Queen of the Stars
Haley R. Lawson
Copyright © 2019 Haley R. Lawson
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-7113-1164-7
Contents
Title Page
DEDICATION
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Acknowledgements
About the Author
DEDICATION
This book is dedicated to dreamers!
Chapter 1
The Ship Has Landed
"It was just another day in America of 2094. The country was waking up to enjoy their favorite morning talk show the Star Centennial. Mr. Humphrey opened the show with, “Well folks, today is the day. The good ship, Unity, is returning from her final tour around the stars. We will have video from the ship’s final voyage later in the day, but we also have a special treat for you. We are currently preparing an interview with the woman known as the Queen of the Stars. We are going to discuss Unity’s early days and how the mission of bringing peace to the universes all got started. As always, be kind to one another and enjoy another beautiful sunny day in the most beautiful country on this planet. Remember love brings freedom.”
In the meantime, the gentle ship had just touched down at the landing pad and children and adults alike were glued to their screens waiting to hear the story of Unity. It is a story that has been passed down through generations, but today they got to see the woman behind it all. For one time only, Ms. Rose was going to sit down and tell her story. The cameras circled as she prepared to leave her home for the last eighty years. She would be the last one off the ship before it is turned into a museum. She was small in stature and very frail, but the stories that she had to share were bigger than mountains and were more powerful than anything on this or any planet. Her assistant helped her as she shuffled down the loading door after placing a hand on the ship for the last time and saying her farewells to a lifetime. Ms. Rose was rushed to a transporter and our busy exciting day was just beginning.
Rose arrived at Star Centennial Studios thirty minutes early, which in studio time was the equivalent of a day. No one was prepared, and they were running around like crazy preparing for the Queen of the Stars. I was just an assistant in charge of coffee and trash. A little old woman in a faded purple dress wandered into the filming area. Everyone was running around her, but I knew her. I had seen pictures and read her book. This was the woman they were all preparing for and they were just running around her like she didn’t exist. Her assistant left her to find our producer. Now was my chance to meet my hero. I went towards her, but my producer reached her first. The wardrobe department tried to dress her in the newest most expensive fashion, but Ms. Rose insisted to wear her own faded but beautiful purple dress. It warmed my heart to see her wearing a small golden royal crest pin on her right shoulder. It was so simple. It resembled any other pin an older woman might wear, but to Rose and to people who knew her story, that little crest was everything. From the pictures I had seen, she was always very simple, but elegant. Rose seemed to be so overwhelmed by all the lights and chaos of our studio. It must’ve been so different from the last time she had visited earth. I was also like that on my first day, but it gave me the confidence to start this blog for all of you. Anyway, we aren’t telling my story here. We are telling the story of Ms. Rose, the woman known as the Queen of the Stars.
Mr. Humphrey came into the room and introduced himself. He sat Rose down on a seat near his onstage and said, “We are going to give you a head set to wear. It will project your memories onto our screen.” Rose exclaimed, “You can do that? Why do you need to meet with me than?”
“We think it would mean more to the people if you can narrate your story for us.”
“I guess I can do that, but some of these memories are not completely suitable for children. I want them to know about Unity, but I don’t want to scare them.”
“We will edit it. We are a closed studio. It’s just me and my staff here. Kara, can you please get the head set for Ms. Rose?”
I went to get the headset. I had been working here for years and met all kinds of people, but Ms. Rose is my absolute hero. I could not wait to hear her story. I got the headset as fast as I could and presented it to Ms. Rose. She was so kind and gentle. I took my seat behind the camera with my notebook and little recorder thinking I was prepared for all the emotions and wisdom I was about to receive.
Mr. Humphrey put the headset on Rose and reassured her. “We are just going to start at the beginning. Where did you grow up?”
“I grew up in a little town in northeastern Pennsylvania. I’m not sure if you still call it that, but it was a quiet town in the mountains.”
“Do you remember the day the ship landed?”
“I think I blocked a lot of it out. I remember waking up to the loudest sound I had ever heard. I looked out my window which normally faced trees and saw what looked like a skyscraper falling on the house. My family and I left the house and joined a large group of people all running into the woods. For some reason, we were all running towards what ever had just crashed into earth instead of away from it. I don’t remember what had happened, but I lost some time and was suddenly working for the leader of the ship. I had settled in without my family and knew the work I was doing just like everyone else. I knew we were on some sort of spaceship, but everyone I encountered looked human. I just could not really remember much before that job.”
“We can pull those memories out for you.”
