Heaven’s Path

And, one of the leading inventions of this year goes to…" A voice reverberated throughout the hall that was merely a door swipe away. 

In the lobby, Aria stood outside of the banquet hall. She was in front of a massive metal door, where sounds of clapping and cheering were heard behind it.

She looked up at the door, and down again. She then saw the swiper that would allow her access into the hall. She began to walk closer to the swiper, but like an invisible wall, she noticed that it was getting harder and harder to move toward the door. She was shaking!

"Sh*t. This is a lot harder than I thought." She said under her breath, trying to hold a faint smile. "Why am I so nervous!? Where is Xavier when you need him? I can't go in this hall alone, especially when I'm late!"

She then remembers the conversation they had a moment earlier. She sighs.

"He's probably still staring at that portrait of Astra right now. He seriously gets on my nerves…!"

In contrast to her current mental state, Aria gently pulled out a card from her pink purse that almost acted like an ID card, and outstretched her arm toward the swiper.

"Wait." Aria thought. "Wouldn't it be better if I crouched down, so that no one could see me come in? It would also be more effective if I went at a time where the announcer is calling someone up, so their attention can be diverted." 

Immediately after thinking of her foolproof strategy, Aria began to squat down.

"And this award goes to…Liam Coakley!" The announcer proudly exclaimed, with a round of applause accompanying him. This was Aria Brown's time, she had the perfect window!

As soon as she began to raise her hand to the swiper…

"What in the world are you doing?" A voice came from behind her. 

"Eep!" Aria instinctively shrieked and immediately jumped up! She turned back around to identify the source of this strange voice!

"Oh thank goodness…" Aria then places her hand on her chest, and lets out a dramatic breath of relief. "I thought you were going to be too caught up with looking at Astra!"

"…What?" Xavier said with genuine confusion.

"Whatever. I'm just glad I'm not going to be going in late alone." Aria turns toward the door. She began to stretch out her hand again, but her hands still shook slightly with small sweat drops beginning to fall from her face.

"You were never going to be going in late alone, though…" Xavier then walks past Aria, grabs his card from his pocket and swipes. Soon enough, the massive metal door parted itself, allowing entry, and allowing Xavier and Aria to bear witness to the majestic banquet hall.

…

Xavier and Aria widened their mouths in awe simultaneously! Naturally, there was tremendous whiplash transitioning from the empty, static hallway to the quiet, modern lobby to the bustling, colorful hall.

The auditorium was transformed into a dazzling banquet hall, its glass dome reflecting the scattered light of countless stars overhead. The air was brisk and dry, carrying the faint aroma of desert sage mixed with the richer scents of gourmet dishes wafting from the buffet tables. The atmosphere was somewhat chaotic but formal, with many men and women dressed in formal and appropriate attire conversing, eating samples, or simply walking around.

The energy of the room was electric—brimming with excited guests, physicists and astronomers, who clapped and cheered every time a colleague of theirs were brought on stage by the announcer's voice echoing throughout the hall. As they were brought up, a cluster of journalists was huddled near the stage, their murmurs blending with the hum of excited voices. And in between the gap of waiting for the next physicist or guest to be brought up, there were whispers and anticipation about the astronomical event Astra had predicted. The metallic clinking of glasses and the occasional flash of a reporter's camera added an edge to the lively atmosphere.

Expressing confidence in his behavior, Xavier adjusted the cuff of his sleek black suit as he stepped through the grand entrance. As he walked, the polished marble floors gleamed beneath his shoes, mirroring the warm amber glow of the chandeliers above. While trying to hide his nervousness, his platinum eyes began scanning the room…as he tried his best to avoid eye contact.

Beside him, Aria wasn't trying so hard to hide her internal turmoil. The second she caught a glance of the hall, she held both of her hands over her face to conceal it as she walked beside Xavier. She tried to hide herself from any person that could see her. She wanted to hide the embarrassment that comes with coming late to such an elegant event! However…

"Why are you acting so strange? What are you doing?" Xavier whispered to her while stopping just a few meters away past the door.

"Isn't it obvious?" Aria responds.

