A Falling Starr: The Complete Trilogy Read online

  I scanned the concrete as I slowly stepped forward. Students bumped into me as they raced by to get to class. I must have looked insane but I had to be thorough, making sure I had checked every inch.

  Reaching the lab room, I found some students still finishing up their lab. They eyed me as I stepped inside, wondering why I was back. The TA, Kim, was helping one of the students.

  “Um, Kim,” I began.

  She turned around. “Yes, Angela was it?”

  I nodded. “Yeah. But I seemed to have lost my necklace. Did anyone turn it in?” I hoped for a yes but the look on her face told me she didn’t know what I was talking about.

  She shook her head. “Sorry, dear, I haven’t seen it. You can look around if you want.”

  I sighed. “Alright, thanks.”

  I scanned the area where Emmerich and I had been working. Nothing. I went to the lost and found on the other side of campus. That too was a bust.

  With my head hanging low, I started back towards my apartment. The one thing I had of my past and I had lost it. Tears were beginning to form in my eyes. I felt like such a child, starting to cry because I had lost something so small. But I had never lost something so important before.

  I wiped the tear that dripped down my face. I had to keep up hope, someone might find it and turn it in. Why would anyone want a piece of jewelry that had someone else’s name on it? It wasn’t even that fancy, all it was made of was wood and leather string.

  “Angela!”

  I turned to find Emmerich jogging towards me, his light blonde hair even brighter in the sun. In his hand he held my necklace. I could tell even from a distance. I cleared away the tears and hurried to him.

  “I found it on the floor of the lab. I tried to run after you but you were long gone. I’m so glad I bumped into you.”

  “Thank you so much, I don’t know what I would have done if I didn’t find it,” I tied it around my neck, double checking the knot. My eyes were probably still red from the tears. I sniffled and wiped my face again.

  “It’s no problem, I forgot something in the lab and saw it on the ground. If all else failed, I knew I could give it to you on Monday.”

  “That was really sweet of you, I’m so happy you saw it.”

  “It must be special to you if you were this worried about it.”

  “You have no idea,” I mumbled. I didn’t want to go into detail standing in the middle of campus. “Is there any way I can repay you?”

  He grinned, showing off his perfect teeth. “How about you let me treat you to some coffee? Kobos isn’t too far from here.”

  I stared up at his crystal blue eyes. First he finds my necklace, now he’s asking me out? This was too perfect. “I think that would be fair.”

  Emmerich led the way. We talked about PSU and I told him about my quantum physics class. He didn’t think I would have any trouble with it, which made me feel flattered. He didn’t even know that I had tested out of other classes or that this was my first term.

  The cafe was cluttered with trinkets and people roaming around either waiting to order or waiting to be handed their cup. The place was so overcrowded and I had trouble moving my elbows. It was the first week of school and a Friday.

  People on the go held red totem to-go cups with black designs, unique even for Portland. But if you enjoyed your drink at the shop, baristas made fancy designs in the foam. I saw one person carrying off a cup with an elegant spiral design. I definitely wanted to try to enjoy the drink at the cafe, although seeing how busy it was, I doubted we would get a seat.

  “So you are interested in astrophysics too?” Emmerich asked as we stepped in line.

  I nodded slightly and shrugged. “I guess I am, at least for right now.”

  He laughed. “Too many interests? I can relate.”

  “More or less just trying to find what my true interests are.”

  “Been there too. Life’s complicated like that, letting us to believe we like one thing but in reality there’s something out there that we could love more. We just haven’t found it yet.”

  “Exactly.” The line shifted forward slowly.

  I glanced around at the different pictures. “These are some amazing photographs, don’t you think?”

  He looked up. “Yeah, they are pretty talented artists.”

  I swayed back and forth on the balls of my feet. “Which one is your favorite?”

