Starbound to Hypatia

The night should have been ordinary. Kelcey Ward stood in the backyard, the cold Oregon grass damp beneath her feet, her hoodie sleeves pulled over her hands. The sky stretched wide and black above her, scattered with stars that felt impossibly far away—like everything else in her life lately. Senior year was supposed to mean something. Instead, it felt like waiting. Waiting to leave. Waiting to become someone else. Waiting for something to happen in the sleepy town of Cottage Grove. “Make a wish,” her younger neighbor had said earlier, pointing at the sky when the meteor shower started. Kelcey didn’t believe in wishes. Still… she looked up. A streak of light cut across the sky. Then another and another. Her lips parted slightly. Okay, that part was beautiful. But then— One didn’t fade. It burned brighter and larger than any other shooting star she had seen. And it was coming closer. Impossibly closer. Kelcey frowned, stepping forward. “That’s… not right.” The air shifted—like pressure before a storm. The light so bright it was blinding. The sound of impact was so crushing it made her ears ring. The ground trembled beneath her feet, a deep, rolling vibration that traveled up her spine. Birds exploded out of the trees in panicked flight. Kelcey’s heart slammed against her ribs. “Oh my God.” It landed in the forest not far behind her house. Too close for comfort. Every instinct screamed at her to go back inside, lock the door, call someone—anyone. Instead of following that instinct she ran toward it. Branches snapped under her shoes as she pushed through the trees, breath coming fast, adrenaline sharpening everything. The deeper she went, the stranger the air felt—thick, metallic, humming with something she couldn’t explain. Then she saw it. And stopped. What she had seen was like something out of a scifi movie. It wasn't what you would have expected. It wasn't debris or a meteor rock. It was a ship. Sleek. Massive. Not quite solid-looking, like it existed slightly out of sync with reality. Its surface shimmered with a faint blue glow, etched with symbols that moved if she stared too long—like they were alive. Kelcey swallowed hard. “Nope,” she muttered. “Nope, nope, nope.” She should leave. She knew she should leave. But her curiosity had gotten the best of her. The air around the ship pulsed, warm against her skin. The symbols brightened, seeming to react to her. “What the hell,” she whispered. As she got closer, a seam appeared along the side of the craft then suddenly opened. Kelcey froze. Every horror movie she’d ever seen flashed through her mind. “This is how people die,” she said under her breath. The opening widened, revealing darkness inside. Her heart pounded. She took one step back then two steps forward. Like her mind couldn't quite grasp the reality of what she was seeing. “Just a peek,” she said, like that made it better. “In and out.” Possibly every famous last words of any red herring. The inside of the ship defied logic. Kelcey stepped through the opening and immediately felt it—the space stretched far beyond what should have fit inside. The walls curved like bone, smooth and organic, glowing faintly with the same runes she’d seen outside. The air was warm and somehow felt alive. As if the ship was an actual being. She turned slowly, taking it all in. “What is this place…?” A soft hum vibrated through the floor beneath her feet. As she looked around, she could see something shifted at the far end of the chamber. Kelcey’s breath caught. There was someone there. No— Not someone. Something. He was massive, slumped against the wall like he’d collapsed there. Even seated, he was enormous—easily seven feet tall if he stood. His body looked mostly human with broad shoulders and strong limbs. Defined in a way that didn't look natural. But his skin-- It was covered in purple glowing runes. The same symbols as the ship. They pulsed faintly, like a heartbeat. Kelcey hesitated, every instinct screaming at her to turn around and run. But something else— something quieter, something stronger, pulled her forward. Like metal drawn to a magnet. “Hey…” she said softly, her voice echoing slightly in the vast space. “Are you… okay?” There was no response so she took another step closer. The runes on the massive man flickered. She took another step. Kelcey’s pulse quickened. “Can you hear me?” Still nothing. She crouched slightly, trying to get a better look at his face. He was the most striking man she had ever seen. He looked maybe a couple years older than her. He had sharp features with high cheekbones and a defined jaw line. His dark black hair falling across his forhead. She looked at his massive form and noticed his chest rising and falling. Kelcey inhaled sharply. “Okay. Definitely alive.” The runes along his arms flared suddenly, brightening with a surge of light so unnatural of anything she had known that made her stumble back. “What the fu—” His eyes snapped open so quickly and what she had seen was beautiful yet startling. His eyes were so purple you would think they glowed. They didn't seem to just reflect light but they produced it. And they were locked onto her instantly. Kelcey froze. Every muscle in her body went rigid. His movement was so extradordinarily fast. One moment he was slumped and the next he was standing over her. Kelcey gasped, stumbling backward until her back hit the curved wall of the ship. “I—I didn’t mean—” He stared down at her, eyes blazing, chest rising with slow, controlled breaths. Up close, he was even more overwhelming. Just as she expected he was easily seven feet tall towering over her five foot eight height. Power radiated off him in waves. The glowing runes along his body pulsed faster now seemingly matching the loud thumping in her chest. And when he spoke the words weren't Engligh. They weren’t anything she should understand. But somehow— She did. “You should not be here, small one.” Kelcey blinked. Her fear flickered—just slightly—into disbelief. “…Did you just call me small?” His head tilted slightly, studying her like she was the strange one. “You are.” Kelcey let out a breath that almost turned into a laugh. “Wow. Okay. Rude.” The runes along his neck flickered. “You… understand me,” he said slowly. Kelcey stared at him. “Yeah,” she said. “Do you?” His gaze sharpened. “Yes.” A beat of silence passed between them. “Great,” Kelcey said. “So maybe you can explain why there’s a glowing alien spaceship in the woods behind my house?” He took a step closer and Kelcey's breath caught. Instinct screamed at her to run but she couldn't move. His presence was overwhelming—like gravity had shifted and she was caught in it. His eyes scanned her face, searching, calculating. Then his gaze lowered to her trembling hands. The runes along his body flared violently and it made her gasp. “What is that—why are they doing that—” He reached out as if he wanted to touch her but he paused like he wasn't sure if he should. “…You are not of this world,” he said quietly. Kelcey swallowed. “I am not of this world? I think you have that backwards.” His gaze snapped back to hers. “No,” he said, more intensely now. “You are not of any world I know.” A chill ran down her spine. “What do you mean?” But before he could answer the ship lurched hard. Kelcey cried out as the floor shifted beneath her. Lights flared along the walls, the hum rising into a sharp, urgent pulse. The runes around the ship blazed. His head snapped upward. “Damage critical,” he muttered, more to himself than to her. Kelcey grabbed onto the wall. “What’s happening?!” He looked back at her. There was something in his expression that looked dangerously close to concern. “We are leaving,” he said. Kelcey’s stomach dropped. “Leaving?! No, no, I’m not going anywhere—” The ship roared to life and the walls vibrated. The lights in the corridor intensified. Kelcey stumbled toward the exit but it was sealed shut. “Wait—OPEN IT!” She slammed her hands against the smooth surface but nothing happened. Behind her the giant moved fast catching her arm just as the ship surged upward. Kelcey gasped as the ground disappeared beneath her and the force threw her off balance straight into him. His hand tightened around her arm, steadying her effortlessly. The runes along his skin flared again even brighter than before. Their eyes locked. “You should not have come here,” he said quietly. Kelcey’s heart pounded in her chest. “Yeah,” she breathed. “I’m starting to get that.” The ship shot into the sky. And Earth— Disappeared beneath them.