“It’s my dad. It was always just him and me against the world, you know?” Her head dropped and she smiled slightly. “I told him, just before he died, that I didn’t want to live in a world that he wasn’t a part of, and now I don’t have to.” A tear rolled from her eye. “I’m glad to have a new beginning, but I still miss him. I feel like I didn’t have to prove anything to him. Here, it’s different. It’s a lot of pressure.”
“You don’t have to prove anything to anyone, Jane. You’re a badass. Who gives a shit what anyone thinks?”
She smiled back at me.
We sat silently, looking out over the terrain. There was nothing I could say that could take her pain away, nothing I could think of that would make her feel better, so we sat quietly in each other’s company. We sat like that for many moments, until the tears stopped and she turned to look at me.
“What’s your story, Aella?” she asked. “Seems we all have some crazy reason for being here, but you.”
I laughed. “My story is that I don’t have a story. Absolute nerd with no adventure in her life who needed some excitement.”
“Well, that seems quite different from the rest of us. Everyone I’ve talked to seems to be running from their problems, and you're here chasing some down.” She chuckled through her snotty nose. “I’m sure you'll find a story here, that’s for sure.”
Hearing a crunching noise behind us, we both jumped to our feet and turned. Standing partially behind the supply hull was a cameraman, his camera reaching around the craft and pointed directly at us. The anger and embarrassment hit all at once.
“Hey! What are you doing?” I growled.
The cameraman took a few steps back as if I would attack him, then stood his ground. “Recording,” he said.
“Why?” Jane gasped.
“I’m filming for the show. You signed a contract and release enabling us to film for Grow.”
“Can you get rid of that part, then? It was kind of a personal moment, and I don’t want every personal moment broadcast, you know?” I quickly saw that he didn’t care what I had to say, as he was still holding the camera on his shoulder. “Are you still filming?”
“Yeah, I can’t edit anything out. That’s the guys who film for the broadcast. I film for the livestream on the website. Everything on my camera goes directly to the live feed that people pay a subscription to watch. Kind of like The Hunger Games, if you think about it, but they pay for it,” he said, inspired.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Jane grumbled.
“Thanks a lot, asshole,” I said as we turned and walked away. Jane stuck up her middle finger to add drama as we left.
After that moment, there were cameras constantly on us. Even if we thought the cameramen were gone and we were safe, we were always wrong. There was always a camera perched in the bushes, like a lion stalking its prey, waiting to catch whatever non-rehearsed babble came from our mouths.
ONCE THE OTHER TEAMS had all arrived from their hike after landing in their pods, and some of them had begun to unpack their supplies, Idris gathered us all around the front of the supply hull. We all dropped what we were doing and formed an audience in front of him. Quietly and respectfully, we waited for him to speak.
One cameraman circled the crowd with his camera, and the other zoomed in on Idris as he began to speak. “It is so fortunate that all of us and our supplies arrived safely upon Circadia without damage. So let’s have a round of applause for that.”
Everyone applauded graciously.
“Now, I know we just got here, but this is when the real work begins. It looks like we only have a couple hours until nightfall, and we currently have no shelter. We are in a terrible condition of uncertainty. We have no idea what the weather is going to be like, what kind of building materials we have to work with, or the amount of time it is going to take to make ourselves self-sustainable. All we have is each other.” He looked around at everyone. “Thankfully, you are all very intelligent and diverse, so we are going to make this happen together.”
All of the different teams joined together, looked around at each other, and smiled.
“With that being said, first things first: shelter. I don’t want to be cooped up in the supply hull with all of you for an entire night. So, those who feel able will be helping the architectural team track down building materials before it gets dark tonight. We need this to be a joint effort. I’m going to hand it over to Ronald, captain of the architect team.” Idris bowed out of Ronald’s way.
Ronald was a tall man with a long nose. He had walked out from the crowd and now shook hands with Idris. His tousled red hair blew in the wind as he spoke. “Hey guys. All right, I have no idea what we are going to be dealing with, but I knew that when I came here. I can already see some trees, but we are going to have to be careful when removing any as the planet already has low oxygen. I need help tonight harvesting about twenty moderately-sized trees. After tonight, the urgency will no longer be present, and I have other plans for shelter. For tonight, though, we have to rely on our primitive roots. Who would like to volunteer? I’m going to need about ten people, so please raise your hands.”
Every single person standing in the crowd raised their hands. I looked around in shock at the amount of team spirit and eagerness to help. This was definitely a different planet.
“Wow. Okay, I didn’t expect this kind of reaction.” Ronald smiled. “Well, if everyone really wants to help, let’s just divide the jobs up, I guess. Is that alright with everyone?”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
“Okay, I want one person from each team to step over by Idris to help with harvesting materials,” He extended an arm in Idris’ direction.
I explained to my team that I wanted to go so I could check out the plants along the way. They agreed. I quickly went to stand among the other people gathering around Idris. We all shook hands and greeted each other. I assumed it would also be a great way to get to talk with people from other teams as well. Once the greetings were done, we stood quietly, listening and watching as the next groups were formed.
