Faint voices awoke Juniper, who found himself in a large comfy bed. The sheets were silky, though softer and smoother than anything he had ever felt. It was as if the whole bed was holding him in a gentle embrace. His heart felt heavy again, wondering if Oren was fine. That was all he cared about. 

"You are awake." Ilo entered the chamber, holding a tray of fruits and drink. 

Juniper watched her put down the tray on a table in the middle of the room. They looked different from any fruits he had seen before, purple, pink, and golden, all with shimmering specks. 

"Come, have some food." She pulled out a chair and poured a white glittering drink from a pitcher into a gold cup.

Juniper carefully sat down and observed the fruits and the drink. He lifted up the pink fruit and smelled it; a combination of grapefruit, banana, raspberry and honey. Ilo smiled at him and picked up a pink fruit as well, biting into it, juice pouring down her chin. Juniper did the same, finding that it tasted exactly like how it smelled, or perhaps even better. The fruit was richer than any he had ever tasted before, the texture was soft like butter, yet it filled him up all too fast. 

"This fruit is incredible," he said with his mouth full. 

Ilo chuckled. "The fruits of Aurum are supposed to be the tastiest in the entire Universe. Taste them all, Juniper. I think you will find them all to be incredible. And have some milk of the stars as well." 

"Milk of the stars?" He marvelled and lifted up the gold cup. The drink glittered and shimmered as he gazed into it. "Stars indeed." He drank a sip, carefully at first. Then his eyes lit up, his whole body tingled. It was sweet, but not sugary sweet, not even honey sweet, it was a sweetness he had never tasted before, and to him it was a million times better than any drink on Earth. 

Ilo kept smiling. "It is a byproduct of the stars we make on Aurum." 

"You make stars?" He placed the empty cup on the table, licking his lips. 

Ilo nodded eagerly. "Yes. Not stars in your traditional sense I suppose, something more like star souls." 

Juniper bit into another fruit, not sure what to make of anything she said. His head felt like it was spinning in every direction. Nothing made sense. Perhaps it was a dream? Or he was dead? Both seemed more likely than what was happening. There is no way a person can simply be thrown onto another planet, right? 

He leaned back, finally taking in the chamber; the walls were a soft yellow with nothing much on them beside a golden sun above the door, the floor appeared to be some kind of stone, reflecting everything like a dark mirror. The table and chairs were pure white, not wood, and not stone either, Juniper had no guesses to what material they were. With a huff he pushed himself up, taking a step toward the window before glancing back.

"I'm not sure if I understand any of it right now. Who were you talking to earlier? Are there more here?" He suddenly asked. 

She stiffened and put down the fruit she had just picked up. "I have another visitor, but mostly I am alone here. I am an observer, so my role is simply to observe the Universe. This minor planet is the best place to do it from since it is neutral." 

"Doesn't it get lonely? Being all alone here?" Juniper tried to read her expression, though her face didn't convey much at all. 

Ilo pushed her blue hair back and gave him a bright smile. "It is my role. I do not get lonely, since I am always connected to everything and everyone." 

"Can I meet your other visitor?" Juniper carefully placed the question before her. 

Ilo swiftly rose from her seat as if gliding. "Oh. Of course. I shall find him. Stay here, Juniper." 

She slipped out the door as quietly as she had entered. Juniper peered out the window, finding a vast sea before him. Waves crashed hungrily onto the shore before retreating back into the ocean. The most marvellous thing of all though, was the colour of the water. It was not blue in the least. Vibrant shades of lavender, purple, violet, all swirled together, shimmering in harmony with the sand. In awe he kept staring out, forgetting all about his heartache and sorrows. It all seemed meaningless in the light of such wonders. 

"Excuse me." Ilo cheerfully announced her return in the doorway. 

Abruptly Juniper turned around, his eyes bright with wonder. "I'm sorry. I was just admiring the view." 

"It's a sea. Amazing." The one standing behind Ilo said sarcastically. 

"This is my nephew, Rovel, my other guest." She stepped aside gracefully. 

Rovel was rather tall and strong looking, his clothes were black, leathery, a stark contrast to Ilo. He wore a white mask with small black sigils and narrow slits for eyes. Long dark blue hair flowed down his shoulders, it didn't shimmer like hers did. Juniper wasn't sure what to make of him, there was no expression to read at all, though he seemed rather displeased to be there. 

