Chapter 4- Bitch- a - thon

Me and Braun were lucky to have such connections to a supergiant as we do. We got this huge suite with 3 rooms, 4 projectors, and its own studies. I spent at least 3 days videotaping the entire thing. Ryko needed to see this! I couldn’t record a voiceover though, so I figured I'd just tell her everything as soon as I got back. I was in Braun’s study for the millionth time today, but this time I was there with a true purpose. “Braun.” “Yes, Rayes. Do you have a good reason to be in here this time because I was just about to get on this ca-,” He caught a glimpse of what was above my hand. “Isn’t he beautiful? I never thought I'd get one! I’m gonna name him Vee,” I said to him jumping up and down excitedly. “A planet already! How old are you?” “300.” *300,000,000 in human years.* “I’m only 5 years younger than you and you have two though! That isn’t fair!” He looks at me annoyed. “Oh I don’t know, maybe it's a bit unfair that I can’t fuse properly either. You know the whole hydrogen- helium thing,” ohhh right. I forget he can’t do that all the time. Why do other stars even care? “Pffft, that doesn’t matter, you’re literally just as much a star as me or any other one! And just as smart, maybe even smart- er?” I say, swirling my finger in some dust that somehow found its way into my orbit. “Well, that never mattered to anyone but my mom and you. . .even if it doesn't do much thank you. The universe needs more people who don’t have their heads stuck up their asses,” he says, and turns back to his computer and smiles. I look down at Vee. He’s made of all this gas and dust, and he isn’t like me on the surface. He’s cold and icy and his skin is soft and sensitive and I'm careful not to burn it. He’s just like a baby. I can see why Ryko is so defensive of her planets now, the fact that one day I might have to hurt him. . . hurts me.

I wanted to get my mind off the future, and decided to walk around the arena. I had never been in Spira’s galaxy before. Or any one other than my own, that of Sagittarius A*. I felt so small and unimportant walking in these ivory halls. It was almost as if I could see everything in the universe looking out the large windows. But even more things were with me in the arena. I saw stars over twice my size, loads of them. A lot of them were talking about all different things, like how they were gonna win the competition and their newest fighting tactics. Some were talking about who they knew they were gonna “crush” and who they were scared to go up against. The name “Portia” popped up a few times. I stared up at the skylight ceiling and looked around at the seating areas to see if one was small enough to get onto. I found one that looked good enough and shyly put Vee down. I scooted onto the seat myself and just. . . sat and wondered what to do. So many people were passing by and. . .Braun? “Braun!” He turned his head and started making his way towards me. “I was looking all over for you! Man do you even know your way around here?” I. . . . I didn’t.

“No. . .” He rolled his eyes.

“And if you had gotten lost?”

“I’d ask for directions.”

“As if anyone here would give them to you? They’d have to hear you first and they tower over you with height and conversation! “

“I’d ask another red dwarf!”

“They’re in a whole other part of the arena, you see this one isn’t the fittest for-”

“Red dwarfs,” A girl answers. She looks irritated. “Your little friend is right. Your type shouldn’t be here, get back to where you belong, will you?” Who did these people actually think they were? “Excuse me? Why is there a seat this small here if I can’t be here at all? And who the hell are you to tell me I can’t?” I hadn’t noticed a group of stars around her size gathered around her and they were all snickering. I sat back,crossed my arms, and closed my eyes, putting on a fake stuck up act. Braun looked terrified.

“What did you just say to me? Do you understand the situation you're in? I could crush you!”

“Mmmm, what? I couldn’t hear what you said, sorry.”

“I could really hurt you! I could!”

“Oh that’s too bad, I had hoped we’d have an honest, agreeable conversation. But. . .you're not loud enough! So sad.” I pouted my lips.

“Your gonna fucking die!”

“Yeah. . .um. . . no, but come back in a few- actually a lot more than a few trillion years. Us red dwarfs live for a pretty long time! And stay the same while doing so. . . cool.”

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

*Preface: Red dwarfs are cooler stars, but their energy output is horribly unstable. This isn’t gonna be a big part of the story (yet. . .) but I don’t want anyone coming after me for being scientifically inaccurate.*

That set whoever this random girl was off. She was a blue star, and they don't stay blue too long. They cool to red, just like us. She lunged at me and Braun who might I remind you said nothing to her, but was stopped by this yellow star behind her. “Portia, portia, you’re gonna hurt yourself!” Her curly hair had become visibly engulfed by flames and was turning purple. Purple is the hottest of the hot for us stars. Her skin was getting purple too, and the star behind her was seriously struggling to hold her back. I was starting to actually get worried, and looked around for Braun who was nowhere to be seen, but heard a voice in the crowd of stars that was louder than all.

“She’s gonna hurt who?”

