Astrid Blu: Orion's Curse

Portals

Arthur notices the fact that Astrid seemed to be disturbed after he broke the news to her. The news she was waiting for since the day she came here. The fact that Astrid must return to her home planet was not a pleasuring news to him either. But he can't let her know that he is sad or that he doesn't want her to leave. After all, what right does he have to stop her from going back? He is just a stranger she met only yesterday. He walks with Astrid following him. He doesn't dare to start a conversation. He keeps his gaze on the floor while heading towards the library for something he doesn't even want to do. Overwhelming silence was the only thing between them, throughout the journey to the library.

The door to the big room full of books was wide open, this time. With a keenly concentrated Katherine sitting on a chair, with a book. The whole table was clean and neat unlike the last time. All the books which were scattered on the table was now neatly placed on the side of the table. Arthur walked in without saying a word. His usual giddy aura was long gone. With a serious expression on, which is quite foreign on his face, he elegantly sits down on the chair beside his sister's. He motions her to take the seat across him. She quickly sits on the chair made of wood placed right across Arthur.

Katherine was still immersed in the book she was reading. She probably noticed them coming in. She is just choosing not to give it any attention. It seemed classy of her.

"So, did you sleep tight?" She asks out of nowhere. Her eyes still deep inside the book.

"Yes." Astrid keeps her answer short and classy, just like how Katherine is.

"Mm. So, I kind of found a way for you to return to your home planet. But, it's too complicated. And let me tell you, it's not going to happen any time soon." She says and turns her attention back into the book.

Astrid felt relived. Not at the fact that she finally found a way, but at how she will get to spend some more days over here. She wanted to return but, at the same time, wanted to stay here, forever. She would never say that to anyone though. Not to Arthur, not to Katherine, not to any one after she returns. They would think she's nuts. Someone on their right mind would never want to stay somewhere unknown, somewhere that isn't proven to exist, somewhere away from earth. That's what Blue Haven is, after all. A place she neither knew nor ever will. Unknown but beautiful. Astrid cannot stop thinking about all the possibilities through which she could get back to earth. What is the plan?

"Cathy, enough reading. Tell her more about it. She deserves to know." Arthur speaks up. But, his sister doesn't even budge. She simply ignores him and continues flipping some pages and reading them. Her eyes squint as she holds the book in her hand. She lays it onto the table, and looks straight at Astrid.

"Here," she looks at Arthur and motions for him to come closer to the book. "Read this. This was all I could find, after searching throughout the library." She sighs, clearly exhausted after the big search.

Astrid leans in and takes the book in her hands. Arthur moves from his chair and walks to the other side of the table to sit beside her. He looks into the page which is opened.

A picture of a blue blob. And a few things written here and there with black ink. It was a handwritten book. The scribbling were really hard to understand. On the top right, something is written with different and large letters. It read 'Gaea'.

"What's Gaea?" Astrid asked Katherine.

"Earth." Instead, Arthur answered almost instantly.

She looked over him. He was still immersed in the book. His lips slowly moving as he is whispering the words while reading them.

"Earth? Gaea is earth. So this is earth?" She points towards the deformed blue figure on the picture.

"Yes, that's what it says." Arthur mumbles.