  Emmerich’s eyes darted back and forth between the photographs. “That one there,” he pointed. I looked over to find the one he liked was of a Tibetan woman standing in front of her village, as if waiting for something. “It captures her soul, I think, showing how life truly is like for her. My guess is she is the leader of the tribe, working to keep her people on their feet.”

  “Have you been there? To Tibet, I mean.”

  He laughed. “No, I haven’t. It’s a bit hard to get into any of those regions unless you are a true adventurer. What about you, which is your favorite?”

  “That one.”

  “Ah, Hong Kong. Quite a unique place, the cityscape is said to be the best on Earth,” he replied.

  I nodded. “It’s beautiful, especially with the water surrounding it. It reminds me of...”

  “Of what?”

  I blinked, realizing I had trailed off. My cheeks reddened. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to do that. There’s something about it that makes me smile.”

  He turned back to the photo. “Well, it is a beautiful place. I would love to go some day.”

  “Me too.”

  At last we made it to the front of the line and the barista took our orders. Emmerich asked for a white mocha and I got a carmel macchiato. I knew that was what everyone ordered, but I loved it anyway, especially when they put in extra carmel. Emmerich told her the order was for here and I just hoped we would be able to find a seat. Luckily, as we turned around, a couple got up to leave. Someone was smiling on me today.

  Emmerich took a drink of his white mocha. “What were your interests growing up?”

  That was the question, wasn’t it? Usually I made up some lie when people asked about my past. But for some reason, I couldn’t lie to him. “That’s the funny thing, I don’t remember. I was found about a year ago with no memory of my past, no one around knew who I was, and I can’t track down anything about myself.”

  I studied his reaction. When I did reveal that information to people their immediate response was pity, sorrow, as if I was the saddest thing they had ever heard. Some of my students’ parents even gave me more money than I asked for, I didn’t complain though, I did need it. Emmerich’s reaction was different. Most people’s bodies tensed but I could see his shoulders relax and he seemed... relieved to hear the information.

  He adjusted himself in his seat and I realized I was studying him closely. I hope I didn’t make him feel uncomfortable, I found his reaction to be strange. I tensed up, anxious for his response and wondered if he was going to make some excuse to run off. “I’m sorry to hear that, I didn’t mean to bring up any hurtful memories. I had no idea.”

  “It’s fine,” I interrupted before he could go on. I didn’t need to hear the same words everyone always said and I was happy he didn’t make some lame excuse to leave. “What about you, though? Your accent sounds German, how long have you been in the states?”

  His eyebrow went up. “How can you tell? Most can’t place it since it has mixed with...” he stopped and coughed. “Other places I have been.”

  I shrugged. “I just knew. It seemed...” I laughed. “You’re going to think I’m strange, but I swear I’ve heard your voice somewhere before.”

  His eyes shined for a moment, then he coughed into his sleeve. “Maybe we bumped into each other in the street once.”

  I wrinkled my nose. That wasn’t it, at least that’s not what my gut said. I didn’t push it further, though. I didn’t want to seem like a stalker, or seem like I thought him a liar. Maybe we hadn’t met before and I didn’t want to ruin a possible relationshi
p with just a hunch.

  I decided to change the topic back to school. “Did you come here as an exchange student?”

  He rubbed his chin. “Yeah, I did, years ago. I have been here a while, I’m surprised you could pick up the accent. Thought it was mostly gone now.”

  I traced the rim of my half-empty cup with my finger. “Well, don’t lose it, I think it gives you more character.”

  He chuckled. “I’ve been told that before.”

  I hoped he didn’t mean by a girlfriend or something, I think my heart would have stopped right then and there if he did. There was a connection between us, that was apparent. I never felt so open with someone and he seemed to be open with me as well. Is this what it felt like to have a crush on someone?

  “So what are your interests?” I asked, realizing we had been mostly talking about me.

  “Astrobiology. I also dabble in theoretical physics—whether or not other dimensions exist and if we can travel through the dimensions to reach other galaxies.”

  I perked up. “Is that possible?”