“All right. First thing is out of the way. While they’re gathering materials, some of us can unpack or find our architectural supplies from the supply hull. One person from each team, please step out and to the left,” Ronald called.
A quiet hush of conversation ran rampant among the groups but soon enough, one person from each team did as they were told.
“Next is going to be the more difficult task. Spencer, from the agricultural team, and Idris have discussed that we have very little rations left. They would like to save these for emergency uses now that we are here,” he explained. “So, would one person from each team please volunteer to help Spencer cull some of his pigs from the herd? They will need help butchering and preparing a few hogs for tonight’s meal. I understand this is difficult, but it is necessary.”
I expected more people to object, or at least hesitate, but one person from each team quickly came forward to help. Spencer stood to the side of the crowd with one arm in the air. Once his group was formed, they took off with flashlights to go retrieve the pigs. I could only imagine what that task would be like.
“It would also be very nice if we could form a team to prepare the meat and cook tonight. We need a fire built and cooking utensils gathered from the supply hull. Please, one person from each group come forward,” Ronald said.
People came forward as they were asked, and went immediately to work searching for supplies in the hull.
“All right, let’s get to work,” Ronald said.
As soon as he gave us the okay, my group turned on their flashlights, illuminating the dark that had consumed the sky, and took off into the night.
Chapter Ten
It was scary going into the dark on a foreign planet, but also exciting. We were all alone, or so we hoped, and it was exhilarating. Every breath of fresh air was a brand-new breath. Every step was a new one. In everything we did, we were first. I had always like
d being the first to do something, or the first to see something, but this was on another level.
The cameramen followed us into the wilderness, but we didn’t mind. We would have to start getting used to it, as they would be here for the entire endeavor. There was no use getting worked up. It was a necessary evil, and the reason for the trip.
We trampled through the empty fields toward the line of trees. The silence was deafening as we walked; each of our footsteps amplified in the abyss of solitude. After a twenty-minute hike, we arrived at the edge of the woods. The short, purple trees creaked and shook with each gust of wind.
What had appeared to be darkness at the rendezvous spot was outdone by the darkness in the woods. The canopy of the trees blocked out any light from Earth’s moon and lights. Flashlights seemed to make our vision worse unless we were looking into the beams of light.
“Okay, ten trees, right? Or twenty?” one man asked.
“Twenty,” I replied, “and no more than that.”
“Right! Twenty moderately-sized trees. Ronald handed me two, two-person hand saws before we left, so I guess four people can be sawing while the others hold the lights,” another said. “Once the first four people have sawed a tree down, they can hand it off to the next group of people. We can take turns like this until all of the trees are down. Once all the trees are down, everyone can grab a branch and help haul them out,” he finished.
“If there are twenty trees we have to cut down, it’s going to take a few trips,” I said. “There are only ten of us, and it’s going to take more than one person to haul one of those trees out of here, let alone two per person.”
We looked around at each other and frowned, until another woman jumped into action. “Sounds like we better get moving if we want shelter for the next couple of nights then, huh?” She grabbed one of the saws. Directly after, one of the men followed her toward a large tree and they began sawing. The rest of us followed after them.
The act of sawing through the trees took forever. Technically speaking, the trees were small in diameter, but they were unlike trees from Earth in that they were much denser. Sawing took double the time it would have taken otherwise. I was glad we only required twenty trees. I couldn’t help but think about the pioneers on Earth starting from scratch on a continent, just like us. I had never taken into consideration just how tedious all of the work was when done by hand, but now it would be forever engraved into my mind.
Hours passed and we had only cut down twelve trees. The night was drawing on and on, and we still were not done. The team decided that some of us needed to start hauling trees back to the camp while others continued sawing. Four people sawed, two held flashlights, and the other four worked together to start pulling trees back to camp.
I was one of the lucky ones chosen to start transporting trees. We had two people per tree pulling. Even with the strength of two people pulling with all of their might, movement was slow because the trees were heavy. We pulled with one hand, while the other held a flashlight and helped us keep our balance. The walks were long and tough.
When we finally made it back to camp, it seemed everyone else was having just as much trouble. No one was accustomed to the amount of work it took to live without much technology. There was only the beginnings of a fire, supplies were being leisurely unpacked, and the boys with the pigs were nowhere to be found yet. The fact that none of the other teams were doing any better made me feel better about our work, but also instilled a sincere worry that we weren’t prepared for this journey and were going to suffer.
We dropped off the trees and headed toward the woods once again as the builders began to hack at the branches. Maybe we weren’t doing so bad after all. We jogged back to the lumberjacks to deliver the good news, but when we returned, everyone was in a panic.
Flashlights swung every which way, pointing up into the treetops. Loud yelling could be heard as we approached. My heart pounded in my chest. What happened? What are they seeing? For a second, we hung back trying to assess the situation, but after many moments of confusion we dove in head-first.
