☢ ＩＯＴＡ ＢＥＴＡ

[ʞ ɔ ǝ ɹ ʍ d ı ʞ s]

I'd love to hear how you feel about the characters or something that happened, or anything really :] suggestions are welcome too! So please comment! ♥

Where I keep all my drawings related to this story:


x

Fan Art


ʎ ן ɟ u o ƃ ɐ ɹ p


Gretchen and the toaster [featured!]
Arvia's synesthesia
Coto Vatre

None from anyone who's not me! What is this madness? ;p

Past Polls


[9] One of the main three, of course!
[0] Margrette because yes.
[1] Vincent. Or Charlotte, because... Actually, I don't really know why.
[2] One of the twins!
[0] Niles. I mean, come on.
[0] Sada! Lol jk. Clyde. Or or or Maaz. Who doesn't love a hunky jock?
[3] Electra. Dat attitude. Dat naaaame.
[6] Gretchen, dur.
[5] Coto Vatre. Bloodred voice? I don't even know what that means, but it's bada**.
[1] Skyler and/or Luna! Chubbies and gingers!

[ʞ ɔ ǝ ɹ ʍ d ı ʞ s]

It is the year 5042.

Thousands of years ago, nuclear war broke out amongst every major country in the world. Of course, this had been anticipated for more than a few lifetimes. Bunkers and shelters were built in every capable household. Many, however, were not convinced that this would be enough. Existing projects began to be fitted to suit the nuclear protection effort. By this time there was already a small research colony on the moon, and construction began to expand the base to accommodate for more people and more civil life. Similar research domes at the bottom of the ocean were also converted into bigger, city-like shelters. Those left without the money to travel to the moon or time to wait for an open ocean slot began to dig. Hundreds of miles into the earth’s crust they drilled, creating tunnels and passageways connected to each other.

In the year 2409, they were ready for the strike that came, but those left on the surface were not. Everything was destroyed across the globe. The blasts spared nothing and left the surface of earth uninhabitable indefinitely. Meanwhile, over the years, the survivors and their safe havens were ever expanding; in size, and away from each other. They fell out of virtually all contact and developed their own cultures and ways of life.

Those in the underground tunnels were closest to the surface, and therefore were able to salvage the most material. Books, metal, tools, animals. Their culture relied heavily on knowledge and electricity. There were numerous libraries built, as well as trains and coal mines. Without sunlight, artificial light was a must. Not only did it provide light for navigating the intricate tunnels, but light for the oxygen providing trees to grow. Being an electrician became a highly respected profession. Coal miners and scholars were also held in high respects. With all the salvaged books and more being written all the time, the underground has the most well kept record of history in all three of the surviving colonies.

The survivors at the bottom of the ocean grew close to their planet in a much different way. Before the nuclear threat forced the domes to become habitable long-term, they were used for farming. The surface had already been overcome by industrial expansion and pollution, making it increasingly difficult to grow crops. The domes were used to grow produce, and when they were converted into living spaces, the crops remained. A large center dome was built to be a city with many small shops and merchant stands. There are five tunnels that leave the city and connect to smaller domes, different provinces that provide different crops. There are not many trees, but small houses on great plots of land. Other than farming, fishing became a common practice. There are special domes that allow the water to be exposed below that are used to catch deep sea creatures. With a culture that revolves mainly around agriculture, naturally, there were scientists that tampered with the plants’ genetics. This developed many species of plants that did not exist on the surface or in any other colony. They are used for medicine and cooking.

Only the rich were able to afford transportation to the moon. This created a highly wealthy and organized culture. The barracks from the original colony were expanded to accommodate the increase in population. There is a large center dome, where balls and town meetings are commonly held. There are four smaller domes on the north, east, south, and west sides of the compound. These hold shops and schools and public buildings. Many religions and celebrations have been adapted based on the stars and it is common for children to be named after a star or constellation they are born under. The community became very superstitious and developed beliefs and theories based on the stars that surround them.

All of these communities have lived widely separated from each other, until recently. Signs of life have begun to show themselves on the surface. In the tunnels, theorists insist a new time is due to come. In the sea, plant debris is floating to the ocean floor. Patches of green large enough to see from the moon.

Authorities have contacted each other and discussed the situation in depth. They could not let these happenings go unexplored. So, they developed a project that will take effect immediately. Operation Iota Beta will send four of the most qualified applicants to the surface to explore and discover potential new life and report back to their superiors, and, claim habitable land in the name of their own province.

The dirt walls were closing in and the dust was so thick it was difficult to take a single breath. His body heaved, racked with coughs and laced with panic. The light was flickering out. He tried to run, but every direction he tried sent him into a wall of rock closer than the last. This was it, he was-

“Ezie!” The shout came from a different world. “Ez, wake up!” He blinked his eyes open, but everything was still moving. He shot up, not yet realizing the nightmare had ended. Breathing heavily and shiny with a thin sheet of sweat covering his body, he looked around with wild eyes until they came to rest on a different pair. They were big with concern and a familiar dark blue, veiled in long dark blonde curls.

“Gretchen,” he groaned, dragging his hands down his face. “What are you doing in here?”

“You were having another nightmare,” his sister said, sweeping a curl behind her ear. “I could hear you clear across the house!” she paused and examined him in his drained state. In a lower voice, she added, “Was it another cave in?” He glanced at her and nodded, head hanging. “Well,” she continued, “I’ll leave you be. Hopefully you didn’t wake up mom and Jonathan,” she said, glancing back at the door. “It’s almost time to wake up anyway. I’ll make you some eggs and toast.” she smiled and left his room.

Ezekiel watched Gretchen leave and sighed, sinking back down. Gretchen was only 14, but she acted much older. He supposed they were both forced to grow up too fast. When Ezekiel was twelve and Gretchen was only six, their father was killed in a mine collapse. That’s when the nightmares began. Gretchen was too little to understand completely, or to remember him much since he was gone so much. So when their mother, Rose, and Ezekiel became wrought with grief, she developed a sense of responsibility over them that kind of stuck. Even when their mother was back on her feet, she gave more attention to her work and new husband, Jonathan, than she did to her children. So, Gretchen took on most of the cooking and cleaning. She didn’t seem to mind, but Ezekiel helped whenever he had a chance. He was usually busy studying ancient technology and creatures now extinct. He was the more knowledgeable in the field than his classmates, or the entire school, for that matter. His mother worked at the college, but only acknowledged his success occasionally. He figured he and his sister reminded her too much of their father, feelings she wished t avoid. He didn’t take it too personally.

Now, as he sat in bed regaining himself, he looked around until he caught sight of the mirror over his dresser. His shirtless chest gleamed with sweat as much as his face did. He was still breathing heavier than normal, though he was returning to a calmer state. Hs hair was wild and he reached up to smooth it down, taking a deep breath. He threw the covers off himself and made his way to the closet.

He was tall, about 6’ 2”, and lean, often mistaken for scrawny with the modest clothing he wore. His hair was a dark golden color, similar to his sister’s, though instead of curly, it was pin straight. He had it short on the sides and long on top, done up just enough to keep it out of his face, which had a long shape and high cheek bones. His eyes were hazel, changing between golden brown and forest green depending on his surroundings and mood.

He dug through his neat closet until he had each piece of today’s outfit thrown haphazardly onto the end of his bed. The choices consisted of black slacks, a denim button up shirt and a light brown-gray tweed blazer. His accessories included dress shoes, suspenders, a bowtie, and a scarf, all the same shade of light brown.

The smell of eggs and burning toast brought a smile to his face. He threw the scarf around his neck last thing and made his way out of his door and into the kitchen. There were two lovely set ups of fried eggs and sausage on the table, each complete with a tall glass of orange juice. Gretchen was hovering over the toaster, trying to get the black toast out with one hand while using the other to wave the smoke out of her face, coughing. “Toast! The one thing I can’t get right!”

Ezekiel chuckled and walked over, picking up the entire toaster and dumping it upside down into the trash can, setting it carefully back on the counter. “There.”

Gretchen pouted and put her hands on her hips. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

“You’re just not as smart as I am yet,” Ezekiel teased, making his way over to his own plate. He pulled the chair out and sat neatly, gesturing for Gretchen to join him. She walked over in a huff and sat down, stabbing a sausage violently with her fork before looking up at him.

“Well don’t you look dashing today! You’ll fit right in with all the bourgeois at the town meeting!” she pointed out.

He neatly cut up one of his sausages and looked at her in surprise. “I completely forgot about that,” he admitted. “What time is it again? One?”

“One thirty,” Gretchen corrected. “I was wrong about you waking up mom and Jonathan, by the way. They already left.”

He gave her a puzzled look. “For the meeting? What time is it?”

“One thirty,” she answered nonchalantly with a mouth full of eggs.

“Gretchen!” Ezekiel shouted, standing up from his chair and grabbing her hand and pulling her from her chair and over to the front door, which he swung open.

“Hey!”” She cried in protest. “I didn’t get to finish my orange juice!”

“It’ll be here when you get back, but we have to go,” Ezekiel insisted, pulling a sweater of hers off the coat rack and tossing it to her. They rushed out the door to find the street outside their house practically deserted. They lived right by the college and train tracks were hardly one hundred yards from their front door. Despite the fact that the trains travels in their own electrically powered tunnels, on weekdays it woke him up at six o’clock sharp every morning. Today, however, was sunday, and that particular train did not run on weekends, which meant they would have to walk to town hall. It only took about ten minutes on a bad day, but they sped through the empty streets nevertheless. The walls in the shady shortcuts they took were lit only with torches instead of string of electric light overhead like most tunnels were.

As they approached town hall, roars of a crowd ahead were becoming more obvious. They opened the doors to the magnificent building once they reached it. The doors were stained glass as well as the windows, and the vaulted ceiling was high and domed. The place was big enough to fit every inhabitant of the underground standing, which it currently was. There was a crowd on the floor as well as up in the balconies.

Holding tight to Gretchen’s hand, Ezekiel pushed his way through the chattering people until they were close enough to see the mayor make his announcement high up in a balcony outfitted only for the speaker.

“Excuse me, can we all settle down a moment now?” Mayor Somerland’s voice came booming out of the speakers and the buzz of words instantly died down into eerie silence. The mayor was a short man, hardly taller than the microphone he spoke into. He was quite round and had white hair with a mustache to match. He was wearing a gray suit and round glasses, which he adjusted slightly before he continued to read off the paper he held before him.

“As you all may well know by now,” he began, squinting at the words he was to read. “There have been numerous sightings of potential life on the surface. As you may not know, I, as well as my colleagues, have decided upon a course of action. We have come up with operation Iota Beta, which will send four young and qualified explorers, two men and two women, to confirm our suspicions. The names in this envelope were chosen at random from among the people deemed most fit to be sent on this journey with the best chances of a satisfying outcome.” He held up a pale green envelope of cardstock sealed with red wax.

Gretchen smiled excitedly and clasped her hands together. “Oh, Ezekiel! A trip to the surface! Can you even imagine?” She had always had a fascination with discovery of the unknown, especially when it came to the surface. She hated being surrounded by dirt all the time. She wanted to see the sky, the oceans, the animals. Ezekiel, on the other hand, had an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. He was never much for change and leaving everything he’d ever known was quite unsettling. All he could offer in response was a half-hearted smile and a small nod.

They watched in anticipation as Mayor Somerland unfolded the envelope and adjusted his glasses. The entire hall was in complete and utter silence. “Charlotte Kingsbury,” was the first name to echo off the walls. The entire room tensed, waiting for the next. “Vincent Fellowes.” Still silent. “Margrette Clermont.” Wait. Ezekiel recognized the name. He knew her. In fact, he had seen her on the way in. He looked around until he spotted a familiar head seen through the crowd. Her long blonde hair was up in a straight ponytail. Her hands were clasped in front of her and her eyes, though wet with tears, looked as if they had accepted their fate. She seemed to try to see the bright side, but he wondered if she could see none.

Suddenly, his attention was taken from her when he felt burning eyes on his back and heard a gasp escape Gretchen. She looked up at him with a similar look to Margrette’s and he looked at her, puzzled. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Didn’t you hear?” Gretchen said, lowering her hands from her mouth as a single tear spilled over and rolled down her cheek. “Didn’t you hear the last name?”

Confused, he shook his head. “Margrette?”

Gretchen shook her head and smacked his arm. “No, you dimwit.” she paused and took a deep breath. “Ezekiel Lewis.”


- -


After the names had been announced, the meeting had been dismissed. The chosen four were directed to meet at the abandoned track, the closest to the surface, the next morning at five. This gave them time to pack and say their goodbyes. They were assured any loose ends had been dealt with.

Ezekiel did not know how to feel. In fact, he hardly even remembered walking home. Gretchen had lead him by the hand he knew. He must have been too dazed for her to trust him not to run into a wall or oncoming train on his own.

He had been sat down in the chair he had been in that very morning, when the whole world seemed different. His cold, unfinished breakfast remained on the table beside him. Suddenly his future, which only hours ago seemed dead set, was now unpredictable. After five tomorrow morning, he could die at any moment. What about all he had worked for? What about his family? Didn’t he have any say in this?

Before he had fully returned from his thoughts, he heard the front door burst open. His mother ran in, tears causing her dark hair to cling to her face. She wrapped him in her arms and sobbed continuously, spilling apology after apology that he wasn’t even listening to. She was sorry for not paying attention to him. She was sorry she never said how much she was proud of his work. She was sorry about his father, and she couldn’t imagine how he didn’t hate her. She cried about how she didn’t want him to go and begged for him to say something. She took his face between her cold hands and their matching hazel eyes met. “Ezekiel, please,” she sobbed, searching her face for any type of emotion.

Eye contact sparked a stir of emotions in him which had not been there a moment before. He looked away and brushed her hands off, standing from his chair and turning to face the other way. As he began to pace, he noticed Jonathan had followed his mother in and Gretchen was standing beside his chair. They were all looking at him expectantly, curiously, afraid.

