The Silent Rhymes of a Snowflake

by Jaclyn Lewis

  We project a recording from the ship of our escape and the destruction of Earth. We get the reaction we hoped for and they are out for blood. They turn to Noah, but in his defense, I think he was clueless. It makes sense that Camp wouldn’t allow everyone to know what CGC was really working on.

  “I didn’t know all of this--I swear.” He cries in defense. “I was recruited from a mine in the Congo and was just told I would get paid a lot of money. When I found out I was going to be working on a remote planet in space I thought that’s all the big secret there was. I promise I never knew the rest.” He starts to sob. “My wife was back there.”

  He doubles over, as the weight of his lost loved ones on Earth rushes over him. It’s clear that this man never knew the truth and I stop pointing my gun at him.

  “Well, are you all with us?” I yell.

  Shouts of agreement and determination rise from everyone, even Noah, broken and crying for his family.

  “Will you find Gavin for us, tell him we’re here?” Pax asks of Noah.

  He nods and asks where we are going. Silas doesn’t answer Noah, but tells him we’ll take a communicator and that we won’t answer for anyone but Gavin. I suppose we can’t be too careful at this point.

  We are working under the assumption that Camp still doesn’t even know that we’re alive, but we know that the craft still has a tracker in it so if they decide to look for us we won’t be very hard to find.

  We park the specter in an area of uncharted desert next to a river. The safety of it is a comfort, but it’s only a matter of time before we must exit and begin fighting for the life we want. A few hours go by and we still haven’t heard anything from the Core. As I sit amid the sugar-like crystals of sand, I trace Ember’s name in large letters.

  “You want to take a walk?” Pax takes my hand and is helping me up from the sand before I even answer.

  I never knew the stars were so bright…nor did I know that the air cooled off so much at night in Erimos. We were never allowed to be out past dark, and the only time I did was in Pavana. But the beauty of it is magnificent! The stars appear to glisten just close enough to reach out and touch them, a billion diamonds in the sky.

  Paxton holds my hand as we walk. He doesn’t say anything for a while until we stop and I sit between his knees on a sand dune while we stare at the sky. We try to make out shapes in the sky the way the constellations of Earth allowed. He tells me that my hair smells like Jasmine and he kisses my face all over.

  “I love you so much.” He whispers. “We have to survive this thing. I want to marry you the first chance I get.” He brushes his lips across my nose as he whispers to me.

  “Do you really?” I just want to hear him say it again.

  “I do.”

  Heat rushes to my face. I don’t know how he moved so quickly but he’s down on one knee. If he wanted to take me by surprise he certainly has done that.

  “I know I’m not as romantic as I ought to be.” He starts off. “But I also know that these little moments that string together can pass us by and leave us filled with regrets. We can miss the perfect moment because we are too busy planning a big extravagant one.” His hands are shaking as he holds out the ring—

  “I don’t know what the future holds for us, Genesis, but I want you to be my new beginning. And if the end comes quickly, I won’t feel like I left anything undone. Will you marry me?”

  “I will. I absolutely will!” My arms fling around his neck. I always thought when this moment finally came that I would cry, but I don’t. I am excited to be sure, but more than that I feel rooted. Because the future is so uncertain this promise will serve to hold me up a little longer in the storms we face. And I’m glad—this rock he’s given me will be an anchor for my heart.

  I remember how I used to find Gavin and Nikki’s conversations so nauseating and now we’re saying the same things. It sounds different when it’s something you feel for someone, though. This is the first time we’ve been able to really be alone in a very long time.

  I enjoy his company, his laughter and the ease with which we can talk about anything. I also enjoy the natural silences when I can revel in the safety of his arms. I never want to let go or find out what’s waiting for us at the Core. I wonder if we’ll ever be allowed another night like this one. It actually feels foreign to be back on the ground in the only home I’ve ever known.

  I went to Earth seeking to find out who I was and found the answers I thought I wanted. Now I just want to leave myself and my past behind and start a new life in peace with Doctor Mitchell. But there’s Ember. And I won’t be at rest until she’s found.

