by Jaclyn Lewis
Elise (unknown last name)
Approximately 125 lbs.
5’6” or so
Speaks French and English fluently
Daring/Fearless
Committed
Loyal
Loved Andre/was married/dating
Sacrificed herself for a cause
Black Hair
Then, I take the pen out of my lab coat and write on the next lines:
Artist/Painter
“Creates life”
Chapter 11
*
Genesis
After several more weeks I’ve started to get used to the routine, and my stamina in the sugar pit is increasing.
My sunburn has darkened to a bronze tan and my red hair has lightened some in the sun. I can see visible muscles hardening in my arms, thighs, and stomach.
My evenings are spent either hanging out with Silas or playing cards with Nikki and Gavin. They haven’t been playing as much…they’re planning for the baby. It’s kind of a shame that just after I met her, Nikki’s life is changing so much. But I’m excited for her.
Ember and I have become very close friends. Most people misunderstand her, but I like her and I can tell she appreciates the friendship too. She is fiercely loyal and I feel honored to know her. She’s a star player for Erimos volleyball and when I can, I attend her games.
Silas and I continue to go on “dates” that are not really declared dates. I like it that way. I can tell that maybe he wants something more, but I’m happy with the way things are. I like that Silas is my best friend and even though I can feel that the expectation is for things to move forward, I can’t decide if I really want them to.
Second Galaxy Day is coming up. I’m told this is the most wonderful day of the year—the day Erimos and Pavana celebrate the discovery of the planets. There’s a fancy ball, games, and of course excellent dining.
I don’t have anything to wear to the Second Galaxy Day ball, so I’m headed to Pavana today to work overtime in the orchards and earn extra credits.
I’ve never been to Pavana so the excitement itches at me like a flea. On my way to the specter docks, I pass Esther. She’s in her white coat and looks to be headed to the lab. I raise my hand to say hi and she approaches me.
“Hi. I’m Esther. I’m going to be one of your nurses here on Erimos.”
She extends her hand and I suppose she expects me to shake it. I must have confusion written all over my face,
“I know who you are, Esther, you were the first person I saw here on Erimos.”
Crazy lady STILL doesn’t remember me. I shake her hand anyway and now she looks confused.
“Is that so? Ok then. I’ll be seeing you around then.”
I can’t help but notice as she walks away that her hair bears a deeper shade of gray than it did a few short weeks ago and the expression on her face reveals sadness.
I’m on a different specter from the one I’m used to, but it is set up basically the same way. I feel lonely today. I’ll be going to this beautiful place by myself without Lotus sitting next to me to keep me company, but maybe that’s ok. I could use some time to think and just soak up my surroundings.
When I flash into the dock at Pavana Core I am mesmerized by the beauty of this place. Everywhere I look there is color so bright and irresistible—colors that I never see in Erimos. Green grass, pink and purple flowers, and colorful birds fill the landscape with life. We unload into the dock and I get checked in as a visitor.
Then I’m given a tour of the farm. The dairy sits nestled between a stretch of prairie and orchard. The serenely munching cows can be seen in the distance and it reminds me of something—I just can’t remember what. The wheat and corn fields are adjacent to the dairy on the opposite side of the gardens. The gardens are used to cultivate many different types of fruits and vegetables and, of course, the indigenous apple beans. We ride on horse drawn wagons around the farm. This seems a bit archaic to me, but the workers say that the horses help fertilize the ground and it was all they could do to get the tractors and farming equipment shipped up here. Cars would be very hard to come by.
The driver and I talk a bit while riding out to the orchard.
He is bemoaning the absence of a truck or other mode of transportation. We pass several cyclists coming and going from their shifts on the farm. I rather like the horses. Even though the ride is bumpy, as we wind through the farm I’m transported to a simpler time and for a moment I think I would like to stay here forever.
The orchard workers show me how to harvest the peaches. I know what peaches are—I can call up an image of a soft orange fruit, but I can’t remember what they taste like so they give me one to try. As I sink my teeth into the soft flesh of the peach, I’m instantly in love. This is the most delectable thing I’ve had so far!
I take my baskets and fill them one by one with the tasty produce. Then the baskets go into the wagons and the wagons take them up to the dock. We work all day--breaking only for lunch.
As I work, I daydream about a beautiful dress I will buy. I saw a fancy green one in the market the other day. I think it would look good on me, but the price tag almost blew me away!
Nonetheless, the Second Galaxy Day ball is the premiere event of the year and I feel like I can splurge for a change. The deep green of the dress I plan to buy reminds me now of the green color of the leaves on these trees.
I’m lost in the charm of this orchard and as I listen to the beauty of the birds’ songs I forget where I am for a short while. I’m no longer Genna 6-103-14 from Erimos.
No, I am a princess trapped in a castle of dust waiting to be rescued. My memories have been stolen and locked in a bottle made of enchanted crystal. Every day I pick my magic peaches and make a fine wine that would set me free if only a lover would drink it. My castle of dust would transform into a mansion of ice full of clear memories as the bottle pours them out around my feet.
I know it’s a silly story, but I convince myself that these orchards are magic and in the light of the sunset I could swear the peaches look covered in fairy dust.