He stopped pacing and looked at them all. His eyes rested on his mother and he took her in. She was leaning forwards a bit, wringing her hands. Her hair had fallen out of the neat bun it had been in for years, strands of silver that he had never noticed before, gleaming. Dread and loss overcame him and it took only a few long strides to make his way over to her and wrap her in his arms. She seemed so frail. When was the last time he had hugged her? She began to shake once again with sobs and he struggled to hold back his own tears. The embrace lasted a long while before he held her back by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. “I will be ok,” he promised, offering a small smile. He looked up and caught sight of Jonathan standing a ways back, and exchanged a nod with him. Letting go of his mother, he turned to Gretchen, who immediately flung herself at him.

“Take me with you,” she begged, her voice cracking. He smiled and knelt down, brushing her hair out of her face.

“You know I would if I could,” he promised. “But don’t you worry. I’ll be back before you know it.” He hoped his promise would be true, and he refused to believe it wouldn’t be.

She nodded and smiled back. “Come on,” she said with a sniff. “I’ll help you pack.” She pulled him up and began walking towards his room, glancing at their mother who had fallen into Jonathan’s comforting shoulder.

As they made it into Ezekiel’s room, Gretchen pulled out the only bag he actually had and began going through his clothes. She continually threw things on the floor making comments like, “You definitely can’t bring that.” “Why would you ever wear this at all?” and “Where did you even get this?” He sat on the end of his bed and watched as she cleared out his drawers and closet, deeming everything unfit to pack. “I guess you just can’t go then. You don’t have anything to wear,” she said, facing away from him and looking at the floor in silent dismay. Suddenly, she buried her face in her hands and her body began to shake with sobs.

Ezekiel stood from where he sat and wrapped a comforting arm around her. Words were not needed. After she got it all out, she bent down and began picking things up, refusing to make eye contact with him. He left her side and began to do the same, folding articles of clothing and placing them neatly in the suit case.

After a long while, Gretchen suddenly said, “Tell me about father.”

Ezekiel looked at her in surprise. She had never wanted anything to do with him, not wanting to feel sorrow over a person she hardly remembered. Their mother refused to talk about him anyway. Now, since her last reliable source was about to leave and possibly never come back, she wanted to know.

“Well,” Ezekiel began with a sigh, “He had black hair, though that could have just been from the coal dust. He had blue eyes, like yours. A round face, like yours… You really do look like him,” he said with a smile. “You act like him too, you know. He would always tell stories about the surface and what it used to be like. You could tell by the way he talked about it that he wanted to see it for himself.” He stopped and gave a small laugh. “Your favorite one was about a lion with a thorn in his paw and a mouse that helped him get it out. You would always call dad a lion and insist that you were a mouse.” His eyes gleamed at the memory. “He would chase you and pretend to be a lion and you would squeak like a mouse and giggle. You’d hide somewhere and he’d pretend he couldn’t see you, so he would as me and mom for help and we would look all over for you, listening to you giggle from where you very obviously were.”

He looked over to Gretchen and saw her smiling, though there were tears streaming down her face. He could only assume she remembered some little piece of what he described. She looked at him when he stopped and quickly wiped her tears away. “What else?” she asked, sniffling.

The stories continued until late, even after they had finished packing. It was nearly midnight by the time he sent her to bed. She was already half asleep and refused to move, so he carried her to her own room and watched her for a moment longer. She would still be asleep by the time he left that morning, as well as his mother and Jonathan. He did not want to wake them up and bother with more goodbyes. He wanted to remember home as it had been tonight, for he was unsure of whether or not he would see any of them again.


- -


Ezekiel woke up at four thirty that morning to make his way to the abandoned station as directed the day before. Everything was all packed and everything, so all he had to do was leave. But before he did, he left a note on the kitchen table, which had by now been cleared by yesterday’s breakfast. It read:

Dear mom, Gretchen, and Jonathan,

I know this is hard for all of you in different ways. I know I won’t be able to talk to you until I get back, but I will come back. Just remember that. And when I do, I’ll have so many stories, I’ll be telling them for years. And who knows, maybe I’ll be in one of those history books someday. I love you.

- Ez

He hesitated as he placed the note gently on the table, letting his fingers linger around the smooth edges. He heaved a sigh and before he let emotion get to him, he turned sharply and made his way out the door.

He walked down the road that was just as busy and bustling as any other day. You’d be surprised how many people woke up early when there was no sun to tell you it was still ok to sleep. The people wandered along like nothing had happened the day before, their lives unaffected.

Hands in his pockets, he walked until there were no more people. He wasn’t sure how long it had been, and he checked his watch. Momentary dread filled him. He had been walking for over twenty minutes. He shrugged it off. It’s not like the expedition would leave without him. He looked up from his wrist and gazed upon the sight before him.

Faded police tape and crumbled rocks. A single torch flickered with a pathetic flame in the corner, outliving the rest lining the wall which must have burnt out days before. He had unknowingly followed the familiar path to the coal mine his father had worked in. He stared blankly at the wall for what seemed like forever, but in his mind played the memories of what he had lost. He glanced at his watch again. 5:18.

He was never one for being late, so he figured he best get going before they actually did leave without him. His feet began to suddenly move again, like starting up a machine that had been down for an entire lifetime. The sudden scuffing sound echoed in the near silence, harmonizing with the last pops and spurts of the torch as it went out.

Luckily, the lift to the abandoned tracks wasn’t far and his father had taken him up it enough times that he could navigate in the dark without much trouble. He fumbled to find the lever, but once he did, he head the doors to the lift clang open. He stepped inside and began his descent, trying his best not to think about it too much.

As he got higher to the surface, the air grew less stuffy than it was so far below, and his ears popped. He waited patiently for the light above to appear. Once it did, the sound of voices echoed it. The lift stopped with a jerk that made him stumble in his distracted state.

The brightness made him squint as he pulled the doors open and stepped off the lift. By now, the voices had either been reduced to a mere murmur or stopped entirely. As his hazel eyes adjusted to the light, he saw a slew of faces looking at him expectantly.

The first one he recognized was Margrette, though the others were strangers. There were only two others that weren’t clad in uniform. A short, shy looking girl with short, curly brown hair. She had freckles and big round blue eyes hidden behind a similar pair of glasses.

The other was a young man older than him by maybe a couple years, with short black hair and eyes that were gray. He was scrawny looking and average height, and Ezekiel expected the same shy look from him, but what he found was not so. In fact his gaze was quizzical, like he was studying Ezekiel, or looking for something that was expected to be there and simply wasn’t. Ezekiel was doing the same and he wondered if they were mirroring each other’s expressions.

He jumped a bit when the booming voice of one of the uniformed men broke the ice. “Now that we’re all here, let’s get started.” he gave a stern glance at Ezekiel, more than likely for being as late as he was, but he figured the guy didn’t want to waste his breath on someone he would never see again after today. Ezekiel began to wonder why he and his little group were going instead of these soldier guys. He was debating whether or not he should take a risk and ask until someone beat him to the punch.

“If you guys are so big and strong, why are we being sent up there instead of you?” Margrette’s arms were crossed in a confronting stance as well as against the cold.

Three of the four guards looked at her, then at the one that was obviously their superior; the one that spoke before. He simply looked at her as he seemed to be silently finding the words to explain. “We are built and trained for battle, not research,” he began carefully. His voice became more confident as he spoke. “You have been selected based on your youth and your IQ, not your battle skills. You will be leaving with all the things you will need to survive and gather data. You must realize, however, that we do not know what is up there. To the best of our knowledge, you should be alright, but no one has been to the surface in thousands of years. The results will be unpredictable. Now, though I will be disappointed if I end up with less than four of you, I’m required to ask anyone who wishes to leave to do so at this moment.” He paused.

Ezekiel looked around. He was surprised that for the next twenty seconds, not a sound was made in the damp cave. He was even surprised in himself. Here he had the chance to leave, to go back home, to see his family, but instead he found himself compelled to stay, even though his life was at risk.

The closest thing to a smile the uniformed man was capable of formed on his lips. “Right then. In order to begin as soon as possible, we have pre-packed backpacks for all of you. There is no time to explain some of the times, but the more complicated items are paired with an instruction manual. The radiation in the surface air had dissipated, so you breathing will not be a problem. However, much has been absorbed into the soil. Avoid touching it at all costs. The effects are unpredictable. Sand and stone should be alright. Currently, the weather is dry and stable. The best of luck to you all.” With that, he gestured to the corner of the room as the old train’s lights began to flicker on.

There on the crumbling platform were four backpacks, though that word seemed like a heavy understatement. These bags were massive and Ezekiel wondered how they expected them to drag them around on the surface. They were fitted with tents and sleeping bags and pots hung off the edges. Tentatively, he began to make his way over to the small pile. Margrette was the first to follow him with confident steps. The others were slightly more hesitant, Charlotte lingering in the back.

Preparing for something as heavy as himself, Ezekiel slung the bag over his shoulder. He staggered a bit, the bag being much lighter than he had anticipated. As the others followed his lead, the doors to the train slid open with a hissing sound. Without looking back, he stepped inside and sat in the first seat, dropping his bag beside him.

As the others boarded, he looked out the window to see the guards saluting them, and then disappearing altogether. For the rest of the time, the old cabin car was filled with nothing but the unsteady sound of an engine that hadn’t run in a long, long time.

It was an artificially sunny day in dome number four, not unlike every “summer” day. As it was, the domes simulated seasons for the sake of traditional farming. It was winter over in dome two right now. Maybe she’d visit later…

Chic white cloth draped down the branches of a birch tree, gently billowing in the soft breeze. She was listening. She was watching. She heard the sound of a finch call. Golden and purple colors swirled about her vision in tune with the short chirp, floating away as soon as it ended. A crow called. Suddenly there was a dark gold before her, drawn through the air in thick lines. Naturally, the screech of the bluejay was blue, but it was harsh and demanding.

She hated that about bluejays. The blue of their call always forced itself into her vision, smothering her. Her peaceful smile turned into a frown of disturbance and she shifted on the branch she sat upon. She sat up and let her legs dangle, gazing over her family’s rolling hills of grass and crops. Their little white house sat on the far side of the fields. She could hardly see the blue roof and shutters from where she was. She could clearly see, however, the red of the surrounding fence that she had insisted on painting herself when she was only a small girl.

As she gazed dreamily upon the red fence from afar, the pesky bluejay landed directly beside her and cried out at the top of its lungs. The flash of blue startled her and she fell out of the tree with a squeak, eyes wide. She landed in the soft grass on her back with a thud and spend the next couple seconds gasping for air. When she regained herself, she sat up on one arm and used the free one to brush the long blonde hair out of her face so she could properly glare at the smug little blue bird up in the tree where she had just been moments ago.

She stood and composed herself, brushing dirt off her white dress. The breeze picked up and she felt something tickle her face, jumping a bit. She looked up and saw her sheer shawl caught in the branches above and heaved a heavy sigh. Reaching up, she tugged it until it drifted softly to the ground. She pulled it up and around her arms once more, her silvery blue gaze drifting along the horizon.

Of course, she knew, the hills were not the only sight to behold in the underwater domes in which she lived. As she looked up and around, she saw straight through to the ocean, in every direction. On days where she felt adventurous, she would venture all the way to the edge and press her nose against the thick plexiglass. There wasn’t much life, as they were indeed very deep.

But every now and then, something magnificent would happen. One time she saw a whale drifting through the gentle currents. One time, even, she found a place where the biggest squid she’d ever seen had stuck itself to the other side of the dome, and she had gone so far that she was the only one around to see it.

The experience had been beyond anything she could imagine. Most people, she figured, wouldn’t have the interest to stick around or the persistence to follow it for three hours until it swam away beyond her reach. The fascination in her was her simple undoing, as it was with most things. She never stopped marveling about life, plants, existence in itself.

Nothing ever failed to catch her interest. What is it? How does it work? Why does it exist? These questions she asked about everything. However, the squid is what always stood out in her mind. It’s thick beak, the way it’s tentacles curled at the end, it’s big, intelligent eyes, and the red of it’s color.

She remembered it now, as she gazed out into the open ocean from below. She had a terrible desire to start running to the edge and not stop until she reached it, though she longed to go further. She took one anticipated step, the soft grass tickling her bare feet, before the town siren sounded and she jumped back, nearly losing her balance. That was the signal for a town meeting.

She looked at her house and smiled to herself before she took off running to the little white house. She figured what she was wearing would suffice enough for a town meeting. A simple, white dress that stopped at her knees and a golden belt around her torso. Her dress became sheer as it reached her collarbone, which extended to the sleeves that only reached her elbows. The opaque collar was rounded and neat; all she needed was shoes.

As she swung open the red gate, it made a creaking sound, and she slowed to a walk down the path to her house. She opened the door to find her father reaching for his hat while her mother fussed over his tie, and she couldn’t help but smile as they playfully struggled with each other.

“Adsen, you can’t possibly think I would let you out of the house with such a crooked tie!” she teased, a firm grip on his necktie. Her mother was tall and thin, looked much like her, with pale skin and silvery eyes. Her hair was up in a messy, dull blonde bun and a soft smile played on her lips.

“Marina please, the tie can be fixed on the way,” her father insisted. He also had blue eyes, though darker, with dark hair and neat scruff lining his face.

She loved the familiar color of their voices; bright clouds that created a haze of color when they spoke. Her mother’s was yellow when she was happy, dark blue when she was angry or sad. Her father’s was a bright teal that turned black in the same cases.

They both stopped and looked at her when they heard her coming through the door. While her father was distracted, her mother yanked him forward and fixed his tie. “There,” she said with a smile. Her father heaved a sigh and placed his hat on his head.

“Are you ready for the town meeting, Arvia?” her father asked, gently tugging at the tie twisted around his neck.

She looked at him quizzically. There was a serious tone in his voice; a darkening of the haze. He only ever called her Arvia when he was angry with her, or distressed, which was rarely. Arvie was the name she was used to, and though only one sound was changed, the difference in meaning was significant.

Arvie nodded and leaned down to pick up the white flats on the ground in front of the door. “Just needed my shoes.” She watched as her father nodded slowly, struggling to keep up the facade. She wondered if it had something to do with the meeting. After all, her father did hold a seat in the city council. He would know.

Trying to sound as casual as possible, Arvie asked, “What’s the meeting about, papa?”

He looked at her and then at her mother, who by now also looked a bit concerned, and smiled with a shake of his head. “We will find out soon enough. Now let’s head out, shall we?” He urged her mother forward gently with a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Arvie turned and walked out the door that was already open.