"Hello," Juniper said carefully. "I'm Juniper." 

"Not interested. Earth-beings seem to be quite weak from what I know, and therefore quite dull," he scoffed and took a step back, out the door. 

Ilo smiled. "While it's true that Earth-inhabitants are quite weak compared to our kind, they do have their own qualities." 

Juniper sighed and fell back into the chair. "I don't know much about you guys, or this place. I can't even remember what you said the name was. I'm trying to process whatever has been going on, and I still can't be sure if I'm dreaming or not." He stared at the fruits, Oren loved fruits. Juniper was sure he would have loved this place. 

Rovel turned around, his back against the chamber. "I really don't care. If you have anything more to say, please don't tell me." 

Juniper watched him walk away with long strides, as if he was running from something. 

"You should rest, Juniper. Earth-inhabitants need more rest than I or Rovel do." Ilo slowly picked up the rest of the fruits and placed them back on the tray. "This is not a dream. What I said is true. If you wish I can tell you more about Aurum later." 

Juniper nodded. It was more convenient if it was a dream. There was no way everything was gone, was there? He felt the reality creeping in slowly. What if everything was gone… His family… Oren… His favourite band… Tears started falling, his chest ached with hurt. What if it was gone… What then?

Ilo placed a hand on his shoulder and warmth returned. The hurt became less. Breathing became easier. Everyone and everything seemed so far away, another life. He was with Ilo now, on a minor planet belonging to Aurum. Juniper wiped his tears away, watching Ilo leave the chamber. He could still feel the warmth where her hand had been. 

"It's just me now. I wonder if I can go outside?" He got up and looked out the window again. "I wonder what kind of trees do they have here?" 

Juniper opened the window and slipped outside, not wanting to alert Ilo by going through the door. She might tell him to go rest anyway, and there was no way he was going to go lie down and be with his thoughts any further. 

He stopped and gazed out at the sea again, the breeze lovingly caressing his hair. After a while he knelt down and let his hand rest on the ground. It felt so very different from home. His fingers dug around, looking for soil, something to connect to. 

"You look ridiculous." Rovel chuckled as he watched Juniper, folding his arms. 

"I'm just getting to know the place…" Juniper felt his cheeks turn red with embarrassment. 

"Is it some strange Earth behaviour?" He said mockingly and tilted his head, not waiting for an answer. "I do wonder what they will do with you though. Ilo will have to report this, and Aurum has a very particular way of dealing with strangers." 

"I-" Juniper tried to speak but Rovel had already wandered off. "Damn it," he muttered as he looked around for him. 

Rovel was nowhere to be seen, Juniper was entirely sure he had simply vanished into thin air. What was his deal anyway? Why did he wear a mask? There was something strange about him. But then again the whole situation was strange, too strange. Again Juniper was half-sure that it was all a dream. 

He shook his head and let his eyes wander. The house he had come from was quite modest, the shape was rounded, and it seemed to be made of some sort of glittering rock. At the top of the building was a tall, thin tower that went high up into the sky, Juniper couldn't even see where it ended. Finally he noticed the trees on the other side of the house, the leaves were thick and wide with a faintly pink hue. 

"What am I supposed to do?" His head sank into his hands as he slumped down onto the coarse sand. 

"There you are," Ilo said cheerfully. "You should rest. Don't stay too long out here, you might find it difficult to breathe again." 

"Oh. I didn't realise. The air is not as heavy as it felt earlier anyway. Maybe I'm getting used to it…" Juniper mumbled, head still in his hands. 

Ilo stood completely still and watched him, observing. "It seems like something is on your mind, Juniper." 

He let out a long sigh. "Rovel said that Aurum doesn't take well to strangers, and that you would report me. I guess I'm curious to see how that plays out. Ugh. I don't know. I'm still trying to process the fact that my home, my family, my friends, my- they're all gone. Just… gone." His mind kept going back to Oren. He missed him. 

"Rovel is trying to make you uncomfortable. I am not sure why though. I won't report you. Don't worry. I will find you a suitable world instead, somewhere friendly, though that is rare." Ilo smiled at Juniper, her warm hand finding his shoulder again. 

"You're very nice." Juniper wanted to sleep, to close his eyes and drift off into dreams about everything that was gone. He gave her a nod and walked with her back to the house. "I think I'll have that rest."