Ileana would always remember the last words her grandmother - or, as she called her, her bunica - ever said to her.

She heard them about nine years ago, when she was five.  She didn’t exactly understand what was happening, but what she did know was that there had been many visits to the hospital, and then a place called a hospice.  Lots of words were thrown around by adults, like, “melanoma,” and “malignant”.  And even scarier, her parents kept saying that her bunica didn’t have much time left.  Time to do what?  

Ileana stood at the side of the bed where her bunica lay.  She looked so small and fragile under the blankets, but her eyes had that same spark in them that they’d had months ago, back when she wasn’t in bed all the time.  That spark was always in her eyes, whether she was reading out loud with Ileana on her lap, humming a song to herself, or even just staring at nothing.  It was especially visible when she was looking at her granddaughter, or as she liked to say, her nepoata.

Ileana’s mother stood at her right side.  She was smiling, a hand on her daughter’s shoulder, but Ileana could see the tears in her eyes.  On Ileana’s left side stood Lucas, her cousin, who was four years older.

Ileana was barely thinking of the situation at hand - instead, she was thinking about all the games she could play with Lucas now that he and his parents were in Seattle.  She’d always had a lot of fun with him whenever he was visiting, but this time he’d been acting cold and aloof for no good reason.  He stayed in his room, and whenever Ileana tried to talk to him, he’d brush her off.  Even his parents were worried - Ileana had overheard them talking about how he was talking less and losing weight.  Surely he’d be happier if he stopped sulking and started acting more like a normal kid!

Ileana’s mother tapped her on the shoulder, jerking her out of her thoughts.  “Ileana, pay attention!  Your bunica has something to say to you.”

The girl looked down at her grandmother, whose expression had turned severe.

“Ileana, my nepoata, my precious little star...please listen.  It will only take a moment.”

Ileana didn’t like the look on her bunica’s face, but she stayed polite, just as the grown-ups always told her to do.  “What is it?”

“You will grow into a beautiful young woman, I know.  I can feel it.  You will grow to be strong and kind.  That’s why I chose you.”

Ileana was confused.  “Chose me for what?”

So was her mother.  “Yes, I haven’t heard anything about -”

She was cut off by a shushing sound from Ileana’s grandmother.  “Please, just be quiet for a little while.  This is for Ileana, not you.”

Ileana’s mother slowly nodded.

“Ileana,” her bunica continued, “you will face many hardships in your life, though hopefully not as many as in mine.  You’ll save so many people, but not everyone.  Those losses will always mean more to you than your triumphs.  But you mustn’t hate yourself.  You have to stay strong and keep moving forward.  You are the bright star that drives back the darkness.  And you will succeed.  You have to.  Or else you’ll die.”

“I’ll...I’ll die?” Ileana whispered.  She didn’t know exactly what death was, but her mother had tried to explain it to her.  When she died, she’d stop moving, stop thinking, stop being.  That sounded horrible!  Ileana wanted to move, and think, and be.  She wanted to run around in the park, and read books, and play with her mother.  Who would her mother play with if Ileana was gone?  She’d have nobody.

“You’re not going to die, Ileana,” her mother said soothingly.  She shot a disapproving look at Ileana’s grandmother.  “What are you even saying?  You’re scaring her!”

“It’s better to scare her now than have her completely unprepared for when she’s older.”

“W-what’s going to happen when I’m older?” Ileana stammered.  She had a feeling that she wouldn’t like the answer to that question. 

“Mama, please stop!” her mother pleaded.  “You’re not feeling well.”

Ileana’s bunica rolled her eyes.  “Oh, just because I’m old and dying, I’m delirious too?”

“No, I didn’t mean that - I just - look, she’s crying!”

It was true.  Tears were streaming down Ileana’s face.  She didn’t know exactly why she was crying, but what she did know was that she had to get out.  “Mommy, I…”

“I’ll take her home,” her mother said.  “Lucas, your parents will be back in about fifteen minutes.  Will you be okay until then?”

Lucas nodded.  “I’ll be fine.”

Even as Ileana’s mother took her by the hand and led her out of the hospice room, her grandmother continued to speak.