Since their house was fairly close to the city tunnel, they only had to walk. There were few other families living in their dome- somewhere around fifteen. Most of which had their houses built close to the city tunnel.

It took about twenty minutes to make it to town square at the center of the central dome. It was a big courtyard, big enough to fit the entire population of the dome standing, with a raised platform in the front that acted as a stage. Speakers were spread out along the edges of the courtyard so everyone was able to hear the address.

They were able to get a spot near the front, since people recognized her father and made way. It got more crowded over the next few minutes. All the different voices made a constant slew of colors at the edges of Arvie’s vision. This was why she prefered to be out in the quiet fields alone, where the occasional burst of birdsong makes the experience enjoyable. Generally she avoided noisy situations such as this because of how overwhelming the sound became. However, as she got older, it became easier to focus it to the edges of her vision, though she had to concentrate considerably.

The noise began to dim down and she looked up from her slump to see why. A tall, neatly dressed and handsome man confidently stepped onto the stage before them and stood behind the podium, adjusting one of the microphones.

‘Thank you all for coming today, as there is an important announcement to be made,” he said with a flash of a white smile. Arvie recognized him as the head of council, and she rolled her eyes. His voice was a deep red that seeped thickly out of the speakers like blood. “For those of you who may not know, I am Coto Vatre, head of council, though I’m sure you knew that.” Another sickeningly charming smile.

Suddenly, his tone lowered and became more serious. “As you may or may not have heard, there have been rumors circulating of signs of life on the surface. These rumors… Are indeed true.” Gasps and exclamations from the crowd. Coto Vatre held up a hand and silence grew over them once more. “These signs cannot go ignored, and I have spoken with the heads of the other colonies. We have developed a program, Iota Beta, to each send four researchers and explorers to the surface. Now… All we need are volunteers.”

His smile grew again, clasping his hands before him and surveying the crowd. “This is the rarest of opportunities! If you would like to make history, please come up and stand beside me!” Silence.

Arie was shocked. Could this really be true? Life on the surface? Her heart pounded and the blood road in her ears. She felt her mother’s hand lay on her shoulder and looked up at the nervous eyes of her father. She was excited! She was afraid. She wanted to discover, to learn, but her feet would not move.

Just as Coto Vatre began to look impatient, there was a shuffling near the back of the crowd. As it got closer, short cries of annoyance escaped the people around them. The shuffling made its way to the stage, and a man hopped up beside the head of council.

The man was tall and heavy built, somewhere in his twenties though it seemed the heavy smell of scotch and the cigar between his teeth had aged him. He had brown hair, short and messy. He also had patchy scruff on his face. He wore a stained uniform-looking coat and cargo pants with heavy duty boots.

Coto Vatre looked at him as if disgusted for a split second before looking out at the crowd. “Ladies and gentleman, our first volunteer!” A half-hearted applause escaped the mass of people, but the man bowed like he had won a medal.

It seemed as though he had sparked the confidence, because two more bodies shifted near the front of the stage. They made their way to the side and actually went up the stairs. Arvie’s eyes widened. She knew them! The Glendower twins, Cassy and Caspian. They lived in her dome, had gone to the same school. Cassy’s short blonde curls were pinned back but still bounced. Caspian’s hair was just as curly, though much shorter and much darker. They had matching blue eyes and freckles sprinkled over their faces.

A spark of envy ignited inside of Arvie. If they could go, why couldn’t she?

Coto Vatre induced another round of applause. “Only one more volunteer, folks, and we can be a part of history!”

Arvie took a step forward impulsively. She was held back by her mother’s hand. She turned into the faces of her parents, shocked and hurt. Her expression softened and she simply looked from one to the other. Her parents exchanged glances and her mother began to tear up. “Arvia…” her father began. “Be careful.” Her mother shot a shocked glance at her husband, speechless. He simply gave her a nod and the tears began to spill.

Arvie was also tearing up, but she smiled. She hugged them both. “We love you,” her mother wept.

“I love you, too,” Arvie said.

Her father pulled away and put his hands on her shoulders. “Alright, now go before someone else gets up there before you.”

Arvie hesitated, but then smiled and turned to leave. Behind her she heard a call from her father. “Make history!”

Arvie smiled at the words of her father, tearing up as she walked through the murmuring crowd. I will, she promised silently. She felt the eyes trained on her, each displaying a different emotion. Her heart beat faster as she made her way to the edge of the stage, walking up the stairs the twins had ascended before her. She stood next to Cassy and exchanged a nervous glance with her.

It was silent until Coto Vatre started the cheering again. Arvie had never heard anything louder. Whether it was of encouragement or outrage, every voice in the courtyard sounded. Every color played in her vision, threatening to blind her, and she did her best not to panic, but focused on diverting them to the corners of her vision, to no avail. Blood red then began to seep through the crackling colors once more.

“These four young souls will ascend to the surface, meet with ten peers, and discover things never before known to the human race!” Coto Vatre then walked from behind his podium with a microphone and stood beside the first volunteer. “Now, I’m going to ask you all your names before we continue so we can all have a proper idea of who you are.” He held the microphone before the scruffy man.

“Niles Calder,” the man said in a deep, dark yellow voice after removing the cigar from his lips. Coto Vatre then made his way down the line.

“Caspian Glendower.”

“Cascade Glendower.”

“Arvia Brimlad.”

“Niles, Caspian, Cascade, and Arvia!” He shouted joyfully, walking back to his podium. “Remember these names because these are the people that will be risking their lives for the sake of discovery!” The crowd cheered again. He then turned to the four in a line. “Everything you need had been pre-packed and is ready for you to leave immediately in a submarine by the main piers.”

Immediately? Her eyes desperately sought her parents in the crowd. It didn’t take long to find them. Her father had his arm around her mother, who was crying into his shoulder as he tried to comfort her. He looked up and met Arvie’s eyes. He gave her a quick nod and a reassuring smile. He was sad, she knew, but she also knew that he didn’t want to hold her back from her wanderlust.

Blue and white rode in stripes past her vision as the national anthem played through the speakers. Suddenly, Coto Vatre was herding all four of them off the back of the stage. She looked over her shoulder, looking at her parents until she simply could not any longer.

A heavy sense of dread filled her and she had the urge to cry and run back. She wanted to scream, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I won’t go, I can’t go, I’ll never leave you again!” But there was a lump in her throat and her legs felt numb. She knew if she went back now she would regret it for the rest of her life. She made a silent vow right there to come back home. She wouldn’t die, she wouldn’t get lost, she would always return.

The herding stopped and she looked up from the floor. A white limo was parked before them and Coto Vatre opened the door, gesturing for them to climb inside, and they did. After they were in, he got in himself. They all sat in the back facing him sitting alone on the other side. They were all quiet, as if rethinking their decisions. He simply clasped his hands and rested his elbows on his knees.

“You are all very brave,” he began in a low voice, much more serious and less showy than he was on the stage. “On behalf of this colony, I welcome you to project Iota Beta.” He paused, looking for the right words to say.

“Don’t we have to go home and pack?” Cassy said in a flat voice.

He shook his head. “Everything you need has been packed for you and waits on the submarine for your arrival,” he assured her. “It will take the better part of a day to reach the surface. There are pamphlets for you to read. Warnings about the nuclear radiation and whatnot.” It wasn’t a long way to the piers. Soon, the car slid to a stop. “The best of luck to you all.”

They all hesitated before Niles opened his door and walked out. They each followed and stood in a group staring at the piers. This was the place where a controlled flow of water was released to create canals and irrigation throughout every dome. Big buildings for processing the water and fish that came through were lined along it. There were small tubes along the edge of the dome that led to the submarines. They were sealed as well to control the flow of water. The tunnel that opened led to a bigger submarine, meant for more than one person like most were.

Coto Vatre had silently climbed out and stood beside them, hands clasped before him, giving them a moment to stare at their future. One by one, they glanced at him, unsure. He nodded towards the tunnel, and again, Niles was the first to go. He took long, confident strides towards the open tunnel and through the open hatch of the submarine itself, whose lights had flickered on moments before.

Arvie took a deep breath as the rest of them made their way into the submarine after them. Once she walked through the doors, she could no longer hold her tears back. She collapsed in the nearest seat and sobbed uncontrollably. She didn’t mind, however, because she wasn’t the only one.

[ʞ ɔ ǝ ɹ ʍ d ı ʞ s]

Black.

Always black.

Even when the sun peeked over the horizon, still black, just with less stars.

Stars.

There was something to wonder about. Floating in an infinite sea of stars. Space was so… Vast, so… Forever. They were a simple speck of dust in an entire universe and they didn’t even realize it. Even from here, they’re so small. Yet they always acted so big. As if they were actually important in the great scheme of things. He was the most important one there and none of them even knew he existed.

It had it’s ups and downs though, being nonexistent. He could get away with just about anything, really. Like now, for example. He was in the moon base’s control room, a small dome above the largest one, smack in the center of the whole compound. It was really, very small, the control room, with one elevator up to it. The central dome had no floors so you could always see the stars from the ground level. He was the only one above them, watching them. He sat in a rolling chair with his feet up on the control board that wrapped around the whole circular room.

Watching, with his feet up. That was a good side.

The bad side was he could see the much bigger dome below, all the people, dressed in tuxedos and gowns. Another ball. Another ball that he hadn’t been invited to.

Every now and then he would flip a switch and change up the lights. He sipped obnoxiously on the last of his soda through a straw and peeked inside the cup to see if there was more. There wasn’t. He sighed and threw it into the waste basket on the other side of the room. He took his feet off the control panel and shifted in his chair, stretching and placing his arms on the rests. The sound of the elevator ascending could be heard and he swiveled to face the door.

The sound got louder then stopped altogether. The doors stepped open to reveal another man, early twenties like he was, but considerably chubbier with short blonde hair.

The man himself was around six foot and rather thin and spangly, considering he spent every day up in the control room or at home sleeping. His dark brown hair was not done, but not messy either. It was thick and straight and though, when it was brushed to the side, the front stopped just above his eyes, the back reached the base of his neck in length. His bangs were able to stay to the side because they rested on a pair of square glasses with thick black frames. He had the build to be muscular, with his broad chest and shoulders, but instead they were bony. His face was very square and his dark eyebrows thick, not unlike the hair on his head. His eyes contrasted brilliantly, as they were a deep azure blue with a green center, framed by a nearly black ring. He was currently wearing a light and dark gray striped short sleeved shirt and dark jeans. And no matter how hard he tried, he could not grow a beard.

Now, he put on a smile and threw his arms in the air, gently spinning in slow half circles back and forth in his chair. “Eeeeeey, Skyler!” He held his hand out in greeting as the big blonde guy approached with a smile.

“Hey man, what’s up?” he accepted the hand of greeting with a slapping sound, pulling the four-eyed tech out of his chair and into a hug. He held him back by the shoulders and looked him up and down. “Haven’t seen you for a while, bro. Doesn’t look like you’ve been eating much.”

“To you, no one looks like they eat enough,” he teased in response. Then he turned and sat heavily back in his chair. “So how long you sticking around for this time?”

“Oh, not long,” Skyler said. “Luna just asked if I could drop this off to you.” He held out an important looking envelope, which his friend reached forward to grab with a quizzical expression.

“What is it?” he asked, shaking it a little as if that worked for letters.

Skyler shrugged. “Who knows.” He peeked over the control panel and out the window to the dome below. “Hosting another party, I see,” he snickered.

He scoffed. “The fact you’re here says you weren’t invited either, so... You can… Just shut up.”

“Great comeback,” Skyler said with a smirk. “But hey, listen man, invite or not, I still gotta get back home. Astra’s making me a surprise dinner.”

He sat up. “Oh right, you and Astra. How’s that going?” he tried to keep the bitterness out of his voice. He didn’t find it fair. Even Skyler was engaged and he was stuck up there alone. Skyler! But he told himself he couldn’t get mad. If any girls ever went up to the control room, he would have been the one getting married.

“Oh good, you know… Surprise dinner, what else could you ask for, right?” Skyler laughed, making his way back to the elevator. “Alright, I’ll see you later. Don’t have too much fun without me!”

“You’re the only fun in my life!” he answered dramatically, spinning in his chair, only half kidding. After the elevator went down, he heaved a sigh and looked at the envelope in his hands. It was white and plain, and he wondered what it could be. He didn’t know anyone that would send him mail. It must have been important if Luna sent Skyler instead of waiting for him to come home.

Luna was his aunt. He’d lived with her for as long as he could remember. He only had fragments of memory of his parents. They were killed in a barrack malfunction when he was three years old, visiting his aunt Luna’s twin sister, Sunnie, both of which were his mother’s older sisters. Something went wrong with the pressure and the oxygen was sucked from their section. It was sealed off from the rest as soon as there was any sign something was going wrong. They died in a vacuum, and it may have been quick, but by no means did that mean it was not painful.

He didn’t like to think of them. He’d rather think of them as they were in life, immortalized by his few memories and the stories. His parents’ fate played a factor in many theories of why he spent so much time in his mini dome. Maybe it makes him feel safer, being in a small space, or at least not the barracks, where they died. He could control everything from up there. Air flow, for emergencies, and all the electrical currents to every one of the five other domes. Maybe he liked the idea of being in control, assuring he would never suffer the same fate by chance. And maybe, just maybe, he isolated himself as a way to protect his feeling from another loss. Maybe they were right, but he didn’t think about it too much.

The only reason he hadn’t been kicked out of his aunt Luna’s was because he spent twenty hours out of the day in his dome, and the job paid. He went home to sleep when his chair wasn’t comfy enough. Or in other words, when he had nothing to do and wasn’t tired enough yet to fall asleep in it.

Now he turned over the envelope in his hands. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw who it was from. Orion Auldrey? The president of the moon base? He turned it over again and tore it open along the top. He eagerly pulled out the letter and unfolded it. It read:


Mister Azure Hubble,


You have been hand chosen amongst the many qualified to be sent to the surface as part of an exploration project, Iota Beta. You and three others will be sent to the surface of earth to search and record any signs of animal or plant life that may have developed without the knowledge of the human race. Your skillset has been deemed superior and I trust they will get you through the perils of the surface unscathed. Once you arrive, you will be meeting up with eight other explorers, one from each colony. Please meet up with the others at the south loading dock at 8 am tomorrow morning to embark on your journey. Information and supplies will be provided there. Please only bring what you feel is absolutely necessary to survive. The best of luck to you all.

