Bleeding Stars ✓

© 2014 Lujayn Ambers. All rights reserved

Author's Note: Bleeding Stars received honorable mention in Challenge 6 competition held by Wattpad Scifi. This story is set in the same universe as my novella Missing Stars but it can be read as a stand-alone.

Bleeding Stars

The stars bleed tonight.

My fingers grip the cold railing as I watch blood drip across the glass dome. A loud boom echoes in the observation deck and the crowd gasps. Huge spears stab the sky, tearing it to pieces. Then the stars bleed again.

That is what the fireworks remind me of.

More of them shoot to the heavens, red sparks brighter than the stars.  Another volley follows—red again. Each round is punctuated by faint static, an indication the fireworks are not real.

"They're pretty," Ellie says.

"Yes," I lie.

When the hologram fades, I see the real stars twinkling in space. A low murmur replaces the loud booms. Droids slip through the crowd, offering drinks. A clique of noisy guests laugh and clink their glasses. One of them—my cousin Asha—waves at me from below the platform and whoops. I wave back.

The glass dome flickers with colors and my uncle's holographic face appears. My throat goes dry. My limbs feel weak. I ease out a breath and plaster a fake smile on my face.

"Today, we're gathered to celebrate not only the return of my niece to Europa but to rejoice the most special day of her life," my uncle says.  "Happy Birthday, Rajani."

My uncle smiles at me. It takes me every ounce of strength to not flinch or look away. His face is a mirror of my father's, from the crinkle in his eyes to the grey strands of hair near his ears, the cleft on his chin to the gap in his left eyebrow.

"Thank you, Uncle," I say.

Behind him, a giant sphere shimmers with life. The Elysium, Europa's largest water garden and the legacy my parents left behind. It is home to the rarest aquatic plants in the universe. I spot my family's logo on the side of the sphere, the letter N crossed with two diagonal lines.

The sight of The Elysium brings a rush of memories to my mind. My parents hadn't come up with the idea of the water garden two years ago when the construction of the sphere had begun. It had always been their big dream, one they shared with me in my childhood.

I think of Mom lying on the floor beside me, a hologram of various plant species floating above our heads. She'd taught me their names and their uses and I had been eager to memorize them all. I remember Dad showing me how to draw a blueprint of the sphere, the way his forehead furrowed in concentration. He'd laughed at my crooked sketches and ruffled my hair.

I turn my gaze away from the sphere to the massive cepheline walls keeping the underwater city safe. A hundred years ago, my ancestors discovered cepheline in the depths of the oceans underneath Europa's fractured ice and began mining it. The mineral is used in the construction of buildings, infrastructure and appliances and Nadar Holdings controls its supply in the city. That is how we came into power.   

A round of applause fills the room, drawing my attention back to my uncle's speech. He informs the crowd that The Elysium is to be opened on the day I will take over the family business.

"Ten hours left, Uncle!" Asha yells.

The crowd erupts into hoots and laughter.

Asha is right. There are only ten hours left before our spaceliner Oberon lands in Europa. I know I will be whisked away the moment I step foot in my homeland, a line of bodyguards at my wake, a horde of paparazzi following me like moths to a flame.