The light had faded but the darkness of the night couldn’t cover the boy that was laying at the bottom of the hole. While Veronica’s mind was still racing with thoughts and questions, her instinct made her jump into the hole, ignoring her father’s warning words.

Sliding down the dirt, Veronica could hear her father going down as well, knowing he would never let his daughter go down there alone.

The air smelled like burned wood and when she came down, she could finally see what the boy looked like.

Dark black curly hair on top of a young face with his eyes shut. He wore a white shirt and a blue vest with yellow edges. A big red scarf wrapped around his neck covered much of his upper body. The boy made no sound or noise while Veronica and her father came down.

‘Is he?’ her father asked as Veronica kneeled down to look and listen to the boy.

‘I hear some breathing. Let’s get him to the house.’

She knew her father didn’t like the idea of bringing something in their house that moments ago came down from the sky. But Veronica knew her father would never leave someone like this.

Veronica helped her father get the boy up and out of the hole. Her mother had slowly come out of the house and searched the edge to find her husband and daughter. Without a word, she could tell what they were doing and she rushed back into the house to prepare a bed and medication.

While they carried him, Veronica looked at the boy with so many questions.

His face had a sweet look even though he was unconscious. She just couldn’t understand why such a bright light could have struck their planet, only for this boy to remain here.

They went inside and her mother prepared the guest bed that was never used and together with her father, they brought the boy upstairs and laid him into the bed.

Her father and mother slowly removed the clothing from the boy to see if he had any wounds.

Veronica took the clothing out of their hands; a red scarf, blue tunic and black pants and boots. While getting handed to her, she noticed how the clothes didn’t seem damaged, thinking about the impact they have had.

When the chest of the boy was revealed, herfather gasped for air as he pushed his wife back and away from the boy. Veronica jumped in and was grabbed by her father to prevent her from coming closer. Still, she could see what made her father gasp.

A blue stone, shining bright like some gem, was stuck in the chest of the boy.

It looked like it was pushed in his body, the skin around the stone lightly burned.

'Get back!' her father screamed while he took his wife with him while he moved away from the bed. Veronica was a little harder to hold onto but he managed to pull her away too.

'What is the problem father?' she asked, wondering why he was afraid of the stone. She had never seen her father as stressed out as he was now.

'He has a star shard,' he said while gasping for air. His eyes were still focussed on the stone stuck in the boy’s chest.

Veronica couldn't understand. Her mother raised her hand before her mouth like she understood what her father was talking about. It made Veronica wonder what was so terrible about it.

'Why? What's wrong? What is a star shard?' she asked, looking back and forth from the stone to her father.

His voice became serious.

‘It’s not important what it is. All I know is that it is dangerous,’ and he slowly pushed his wife towards the door to leave the room. He wanted to grab Veronica but she stepped back towards the bed. Her father balled his fist, showing his way of being angry.

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‘Get back Veronica, it is not safe,’ he said but she wouldn’t listen as she looked at him.

‘Why? Why is this so dangerous? Nothing happened while we were carrying him. What is going on?’

Anger became a part of her voice as she asked these questions to her father.

Knowing his daughter, it took a while for him to accept that she wouldn’t come with him without explanation.

'People with star shards are often gifted with huge powers. They are very rare but from what I have heard, most people who have a star shard power were nothing more but ordinary thieves or murderers.'

His voice was serious and Veronica knew her father would never tell her something as a lie. She looked back to the boy, who laid there peacefully.

Veronica was surprised and shocked by hearing the story. When she thought of murderers and thieves, she kept thinking about evil looking men and women. Not this boy who was laying here so calmly.

'What should we do?' her mother asked. She was scared but she had remained by the doorpost to look at her husband and daughter.

Veronica looked at her and saw the fear in her mother’s eyes.

While she already looked older with her long gray hair in between her brown hair and wrinkles, the rush and the frightening made her look so much older.

``We need to dispose of him, and quickly,' her father answered without looking at his wife. He slowly stepped towards the bed and Veronica wanted to argue but her father gave her a certain look. A look that told her that whatever she wanted to tell or do, he would stick to his own plan.

While her mother looked like it was impossible as she still was struck by fear, she followed her husband to the bed to help get rid of the body.

They slowly walked towards the bed and prepared themselves to pull the boy up. Veronica’s father bowed down to grab the boy when suddenly, the boy opened his eyes.

'Where….am…..I?' were the words that came out of his mouth. Slowly and with struggles.

Both Veronica’s father and mother jumped back but Veronica was the one who walked towards him.

'Veronica, watch out!' her father yelled but this time, she ignored him.

She could not understand how this boy with a stone in his chest could be a murderer or a thief. She walked towards the edge of the bed and kneeled down to be closer to the boy.

'Can you hear me?' she asked while she sat on her knees next to the bed.

She looked at the boy while his eyes were still adjusting to the light and slowly tried to open.

When he succeeded, Veronica saw his big blue eyes. The eyes of someone innocent. Not the eyes of a murderer or a thief.

'Where am I?' he asked slowly. He gazed to the ceiling before turning his head to look at the person who spoke to him. Veronica and the boy made eye contact.

'You are on the planet Borner. You fell from the sky and we carried you in our home' she said at a slow pace.

The boy looked back to the ceiling and a little smile appeared.

'Thank you' he mumbled before his eyes closed again.

Veronica waited for a few seconds but the boy looked exactly how they carried him in. In a vast deep sleep.

A few hours passed and while her father took a blaster rifle from the basement to keep watch, they all agreed to wait until the boy woke up again. It took almost two hours but Veronica kept her eyes on him and finally she saw him wake up.

This time, the boy tried to sit straight up. He adjusted his body on the bed and he looked around in the room, before looking at Veronica.

'Sorry for asking again but where am I again?' the boy asked while a smile appeared on his face.

'You are on the planet Borner, my dear' Veronica's mother told him. Her husband looked at her, irritated by her interest in the boy but she ignored it like her daughter did a few hours ago.

'Where do you come from?' she asked slowly but gentile. They all had the same thought of how the boy had crashed here like some meteorite.

'Hmm,' the boy said and he looked as puzzled as them. 'You know, I really don't know,' he said without looking at them. He scratched his head as he looked at the blanket on top of him. It took a few seconds before he looked back at Veronica’s mom and he only showed a smile.

While the conversation was slowly starting, Veronica's father walked towards him with the rifle in hand.

'Tell me who you are and what you want with that star shard!' he almost screamed while pointing the rifle to the boy.

While Veronica and her mother both were surprised by his action, the boy didn; t seemed to mind the rifle pointed towards him. Instead, it seemed like he was more puzzled by the question.

He looked at the loop of the rifle and then towards his chest. The blue stone called a star shard was open to see and the boy slowly tapped it with his finger.

'Oh this thing? I don't know. I have had it since I was born. Grandpa told me that it made me special.'

Veronica’s father was surprised by the boy’s response and his gun lowered a little bit. His answers were not what they were expecting from the boy and quickly he looked back up with the same grin he had before.

'I'm sorry. Where are my manners? My name is Eto, nice to meet you.'