Respects,
Orion Auldrey

No way.

The surface?

Him?!

Suddenly lights didn’t seem so important.

They could figure out how to work their own damn lights from now on. He didn’t care, he was going to the surface! He couldn’t wait to tell Luna! And Skyler probably hadn’t gotten far. It was debatable, really. He wasn’t the fastest walker, but then again, if Astra was cooking-

Wait, why did it even matter?!

Azure nearly fell on his face he jumped up so fast. He gripped onto the letter with his life; it was his ticket out of this hell hole. What really made him feel special was that it was hand written. He ran over to the edge of the dome and looked down at all the people below. He reached over and repeatedly pushed a button that changed their party’s lights from amber to green and back again. “You hear that, suckers?! I’m leaving!” He cheered and drifted over to the elevator, pushing the button impatiently until the doors opened. As soon as he stepped through the doorway, Azure fainted.

You could have called it good or bad that he hit his head on the rail on the way down to the floor. It was good because it woke him back up immediately. It was bad because now, his head hurt pretty bad. It was lucky because it only hurt.

He stood up slowly and the elevator still had quite a ways to go. He groaned and rubbed the back of his head, still clutching the now half-crumpled letter. He glanced out the elevator to catch sight of the big clock on the wall. It was 12:15 when the doors opened. The party wasn’t as crowded as it was earlier. He rushed through the crowd, listening to people complain about the lights freaking out with a smirk.

He left the dome through a doorway that lead to a tunnel that led to a series of multistory hallways. The barracks were quite similar to a hotel, the way they were laid out. His aunt Luna did not live far from the dome, but only at the end of the second hall.

He took long strides to the end of the hall, only swaying a little, as he did faint and hit his head only moments before. When he brushed against the wall he put one hand to his head, driving his fingers through his thick hair. He transferred the note in his other hand to his mouth and took the keys out of his pocket. He stuck the key in the lock and turned it one way, then the other, then back again until it clicked, jiggling it impatiently.

As the door swung open, he called out. “Aunt Luna!” he leaned over and flicked on the light. It was a small little house, with mostly red decor. The walls and carpet were a plain white, even though Luna had sworn to paint and replace them both. “Aunt Luna!”

A groggy looking woman with messy ginger hair and a pale blue robe on appeared through another doorway. Her voice was much more powerful than one would expect it to be in her state. “Azure! What’s the deal?” there was a hint of complaint, not appreciating being woken up in such a manner.

Azure ran up to her, waving the letter. “I got the letter you sent with Skyler! Do you know what it is?”

She looked at him with quizzical blue eyes and shook her head, slightly more alert now. “No, I just saw that it was from Orion Auldrey.” she paused and took a quick step to his side so she could see what the letter said. “Why, what is it?”

“They’re sending me to the surface!” He burst excitedly before giving her a chance to read it for herself.

She looked at him in a shocked manner, fear in her eyes. But once they met his and she noticed his excitement, she offered a forced smile, but she didn’t know what to say, except, “When are you leaving?”

“I have to be at the loading dock by eight tomorrow morning,” he announced, smiling brightly. “I was hand picked by Auldrey!” he bragged like a small child.

The way he acted brought tears to Luna’s eyes. She had watched over him for twenty years, watched his childhood get torn away and spent every second doing her best to replace it. She was conflicted. On one hand, she was hurt, seeing him so eager to leave his home, to leave her. She knew, however, that he had to leave sometime. She just didn’t expect it to be to a different planet. She lurched forward and hugged him tight before he saw the tears spilling over. “I’m so proud of you.” He was so tall now that she had to tippy toe to get her arms around his neck. She was not able to keep a sob out of her voice.

The realization that she was crying was the first time Azure had felt sorrow since receiving the letter. He hugged her tighter and after a moment of silence added, “I’ll miss you.” It was true, but he could not pass up this opportunity for her. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Looking back, he realized she had sacrificed so much for him. She had aged considerably and he showed his appreciation by spending all his days in a little room isolated from the rest of the world. They stood there for a long time, both silently hoping he would come back at all.

- -

Azure had a restless sleep that night. He had a mixture of nightmares and dreams. He was afraid of the unknown, but at the same time, excited to experience anything that didn’t have to do with the moon.

The night before, Azure had ended up sending Luna back to bed. It was late and he could tell she was still tired, especially after crying out the rest of her energy. After that, he walked around the house; sat and contemplated life for a while. He fell asleep at the table a few times before getting up and lumbering to his own bed.

He spent the night tossing and turning, every dream too real. The only thing that woke him up at all was rolling off the bed completely and hitting the floor with a thud. He simply opened his eyes wide, unmoving, staring at the ceiling. After what seemed like a lifetime but in reality was probably only a few seconds, he lifted his arm and looked at the watch on his wrist.

Crap.

He shot up and ran out the door. Luna would already be at work by now. He slammed the front door behind him and took a few steps before turning back, opening it again, locking it, and closing it once more. Then he continued to run down the hall. It was 7:59 when he checked his watch, which gave him one minute to make it to the loading dock.

Obviously he didn’t make it. The lading dock was an extension of the north dome, which was halfway across the entire base. Luckily, it was basically a straight shot to the north dome with an exception of a right turn. By the time he made it to the next hall, however, he was gasping for breath and had to stop for a moment. Only for a moment. Then he was back into a sprint, drifting around the right turn until he made it to the north dome. He leaned against the wall to catch a breath and nodded at the people he made eye contact with as they passed. Then he began to walk. Running in such a crowded place would be a not so good idea.

Eventually, the loading dock became visible and he checked his watch. 8:16. Not too bad.

There was a small group clustered at the airlock entrance; the only ones not in a hurry to get somewhere. He approached them and adjusted his glasses to see if he recognized anyone. Orion Auldrey was there in person, along with four others.

There was one woman, dressed in mostly black with a leather jacket and long black hair draped over her shoulders. Her eyes were a stunning green, framed by thick eyeliner and she had her arms crossed, looking painfully bored. He didn’t recognize her, but also didn’t think she would be the best person to strike a conversation with.

He cringed when his eyes wandered to the next person. He definitely knew this guy. Maaz Elipson, tall, lean, and handsome. He had short, handsomely shaggy brown hair and eyes just about the same color. Back in high school, this guy had relentlessly picked on Azure and Skyler with his jock posse and every girl in school on his tail. And as Azure’s eyes trailed, he caught a sight more worthy of a cringe than the last.

Standing beside Orion Auldrey was his daughter, Sadalbari Auldrey. But of course, she would scratch your eyes out on the spot if you called her by her full name. She went by Sada. Say-duh, specifically. Anyone that pronounced it Sad-uh is too traumatized to speak of the incident.

Azure knew this because he had the displeasure of attending the same school as her, too. He believed the only reason she was on this trip was because her father was the president of the moon base. He could also assume that Maaz was only there because he and Sada had been off and on since pre-K and he’s probably the only boyfriend her father ever approved of.

She was tall and curvy, not lean like the other girl. She had long brown hair that was half pulled up and very, very neat with curls at the end. Her eyes were a deep indigo blue to match her fur-lined jacket.

There was a big body guard standing behind Sada. Of course, Orion Auldrey would not send his own flesh and blood to the surface without proper protection. Azure rolled his eyes. Looking at the five of them, he suddenly remembered why he made the decision to be antisocial.

As he approached, every one of the eyes looked at him, a look of distaste in most of them. When he stopped before Orion Auldrey, he asked, “And who might you be?”

“Azure Hubble, sir,” he answered with a slight nod.

The president’s expression was a little surprised and disappointed for a moment, then he put on his big fake smile usually reserved for the press. “Wonderful! Then we can be getting a move on. Now everyone, into the airlock.” He exchanged a look and a nod with the body guard in uniform, who went over to the airlock door and scanned a card, which beeped. The massive steel door opened with a hissing sound and exposed a small room. A door was at the other end, a door to a small shuttle.

Azure simply stared in awe until Orion Auldrey made herding motions behind them, however, doing his best not to make physical contact. “Alright you all, lets get going! Don’t want to be late arrivals, now do we? Remember, you’re representing all of us down there!”

Azure heaved an annoyed sigh as they stopped in the small room. He looked around at the people accompanying him and felt a serious rush of dread. He was sure none of them were fond of him, and he wasn’t fond of most. On top of that, he didn’t know any of the people they were meeting up with, or anything about their culture. The only thing he knew how to do was build and work machines, and there would be none on the surface.

Maybe this wasn’t a good idea.

He spun on a heel in a rush of panic but the airlock door slammed shut and stopped him in his tracks. He swallowed hard and turned around again, trying to remember why he had wanted to go. I don’t like this place. The surface is an adventure. I need to get out. He nodded to himself as he thought this through.

The door to the shuttle was opened by the guard and he stepped aside to wait for the others to go first. Sada’s expression had gradually gone from irritated to afraid over the last few minutes. Now, as she was so close to the shuttle, she turned to her father in a new panic. “You mean I actually have to go?!” she cried in a high-pitched voice.

Her father looked at her, puzzled. “Of course Sada darling, why else would you be here?”

“But I don’t want to go!” She yelled, tears of anger rolling down her reddened cheeks. “I demand not to be sent! If I say so, it must be done!” there was the ring of desperation in her voice.

Her father put his hands on her shoulders and offered a small smile. “Don’t worry sugarplum, Clyde is paid to protect you. You’ll be back soon.” She began to speak, but he broke her off. “Now go on pumpkin, before it’s too late.” he herded her into the shuttle and stepped back with a wave goodbye. She simply glared at him and stomped off to a seat at the far end.

Azure tried his best not to laugh in disbelief at the whole exchange. He couldn’t believe the way she acted. Well, he supposed he could… He had just forgotten. After all, it had been close to four years since he’d seen her last, and boy was he glad. He couldn’t imagine having to live with that. Here was a twenty-something year old woman screaming at her father like a two year old. He crossed his arms and shook his head to himself as he began to make his way into the shuttle. This was going to be a long trip.

It was a small little shuttle, with six seats. They were placed in three rows of two facing the same way. Sada was sitting in the back pouting. Azure took a seat in the front row and strapped in. Maaz rushed in next and sat directly behind him.

“Come on Sada, we get to get away from all this! That’s good, right?” He tried to comfort her with words of encouragement.

“Shut up, Maaz,” Sada hissed, and he instantly shut up.

The other girl was the next in. She had been so quiet the whole time, Azure nearly forgot she was there. She sat beside him, brushing her long dark hair back so she wouldn’t get it caught in the buckles.

Azure looked at her awkwardly, then cleared his throat, which caused her to jump a little and look at him. He offered a smile and held out a hand, struggling to reach in his straps. “Uh, hi. I’m Azure.”

She raised an eyebrow at him and tentatively shook his hand. “Electra.” she then leaned back and continued to fasten herself in.

“Nice day for space travel, neh?” he tried nervously, hoping she would be a better person than the two behind them.

“Listen, you don’t have to try small talk on me,” Electra insisted. “I don’t really have interest in what anyone else has to say.” She looked forward with her green eyes as the guard walked in and closed the door behind him, sitting in front of Sada in the empty middle row.

“Oh, ok,” Azure said quietly, then settled himself in as the engines began to rumble. He stared at the image of the earth slowly spinning through the glass of the shuttle, and suddenly he remembered why he wanted to go.

It was sunny.

A slight breeze blew through the air, rolling small pieces of pebbles across the bare ground, leaving thin trails in the dust.

Shadows drifted across the surface, cast only by the white clouds in the sky.

Silence.

Silence, and the sound of soft waves on the shore.

It was the best thing Arvie had heard in a long time.

The submarine had surfaced nearly an hour before near the meeting spot. The others had gone to shore some time ago to look through and read about all the gadgets they had. She watched them now from atop the submarine, legs crossed, gently bobbing up and down. She watched the light blue haze lazily drift before her, the sound of the others’ voices only catching the breeze every now and then. Her long blonde hair whipped across her face from the wind but she didn’t mind. The only wind they had in the domes was artificial; constant and controlled. This was different. It was unpredictable. She was quite content where she was until the others arrived.

- -

Walking. Nothing but the sound of footsteps, and somehow, Ezekiel had ended up in the front. He glanced back at the other three following him, clustered together. He wondered how that happened. They had hardly spoken since they left. He had been trying to block out his emotions, numbing them until they faded. He’s been distracting himself by running through the motions, the first to do everything.

He was leaning forward with the huge pack on his back. Every now and then, the small pots would cling together, oddly metallic in the bare landscape. The train had come to the end of the line near the mouth of a tunnel. They had followed the light until they appeared on the surface. It was hard to with the packs, but still they looked at the sky whenever they could. It was an amazing, free feeling, to be out in the open. It also, however, felt exposing, and Ezekiel secretly used his pack as a kind of shell to keep himself feeling secure, though he acted the most confident of them all.

After a while of walking, water could be seen in the distance. Voices, also, could be heard, and soon after that, people could be seen. The dust under their shoes turned to sand and two people were kneeled on the ground reviewing construction booklets and maps, while the third was pacing and arguing with them. There was a submarine softly bobbing in the water, with the fourth member of the party simply sitting on it.

When his eyes flicked from the strange girl back to the other three, Ezekiel found their eyes on him. He stopped now, unsure what to do and looked at them awkwardly. He turned to the others but they were looking at him expectantly, so he turned back to who he could only assume was the group from the ocean and noticed the girl on the submarine was now looking at him, too.

He shuffled his feet a little and looked up, clearing his throat. “Uh, hi… I’m Ezekiel. We’re from the tunnels. I can only assume you’re the group from the underwater domes?” he began nervously.

After looking around at her group mates, Cassy rolled her eyes and stood, putting on a bright smile and approaching Ezekiel with her hand held out. She was about to introduce herself when Niles shoved her aside and advanced before her. She stumbled and glared at him as he reached Ezekiel first, taking his offer of a handshake.

“Nice to meet you, my name is Niles,” he said in a dominant tone. “That over there is Caspian and Cascade-”

“Cassy is fine!” she called from behind him with a sigh.

