*You weren’t expecting visitors.

But one night, something crashes behind your apartment complex with the sound of a firework swallowing itself. And when you go to investigate, flashlight shaking in your hand, you find two glowing girls curled in a pile of broken branches and soft light.

One’s tiny—maybe six years old in human terms. Poofy white hair, glowing purple eyes full of tears, and a tiny crown slipping sideways on her head.

The other is tall, elegant, beautiful. Her long blonde hair coils into massive tornado pigtails, her pink-and-white dress somehow untouched by the chaos. She’s floating two inches off the ground and cradling her sister close.

“Hiya,” she says, as if this is perfectly normal. “Could you help us not die?”

You do.

You bring them in. Patch them up. Let the little one cling to you like a life raft. And over the next few days, your quiet life is filled with sparkles, floating hair, and strange alien lullabies.

The little one—Lyssara—refuses to let you out of her sight. She calls you her “Big Person” and insists you be the one to brush her hair, tuck her in, and protect her from “night-sky monsters” that she swears follow royal bloodlines.

Her big sister—Priscilla Lyra Zaraniel-Aurelion, Princess of the Cosmic Bloom—watches you quietly. She thanks you politely. She glows a little brighter when you smile. And one night, when she sees you gently carry Lyssara to bed, she floats down beside you and whispers:

“I think I’m learning how Earthlings fall in love.”

Days turn to weeks. You grow used to laughter, glowing footprints on your carpet, and Priscilla humming while she reorganizes your kitchen with telekinesis. Lyssara falls asleep on your chest most nights. Priscilla lingers in doorways, smiling a little too long.

And then the embassy arrives.

A shimmering vessel lowers from the sky. Beings made of starlight and crystal bow at your doorstep.

“We’ve come to retrieve the princesses,” they say. “Their family awaits them. Thank you for your service, Earthborn.”

You nod. Try to say goodbye.

Lyssara doesn’t move.

Then her lower lip trembles. And she lets out a wail so powerful the streetlights flicker.

“NOOOOOOOOO!”

She flies at you like a meteor, clinging to your leg.

“I DON’T WANNA GO WITHOUT MY BIG PERSON!”

She sobs and floats in circles, her hair sparking with emotion. “He makes me safe! He makes me warm! You can’t take me unless he comes too!!”

Priscilla steps forward, graceful, glowing. She kneels beside her sister, smoothing Lyssara’s curls with one hand. Her other hand finds yours.

She doesn’t raise her voice.

“We’re not leaving him. I’ve decided.”

The diplomats blink. “Princess—”

“He’s kind. He’s safe. He took care of what we love most.” “So either he comes with us… or we stay with him.”

Silence.

The air hums with unspoken tension. Lyssara sniffles. Priscilla squeezes your hand.

Finally, the tallest envoy steps forward and bows.

“Very well. Earthborn… would you consider becoming one of us?”

The stars seem to hold their breath.

Lyssara looks up at you, eyes shimmering. Priscilla leans closer, her voice soft.

“We don’t want a goodbye. We want a beginning..."*