  “It could be,” he let out a brief sigh. “But that’s for graduate school. Now I’m just trying to do smaller research projects and pass my classes.”

  I nodded. I knew exactly how he felt. Dreams of the future but stuck in the present. “Me too.”

  “Do you know what type of research you want to do?”

  “Not yet, probably something to do with space travel or the multiverse,” I placed my hands on the table and leaned back. “I admit it, I’m totally obsessed with Doctor Who.”

  “Is that still running?”

  I tilted my head. “What do you mean still?”

  His eyes darted away from mine for a second then shrugged. “I used to watch it then I veered off into something else. I thought they ended the show. I’m just out of the loop I suppose.”

  “Oh, where did you leave off?” I asked, excited about finally finding someone else who had seen the show.

  “With the eleventh doctor, but my favorite is nine. I just liked his attitude and sass a bit more.”

  I smiled as I lifted up my mug. “Me too! The new doctor is doing a pretty good job but I still think nine is the best too. Ten is a close second, but definitely like David Tennant as an actor more.”

  “Then there’s always Captain Jack.”

  I choked on my coffee. Captain Jack was definitely a wild character. I set my mug down. “I love the episodes he guest stars in, I haven’t gotten to Torchwood yet.”

  “It’s not bad, definitely darker than Doctor Who.”

  “I’ll have to check it out then,” I took another sip of my carmel macchiato. “So, what other shows do you watch?”

  “I, uh, haven’t really been watching much television lately. I used to watch Warehouse 13, but that was a while back. How about you?”

  “Haven’t seen that one. I mostly just follow Doctor Who and Grimm right now. I started Vampire Diaries this week. Still deciding if I truly like it or not. Everything's new to me so it’s all overwhelming,” I explained, wishing I could take back the last part. I hated saying things like that, it made things awkward.

  He was silent for a moment, as if thinking of a way to respond. “That must be strange, having to relearn everything like that. At least you’re never bored.”

  “When you put it that way, yes, every day does seem like an adventure,” I glanced up at the entrance as the two men in black walked in. It was The Brothers. They looked straight at us. I started gathering my things. “I should get back to my apartment, I have a lot of things to do.”

  “How about I walk you home?” He stood up and grabbed his coat.

  Did I hear him right? Did he really want to walk me home? Even without the scary men at the door it was an automatic yes. “That would be nice, thank you.”

  I kept my head down as Emmerich led me out of the coffee shop and out of sight of those men. He didn’t seem to have noticed them, maybe I was just overacting and they were just a few normal Portlanders.

  That I seemed to keep running into this one week.

  “Which way?” Emmerich asked as we stepped out onto the concrete.

  “Oh,” I glanced around, trying to orient myself. If the clock-tower was that way then that meant... “That way,” I pointed.

  We started towards the apartment. It wasn’t far, just a few blocks. I really could have managed by myself if it weren’t for the weirdos in the dark suits, and not being able to say no to Emmerich wanting to walk me home.

  I kept checking back behind myself, making sure those men weren’t following us. I did this every few steps and Emmerich must have noticed.

  “Is there anything wrong? You seem nervous,” he said.

  “It’s nothing, I just thought I saw someone I knew but it wasn’t them,” I lied. “Is Germany like Portland?” I decided to change the subject and actually had no clue if it was, I hadn’t had a conversation with anyone from a different country before. All I knew was from TV and the internet, but that didn’t give a feel of a city, just the facts, and sometimes not even those.

  “In scenery, it is quite similar, but the city structure is completely different. The lack of public transportation in the United States is quite outstanding.”

  “Really? What’s it like over there?”

  He paused, as if trying to recall the memories. “Quite nice. We have a subway system in most cities and buses that are a lot more organized.”

  “Where in Germany are you from?” Not that I knew the country very well. Heck, all I knew about Germany was that it was next to France.

  “München—Munich. It’s a great place, really. I miss it a lot.”