“Cassy, and the strange one is Arvia,” he said, jerking his thumb back at the blonde girl simply staring at the exchange. Still grasping Ezekiel’s hand in his own, he used his other to lift to his face and lean closer to whisper, “I don’t think she’s quite right in the head.” He then let go of Ezekiel’s hand with a stoic laugh and slapped his arm.

Ezekiel bit back a squeak and visibly cringed when Niles took his hand, squeezing the life out of it. His breath smelled like nicotine and whiskey and he had to hold back a gag, stumbling when he was slapped on the arm. He straightened himself up and dropped his backpack, brushing his arm off in an attempt to regain himself.

He was about to speak when a rocket sound became more and more apparent. They all looked up and watched as the jet stream descended from the sky and a small dot landed nearby.

- -

Azure was driven past the point of crazy by the time their shuttle landed on the surface. It had been silent for launch, but that was the end of that. The rest was Sada complaining. Complaining about her hair, the seat, the straps, the temperature, anything she could complain about, she did.

Maaz attempted to comfort her the entire time, bringing up old memories or trying to talk about their lives back at home. Sada would not have the attention diverted from her and scolded him every time he changed the subject.

To his left, Electra had a comment for everything. She grumbled under her breath insults with her sharp tongue and even a few times said them loud enough for Sada to hear, initiating a vocal cat fight which he had to do his best to calm down.

The only one that never said a word was Clyde. Towards him Azure felt both pity and severe hatred.

The pity overpowered the hatred once the shuttle landed. They each had an average backpack filled with gadgets, dehydrated food, and vacuum packed clothes. Sada, however, had two extra trunks of things she absolutely needed to bring, which she made Clyde carry.

Good thing he was a big man, so it only took him one trip to bring them down the stairs that extended out of the shuttle. He was last to leave and once they were on the dirt he dragged the trunks behind him.

After only about five minutes, Azure offered to carry one and Clyde gratefully accepted. Soon after, however, Azure had fallen considerably far behind, struggling to drag the trunk with him, and Clyde insisted on taking it back.

But of course, that wasn’t the end of the complaining, oh no. Sada was in the front, commenting on everything, eventually making Maaz hold her coat and complaining about how much her shoes hurt. Electra lingered in the back, using Clyde and Azure as a wall to keep between her and Sada because if she saw her she just might punch her in her pretty little mouth.

It wasn’t until Sada began to call out and pick up pace that Azure noticed the people they were approaching.

“Hey! Excuse me! Hi there!” she called, picking her way down the slight hill that led to them. When she got close she put on a smile and brushed hair out of her face. “Me Say-duh,” She said slowly, making gestures towards herself. “Saay-duuh. Who are you?” she gestured to Niles, who was closest.

Niles stared at her blankly then busted into a hearty laugh. “I take it you’re the dumb bitch.” He thrust his hand out in an offer for her to shake it. "The name's Niles Calder."

“You wouldn’t be far off,” Electra muttered as she walked past them.

Sada scoffed and stepped back to avoid his reach. “Excuse me? Do you know who I am you ignorant twit?”

Niles retracted his hand and looked her over. “Nuh,” he answered dumbly.

She looked a little surprised and took an intimidating step forward that caused him to take a step back and jabbed a finger at him. “I am Sada Auldrey! My father is the president of the moon base! Don’t they teach you anything in your little hillbilly bubble down there?!”

“Do you know the name of our head of council’s daughter?” Caspian asked from where he now stood.

Sada’s head spun turned sharply to face him. Eyes wide, she was obviously at a loss for words, stuttering until she managed to get something out. “Well, obviously, he doesn’t have one,” she said snobbishly.

“Actually, her name is Lotus Vatre,” Caspian pointed out.

Cassy looked around then side-stepped to her brother and whispered, “Lotus is Coto Vatre’s wife.”

“Yeah, but she doesn’t know that,” Caspian whispered back.

Sada looked at them, dumbfounded and furious. “Well you can all just go drown in that water for all I care,” she huffed, crossing her arms.

By this time, Arvie was picking her way down the half-beached submarine, jumping down into the knee-deep water with a splash and continuing to shore.

Ezekiel sighed, knowing very well the twins were lying. He gazed up at the sky, even now having a hard time believing his eyes. He had read about navigation and figured now was as good a time as ever to put it to the test. He noted the position of the sun and looked back at the others, taking a few steps forward. “Regardless of whether or not we know the names of the daughters of high power, it’s well into the day. We should be trying to find shelter.”

Margrette dropped her pack and stepped forward accusingly at Ezekiel. “Do you see any shelter around here? Where do you suppose we go, genius?” she asked, hand on her hip.

Niles approached the two and pushed Margrette out of the way so he could stand before Ezekiel. “How would you even know that it’s late in the day?” He asked accusingly.

Ezekiel shied away from the man and pointed half-heartedly at the sky. “The sun is nearing the horizon.”

“How would you know how to work the sun when you’ve been living underground?” Niles added to the accusation. “Truth is, none of us know how!”

“Well, I-” Ezekiel began, but was cut off by a far-off voice.

“It’s 5:32!” Azure called hesitantly from where he stood with Clyde, holding up his arm which had his watch on it.

Niles and Ezekiel simply looked at each other, one smug and the other irritated. “Alright!” Niles called without looking away, then turned to walk. “Then I declare this is the direction we should go because I can read the clouds!” He said in a mocking tone, with a little prance at the last word.

Ezekiel rolled his eyes and hefted his pack back onto his shoulders, seeing no other option but to follow, and in his wake, everyone else began to as well.

Azure shuffled along near the back and jumped a little when quick footsteps led a certain blonde to catch up with him. “Hey!” Margrette said, but her tone wasn’t quite friendly. “What’s up with that fifth guy in your group?” Her brown gaze was actually slightly accusing.

Azure looked at her, then back ahead, casting a glance at her every now and then. “Oh, that’s just Clyde,” he began awkwardly. “He’s Sada’s bodyguard.” He paused for a few moments, wringing his hands.

“Oh,” Margrette said to break the silence, then continued along walking, unaware that she was making Azure feel rather uncomfortable. He wasn’t used to being approached for conversation. Especially not by a girl, and especially not by a girl as attractive as her. He wondered if things were more different in the tunnels than he thought, or if she was really just a strange one.

Meanwhile, Arvie trailed in the back, eyes wide with fascination. She was simply listening. Everyone’s different dialects and accents created colors and shapes that she’d never seen before. She was hardly even aware that it was possible to speak the same language she did in such a different way. Those from underground, they very clearly enunciated every consonant and used the soft version of every vowel. Then there was those from the moon… Every sound was hard and said quickly. Compared to them, she wondered how odd her colony had sounded. He had never realized how much emphasis they put on their R’s, even rolled them occasionally, and how little they put on everything else. It was strange, and she wondered why no one pointed it out.

As they walked, Ezekiel listened to Niles occasionally grumble to himself for no apparent reason and suddenly change direction. “Where exactly are you taking us?” He looked up at the sky as it began to darken to a purple dusk.

“Shh,” Niles said sharply, then continued to murmur.

“What’s that?” Sada called out, weariness lining her voice and draining the energy from her raging complaints.

Everyone looked up collectively to see a massive shape just barely silhouetted against the dark sky.
“Is it a forest?” Margrette murmured.

“No, it’s too angular,” Charlotte said, adjusting her glasses.

“It must be a building then,” Vincent chimed.

“A building? All the way out here?” Margrette argued.

“Maybe they’re just left over ruins,” Azure said quietly, staring at the figure.

As they approached, the shape only got bigger. Bricks became apparent, soot covered and crumbling. It was only darker now, and harder to see. Arvie stumbles over a few loose bricks. She began to focus more when everything went silent. Niles was leading them to the center of the ruins. The ground gave way to brick, becoming more and more solid. There were crumbling stone towers surrounding them and finally, they stopped in a space that seemed to be in the center of a large tower that was, for the most part, gone. They were surrounded on three sides by walls that ranged from two to seven feet tall. The entire space was big enough for all of them and Niles stopped in the middle.

After everyone had gathered, Niles spun around and clapped his hands together. “Now all we need is something to burn.”

“And where do you think we’re going to get stuff to burn in the middle of all this?” Electra pointed out sharply.

Niles’s eyes narrowed to a glare. “There were some dry shrubs sprouting between the cracks.”

Ezekiel took a step towards the two standing near the edge of the group. “Margrette, and…” He sighed in defeat. “I’m sorry, your name escapes me.”

“Azure,” he said, rocking on his heels slightly and glancing around with a sigh.

“Azure, sorry,” Ezekiel added. “Why don’t you to go find some of the shrubs? The rest of us will stay and set up camp.”

Margrette nodded and began to walk back the way they came. She glanced over at Azure for a moment. “You comin’?”

“Oh- Yes,” Azure answered, rushing to catch up with her.

They walked for a little while, until the chatter of others couldn’t be heard. They made slow progress, searching for shrubs and at the same time keeping an eye out for stones and small walls that would trip them up. After a while of silence, Margrette began to speak.

“Azure. That’s a strange name. Where did you get it?” She asked curiously. “I’ve never heard it before.”

Azure shrugged and glanced at her in the dark. “My aunt says that was the color of the sky when I was born, which is something, since it’s usually black from up in space.”

“Your aunt?” Margrette asked curiously. “Where are your parents?”

“Dead,” Azure said casually, shrugging.

Margrette stopped and searched for his face in the dark. “Oh… I’m sorry,” she said quietly.

"Don't be," he insisted, continuing to walk. He raised his head to offer her a small smile. Hesitantly, she began to follow him. "What about your name?" He asked.

"My name?" She said with a small laugh. "It’s just common and boring," she said.

"Really? Margrette?" He said, surprised. "I've never heard it before."

She shrugged and smiled to herself. "It was my grandmother's name. And you can call me Maggie," she insisted.

"A-Alright," Azure said nervously, initiating another spell of awkward silence.

Not noticing it in the dark, Margrette tripped on a stone with a small squeak. Azure reached out and caught her arm in a flash, helping her back up before she hit the ground. As she stood she clung to his arm, heart beating rapidly. She looked at him and, upon realizing how close they were, took a sudden step back and looked away. "Thanks," she said.

"No problem," Azure said quickly, continuing to walk. "I think I see a shrub over there," he said, pointing slightly to the right. He picked up the pace towards it, disregarding a short wall in front of him. He tripped and hit the ground on his knees, using one hand to catch himself.

"Azure!" Margrette laughed, rushing towards him. She tried to stop her giggles, but she couldn't help it. It was funny... He got up and brushed himself up as she stopped before him. "Are you alright?"

He simply winced and faked a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine," he insisted, though he could feel blood dripping down his leg. Great. The first day in a place with who knows what kind of diseases and he cuts himself.

"Are you bleeding?" She fussed, searching him over.

"No, no," he said, shaking his head and looking around in a tough façade. "Im fine."

She looked at him skeptically before saying, "Alright," and heading for the shrub.

He kept stiff until she turned around then let his face twist in pain, grasping his hand and slowly following her. He peered at his hand in the dark, only to see there was blood there, too. He shook his head at himself. Fantastic.

Margrette bent over and yanked at the shrubs growing between the cracks. They were dry and prickly and she had to search for a good grip. Once she found one, she pulled with all her might and stumbled back when they came out of the dry ground much easier than she had intended. She turned and handed them to Azure before pulling up more.

Azure held his arms out as shrubs were piled into them. “Well, it looks like we found our first life form,”he mumbled. “Does it count of they’re dead?” He asked, trying to distract himself from awkwardly staring at Margrette as she was bent over.

Margrette let out a small laugh and she straightened up to hand him some more. Ï’m sure they do, though I doubt these are anything special,” she added. After all the shrubs were gone, she looked at Azure and her work. She frowned when she saw how meager the pile was. They would definitely need more before they had enough to warm twelve people for more than ten minutes. Älright, let’s move to the next spot,” she sighed, making her way over a near wall, Azure following close behind.

- -

Back at camp, everyone was fussing over how to set up tents while Niles was barking orders and Ezekiel was helping in a more constructive way. Since they couldn’t pound the spikes into the ground, they had to hold them down with heavy stones, and it was significantly more difficult. If they got lucky, some people could find a crack wide enough to shove a spike into. Not all the tents required spikes to keep them held up, but Ezekiel suggested it was a good idea to anchor them anyway in case of a sand storm. There was enough room and enough tents for two people per.

Vincent was the first to get his and Ezekiel’s tent up and sturdy. So he sat on a short wall and pulled out his small sketch pad. He began to draw with a pencil he brought from home, with long, soft strokes.

Arvie was thrown around in the mess, unsure of what to do and overwhelmed by all the sounds. She saw Vincent sitting by himself and made her way over to the wall he sat on. She sat beside him and peeked over his shoulder. “Whatcha drawin’?” She asked curiously.

Vincent looked at her strangely through thick lenses and she leaned back a bit. The glasses he wore were black and rectangular and sliding down his nose. He pushed them up and glanced at her again with gray eyes. “Just… This place,” he answered.

Oh,” she said, studying the angular shapes. “I wish I could draw like that.” She paused and watched him sketch a few more moments before pulling two wrapped bars out of her pockets. “Äre you hungry?” She asked, offering him one.

Silently, Vincent looked up and paused before tentatively taking one of them. “What are they?” He asked, examining the wrapping.

“Compressed vegetable bars,” Arvie said with a smile.

Vincent looked at her with an odd smile and handed it back. “Eh… I think I’m good for now.”

She took it back with a shrug. “Alright. Maybe later then.” She stuffed one back in her pocket and peeled the other one open, revealing dried and compressed green stuff in the shape of a bar and took a bite. Vincent tried to ignore her, continuing his sketch. She looked back and forth between his drawing and the place they were, comparing the two.

They both looked up when they notice everyone else’s attention turning to two returning figures. Azure and Margrette returned to camp, each carrying a massive stack of dry brush. Ezekiel approached them with long steps, taking some from Margrette to lighten her load. The three dropped the piles at the center of camp that had been left clear. Niles approached it with a booming voice. “Now let’s set it on fire!” He said, rubbing his hands together.