“It’s all right, little star.  You’ll do fine.  Just be strong, and keep moving forward.  For everyone’s sake.”

Ileana’s mother closed the door behind them as they left the room.  Lucas was still talking to his bunica, but Ileana couldn’t make out the words.

“Ileana, I want you to know that everything is going to be fine,” her mother said reassuringly, gently stroking the top of her head.  “Your bunica is old, and sometimes old people get things mixed up.”

Ileana frowned.  “But am I going to die?”

Her mother hesitated, then spoke.  “Ileana, everyone dies eventually.  But it won’t happen to you for a very, very long time.”

“What about my bunica?  Is she going to die?”

Her mother didn’t have an answer for that.

That night, Ileana’s grandmother passed away in her sleep.

Ileana still didn’t quite understand what was going on, but her mother told her that she’d never see her bunica again, and that made her feel all hollow and empty inside.

There was a funeral a few weeks later.  For the second time in her life, Ileana saw her mother crying.  Was she supposed to cry too?  She didn’t feel sad, not really.  Just numb.  Anyway, Lucas wasn’t crying either, so it must be fine.

Instead, Ileana turned her attention to the urn.  Apparently, her bunica had been burned so that only ashes remained, and now all of those ashes were in that pretty blue urn.

That wasn’t right.  That urn couldn’t possibly be her grandmother.  It was just another thing to be displayed, not a person’s remains.  All those memories - she couldn’t possibly equate them with something so hard and cold.

Since Christianity had never been the strong suit of the family, Ileana’s uncle John delivered the eulogy instead of a priest.  He spoke about how Ileana’s grandmother had been so brave, coming to the United States from Romania at only sixteen years old with nothing but the clothes on her back.  How she had been a loving mother and grandmother.  The eulogy was long, but at the same time it didn’t feel like enough.  Not to Ileana, at least.  What would she have said if it were her giving the eulogy?  For some reason, she couldn’t think of a single thing.

Everything just felt so wrong.

But Ileana would be strong, like her bunica had told her to be.  She would keep going.  She wouldn’t cry.

That was nine years ago.

Now it was Ileana’s fourteenth birthday, on the sixteenth of September.

The party was a small one, just Ileana, her mother, and her best friend (also her only friend), Maite.  Ileana had never been the popular sort, preferring hobbies to socializing, so her lack of guests was reasonable.

The cake was good - vanilla with cream cheese frosting - and after Ileana and Maite had eaten their fill, it was time for presents.

Maite went first, pulling out a bag full of tissue paper.  “Go on, look inside!  It’s not much, but you know my mom doesn’t give me that much allowance.”

Ileana smiled.  “I’m sure it’ll be great!”  Still smiling, she carefully fished around in the tissue paper until she felt something else - a smaller bag.  She pulled it out to see that it was full of star stickers.

“They glow in the dark, so I was thinking you could put them on the ceiling in your room,” Maite explained.  “It’s kinda childish, I know, but I also know that you’ve been into astronomy lately…”

That was true.  Last year, she’d gone on a trip to the North Cascades national park with her mother.  At one point, they went for a night hike, and when Ileana looked up, she could see what looked like thousands of stars gleaming in the sky, untouched by the light pollution of the city.  At school, she learned more about the stars - the different types, how they formed, and how they died - and the more she learned, the more interested she became.  Her old science teacher had encouraged her interest, letting her borrow books about stars from his classroom, and over the summer she read articles on the subject online.  By now, she felt pretty confident about her knowledge on stars, nebulas, and the like.  But there was still so much she didn’t know!  Space was so vast, perhaps infinite, and just a fraction of it had been explored…

“Um, hello?  Earth to Ileana!”

Ileana snapped back to reality at the sound of Maite’s voice.  “Sorry!  I was off in my head again.”  She was off in her head a lot, actually.  Perhaps that was why she didn’t talk to many people.

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Maite reassured her.  “So, do you like my present?”

“It’s great, thank you!  I’ll put the stars up tonight,” Ileana replied with a grin.

“My turn!”  Ileana’s mother walked to her room, coming out with a large wrapped box.  She put the box on the table.  “Open up!”