"Cut it out, no one is looking at you." Xavier was the only one feeling embarrassed, and he was the only one that saw her.

Aria then slowly takes both of her hands off of her face. She looks around to confirm if no one saw her. No one actually did!

"I see…it seems as if my strategy worked." She proudly exclaimed. 

Though she felt a little dead inside due to the fact that no one paid attention to her as they came in.

"…" Xavier looked at Aria showing a hint of confusion, but he decided not to press on with it.

"Wow," she whispered, ignoring Xavier's confused face. Not caring about the fact that people might look at her anymore, she allowed her 5 senses to absorb every piece of the room. She let her green eyes dart from one opulent table to another, letting her nostrils inhale a mixture of smells. The chatter of influential voices filled the air, mingling with the soft notes of a live quartet stationed in a corner.

"Xavier, do you smell that?" Aria asked, leaning closer to him. The scent of freshly baked bread and roasted meats made her stomach growl. "I think I'd be okay just eating tonight! Hehe…"

"You seem very excited," Xavier said, while looking for a table that isn't fully occupied.

"And you seem very grumpy," Aria responded, while looking at the chefs and cooks eagerly giving out samples to guests. "I haven't eaten all day in preparation for this event. It's fine if I am a little enthusiastic."

"We have to find a table," Xavier said while ignoring Aria. "I don't think he has much time left before he introduces Dr. Sera."

"…" Aria looked at Xavier with a serious face while she puckered her lips. "I…guess you're right. I guess I shouldn't let my stomach get the better of me." She sighed greatly.

Xavier and Aria then began to scan together looking for a table that wasn't fully seated. It was to no avail! It didn't help that there was such a large crowd, and a good portion of them was moving about!

"We have no choice but to walk around. The good thing is that it's gonna be a little hard to be noticeable with so many people…" Xavier expressed his thoughts.

"Yeah, but it's no surprise it's like this when we're late."

As they moved deeper into the hall, the textures of the evening unfolded around them. Xavier brushed against the smooth fabric of a colleague's tuxedo as they exchanged pleasantries, the faint tang of champagne tickling his senses when his nose got a little too close to his colleague's fabric.

Meanwhile, Aria's fingers grazed the edge of a polished silver tray as she swiftly plucked a bite-sized hors d'oeuvre to the chef's unawareness. She took advantage of the amount of people surrounding the chef!

"Just because I shouldn't doesn't mean I couldn't…" Aria happily enjoyed the treat as its crispy shell crumbled softly in her mouth, revealing the buttery warmth of seasoned vegetables.

After battling through the crowd, Xavier and Aria finally managed to find a table that was at most semi occupied!

They identified two seats that were next to each other that weren't occupied and quickly snatched them, sat on them and pulled them into the table. This was done so swiftly and uniformly you wouldn't be blamed for thinking they practiced this maneuver.

The chairs were soft, and were covered with something that resembled a white blanket. This made it very comfortable to sit on. Upon feeling this surge of comfort, both coworkers let out a sigh of relief. They passed the hardest stage!

Getting hungry, both Xavier and Aria instinctively looked down at the table. The table was circular, covered in an immaculate white cloth embroidered with faint silver constellations that shimmered under the golden light of the chandeliers. The centerpiece was a striking glass sculpture of the Milky Way, intricately detailed with tiny embedded lights that pulsed gently to mimic the glow of stars.

The plates were fine porcelain with a subtle spiral galaxy pattern, and the silverware gleamed with a polish so perfect it reflected the faces of those seated. Delicate crystal glasses stood at each place setting, some filled with water, and some half-filled with a deep red Chilean wine, its fruity aroma mingling with the rich scents of the dishes.

And to top it all off, the transparent dome offered an uninterrupted view of the Southern Hemisphere's night sky. Stars glittered like diamonds, their light casting a soft, otherworldly glow over the tables.

"Are every single one of the tables like this? I didn't expect it to be so attention to detail…" Aria said in awe, her mouth widening.

Xavier did the opposite and stopped to glance upward, his breath catching. "It feels like we're dining with the cosmos," he whispered.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen."

