm not dead am I?" I asked as I patted myself down to make sure everything was in tact and sighed with relief. As the pod continued to drift forward I spotted a familiar looking planet. When I saw the blue and green spots with the fluffy white clouds from afar I couldn't believe it. As I drew closer a smile began to grow on my face and tears began to flood my vision. I'm home. I'm home.

Little did I know that on Earth all hell broke loose in my absence. Thousands of fleets of Galra settled there. Humans and Galra at war from left to right. I was terrified, seeing my planet in complete disarray. All this time I thought my home was safe from the Galra. That I was protecting it from the Galra when I was fighting as a paladin of Voltron. But I was wrong. I was scared for my family, hoping that all of them were safe and sound. Through the chaos I managed to find my home, which thankfully wasn't turned into ruble yet.

I parked my little escape pod in the driveway and got out, eager to stretch my arms and legs and move around. It felt so nice to be out in the open again, and to breathe in the familiar scents of home. I walked down the little cobblestone path that led to the front door, and there I froze in my place. What if my family is mad at me for leaving without as much as a goodbye? I thought. I've been gone for so long. I hesitated, then took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. My desire to see my family no matter how angry they were with me outweighed my fear. Seconds felt like painstaking hours before someone answered the door. "I'm coming." A sweet and sullen voice said from the other side. My mother's voice. I shook with anticipation. I'm going to be reunited with my family again.

The door opened, and there I saw her. I never forgot the way she looked. She always kept her hair in nice and neat waves. Even though people say I look more like my papa I always thought I looked more like my mama. She is such a strong woman who I admire deeply. At that moment we both stared at each other with wide eyes, not sure what to do. An awkward silence stood between me and my mom. Hesitantly I broke it. "Mama." I said with a shaky voice, "I'm home."
She furrowed her brows and looked perplexed. "Who are you?"