Ileana tore off the wrapping paper to see the picture on the box - a telescope!  Immediately, she turned to her mother and enveloped her in a great big hug.  “Thank you so, so much!  This is just what I wanted!”

“I want to support your interests the best I can,” her mother said with a smile.  “I’m happy that you’ve found something to be passionate about.  I haven't seen you this focused on something since you discovered books!”

Maite jokingly pouted.  “Now I feel even worse about my small gift!  You’re overshadowing me, Ms. Grace!”

Ileana laughed.  “Oh, don’t worry!  Your gift is still great.  With it, I’ll still be able to see all my favorite constellations during cloudy nights.”

“That’s true,” said Maite, perking up again.  “Anyway, Ms. Grace - wait, where’d she go?”

“I’m right over here,” Ileana’s mother called from her room.  “I’m just getting something else!”

Another gift? Ileana thought.  I thought that was it...telescopes are expensive...maybe Aunt Lily or Uncle John sent something for me from San Diego?

When Ileana’s mother emerged from her room, she was holding another box.  This one was about a foot long and made of wood, and from the way she carried it, it didn’t seem to be very heavy.

“This is from your bunica,” her mother explained as she sat down at the table, putting the box down as she did.  “She gave it to us and told us to store it away until you were fourteen.  I don’t know what’s inside; she said not to open it until you did.”

“Ooh, maybe it’s some kind of family heirloom!  Open it, open it!” Maite squeed.

Ileana stared down at the box.  For some reason, her heart was pounding, and she couldn’t bring herself to smile.  Dread filled her whole body.  She didn’t want to open the box, though she didn’t know why.  It was as if a monster was lurking inside, waiting to spring out as soon as it was freed.  Was this...could it be a premonition?

What are you doing, Ileana?  She snapped at herself.  Premonitions aren’t real!  It’s just a freaking box!  It’s not going to eat you!  Just open it!

Slowly, Ileana undid the clasp on the box’s front, then lifted the top.

Nothing sprang out at her, but she wasn’t relieved just yet.  She reached into the box to feel something hard and round.  Lifting the object out of the box, she found herself confronted with a...with a…

Okay, what was this thing?

The object appeared to be a rod, about ten inches long, made of dark wood.  One end of the rod opened up into a circle, with thin metal wires connecting the sides to the center, making the shape of a star.  In the center of the circle was what looked like a gem of some kind; small, circular, and colorless.  Below the circle, a pair of small metal wings was attached to the rod.  The other end of the rod ended in a round knob, with a pink ribbon tied around it.  Despite how old the ribbon must have been, it looked shiny and brand-new.

“What is this?” Ileana asked, though she knew she wouldn’t get the answer she wanted.

“It looks like a magic wand!” Maite said, excited.  “Try waving it.”

Ileana was pretty sure that magic wands didn’t exist, but she gave the rod an experimental wave anyway.  As expected, nothing happened.

Her mother frowned.  “I don’t think you should shake it around like that.  It’s old, and it could be fragile.  Come on, let’s put it back in the box.”

Ileana gave a hesitant smile.  “It’s beautiful.  I’d thank my grandmother if she were here.”

“I’m sure she can see your gratitude from up above,” her mother replied.  

As Ileana put the rod back in the box, her fingertips brushed against paper.  “Oh, there’s a note!”  Thank goodness, maybe I can finally get some answers.

Ileana removed the note from the box, unfolded it, and began to read.  Maite hovered over her, listening intently.

“Dear Ileana, my little star,” Ileana read, “If you are reading this, either you’ve turned fourteen, or you’re snooping around.  You never were much of a snooper, though, so I assume you’re fourteen now.  Congratulations.  I wish I could be there to celebrate with you, but it looks like I won’t be around much longer.  Hopefully, if all goes according to plan, I’ll see you soon.”

“‘I’ll see you soon?’ What does she mean by that?” Maite interjected.  Her eyebrows lowered.  “Wait, does that mean she thinks you’ll die soon?”

“Nobody is dying anytime soon,” Ileana’s mother said firmly.  “Time passes in a different way when you’re a spirit.  I’m sure that’s what she means.  Ileana, keep reading.”