“No thank you sir! There is a reason I don’t remember them. They are hurtful and non-important. The important day occurred when I was working as a secretary for the leader of the ship and his son came in and started an argument with him without realizing I was there. They were arguing about what was best for the people of the ship. After the argument, the king said, ‘And take care of that…’ He was speaking about me, and his son finally realized I was there. His son asked if he could take me with him. His father angrily replied that he could do what he wanted with me, but if I were to rebel, it was the prince’s responsibility. To my confusion, the prince responded, ‘I will clean her when I am done.’ The leader didn’t say anything and went back to his work as if his son wasn’t there. In my mind I wondered what exactly would cause me to rebel and how so much time had passed. Why didn’t I want to rebel?”
Chapter 2
The Start of Something Big
The prince called me into the hallway. He offered his hand for a handshake. “My name’s Charlie. I am sorry about my dad. He’s… He’s all business. I thought you could work with me today and get some time away from him. I actually need your help with something. I want to bridge the relationship between our ship’s guests and residents. We are going to go on a tour and you can give me some suggestions.”
Cautiously, I responded, “Um… am I allowed to talk to you now or do I have to wait for
you to specifically give me permission?”
“You can talk anytime. Don’t think of me as a prince. I want us to just talk like we are friends.”
Some friend, he never asked for my name. I didn’t really hold it against him though. He was obviously trying and doing something that was making him extremely nervous. I thought about it for a second and touring with Charlie would be way better than toiling my day away in his father’s office.
After some very suspenseful thirty seconds for both of us, I said, “I would love to help you.”
I took Charlie, or rather we took each other, to the eatery for our first stop. We went up to the counter and Charlie ordered the most expensive option. I didn’t have enough for food and a drink, so I just got a small drink. The tables in the eatery were sorted by profession. I was one of three office secretaries and we rarely had time to go to the eatery, so our table was by the trash cans in the corner. Our table was covered with trash, as usual, so I cleaned it off before letting Charlie have the cleanest corner furthest from the trash cans.
I cannot describe the hunger caused by seeing half eaten food being wasted. Charlie started eating and pushed his tray towards me. He offered me some French fries. I took one and defensively said, “I’m sorry. You don’t have to share your food with me. I ruined one of my work uniforms yesterday and had to by a new one. I normally eat really well, so I’ll be fine.”
I normally ate a single nutrient bar per day, and I didn’t ruin one of my uniforms, his father threw an ink well on my only uniform; but I did not want to upset Charlie, so I lied to him. Charlie was much kinder than his father and responded, “Please share some and don’t worry about it.” As we shared our lunch, our conversation continued.
“So, why do you sit here?”
“We sit by department, but my group only has three people and we don’t really have much time to come down here and eat.”
“But you do eat, right?”
“We get a weekly supply of nutrient bars. That’s usually my meal.”
Charlie looked super frustrated at this point, so I said, “If you’d like someone else to work with you, you would probably get along more with the advertising crew over there in that corner. I’m sorry I’m not more put together and interesting.”
“Please don’t apologize. I guess you noticed my frustration. It’s not with you. My father has been lying to the higher-ups and I just don’t think things should be this way.”
It made sense as to why he was anxious, Charlie was about to challenge his father. My mind went wild with questions such as “Why are things this way? How did they get this way? Why do I know all this day to day stuff without feeling anything about it? What happened?” I just focused on the prince. He was probably expecting an answer, but I had no idea what to say.
He broke the silence a few seconds later. “Anyway, when we are done with lunch, can I tour your apartment?”
I internally panicked because this was a Royal coming to my apartment which I was not sure I cleaned properly. “Sure, but maybe I can go in first for like two minutes.”
He agreed, and we headed down the hall. There were ten flights of steps between us and my apartment. There wasn’t the usual line of pushy people, as there were at the start and end of the day, so at least I could actually breathe while climbing. But I couldn’t breathe properly anyway because I was spending the day with the Prince. This single day could ruin my life or save it, and with Charlie’s mission, it was more like every life on the ship depended on it. I tried to stay out of my head as much as possible and just focus on Charlie. It was obvious this man rarely took the steps, and by the third set he stopped to ask which floor I lived on. I told him the tenth and I could see the worry on his face. He very hopefully asked for an elevator and I explained the only elevators were in the Royal quadrant. I left out that people like me would never be allowed near them anyway.
We made it upstairs and I got him a drink from my fridge. He came into the room and sat on my bedside chest. My room was just a gray box with white bedding on a small bed. The only other piece of furniture besides the bed, was the chest Charlie was sitting on. It contained my sleep uniforms and work uniforms. The fridge was just a panel in the wall next to another panel where I inserted my dirty clothes and sheets on Sunday. I was very nervous that something was wrong or out of place because Charlie had been completely still and silent for the first time since we met. Before entering my room, he had been writing notes on his hand-held computer, but now he was just sitting there staring at me; but not really at me, more through me.
Eventually, he said, “Can you give me a tour?”