“Wait,” Ezekiel said, walking up to him. “We shouldn’t burn it all at once. We should make it last.

Niles was about to argue when murmurs of agreement cut him off and he glared at Ezekiel, walking away. Ezekiel watched him go with a sigh and kneeled to the ground, separating the burn pile from the save pile. The pile to burn was a bit less than half.

“How long are we staying here?” Margrette asked with a shiver, crossing her arms for warmth.

“Probably just the night,” Ezekiel said, standing up and brushing off his pants. “But who knows when we’ll come across more dry plants to burn.”

After glancing around, Clyde approached the smile pile and kneeled over, pulling a flint from his pocket and sparking the brush. It caught instantly and Ezekiel nodded a silent thanks to him. People began to gather around the warm flames, dragging bricks and bags to sit on. They sat, crowded around the small flame in silence. After a few minutes, Ezekiel decided to start some kind of conversation. He glanced around at the faces illuminated by firelight before speaking. “Perhaps we should go around the circle and share something about ourselves,” he suggested.

The solemn faces looked at him one by one, before a voice spoke. “I’ll go first,” Cassy said, straightening up where she sat. “My name is Cassy, and as you may have noticed, Caspian here is my twin brother,” she said leaning into him a little with a smile. “We lived in the farming and ranching dome underwater,” she said, glancing at Arvie. “We raised cattle and other livestock and sold it in the marketplace.” She glanced at Caspian to her right, urging him to go next.

He looked around with his big blue eyes, shadows of his dark brown curls cast upon the freckles on his face. He shifted nervously before he began, in a much quieter voice than his sister. “I was studying biology and genealogy back home,” he began. “Experimenting with cloning and developing new plants for medicinal use.”

Immediately to his right was Clyde. He looked at the intimidating bodyguard as a signal that he was done, but he simply turned to Sada expectantly.

Wrapped in a down coat with a fur hood and an extra blanket, her tired, indigo eyes stared into the flames. Her voice was distraught and dulled with exhaustion. “My name is Sada Auldrey. My father is the president of the moon base-” she cut short, at a loss of anything else to say. In all honestly, there wasn’t much more to her, but instead of admitting that, she told herself that’s all they had to know. She sat in silence until Maaz took a hint and began to speak himself.

“I’m Maaz and I like… To play sports,” he began, looking around. “I played football at my college,” he continued. “That’s about it,” he ended with a slight hint of shame, looking to Azure next to him.

Azure was silent until he looked over and noticed it was his turn. “Oh-” he said, shifting nervously and clearing his throat. “Um- my name is Azure. Back at home I lived with my aunt and was the head electrician of the moon base.” Sada and Maaz looked a little surprised. They must not have known that. “So if any of you need help with, er… You know… Technology, devices, anything… I- I can help with that,” he said, then hastily signaled to Margrette to go.

She jumped right into it. “My name is Margrette Clermont and I was majoring in geology and gemology back home,” she said, and nudged Azure lightly and playfully. “And if you need any help with your rocks, I can help.” She smiled softly at him and he returned the expression nervously.

Realizing it was his turn, Ezekiel clapped his hands together and rested his elbows on his knees. “Well, my name is Ezekiel Lewis… Back home, I lived with my mother, stepfather, and little sister. I was majoring in zoology and ancient history,” he said, then looked to Charlotte to his right.

Charlotte glanced at him then looked down, wringing her hands together as the flames reflected off her rounded glasses. She pushed them up and began to speak. “Um- I’m Charlotte and back home I graduated college three years early… Um… I managed the electricity for the southern tunnels and volunteered at the library on weekends.” She side glanced at Arvie, who sat beside her.

Arvie smiled widely and listened to her own periwinkle voice swirl around the fire as she spoke. “My name is Arvia, but you guys can call me Arvie. I lived on a farm with my parents. My father had a seat in the council. And I like to climb trees.” She stopped with a wide smile, then gasped. “Oh! And I volunteered with animals a lot.”

Vincent looked at her for a signal, but in her continued silence, he figured he should go. “My name is Vincent,” he began in a quiet, but not shy, voice, “and I ran my father’s electricity company back home.” Arvie loved the color of his voice. It was his voice that was the olive green, dark yet somehow bright.

Electra was next, sitting slightly back from the rest of them. She sat up when she figured it was her turn to go and spoke in an uninterested tone. “Hey, I’m Electra, and I was the head of vegetation control on the moon.” She looked as though there was something else she was going to say, but it was never revealed. She gestured with a loose hand at Niles and leaned back onto the stone behind her.

Niles had a hearty smile on, as always, and he spoke in his gruff voice. “My name is Niles, as you may well know. My family owned the plot of pines in the lumber dome. I also have won first place in the hunting games the last six years in a row,” he bragged. He crossed his meaty arms and sat back in a satisfactory manner. “Well, that’s everyone then!”

Charlotte let out a yawn and drew Ezekiel’s attention. “Perhaps we should be getting to bed,” he said, looking up at the moon. He looked back to Niles and exchanged a nod, the first thing they had agreed on all day. “We should get an early start in the morning.” he stood up slowly, the motion followed by most of the others. They made their way to their tents with only quiet discussion of which belonged to whom.

The only one that stayed was Margrette. She continued to sit on a stone, gazing up at the stars. Azure stood up and shuffled past her in the dimming light of the dying fire. He paused and glanced back at her hesitantly. “Er… You comin’?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Not yet.” She paused and eventually turned to look at him. “I’ve never seen the stars before,” she said. “It must be wonderful to live among them.” Her gaze drifted back up to the sky as if she was unable to keep them away. “Tell me about them,” she said in an innocent voice. Nervously, he stuttered quietly, searching for a reply. When he didn’t answer, Margrette looked at him. “Unless- oh, you must be tired. I’m sorry, you don’t have to. You can go to bed if you want,” she rambled.

“No no, it’s fine,” Azure said with an attempted smile, sitting beside her on the stone. He followed her gaze to the stars and searched for something to say. Eventually, his eyes caught the moon. You could see the base from here. It was small, but visible. Like an angular web that spread across the surface.

“It’s amazing,” she said suddenly, “that we could get all the way up there.” Her eyes glittered with the reflection of the stars in the deep blue sky. Azure found his gaze stuck on her as if in a trance that seemed to last for hours before she spoke again. “What do you call that?” She asked, waving a lazy finger at a ribbon of color in the sky.

Azure followed her gaze to the cloud-like colors painting the sky. “That’s the milky way,” he said, finding comfort in talking about something he was so familiar with. “It’s the galaxy we are in. And do you see those three stars?” He leaned in close to her so she could more easily follow the direction of his pointing gesture, unafraid on the familiarity of the moonlight. “That’s Orion’s Belt. And that-” he quickly pointed to another constellation that caught his eye, “that’s the little dipper, and aries, and taurus, and crux,” he said, pointing to each in turn. “If you can guess which is the sake of my middle name, I’ll-” as he spoke with a confident smile, he turned to face her, stopping short when he noticed her warm brown gaze on him and a smile playing over her pink lips. His grin faltered and he lowered his arm, nervously shifting his glasses. Though his heart was pounding so hard, he could hear the blood roaring in his ears, he was unable to look away.

Suddenly, a shuffle sounded from the tents, following a quick zip. The two turned their heads into the glare of a flashlight. It waved wildly and then came to a stop once the holder of it seemed to gain control after stepping out of the tent. Once their eyes adjusted, the two were faced with the sight of a yellow grin framed in dark brown scruff. When he noticed the two, the heavy booted steps stopped and Niles held up a roll of toilet paper. “I wouldn’t stick around much longer if I were you. I’m about to make this surface uninhabitable for another thousand years,” he announced with a hearty laugh.

Margrette stood hastily with a look of disgust on her face, taking long strides towards the tent she would share with Charlotte. Azure looked after her with a sigh, jarred by the continuous laugh of Niles as he walked farther and farther away. Slowly, he stood and made his way over to his own tent. He would be sharing with Electra, considering Maaz and Clyde refused to leave Sada alone, especially with sharp-tongued green eyes in there.

He unzipped the tent and began to take a slow step in. “Hey.” The whisper stopped him in his tracks and he looked around. He recognized Margrette’s voice and eventually found her form over the top of another tent. “Crux,” she whispered with a smile.

“What?” Azure whispered back with a puzzled expression.

“Crux,” she repeated. “That’s my guess for your middle namesake.”

She was right. His middle name was Cruxe (with an e because it was “unique”). He took a breath to say so, but he figured his expression gave her confirmation because she simply smiled wider and ducked inside her tent.

[ʞ ɔ ǝ ɹ ʍ d ı ʞ s]

The sun came early that morning. It streamed easily through the sheer tent, washing Azure and Electra in watery pink dawn light. Secretly, Azure was awake, but his brain wouldn’t let him believe it. Electra groaned and rolled in her sleeping bag so her face was in her thin pillow.

Azure couldn’t fight it anymore. Slowly and in the silence, he sat up and felt around for his glasses. He found them beside him and slipped them on, blinking in his now clear vision. He caught sight of his hand and was reminded of his fall yesterday.

His hand was coated in dry blood. He used his other hand to pick off the dead skin and pebbles with an occasional wince. Overall, it wasn’t too bad and looked on the way to be healing alright. Now to check his knee.

He threw the covers off himself and pulled a leg of his pants up. Blood had soaked through his pants and left a fat stain on the knee. He figured he’d have to change them with a heavy sigh. None of them were able to bring many changes of clothes. He wanted to conserve his outfits until they found water to wash them in. As his wound came into view, however, clothes were the least of his problems.

Other than fuzz, there was also gravel and sand embedded in his knee. It did not look as good as his hand did. It was red and puffy with what he was sure was pus underneath the skin. It was discolored and still sticky and tender. He panicked a little. What if he had caught some kind of unknown fatal infection that was slowly spreading to all his vitals and-

He scrambled for the door, unzipping it and leaving the small enclosure in a cold sweat. He mindlessly zipped it up halfway again doe Electra and began to walk around where the fire had been last night at a speedy pace. Now there was just a burnt pile of brush. No one else was out there yet, for the sun had only just peeked over the horizon. His pant leg was still bunched up and he bent down to fix that. He sat heavily on a stone and buried his face in his hands.

When he lifted his head again, the sun was completely above the horizon and high enough to bathe the scenery in a more golden light. The voices were coming from the tents, low and casual. Eventually, Ezekiel and Vicnent emerged and made their way back to where Azure sat. Upon noticing him, Ezekiel said, “Good morning, Azure. Up early this morning.”

Azure looked up and him and nodded, shifting where he sat. “Yeah. Not easy to sleep here,” he said in a rough voice.

Ezekiel was about to reply when Vincent stepped forward. “Guys- Look at that,” he said, pointing to the horizon the opposite way they had come from in awe.

Ezekiel and Azure turned their heads in the direction of his gesture and their eyes widened. There was green on the horizon. Trees- an entire forest less than a day’s walk away! “It must have been too dark to notice last night,” Ezekiel commented.

“Wasn’t that one guy hunting champion or whatever where he lived?” Vincent asked, still amazed at the sight of green.

“Yeah, six years in a row,” said a new voice with a sigh. Caspian approached them with slow, heavy steps, scratching at the curls on his head. “What are you guys-” he stopped in his tracks, blue eyes widening when he followed the path of their gaze. “Holy mother of Cuthulu.”

“Right?!” Vincent said with an excited smile.

Wait. Didn’t Caspian say he studied medicine or something? Azure’s attention returned to the throbbing in his knee and he looked up at Caspian. “Hey, you- yeah. Can you come over here for a second?” He gestured to Caspian and he headed over and looked down at Azure.

“What’s up?” Caspian asked with a puzzled expression.

Azure held up a finger then leaned down and pulled up his pant leg again. “You studied medicine, right?” he asked.

“Yeeaah…” Caspian said hesitantly.

Ezekiel and Vincent’s attention turned to Azure and they each had a reaction similar to Caspians. “Um… I tripped?” Azure offered, a bit embarrassed at the completely not epic way he got a wound so severe.

Caspian straightened up and his head turned back to the forest. “I bet there’s something that could heal that in there.”

“Perhaps there would be things to hunt as well?” Vincent suggested.

“I wouldn’t expect much guys,” Ezekiel said. “I doubt there’s animal life at all.”

Vincent shrugged. “It’s worth a try.”

“Right,” Caspian added with a nervous glance at Azure. “Who know’s what kind of bacteria and diseases are up here. He could have just exposed himself to them all.”

“Thanks,” Azure said in an I’m-right-here tone.

“Sorry,” Caspian apologized. Then he looked once more towards the other two. “I’ll wake up Niles. He’ll want to go,” Caspian said and took a few steps towards the tent before halting at the sound of Ezekiel’s voice.

“Who else do you think should go?” Ezekiel asked. “You guys shouldn’t wander into a forest alone. Who knows what you’ll find.”

“I thought you said not to expect animal life?” Vincent commented.

“I did,” Ezekiel said grimly. “But again, who knows?”

“Well,” Caspian continued, refusing to be dragged into pessimism, “I’ll bring Niles just in case, and I’ll go to look for herbs. I’ll bring Arvie, too. She knows more of the urban herbs,” he added.

“You should bring someone from the moon too, if the other two groups are going,” Azure chimed in.

“What about that big quiet guy?” Ezekiel asked.

Azure shook his head. “He has to stay with Sada and there’s no way in hell you’ll get her in there and back by day’s end. Bring Maaz,” he offered.

Caspian nodded slowly. “So Niles, Arvie, Maaz, Vincent, and myself?” He asked, looking around.

“Me?” Vincent said, gray eyes widening a bit.

“Well yeah,” Caspian said, suddenly unsure. “I thought we were bringing someone from each colony?”

Vincent stuttered a moment then looked at Ezekiel, who gave a single nod. “I think it’s a good idea,” Ezekiel said, oblivious to Vincent’s fear, however slight it was. “I’ll lead a patrol to explore around these ruins a bit more,” he added, looking around.

“I’ll wake everyone, then,” Caspian said, glancing at Azure before continuing back towards the tents. He wove through them, running his hands along the sides and shouting. “Wakey wakey everyone! Rise and shine! Time to get up!”

Slowly, everyone began to emerge drowsily from their tents and Caspian made his way casually back to where Ezekiel and Vincent stood.