Ileana nodded, and resumed reading aloud.  “This next part of your life will surely be the toughest you’ve ever faced.  Be brave, little star.  You must protect the things you love, or you’ll lose them.  It will be hard sometimes.  You will wish your path was chosen for someone else.  But I chose you as my successor for a reason.  Remember that.  And never forget that I will always be watching over you, even if you can’t see me.  Take my love and go on to light up the lives of everyone you save.”

That was it.

Ileana was very, very confused.

Her mother was the first to speak, saying exactly what Ileana was thinking.  “What was that all about?  I don’t remember my mother choosing you for anything.”

Maite had something else on her mind.  “She said you were going to save people.”  She turned to her friend, waggling her eyebrows.  “Are you secretly a superhero, Ileana?  Do you have some magical destiny that I don’t know about?”

Ileana would have normally laughed, but right now she felt cold, like all the joy had been sucked out of her body.  It wasn’t a pleasant feeling.

Maite frowned.  “I’m just joking around, you know.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Ileana said, forcing herself to smile.  “I mean, the note was weird, but my grandma did say some weird things before she died.  Anyway, let’s put this back and go play Mario Kart or something.”

Maite’s parents came to pick her up a little while later, and she left smiling, appearing to have forgotten about the mysterious rod.  But Ileana certainly hadn’t.  Even as evening turned into night, the rod and note remained on her mind.  She tried to distract herself by putting up her star stickers, forming her favorite constellations, but she could barely concentrate.  

Exactly what was going to happen to her?

Nothing’s going to happen to me, Ileana reassured herself.  My bunica just got a little odd in her last few weeks, that’s all.

Of course, Ileana knew that was a lie.  Other than on that very last day, she had no memories of her grandmother ever acting strange or crazy.  Then again, she’d only been five when her grandmother died.  She didn’t have that many memories of her to go by.

Ileana glanced at the clock - oh jeez, it was a quarter after ten, and she was still in her day clothes!  Hurriedly, she changed into her pajamas and hopped into bed.

Half an hour later, she was still wide awake.  The words of the note simply would not leave her mind.

You must protect the things you love, or you’ll lose them.

Why did those words keep ringing in her head?

It took her what felt like hours to fall asleep, and when she did, she was greeted with disturbing dreams.  She dreamed she was standing out in a field of snow, no trees or buildings in sight.  The wooden box from earlier was the only thing that stood out against the snow.  Hesitantly, Ileana walked over to it, but as she walked, she sank further and further into the snow, so that by the time she could almost reach it, she was up to her waist in snow and incapable of moving one step further.

There was a cry in the distance; it almost sounded like a dragon’s roar.

Ileana struggled in the snow, but with every movement, she only sank further.  She was up to her neck now.  The box was level with her head, as if to taunt her.  She wasn’t even surprised when it began to grow.  It grew until it was the size of a car, then opened, and a boy stepped out.  He couldn’t have been more than nine years old, but there was a certain serene expression on his face that made him seem much older.

The boy skipped over to her, smiling.  He crouched down until his face was just above hers.

“Do you despise me?”

With that said, the boy stood back up, lifted his foot, and stomped down on Ileana’s head, shoving her all the way down into the snow.

Ileana woke with a start, the boy’s voice still ringing in her ears.  She curled up on the bed, trying hard to calm her racing heart.  Just a dream.  It was just a dream.

She’d once heard that every face you saw in a dream was one you’d seen before in real life, even if you didn’t remember it.  But when she tried to think back to the boy, she couldn’t recall a single one of his features.  Just his smile, that serene expression…  For some reason, that creeped her out more than an angry face.

She spread out on her stomach (the only position she’d ever been able to fall asleep in) and started taking deep breaths.  Calm down.  You’re safe.  

And you will succeed.  You have to.  Or else you’ll die.

Ileana took a sharp breath in.  Where had that thought come from?  She hadn’t dwelled on that day in the hospice in a long, long time…  This was because of the note, wasn’t it?  Why was her bunica saying such odd things in her final days?

Those were her last thoughts before she began to hear the voice.

Ileana…