It was Miss Sahl and another star accompanying her. “Portia, I urge you to control your temper! If you hurt someone I will assure you are disqualified from the competition, and most of us know you are almost bound to win it.” She held out her hand to Portia and she climbed on. “Miss Sahl, I asked them to move to their designated sections and they didn’t listen. I’m their senior! They should-""Portia, you know this section of the arena allows everyone, and she could have been trying to learn her way around,” Sahl sets Portia back down. “Mekomia, Ramos, take Portia to the infirmary and assure she has no burn scars from overheating,” the star with Sahl looks up in fury. “Sahl why do I have to? Why can’t you do it? You were the one who got involved in this whole-""Stop it Mekomia! It's your job as a supergiant to assure the citizens are safe, and I must deal with the others!” Mekomia groans and yells for Ramos and Portia to hurry up. With Portia’s arm around his shoulder, the star holding her back before scurries behind Mekomia as fast as he could keep up.

“Now, what happened?”

. . .

“And I really wasn’t doing anything! Neither was Braun and she got all upset with the both of us! Was I really all that wrong to defend myself?” I rolled over in my seat so my face was close to Vee’s. “Oh lord Rayes, we truly do need more brave souls like you.” Sahl says with laughter. “Speaking of Braun, where is he?” I hadn’t even thought about that yet. I had a clue though. I got on my knees and looked behind the couch I was sitting on. As expected, Braun was crouched behind it. Crying. “Hey, it’s alright now! The Portia girl is gone,” He looked up at me with teary eyes and I couldn’t help starting a frown. I held out my hand and let gravity pull him up. Sahl made her way over and looked around trying to find him. He started sniffling though, and that seemed to work. “Braun! Oh my, are you okay?” “Yeah, thanks ma-,” “Sahl!” Mekomia appears from behind us, seeming livid. “Can you stop dragging me into your weak charity work! I’d appreciate not being thrown into these awful preschool affairs!” She points at Sahl’s face with a sharp red fingernail; Sahl slaps it away. “You know your duties, don’t act like this is a burden to you, Mekomia.” “You're always going so far to help your lousy little orphans! They know what some stars may do to them and still wandered around a place that wasn’t welcoming of them, that isn’t my issue!”

Sahl gets up from off her knees and dusts off her dress. “Yes it is if we sense someone is in danger, or at least I believe so,” her gaze hardens on Mekomia’s eyes. Daring her to keep speaking.“Not anymore.” The words came out of her mouth slowly, a reminder of the uselessness of caring at all in the first place. “I don’t want to talk to you right now. You can’t even handle your duty to be a role model and protector of the people. . . supergiant of natural beauty? What a joke, Mekomia. You can barely even be beautiful on the inside,” Sahl turns her head away from her and starts to walk away. Mekomia turns her head to the side in frustration and anguish; I saw she was holding back words. “You’re still the same after all these years Sahl! Won’t you ever understand you can’t do anything? This is how things are now! For fuck’s sake just. . . deal with it!” Mekomia looks as if she might choke on her tongue. I chew on mine; If I speak I may be damned. Braun Sits silent and peaks from behind the hiding couch. He watches it all happen quietly. “She’s wrong,” He whispers in my ear. “I think. . . my mom did change a bit.”

“What do you mean?” Braun looks hesitant, it's like me, him, Mekomia, and Sahl are all at a big awkward family dinner. Chewing on our words and food instead of saying anything. In our instance, there was no food. . . or hydrogen. Just arena’s and awkward silence. “I mean. . .Mekomia isn’t only the supergiant of natural beauty, she’s also known for her position of general knowledge. Back when was quite young, before the war of elders she wouldn’t dare speak of her natural beauty. She lived by the notion that because Mekomia was so horrible personality wise, she shouldn’t be recognized as beautiful in any way.” “Wait- that. . . what do you think it means anyway?” He lies his head down on the top of the couch and sighs. “I don’t know. . .there have just been so many things off. I wonder if maybe the war caused her to forget things. . .or something. Maybe the impact was traumatic or something? She’s just been a bit of a different person ever since. I’ve tried to ask her about it but. . .it seemed like she was keeping something from me.” “I mean, I'm sure that was it. I was only 15, but I still was so scared and I felt so affected I barely wanted to talk about it at all or even move from my prefecture. One of the fronts was next to mine since an important supergiant was in the neighboring one. My sister is still affected by it I think. She never wants to express her emotions or anything,” “I know. I was 20, and Sahl was involved. I never was allowed near the fights but. . .it's said she suffered a pretty bad injury.” I turned away from Vee and looked at Braun. “Really? What did it look like?” His brows furrowed “I actually never saw it,” “Oh. Maybe it went away?” Braun shrugged his shoulders.