Chapter 1 Past
Where do I begin? With that fleeting glimpse where we realized it was a secret, forbidden love? No, not quite. Perhaps this is the story of two souls from different stars meeting on Earth—two paths that never should have crossed if not for the hand of fate.
That afternoon, Rose finally received a call from the manager of Bella Beauty, informing her that she had passed the interview and that they wanted to set up a time for her to start. For the first time in her 30 years of living in this city, Lucky finally finds her. She had managed to slip away from her boss’s watchful eye and duck into a nearby corner just outside the store to take the call.
She was ecstatic—this was a new beginning. Bella Beauty was a charming little makeup store on a quiet, luxurious street that some said resembled New York’s SoHo district. In the afternoons, sunlight filtered through the ginkgo trees that lined the street, casting a warm, golden glow throughout the shop, creating a serene atmosphere that made you want to close your eyes and savor the moment, wishing it could last forever. Thinking of this, Rose couldn’t help but smile, her bright white teeth catching the attention of curious passersby.
In 2036, it had been four years since Rose’s arrival on Earth because of the promotion. She came from a cold, quiet planet, a place where the creatures lived in peace and tranquility. But Rose’s life was different. She was small and fragile, often the target of bullying at school. Her best friend from middle school, who was just as tiny and vulnerable, suffered the same fate.
Then one day, her friend disappeared—no warning, no trace, no message. After that, the teachers and the whole class acted as if she had never existed, but Rose remembered. She remembered them holding hands as they went to buy cotton candy, and she remembered how she was bullied.
“No!” Rose awoke from the nightmare again—the same haunting dream of being bullied, the same vision of her friend’s death. Sweat trickled down her back, like her friend’s tears… or maybe it was blood; she could no longer tell. Big, heavy drops fell, just like they did in her dreams. Forcing herself to stay calm, she grabbed the mug and gulped down mouthfuls of water as much as she could. She had lost count of how many times she had woken up from these nightmares in the middle of the night.
She stepped out onto the balcony, gazing up at the stars. She spotted her home planet. “It’s okay,” she whispered to herself, reassuringly. “That life is over now. That’s why I left my home and came to Earth.” Tomorrow would be a new day. She had a new job. Everything would get better. Thinking this, she returned to her bed. The sweat-soaked sheets had already dried. Slowly, she drifted back into a deep sleep, the night growing quiet again by the sound of her steady breathing.