I move on from one daydream to the next—working in solitude for hours. I’m shaken from the reveling of my imagination by the sound of a bell. I look at my patch and see that it is 1650.
When I look around, I can’t find anyone and I begin to panic. I can see the crystal spire, but it’s a long way off and the wagon is gone, too. I don’t remember exactly how to get back to Pavana Core, so I drop my basket of peaches where they are and start running as fast as I can toward the spire. Its 1658 and I’m not even close. I know that if I don’t make it I won’t be allowed back inside. When I come out of the orchard I watch as my Erimos-bound craft disappears right before me. The bay doors close and the fence turns on.
I’m frozen to the ground at the edge of the orchard.
The warnings are real. There must be a reason I won’t be allowed back inside after 1700. What lives in the orchard or what wretched things happen in the night?
My heart pounds with fear as I head back into the orchard just a little way and sit down under a tree to cry. I’ll be forced to sleep outside tonight. I don’t know what terrors await those who don’t make it back inside the doors in time, but I guess I’ll find out.
Every part of me is terrified. I don’t know what to do, but I decide to pull down a few braches to cover my white shirt so I won’t be easily spotted. The night air is cool—it’s a shock to my skin compared to the blistering heat I’ve become accustomed to in Erimos. I lie there and worry for hours practically shaking in fear of the unknown.
The bright blue sun has set and darkness has fallen on the orchard. I hear some sounds in the distance—horses neighing, sheep bleating—each sound startles me as I wonder what animal might be coming for me.
As the night deepens, the sounds of the animals die down and silence rests on Pavana. I’m just about to drift off to sleep when I hear a noise coming from the loading docks. A specter has landed there.
I suppose that the specter will be picking up supplies to take back to Earth, but instead I watch men unload crates from it. I know that shipments from Erimos happen in the daytime so where is this specter from? There is a team working steadily for a long time and from the looks of it, it will still take hours to unload that giant ship.
Two men in jumpsuits whom I can only assume are the pilots, step off and head toward the orchard. I’m in panic mode again. Should I run toward them and beg them to let me back in, or should I lie still and hope they don’t see me?
They are headed straight for my tree.
I pull the fallen branches up close to me—trying not to breathe so that no fog will give away my position. Both men light cigarettes and walk down the same path I’m on. I close my eyes and try to steady my heart rate.
As they come closer I can hear the men talking.
“So what do you think, Josh? You want to pack up the family and move to alien-ville?”
“Hah…not any time soon, man. This place is pretty gorgeous, though. I can see why some people would take the job here. But for what they pay us, I can buy out a farm and plant my own orchard in California. The wife loves it there. In fact she’s picked out a vineyard for us to run. I’m making an offer on it when I get back.”
That’s odd. I thought Earth was barely surviving—a wasteland on the edge of death.
The big guy who started the conversation puffs his cigarette some more and blows his smoke right down on me. I want to cough, but I stifle the urge. I hold my breath as long as I can. Then I have to breathe and I feel like my lungs will explode.
The second guy—Josh asks, “So what are the snowflakes like?”
“They’re just like you and me mostly—except a lot more clueless. Everyone I’ve run into has been pretty nice, though. I don’t see them very much, but when I do it’s usually the same story. They either act like they don’t know anything or they want me to try to find their families and make sure they survived the ‘nuclear holocaust’.”
The big man gestures with air quotes with his last phrase and both men chuckle, but I don’t understand why. I wish I knew why we’re considered so “clueless”. They keep walking until they are out of range for me to hear their conversation. It was just in time too, as I snapped a small twig just by moving an inch. I’m frozen until I know for sure they didn’t hear it. I would follow them, but I’m too afraid. I already fear that I’ll be in trouble in the morning and I don’t want to make things worse.
I try to sleep, but I’m still scared, and my mind is digesting what I’ve just heard. I don’t know what any of it means. I’ve always known CGC was hiding something, but I never could put my finger on it.
No sooner has the last Earth specter flashed away than another one comes. I can’t see as clearly what’s happening now and I don’t dare to leave the nest I’ve made.
The air gets colder and no amount of branches will warm me. I stare at the stars and wonder what the truth is that lays beyond them. Shivering, eventually I sleep.
I wake to the sound of birds announcing a new dawn. My patch says it is 0456. When I stretch away the sleepiness, my back is stiff from the awkward way I huddled on the ground to stay warm. Leaves and dirt have buried themselves in my hair. I wait to make my way back to the core--hoping that if I can blend in no one will notice I was missing.
Then I remember that there won’t be any specters traveling to Erimos because it is Monday. That means that I’ll have to tell someone. I haven’t completely formulated my plan, when the doors to the bay open. I run inside and head for the atrium. There, a doctor is waiting for me. He takes me to an office and shuts the door.
Quickly, I decide that it’s better if they don’t think I was awake at all so I tell them I was picking peaches in the orchards and fell out of a ladder hitting my head and knocking me unconscious. When I woke up it was past closing time so I slept outside. I’m not sure if they believe me at all.