Azure still sat on the stone with his wound exposed, feeling quite useless as the pain in his knee grew.

“Azure!” A questioning call came from over by the tents and Azure looked over as he heard his name. Magrette was rushing towards him and kneeled down to examine his knee. She looked at him accusingly.

“You said you were fine when you fell yesterday!” She heaved a slow, distressed sigh and turned to look at the two boys standing behind her with a glare. “And none of you thought to bind it?”

Ezekiel and Vincent leaned back a little and shook their heads. She sighed and stood up. “I’ll get some bandages,” she said calmly. “It won’t heal as long as it’s exposed to who knows what.” She shot one last glare at the three and walked back towards her tent. The four exchanged glances for a moment before turning their attention to the rising crowd.

“What’s with all the yelling?” Niles complained, emerging from his tent and using the ball of his hand to rub at one of his eyes.

“Niles,” Caspian began, approaching him with brisk steps. He spoke to him quietly and Nile’s gaze could be found drifting to the green on the horizon. His lips broke into a chapped smile and his brown eyes shone with excitement.

“Hell yeah! Time to get our hands dirty, ladies!” He said, slapping Caspian on the back as he passed and continued towards Ezekiel and Vincent. He slung his arms over their shoulders and pulled them towards him, looking at the sky dreamily. “Nothin’ like landing a kill in the morning!”

“Don’t get your hopes up about finding any animal life,” Ezekiel said snidely, choking on Nile’s stench and pushing himself away.

Niles released Vincent and stuck a sausage-like finger in Ezekiel’s face. “Don’t be a downer, Mr. Know-it-all. A man is allowed to dream! Now, where’s my gun…” With that, he walked off to his tent in search of firearms.

Meanwhile, Caspian had been gathering his troops. He now walked back to Vincent with Arvie and Maaz trailing behind. Maaz looked tired and afraid, his blue eyes bright with fear though framed in dark circles. Arvie, on the other hand, wore a soft smile, following with soft, carefree steps.

“Alright, we all here?” Caspian asked, glancing around. “Where’s Niles,” He asked, when he saw no sign of the man.

“Behind ya!” Came a gruff voice, holding up a collapsible shotgun that was unfolded to full length and a knife in his belt. There was a cigar with pocket lint stuck to it between his teeth, an accessory to his crazed grin. “Any of you girls got a light?”

“You can dig up a shotgun in that pack of yours and not a match?” Ezekiel mocked.

Niles narrowed his eyes at him and leaned forward. “It wasn’t high priority when I was checkin’ and I don’t feel like goin’ back there to look,” he said, jerking a thumb back at his tent. “Now, ya got one or not?”

“Why don’t you just get over yourself and go look for your own?” Ezekiel snapped, a bit of his temper spilling over.

Arvie quickly intervened and stepped between the two men, though they each towered over her. She pushed them away from each other and spoke in a stern tone. “Please.” She pulled a match from behind her ear and handed it to Niles.

He took it gingerly and gave her a strange look. “Why do you keep a match behind your ear?” He asked.

She looked at him like it was a stupid question and shrugged. “Why don’t you?”

She turned away to rejoin the small group before Niles could respond. She left him with a pondering expression, seemingly rethinking his life.

“I also found these in my pack,” Arvie said, pulling some things out of her coat pocket. This included a compass, paracord, a knife, and a small nuclear hazard booklet. She held them out then shoved them back into her pocket. “Everything else was too big to carry, but I thought these could be useful,” she stated.

Caspian nodded in approval. “Brilliant! Why don’t we head out then?” He suggested.

Vincent offered a nod. “Might as well.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Niles boomed, marching off. Arvie followed readily while Maaz was wringing his hands, quiet and unsure. Caspian and Vincent exchanged glances before trailing in the back of the pack.

“Who’s bright idea was it to wake up so damn early?! I need my beauty sleep, people! I promise none of you want to be around when I’m deprived of beauty or sleep!” A shrill roar sounded as Sada emerged from her tent.

Azure visibly cringed at the sound of her voice. He was a bit ashamed that everyone from where he was from turned out to be the most useless. His attention was taken from her when Margrette dropped a massive pack before him and kneeled beside it. “I found a first aid kit, and I figured I could sit with you and see what else is in here,” she said with a smile.

“Sounds good,” Azure said with a crooked smile, watching her pull a roll of bandages out of the small first aid kit.

“Now hold still,” Margrette instructed, taking the roll and slowly but efficiently binding the wound on his knee. Azure gripped the rock he sat upon, trying not to wince audibly. When she finished and secured it, she smiled, proud of herself, and stood up, plopping herself down next to him. “See? That wasn’t too bad,” she said. Azure bit his tongue and simply nodded. Margrette looked around and a puzzled expression came over her face. “Where did those other guys go?” She asked Ezekiel.

“They went off to find him some healing herbs,” Ezekiel responded, gesturing towards Azure.

“Good,” Margrette said with a breath of relief. She reached forward and pulled the pack close to her, beginning to rummage through it.

Ezekiel figured it was high time to gather his own patrol. He gazed around to see who was left. In all honesty, he didn’t want to bring Sada, and knew she probably didn’t want to go anyway. He also figured he’d leave Margrette so Azure wouldn’t be alone. Who was left? “Cassy, Electra, and Charlotte, will you guys come over here please?” He blushed slightly when he noticed there were only girls left. He shook it off, though, keeping his cool.

The three began to make their way to where Ezekiel had called them over. “What do you want?” Electra asked, halting before him and crossing her arms.

“Well,” Ezekiel began, glancing at each of them in turn, “I think we should look around these ruins a little more, considering it was too dark to explore last night.”

“Oh how exciting!” Cassy shouted. “What are we looking for?”

Ezekiel shrugged and gave a small, amused smile. “I actually don’t know. Really it’s just to see if we can find anything at all.”

“What’s wrong with him?” Charlotte asked in a small voice, gesturing to Azure to the best of her ability, as her arms were crossed tightly against her chest.

“He’s just hurt himself,” Ezekiel said with a wave of his hand. “The others went to see what they could find to help him.”

Charlotte nodded warily and glanced again at Azure as if he was contagious.

“Well what are we waiting for?” Cassy said with a smile. “Let’s get to it!” She turned and walked in the direction which they came the night before, looking around at the tall, crumbling buildings and the soot-covered ground.

"Should we split up?" Electra asked in a dull tone. She simply received silence and empty glances. "To cover more ground," she scoffed irritably. Ezekiel was about to answer, but the simply heaved a sigh and pushed past them all quickly, going in her own direction.

"Uh- maybe it would be best to stick together?" Ezekiel called, but in response he got only a wave of a hand from Electra as she disappeared behind a corner.

Cassy glanced behind her and walked back towards Ezekiel and Charlotte. "Don't worry," she murmured, "If she dies its her own fault." She smiled and nudged Ezekiel's arm playfully.

Ezekiel looked at the blonde, unamused. "We need to protect each other, Cassy."

She pouted and looked at him. "Alright, alright. I was just poking fun." She looked around for a moment then pointed to what looked to have been an alley once. "Lets go that way." She headed in that direction at a quick pace. Ezekiel and Charlotte exchanged glances before following her.

Ezekiel looked around as he followed Cassy, memorizing the maze, acutely aware of his surroundings.

“How old do you think this place is?” Charlotte asked in hushed wonder.

“It’s hard to say,” Ezekiel answered. “At least as old as the nuclear holocaust.” He scratched at a stone with his finger. “I’m sure they used to be a small part of a grand city.” He put his hand against the rock and looked up with sad eyes, imaging the life that used to bustle here.

“Think it could be haunted?” Cassy said with a mischievous grin. “All those spirits just waiting for next victim,” she said with a small jerk towards Charlotte, making the shy girl jump.

Cassy laughed and put a hand on her shoulder after receiving a harsh glare from Ezekiel. “Don’t worry, there’s no such thing as-”

Suddenly, she was cut off by a blood-curdling scream in the distance.

☢

“Why are we making this pointless trip again?” Maaz asked bitterly in an attempt to hide his fear, though it was still very obviously present.

“It’s not pointless,” Caspian started firmly.

“We’re finding herbs for Azure,” Arvie said in an assuring tone, offering a smile, trailing back to comfort Maaz.

“Don’t forget the part about killin’ the first unlucky beast that crosses our path!” Niles shouted, shattering the illusion of peace. “Ooowee! I cannot wait to get my hands a little bloody again!”

Vincent wrinkled his nose in disgust from his place slightly behind Caspian. “Hopefully his smell will warn anything within a mile radius,” he murmured, getting a slight chuckle out of Caspian.

They walked for close to an hour before reaching the edge of the green they’d been chasing. They all stopped and gazed up at a sight none of them could have ever imagined before.

The sand gave way to soil. Small, strange plants were scattered around their feet and now, before them, trees towered so high they had to crane their necks back just to see the first branch.

Looking into this forest there was thick undergrowth and vines; moss and leaves. Nothing but green. No color. No sunlight.

No sound.

Arvie was captivated by awe and wonder. Her eyes trailed down the trunks of the trees and across the ground until they came to rest at her own feet. Just between them she saw a small sprout and her smile widened. Slowly, she bent down to reach for it and-

“Stop!” Vincent lurched forward and grabbed her shoulder. She straightened up and looked at him quizzically. She opened her mouth to protest but he interrupted. “Don’t touch the soil.” He pulled a small blade off his belt and handed it to her. “If you find something useful, cut it free with this.” She took it tentatively, suddenly understanding.

“Well, what do ya say, freckles?” Niles said, putting an arm around Caspian and gazing at the forest with a content sigh. After a moment, he slapped the boy on the back and lumbered forward and hefted his shotgun. “Let’s get this party started!”

Caspian sighed and picked his way after Niles, closely followed by Vincent.

"No way," Maaz protested suddenly. "I can't go in there, are you crazy?!"

Arvie turned to face him and smiled. She held out her hand and said, "Come on, it won't be that bad. I bet it'll be fun even!" He simply shook his head and she rolled her eyes, grabbing his wrist and pulling him along. “Oh, come on.”

Eventually, they all made it into the forest slowly and without a sound.

They formed a line with Niles in the front. The undergrowth was so thick it was difficult to move without rustling something. Niles was big enough to crush a decent path, so the others followed him as quietly as possible.

Thought most wouldn’t admit it, every one of them was very on edge. They kept low and held their breath, the silence eerie and unnerving.

“Why are we sneaking? Is there something in here?” Maaz asked quickly, eyes wide.

“Shh,” Vincent hissed. “Who knows what’s in here?”

Niles was at the head of the back, acutely aware into the world around him. Hunting was his strong suit. Every sense was tuned in.

Meanwhile, Caspian and Arvie were scouring the ground and trees for anything they recognized. Anything that would help Azure. However, everything they saw was foreign. Exotic. From a distance it was nothing but green, but up close was a far different story. Plants that curled at a single touch, beautiful white blossoms in the trees, bigger than a dinner plate, corkscrew vines hanging down from the canopy.

Caspian was ruling out everything she knew that would not work. For example, burdock root. It was a root, therefore would be buried in the toxic soil and rendered useless. They would have to find something high up.

Arvie felt a rush of dread. She did not recognize a thing. But at the same time, she felt a surge of fascination. She did not recognize a thing! She spent her whole life studying domestic herbs and woodland plants. They could be surrounded by hundreds of plant species that no one else knew about! She held back a giggle but a wide grin spread across her face. She felt shrouded in mystery and exploration, which was her favorite thing in the world.

☢

Cassy stopped dead, her face instantly pale. A look of dread was cast upon each of their faces.

“Electra,” Ezekiel whispered, looking at the two terrified girls.

Suddenly, Cassy broke out in a run, heading back the way they came.

“Cassy, wait!” Ezekiel called, glancing at Charlotte and rushing after her with the other girl close behind. She was quick, however, and by the time they got back to where they started she was long gone. He slowed to a stop with heavy steps, catching his breath and looking back to see Charlotte doing the same. They exchanged a look of dread as he thought of what to do.

Cassy ran towards the scream, heart pounding. “Electra!” She called breathlessly.
“Here,” came a soft, choking voice.

Cassy rushed around the corner so fast she had to grab onto a nearby wall to stop herself before she ran into the dark haired girl and perfectly still from the moon. “What-”

Cassy stopped. Her blue eyes widened and her chest tingled with fear when she caught sight of what Electra had found.
Before the two girls were human remains. A corpse, slumped against the wall.

“How can this be here,” Electra questioned quietly.

“It must be someone from Expedition One,” Cassy said, and she noticed that when she did, Electra’s hand flew to her chest and gripped at something underneath her shirt. Her eyes began to well up with tears and her mouth moved but no sound came out.

Cassy simply watched Electra’s reaction, at a loss for words. She didn’t know what was wrong, but it made her sad too. She was about to ask when another voice sounded nearby.

“Cassy!” Ezekiel called, searching through the maze as Charlotte trailed behind, peeking around every corner. “Electra!”

“Ezekiel!” Cassy called. Electra furiously wiped away her tears and let her arms drop to the sides.

Suddenly, two figures appeared around the corner. Cassy smiled, through her energy was shot, still trying to keep up a good mood. “Gee, your name is quite the mouthful, isn’t it? Can I just call you Zeke? Or Zekie? Does that work for you because it’s workin’ pretty well for me.”

He simply glanced at her as he passed, unamused and kneeled down before the body. He shied away for a moment, catching a potent whiff of the revolting smell that was coupled with death. He paused and held his breath before leaning in and quickly frisking the jacket and pants that hung delicately on the bones, looking for something useful.
He stood up quickly, taking a deep breath of fresh air before revealing his single finding. He held it out and two of the three girls gathered close, Electra lingering back but her head still turned to listen.

“Looks like everything useful was taken off the body,” he declared with an air of frustration.

“Well you got his wallet,” Cassy stated. “Open it!”

Ezekiel obliged and opened up the damaged wallet, looking through it. “It’s empty,” he said and the girls sighed, breaking the huddle. “Wait,” he said, widening one of the pockets.

Electra looked over, waiting for him to quench their curiosity. “What is it?” she snapped impatiently.