I showed him my fridge which was only half full, along with the ceiling light and my bed. I told him the lights usually go out at ten and come back on at five. He got up, so I showed him my uniforms. He looked puzzled and eventually asked about a bathroom and shower. I told him they were down the hall but were only open between five and eight at night. He insisted we go over anyway.
We got to the door and a guard grabbed me from behind exclaiming, “You should be at work. Where are your hot water chips?” I pulled out my remaining two hot water chips, knowing they were not enough.
“You are short three chips for this penalty. You will be losing your bed for the night.”
Charlie was also questioned but presented the officer with his royal identification card and told them I was working for him. They returned my hot water chips, but most likely forgot my bed. Charlie decided we should head back to the Royal Quadrant. We got a few flights of steps down, and he asked me to explain what had just happened. I explained that everyone had to leave the floor at five thirty in the morning and most are not finished with their jobs until five thirty in the evening. I told him that if we break those rules, we lose our hot water chips which we use to buy five minutes of hot water with. He asked why they tried to take my bed and I told him that when we don’t have enough chips, they drop our bed into the floor and keep it from us for the night. He looked up and down the stairwell of about one hundred other floors and shook his head.
“Is it the same way on the other floors?”
I wasn’t sure. I hadn’t ever lived on another floor, but I came up with the best answer I could. “I don’t talk to many people, but we are always on the steps at the same time, so I imagine it is.”
We got to the ground floor and once he could breathe again, he asked me to walk him through one of my days.
“I wake up at five and put on my working uniform. I put my sleeping uniform into the laundry slot. If it’s Sunday, I put my sheets in too. I brush my teeth and head to the stairwell. Once I am at the bottom, I go straight to the office entrance of the Royal Quadrant. I check in and get scanned. Then the guards escort me to the leader’s office or his wife’s room or sometimes even to watch the twins before their tutor gets there for the day. I work for twelve hours doing mostly paperwork but also organizing offices, and then I write my daily notes on what I did that day, before heading back to the stairs. Once I make it upstairs, I shower and put my sleep uniform on. I eat a nutrient bar and get in bed. Sometimes the light goes out before I make it to my bed, but thankfully there are not too many things to trip on.”
He was writing everything down again but stopped and smiled when I made my little joke at the end.
Charlie walked me back towards the royal quadrant. He just walked right in and expected me to follow, but I got into the inspection line. They questioned where I had been, since I don’t normally leave for lunch, but Charlie stepped in and explained I was working with him that day. I thought he was returning me to his father’s office, since he pretty much already saw all of my life, but he took me to the elevator instead. He took me to floor one hundred. I had never been past the tenth floor, but this was the top floor. There were rumors about a park on the roof, but I had never seen it until now. There were other royals there giving me dirty looks, but Charlie took me to a beautifully carved wooden bench by a pond. He almost made me feel like I be
longed.
The flowers around the pond were so bright and colorful it was like I was on another planet. I was in a ship, so it’s very possible I was, but I just meant a different world from the ship itself. There were even butterflies and birds in this park, but their beauty was nothing compared to the colors the other royals were wearing.
Charlie wasn’t wearing any color at all. He had on a black suit and tie with a white dress shirt. The only color on him were his ocean blue eyes which both fascinated and alarmed me. It was as if I could get lost in them forever. I didn’t notice until the sunlight hit him, but there were also waves of gold in his curly brown hair.
I was the polar opposite of the royals in my gray dress and shoes with my tight bun which I hadn’t fully taken out of my hair in weeks. I eventually decided I had to break the silence before I actually did get lost in his eyes. “So, I guess we come from very different worlds.”
“You have no idea.”
While we both took in the depth of that statement, an older gentleman pulled him away to take a phone call. He told me to just stay on the bench. It was a very easy command to follow because I never wanted to leave that place.
I was so in a trance from the beautiful pond, that I almost didn’t notice a woman royal sat down instead of Charlie. That was until she ordered me off of the bench. She was stunning and was wearing a gold dress which matched her hair perfectly. Her eyes were just as blue as Charlie’s. I got distracted by them too until she told me to go stand on the rock in the middle of the pond. I tried to explain that I was there with Charlie, but she said, “Do not disrespect Prince Charles like that. You are not here with him. You are working for him, and whoever works for him will soon work for me too. Now go.”
I really did not see the point of going and standing on the rock, but I did as she said. I got off the bench, walked into the pond, and swam over to the rock. I climbed up on the rock and stood there. She yelled at me to face away from her, so I turned to look at the rest of the gardens. I enjoyed that view better anyway. At least I did until I noticed the garden attendants debating who was going swimming to come get me. I just stood there frozen in fear. I didn’t dare to look for Charlie because surely now I had disappointed him. I just closed my eyes and stood there.
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