We could hear the others’ heavy breathing and panic as we entered the woods. “What’s going on?” I called.
“There’s something moving in the trees! A lot of little somethings!” one guy yelled back.
“I thought there wasn’t supposed to be life on this planet! What the hell?”
“Everyone calm down!” a lady demanded.
Looking up into the trees, I focused on one beam of light from a flashlight, and suddenly saw a flicker. A small pair of bright, beady eyes stared down at me from a tree branch high in the sky. This small creature, which was about the size of a squirrel and had hands like a raccoon, climbed about on the tree, curious about us. Its tail was short and bobbed, and its body had short legs and a fat middle that resembled a guinea pig. It was obvious these critters had somehow survived the trip here by hibernating in the trees. Its long ears swiveled with each new noise, sometimes making an entire one-eighty.
“They’re kind of cute, but it still freaks me the fuck out,” said the guy standing next to me.
“I don’t understand how they made the trip through space. We were told everything would be dead—if there was ever life in the first place,” I said. “Maybe between Spencer and I, we can figure out what they are and how they survived.”
“And if they’re a threat.” The comment went unanswered, but the fear could be felt from everyone.
I was a bit apprehensive of the small critters, but they didn’t feel dangerous. There was no official name for them, but I thought of them as ‘Skitters.’ It was my mix of ‘small’ and ‘critters,’ and from that moment forward that was what I called them.
The sawing and hauling continued into the early morning. Everyone watched the tree limbs above us the whole time, wary of our new company.
IN THE MORNING, WE gathered around the many fires and enjoyed the pork provided. Our faces drooped, and our eyes were sunken into our heads. We ate like wild animals. I wanted to cry. It was such a long night. Everyone else was holding their shit together, though, so I couldn’t be the weak one. We could have stayed the night in the supply hull had it not been full of supplies, but it was a pride thing. One that felt much more important the night before than it did in the morning.
Idris stood among the strewn-out bodies beside the campfire. His eyes were ringed in dark circles and his face was gaunt with fatigue. “We didn’t get our shelters built like we thought we would, but we managed to get all of the supplies, make a fire, and eat. After seeing what we’re up against, I’m proud of you all. Things aren’t going to happen here as fast as we thought they would, but that’s okay. There are only so many of us. A workforce is being sent in two weeks. A lot is going to change then, but for now, we’ll take our time.” He nodded. “I say we get some sleep by the fires, and once we’re all rested, we’ll begin on the shelters.”
We all groaned then settled onto the ground. I had a hard time falling asleep. Everything was so new... I lay awake, daydreaming about the future.
I couldn’t help but wonder, what kind of world would we be able to create? Just like a parent would wonder, what kind of person will my child grow up to be? As an adult, you understand there are so many different paths one can take. They could grow up to be world leaders, philanthropists, or doctors. Or quite the opposite. They could grow up to be workers in a cartel, imprisoned, or shot. Even a child that has their entire life mapped out could make one slip and ruin everything. As an adult, you have witnessed how an innocent child with good intentions can turn out, for better or worse.
As a parent, you always want to give your child the best chances in life. Start teaching them their ABC’s early, maybe throw in a little Mozart. In early childhood, you put them through music classes. In middle school you encourage debate and sports, attempting to give them skills they’ll need later on in life to succeed. After giving them all of the necessary tools to survive and thrive, you hope your offspring will
serve as a functional member of society and grow to be something greater than yourself.
Lying here on a new world, I had the same feelings. What we all wanted and how it would actually turn out, could be two completely different things. Especially when the planet had such a ridiculous beginning. The basis upon which the planet was being built, a mockery and a sham, was now expected to work. A bad joke gone wrong, we were hopelessly destined for failure. We would have to overcome the rough start we were dealt and succeed in the face of extraordinary odds.
The hard dirt of Earth had never felt this good. It had never caressed my body and beckoned me to sleep like Circadia’s did. Once I succumbed to the feeling, my body and brain washed away in a wave.
WHEN I WOKE UP, THERE was a camera pointed directly at my face.
“What the hell are you doing?” I swatted at the camera. “Get it out of my face. I’m not in the fucking mood. Get it?” My words came out stronger than I intended, but I was tired, and apparently sunburned from lying out in the sun.
“You know the drill. I have to record,” the cameraman said.
“Get out of her face, or I’ll show you where you can put the camera,” Garrett said, now inches from the cameraman’s face. The cameraman scampered off to go video someone else sleeping.
Garrett caught my eyes, and I felt my face flush red. I looked quickly to the side at the ground, as he approached me. “Are you okay?” he asked.
I looked back up to meet his brown eyes once again. “Yeah, just a little tired, you know?”
“Yeah, I get it. What did you do last night?”
“I sawed some trees down and hauled them back to camp like a lumberjack, naturally,” I said, giving off a bit of a sarcastic undertone.
“That figures. I helped unpack supplies, so nothing really exciting.” Shrugging his shoulders, he began to walk off.
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