  For a moment he seemed to go back into his thoughts. He seemed to be somewhere else, maybe he missed his home more than he was letting on. “Then why did you leave?”

  Emmerich shrugged. “Good question. Just wanted to try something new I suppose. I liked the idea of coming here to study. An adventure of sorts.”

  I stretched my arms up at the sky. “That sounds amazing. I would give anything to go on one right now.”

  “That’s what’s great about adventures, you never know when the next one is going to come,” he said as we reached the apartment. Emmerich went ahead and walked me up the stairs. Once we were at the door, I thanked him again for the coffee and for finding my necklace.

  “You don’t happen to have anything going on tomorrow, do you?” he asked as he leaned against my doorway.

  I had to think of what day it was. Today was Friday so tomorrow had to be Saturday. My first weekend. “I have to tutor three kids tomorrow, but the first one isn’t until two. I’m free all morning.”

  He beamed. “Good, do you want to go to the market in the morning? We could pick up some crêpes for breakfast and then venture around.”

  “Crêpes?”

  “”Like a very thin pancake with fruits or other filling,” he explained. I was glad he didn’t make fun of me not knowing. Sometimes I remembered foods but other times I was clueless.

  “That sounds great,” I said. Truly, it did. I wondered why I hadn’t come across the food before, I went to the market enough times.

  “Great, I’ll pick you up at ten. See you tomorrow.”

  With that, he left me at my doorstep. As I unlocked my door, I felt my heart racing. There was no way I was going to sleep tonight.

  I woke up before my alarm clock went off. It was astonishing, really, that never happened before. I had set it for eight and I was up by seven. I guess I didn’t hate morning when I had something to look forward to.

  Or someone.

  I was giddy with everything I did to get ready for the date. Was it a date? Why else would he have asked to go to the Saturday Market with me? Yes, it had to be one.

  Turning up the speakers of my computer, I blasted Marian Call’s album “Something Fierce” as I took a long shower, thinking of how glorious the day was going to be. Nothing could go wrong, I wouldn’t allow it.

  Wh
ich meant something was going to go wrong.

  The song “Dear Mr. Darcy” began, one of my favorite. I used my shampoo bottle to lip sync to the song.

  And you said I was sweet, nearly kissed me goodnight,

  And it was almost perfect, but -- not -- quite --

  A song about an awkward encounter between a guy and a girl, it was perfect for me. I rinsed the soap out of my hair as the song ended. I was so ready for the day.

  As I stepped out of the shower, I glanced at the time. Still only fifteen after eight. I had plenty of time to pick the perfect outfit and get my hair to look how I wanted it, or at least close. My hair never looked how I wanted it, I swore. The music still played from the bathroom.

  But if ever love astounds you, you have to let it, have to let it

  Oh if ever joy surrounds you, you have to let it, have to let it

  Oh if ever love astounds you, you have to let it, have to let it

  I settled on a pink and red flowery blouse with some worn-out jeans. And of course white Converse, I didn’t wear any other shoe. I found them to be one of the best shoes ever, after putting in a gel support of course. Although they weren’t that warm in the winter months.

  Now the makeup and hair. I put a little bit of a curl into my hair and it actually looked a lot better than I expected it to. After another half an hour, I was ready for Emmerich to pick me up. I checked the time on my fox watch. Fifteen until ten. Good thing I woke up early.

  Right on time, I heard a knock on the door. I opened the door to find Emmerich in a jean jacket and a band shirt. Memphis May Fire. I would have to check them out when I got back.

  “Guten Morgen.”

  “Morning,” I grinned.

  We stood there in awkward silence for a moment. “Well, shall we go?” he asked as he motioned down the hallway.

  “Yeah, of course,” I locked the door behind myself.

  “Who’s this, deary?” Ms. Collins stepped out into the hallway.

  Oh great. “This is Emmerich, he’s from Germany. We are running late though, so I have to go.”