The doctor thinks for a second and says “Next time you should heed our warnings about being out after the doors close. You’re lucky something very bad didn’t happen to you out there. You will probably need to be reset just to make sure everything is ‘ok’.”
I begin to panic and consider my options for running. I would never make it back to Erimos if I leave here, but I can’t risk losing what precious memories I possess. He scans my snowflake chip, paying me for the time I’ve worked. I’m about to bold for the door.
Just then, his secretary patches through a video message from Erimos. It is projected on the wall across from me.
My heart stops in my chest when I see him. It’s Pax.
“Hello, Doctor Hutchinson. I’m Doctor Paxton Mitchell from the clinic in Erimos. I see that Genesis has landed in your care. She didn’t come back last night, and I was calling to check up on her.”
Doctor Hutchinson heaves heavily like he just wants to be able to go back to bed and then answers Pax.
“Yes. This girl from Erimos fell out of a tree last night and was left outside. All night.” He emphasizes the last two words with a tone that makes me feel about two inches tall.
“Was she harmed at all?” Pax asks.
“I don’t believe so. We were just going to have her—er—tended to. But of course, if you’d like to handle that yourself, you can do that. Unfortunately, we don’t have any specters headed for Erimos right now. She will have to wait until tomorrow.”
“No. I’ll come get her now.” And with that the screen fades into a wall again and the projection is gone.
I feel embarrassed. Like a child who is old enough to know better, but still gets into trouble.
I have a memory of shopping with my mother. I wish so much that I could see her face, but all I ever get to remember is the color of her hair and the smell of her perfume. I hold the side of the cart as we shop in the supermarket. Some days she lets me ride on the side, but only when there are enough heavy groceries that I won’t be in danger of flipping the cart over.
One day, when my mother couldn’t decide between fifteen million different species of pasta sauces, I caught a glimpse of a holiday display with candy on it. I wanted so badly to look at it and Mother was taking so long. I would only be gone a minute, but when I turned around she wasn’t there. I sat down and cried until another mother helped me get to the manager’s office. They paged my mother and it felt like I grew up more in those moments of waiting than I had the previous five years of my life. When I saw her, I was embarrassed and ashamed, but she held me close and it melted away.
Even now, I feel ashamed and embarrassed that Pax has to come get me like a wayward sheep. I’m also angry and very exhausted.
I’m sent to the Pavana Specter docks to wait for Pax. For some reason I feel like calling him Doctor Mitchell again. I can’t decide how I feel about him at the moment.
I know that his arrival makes me anxious. And his blue eyes pierce my soul. I know he gives me the flutters, but he also makes me speechless and a little out of control.
When his Specter arrives, he doesn’t speak. He just motions for me to join him.
Once inside he offers me a cup of coffee that he must have gotten before he left. It’s still hot and we sit down.
“You scared me last night.” He tells me. “And then they almost reset you for heaven’s sake. Can’t you be more careful?”
“How did you even know I was gone?”
There’s a silent pause. “I got paged when you didn’t scan back in last night. Only a few of us knew about it. Do me a favor, don’t tell any of your friends you were out all night.”
Something about him assures me that this advice is truly for my benefit. I expected him to reprimand me, but instead I feel like he’s protecting me.
“Second Galaxy day is around the corner.” I’m thankful that he changed the subject.
“Yes! I’m so excited. I went to Pavana to earn some extra money for a dress. Silas is taking me to the ball.”
Pax mumbles s
omething that sounds like “I was afraid that would happen.”
“What would happen?”
He pauses for a moment. There’s the flash and we keep talking.
“Genna, you know how I’m always telling you things for your own good? You won’t believe me and I know you won’t take my advice, but if you try to date Silas it will lead to heartbreak.”
I can’t believe him. I know he feels something for me. Why doesn’t he just say it? I’m angry that he tries to phrase it in a way that keeps him from having to feel vulnerable.
Or maybe I’m angry because I just don’t want to be alone. If Pax made a move, I’d have a good reason to say “no” to Silas.
“You’re just jealous.” The bitter words tumble out of my mouth before I can reel them back in. But, I want him to feel the sting, the cost of keeping his true feelings to himself.
“I am a little jealous.” Pax is smirking. “But that’s not why I told you to be careful about Silas.”
“Then why? Because you don’t want to tell me how you feel, but you don’t want me to be with anyone else? What do you know about me anyway?”
The flash again. We are back on Erimos.
Pax is taken back…speechless and afraid of saying too much. Which is exactly how he always is and exactly what irritates me.
“Because I know things about Silas that you wouldn’t understand.” He answers and then leaves the specter without saying goodbye.
I know I struck a nerve and maybe I meant to. As I watch him leave I feel a unique kind of premonition—like I’m missing him before he’s even really gone.
When I arrive in the cafeteria for breakfast I seek out Silas. He waves at me and instantly I feel glad to be back. He catches a break and comes to sit with me—brings me a stack of pancakes.
“So…how was Pavana?” He questions—eager to hear about it all.
“It was beautiful like everyone says. And I came back with a secret.” I lean in closer to whisper so only he will hear me.
“They’ve lied to us about so many things.”