Slowly, Ezekiel pulled a thin chain out of the wallet. Fully exposed, a pendant was revealed dangling from the bottom. Upon closer inspection one would discover the shape of an eagle, damaged from time and abuse.

With quick, brisk steps, Electra approached Ezekiel and snatched the piece of jewelry dangling from his hand. “Give me that.” He was about to protest before he looked at her. She held it carefully in her hands and looked at it with an air of sorrow.

Ezekiel hung his head and sighed, then looked up, his gaze drifting lazily across the faces of the others. “Should we head back?” They were all clearly shaken. He didn’t want to drag them along after a shock like this.

“No,” Cassy said with a sniff. She glanced at the other two then looked back to Ezekiel. “We’re here to explore, not mourn the dead. We should be prepared for anything.”

Ezekiel paused, a little surprised, but figured she was right. He nodded and looked around. “Alright. Let’s go then.”


☢


“You made that?” Azure gasped in awe as Maggie held up a hand with an intricate pink sapphire and gold ring on her finger.
“Yeah,” she said with a small laugh, using her other hand to brush some hair behind her ear.

“Wow,” Azure breathed, then impulsively took her hand and pulled it near to get a closer look, handling it with care. “I’ve never seen a stone like that before,” he gaped. “Of course, most of the jewelry on the moon is… Made of… Moonrocks-” he cut himself off and cleared his throat, dropping her hand.

Maggie laughed softly and pulled her hand back into her lap. “How’s your knee?” She asked gently.

Azure winced playfully and shifted where he sat. “I’m trying not to think about it.”

A cloud of worry tinted Maggie’s gentle smile. “Hopefully they’ll be back, soon,” she sighed, gazing out towards the looming green on the horizon.


☢


“I don’t see anything useful,” Caspian snapped, frustrated. “You’d they would include some kind of antiseptic in our backpacks but noo, only cold medicine and freaking bandages!” He kicked a nearby plant, his knuckles white from clenching his fists.

Arvia’s eyes were wide, for she had never seen quiet, timid Caspian act in such a manner.

“Will you shut the hell up?!” Niles whispered harshly after stopping to turn and face Caspian. “We still have no idea what could be here!”

“Be here?!” Caspian shouted and let his arms fall to his sides with a sarcastic laugh. “We are the only living things in this god forsaken jungle other than these completely useless plants!”

He stopped shouting and taking his anger out on the small bushes long enough for a far-off rustle to be heard. Dead silence fell over the entire group. They waited for what seemed like hours, hardly daring to breathe before another rustle could be heard.

“Then what was that?” Maaz whispered, his voice cracking in fear.

Niles smiled and cocked his rifle. “A visitor.”

“Put the gun down,” Vincent whispered harshly. “It’s undoubtedly a small creature; a new scientific find we can’t afford to kill,” he pointed out.

A sudden crack sound echoed towards them, like a tree breaking. “That doesn’t sound very small,” Maaz commented in a shaky voice.

“There!” Arvie gasped, pointing at a thick throng of bushes. A yellow eye flashed and a clicking sound could be heard. The group was frozen in fear.

Suddenly, a huge head that resembled a bird of prey stuck out of the bushes. It was at least twice- maybe even three times as wide as any of their heads. The feathers were dark brown lined in florescent green. It tipped its head and blinked. Suddenly, uprooting the whole bush the rest of it was concealed in, it spread it’s wings and cried out.

“Run,” Caspian commanded in a low tone.

The others took off in the other direction, desperately trying not to stumble over the undergrowth. All except for Arvie, who stood staring at the creature with wide eyes.

“Come on!” Caspian said, grabbing her arm and pulling her with him. She snapped out of it with a sudden fear and rushed after him, continuously glancing over her shoulder.

They were on the move but so was the creature. It had begun to chase them. Arvie for the first time got a sense of it's size.
It did not have wings like she thought it would. Instead it had four legs with talons on the end, and an extremely lean and bird-like body covered in feathers that matched its head.

"We can't outrun it!" She cried breathlessly.

“She’s right,” Vincent said helplessly.

“Keep running,” Niles told them all as he skidded to a stop. They glanced back and hesitated. “Go!” He shouted, and they ran. He turned to face the beast, pointing his gun at it. “Come on, birdy,” he taunted quickly, cocking the weapon.

A loud bang was heard and they all stopped. Arvie looked behind her in time to see the creature slump to the ground. She gasped and her hand flew to her mouth, tears brimming. She hated death.

“What was that?!” Caspian demanded. “That creature was a scientific marvel!”

Niles turned around, fuming. “Oh, I’m sorry for saving your goddamned life!” He said mockingly. “It was either us or the bird and you know it!”

Caspian shut his mouth but his expression of anger remained.

Niles walked up to the beast and kneeled in front of it. “”Come on, it’ll take all of us to take it back.” He glanced at Arvie. “Well, most of us.” She was too distraught to notice.

“Take it back?” Vincent asked in morbid curiosity.

“Yeah,” Niles said, standing with a grunt. “Compressed vegetable bars and jerky won’t last forever.”

Arvie turned away and clutched her torso, appalled.

“You can’t be serious,” Caspian said flatly.

“Do I look like I’m kidding?” Niles asked. “Now come on, ya wussies, before whatever heard that shot starts investigating.

Grumbling to himself, Caspian walked forward, pulling a hesitant Maaz with him.

Vincent began to follow, but paused and glanced back. He touched Arvie’s shoulder for a moment before following the others.
Arvie heard them murmuring instructions to each other and she turned, heading back the way they came when she heard the sound of heavy dragging. She wanted to keep in front of them so she wouldn’t have to watch.

They had to stop a few times and readjust, but she kept walking, picking up the pace once they made it out of the forest.

They came looking for herbs for healing and had found nothing but death. She continued to clutch her torso, cooing hushes at it every time it began to fuss.


☢


“Where has everyone gone?!” Sada shouted as she rubbed her arms through her fur coat, Clyde sitting beside her. She had joined Azure and Maggie about forty-five minutes before and kept trying to cut into their quiet conversations with shouts and complaints. Maggie was at her wits’ end.

“I told you ten minutes ago, I don’t know,” Maggie said slowly and sternly. “What in the high heavens makes you think anything has changed?!”

Sada glared at her. “Well excuse me, I’m sorry for losing my patience while we’re stranded on this god-forsaken rock!”
Maggie fumed but resisted the urge to shout louder, sensing Azure’s discomfort.

A scuffling was heard behind them. All four pairs of eyes turned to see Ezekiel and the three girls returning. Maggie stood and took a few steps forward to meet them. “Did you find anything?”

Electra walked off a little ways beyond the camp and sat heavily on a stone. Maggie watched her curiously, but returned her eyes to Ezekiel without asking questions.

Ezekiel glanced at Cassie and Charlotte behind him, their expressions unsure. Charlotte’s eyes were wide and she shook her head slightly.

He looked back at Maggie and sighed, touching her arm to gently usher he away from the others. He led her out of earshot and spoke in a lowered voice. “We found a human skeleton.”

Maggie stared at him, dumbfounded, then gaze a nervous laugh. “What do you mean, that’s impossible.” He shook his head. “You must be mistaken!” Maggie insisted, defensive fear beginning to ring in her voice.

He looked at her sharply. “I know a human skeleton when I see one.” There was a pause as they were both silent. “All I found on it-” He stopped himself and pressed his lips together, looking away.

“What? What did you find?” Maggie pressed.

“Nothing,” he said with a shake of his head. He then began to walk towards the others.

Maggie jumped after him and opened her mouth to protest his departure, but stopped herself when she looked at the others. She sighed and followed him, sitting heavily back onto the rock beside Azure, deep in thought.

Cassie glanced at Charlotte then offered a smile, gesturing towards the others with her head. She put a comforting hand on Charlotte’s shoulder and she hesitantly walked away.

After Charlotte left, Cassie’s concerned blue gaze drifted to Electra, sitting apart from the others.

Cassie brushed Electra’s shoulder from behind, causing the green-eyed girl to jump. Her face was hidden by her long hair.

“Sorry,” Cassy said softly, then paused and sat next to her. “Are you alright?”

For the first time, she noticed Electra had been clutching something under her shirt that hung at her chest. She let go, quickly wiping away any tears that had spilled over. “I’m fine,” she snapped in a cracking voice.

Cassy offered a small smile. “No you’re not,” she said matter-of-factly. “But that’s ok!” She paused when Electra didn’t say anything, searching for something to say. “So what’s around your neck, a lucky charm?” She asked teasingly.

Electra’s face turned red and she turned away slightly, not wanting to show any more tears. “You could say that,” she supposed.

Cassy sighed, a sympathetic smile still on her face though she realized she wouldn’t be getting anything out of her. “Alright well… I’ll leave you be-”

“Thanks,” Electra snapped.

“But you can talk to me if you need to,” Cassy finished, then paused before standing and heading back towards the group.

Electra listened to her footsteps fade away. When she figured it was safe, she reached into her shirt and pulled out the charm around her neck. She held it between her fingers and looked at it until the tears blurred her vision too much to see it clearly.
On the thin silver chain was a ring. It was silver and rigid- made from meteorite. It got wider at one end, surrounding a single, round, polished moonrock that closely resembled a cloudy diamond.

She looked at her other hand in her lap, clenched so tight her knuckles were white. She opened it stiffly to reveal the eagle pendant, looking regal with it’s half-spread wings despite the discoloration and knicks.

With a sudden expression of hard determination, she slipped it over her head and quickly tucked both charms back into her shirt.

There was suddenly a commotion in camp and she twisted around to look behind her. The other group must be coming back. She choked down any persisting threat of tears and put on a hard face, standing and heading over to examine what was happening.
Arvie rushed into camp and straight to her tent, leaning over like she would be sick. No one stopped her.

Sada looked behind her and screamed, jumping from her seat and looking at Maaz accusingly. “What the hell is that disgusting thing?” She shrieked, pointing loosely at the body of the animal.

Maaz’s mouth gaped opened and closed and he shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know…”

Ezekiel marched forward, furious, until he was nose-to-nose with Niles. “What is this?!” He demanded, gesturing to the creature.

Niles raised an eyebrow and leaned back, using a single finger to push Ezekiel back by the chest. “Why should I answer to you?”

Ezekiel smacked his hand away. “Because this is a new species, never before heard of, never seen. This is murder!” He shouted accusingly.

“Oh, I’m sorry for saving our lives!” Niles shouted. “I didn’t exactly have a choice! What do you think I should have done, huh?!”

Ezekiel turned around and walked in a small circle, running his hands in his hair. “I don’t know,” he murmured, then faced Niles again. “I don’t know! Just not this! Not this…” He looked at the animal with sad eyes, blood roaring in his ears.

“Listen, I brought it back,” he said. “What else do you want from me? Keep a damn feather if it tickles your fancy,” Niles said. He leaned in close to Ezekiel again and lowered his voice. “I will not die here.”

They stared at each other for a long moment, anger in their eyes until Ezekiel felt a hand touch his shoulder. He looked around to see Maggie with a stern look in her eyes. She gave a small shake of her head. “It’s not worth it,” she murmured with a quick glance at Niles.

Ezekiel nodded and her hand slid off his shoulder.

Caspian made his way over to Azure and spoke in a low voice. “I am sorry, we couldn’t find anything,” he said.

Azure smiled. “Don’t worry about it, it feels better already,” he insisted. “Besides,” he added with a glance at the creature, “I wouldn’t say you didn’t find anything.”

Caspian glanced behind him at the animal and sighed.

Maaz rushed over to Sada, looking warily at the body. Vincent looked at it with a frown and slowly walked over to where everyone else was, wiping his hands slowly down his sides as calmly as he could manage. He paused and looked around, realizing Arvie was gone. He counted silently and noticed everyone else was, so no one was with her. He felt obligated to make sure she was alright. So, he made her way to her tent to check if she was there.

He weaved through the tents until he heard rustling in one. “Arvie?” He asked, warning her of his presence. The rustling continued but there was no reply. “Arvie,” he repeated, unzipping the tent and peeking inside.

Arvie froze and looked at him from inside, silvery blue eyes wide. He returned the expression, though his gaze was not on her. He began to take a step back.

“No!” Arvie hissed, reaching out and grabbing his arm, pulling him inside. With a small, muffled cry he collapsed inside the tent. She clutched his head, he arm over his mouth as he was sprawled on the ground. “You musn’t tell! Please!” She begged in a hushed tone.

He struggled free and sat up, kneeling on the ground beside her. He adjusted his glasses and gave her a startled look, breathing heavily. He ducked as she reached over him and quickly zipped the tent pack up. She then settled back down and their gaze drifted to the same place.

Before them was a small creature, not unlike the dead one outside, but with more down than feathers. It looked at them and tipped it’s head with a blink and a small chirp.

“You didn’t,” Vincent said flatly.

“I did,” Arvie said apologetically, biting her lower lip and looking at him, leaning back a little. “Please don't tell!” She squeaked, her hands flying to her mouth.

Vincent looked at her, then at the baby bird thing and back again. He heaved a defeated sigh. “Alright.”

“YAY! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!” Arvie shouted, throwing her arms around his neck. “I mean- Thank you,” she whispered with a giggle, pulling away again and looking at the bird. “What should we name him?” She asked innocently.

“Name?” Vincent asked, wide-eyed and still in a bit of shock. “... Him?”

“I like Allistair,” she said matter-of-factly, then became more unsure. “Or maybe Atticus. Something regal sounding,” she said with a roll of her R, gesturing gracefully into the air. She then looked at Vincent excitedly. “What do you think?”

Vincent opened his mouth to speak, but Arvie startled him into silence with a sudden gasp. “I like that one too. You’re a genius!” She leaned forward and scooped up the baby. It slipped and ruffled its wings fixing itself. She held it close to her chest. “Atticus it is.”

Vincent looked at the creature with a sudden awe. When he looked up again after what may have been longer than it felt, he saw Arvie smiling at him excitedly. “Do you want to hold him?” She asked.

“Oh, uh, I don’t-” he began before she dumped him into his hands. “Oh ok…” He cleared his throat and looked down at the small creature in his hands. It fidgeted with helplessness and unconditional trust. He felt power and responsibility over it and a small smile crept to his face. He began to softly stroke it with a single finger.

[wip]

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