Before Aria could make a snarky comment on Xavier, a voice from the announcer rang. It seemed as if it was made extra loud for the occasion, which immediately took the attention of everyone in the room. The evening's energy had shifted palpably, and the soft hum of conversation was interrupted as the announcer said his next words. Everyone knew the main announcement, the one everyone in this room had been waiting for, was coming.

"I would like everyone to be seated as we wait for our dinner to arrive. Until then, it is my great honor to introduce a name that has already left an indelible mark on the field of astronomy—a name synonymous with genius, innovation, and relentless determination." The announcer's voice echoed through the grand hall. It was amplified by the quieting of voices and the immediate seating of everyone present.

The announcer continued, his tone rich with admiration. "This person, who some of you may already know, graduated at the age of nine, earned her PhD by twelve, and, astonishingly, founded her own astronomy program that same year. By fourteen, NASA recruited her. And now, at just seventeen, she was able to be the youngest chief astronomer at the Kennedy Space Center." A small applause from the crowd surfaced followed by a ripple of murmurs coursed through the crowd, a soft cacophony of admiration, curiosity, and whispers of disbelief.

"Seventeen," an old woman at the table behind Xavier whispered, her voice tinged with astonishment. "I can't even imagine being that accomplished at twice her age."

Then a middle aged man leaned in, already aware of who the announcer is referring to. "And have you seen her? She's absolutely gorgeous. Those eyes, that hair—she looks like she stepped out of a legend. It's almost like she's a goddess."

The announcer's voice swelled over the murmurs. "Now, she has worked with numerous famous scientists and astronomers to come up with groundbreaking theories, published many scientific studies, solved two mathematical millennia problems, and with her multilingual ability, she was able to start multiple observatories and labs around the world, and as she says in a recent interview, she does this all in the name in the heavens." Many who heard this thought that she was a religious person, misunderstanding what she meant.

"Given that we should talk about her more controversial accomplishments—she happened to not only predict this event, but even proved it mathematically. Now, I know some of you have their doubts, but nonetheless, we are still gathered here tonight to not only to celebrate her brilliance but to see the event she had predicted—an astronomical phenomenon that could prove unprecedented in our lifetimes. A shift in Polaris, the North Star itself, visible here, in the Southern Hemisphere."

Upon hearing this, some whispered into hushed skepticism. "Her prediction about Polaris - if it's true, it would rewrite everything we know about astronomy," a gruff man muttered. "But I'm not convinced. That's supernatural. Does that really warrant an event like this?"

Aria shifted slightly in her seat, overhearing the comments. Her brow furrowed, sideways glancing at the table the man was seated at. "If you're not convinced, then why are you here, then? How about you disprove her findings mathematically, hm?" She said in her mind but she remained silent, her fingers tracing the rim of her wine glass.

"Yet she's always so kind," a soft voice added from another table. "She's spoken at my daughter's astronomy lecture before. Let me tell you, my daughter has never spoken so fondly about another person before. Including myself…"

"I don't believe it. She's too good to be true then..." A coworker responds to said comment.

The announcer then began to raise his voice slightly. "Due to her work, astronomy has never been the same since. She is now even being compared to someone on the level of Einstein and Newton!" 

Xavier smirked faintly at the announcer's theatricality, while Aria glanced toward the entrance with growing anticipation. Her eyes were almost glowing waiting to see Astra. Both of them forgot about what happened with Astra earlier, and their respect and admiration for her replaced the feelings in their hearts.

"She doesn't even need to be here to steal the spotlight…" Xavier remarked under his breath, his tone half-amused.

"Now, I've done enough talking." As the announcer said this, journalists and reporters began rushing to the grand entrance, expressively holding their cameras and mics up in front of the metal door. As they did this, the entire banquet hall anxiously looked in the direction of the entrance, anxiously waiting on the door to uncover what was behind it.

"Without further ado, It is time to bring the 21 year old chief astronomer of NASA…" The announcer then dramatically outstretched his hand toward the entrance, aiding in the suspense.

"Dr. Astra Sera!" As his voice bounced throughout the walls, the room fell into a charged silence as all eyes turned toward the grand entrance, waiting for Astra to appear.