  Finally, the call comes in from Gavin.

  “Hey guys!” He says. “I’m so glad to hear that you made it back safely. We’ve seen no sign of Camp. It’s safe to come back now.”

  Kylee flashes us back to the Core docks. We’re apprehensive as we step off. It’s only Gavin and Nikki that meet us there. Soon, Esther comes and says that she’ll show the refugees on board to their new quarters.

  Nikki spots me across the atrium and after a good long hug I comment on the “baby belly” that’s coming along quite nicely. I’m not sure how she feels about, but there’s a magnetic pull to a pregnant belly and I just have to touch it. She doesn’t seem to mind.

  Gavin hugs us all with a look of sympathy I can’t describe. Everyone looks as us this way almost as though we’re pitifully contaminated by an amount of pain they can only imagine.

  Gavin addresses Paxton, Silas, Kylee, Noah, and me—the group that’s convened here.

  “Everything’s pretty much organized.” He says. “We’ve spread the word about Doctor Camp to all the complexes--two more went up while you guys were gone. Everyone on the planet is outraged. Many of the white-coats didn’t even know about it. A few of them did and said they wanted no part in a rebellion. They asked if they could take a smaller craft and leave so we let them go this morning. We’ve seen no sign of Doctor Camp’s specter. On the day you landed on Erimos a transport from Earth came in and one was reported in Pavana as well, but if there were really twelve others, then I don’t know where they are.

  “We know that he’ll come here eventually, but for now the important thing is that we have a clear plan of what to do when he does. The militia’s working day and night trying to account for every scenario. One thing we have to remember is that we’re all that’s left so warfare could mean the extinction of our race if we aren’t careful. I think that when Camp comes, we have to focus on eliminating him…once he’s gone peace should come quickly. Genna, we want to train you and Silas and Doctor Mitchell on weapons. Any one of the refugees is welcome to come to our training camp as well. We’ll start tonight after dinner. There’s really no time to waste.”

  “What about Pavana? Do they know what’s happening?” Pax wonders.

  “Yes, I just got back from there. They had more white-coats that wanted to leave and we sent our craft to pick them up. There are three stations on Pavana now. I left Pavana Core in charge of getting the news out to the other regions”

  “The white-coats that left…did they say where they were going?” Silas sounds puzzled.

  “No. And Doctor Camp hasn’t been spotted anywhere. I think he has a secret base that we don’t know about. We already know he is savvy with dimension technology and we’ve discussed the possibility that he could even be hiding in another dimension, although, I’m not quite sure how that would work. He could be hiding a base right under our noses, but worry will only get you so far. Pavana will stand with us when the time comes.”

  When I see Esther bringing in the refugees, I look at her differently. Paxton is suddenly compelled to hug her and I think for a moment she may pass out from the shock of it. I can sympathize with her now. She’s been trying to figure out who she is, too. Her memories have already been changed over and over and she only recently learned why. She’s still eccentric and odd, but now I feel honored to be in her presence and I’m glad she’s o
n our side.

  Paxton and I help to unload everything off the craft. There are a lot of huge crates in the cargo area. The crafts were full when we left Earth and it takes all day and practically everyone on Erimos to unload.

  Many of the crates are labeled “Earth starters” and Esther thinks that these might be the animal DNA samples or possibly even human embryos. If so she says that they will have been cryogenically frozen and need to be taken to the lab. We don’t want to lose our only means of procuring new life here. Some are frozen vegetable bases. Some crates hold machinery. One crate is full of AA and AAA batteries. Our planets are shifting to solar, wind, and asprosium power only, but we still use a lot of Earth-based gadgets for now.

  It’s hysterical to see these things and to think that these are the only batteries left in the galaxy. The crates are full of such supplies--things that will take a while to learn to manufacture on our own, if ever. Some we may have to do without completely.

  Our culture here depends so heavily on Earth-based goods. How did CGC ever convince us that we were replenishing Earth? We should have seen through their lies sooner. We all know that now, but when you’re the one consumed with the lie, you can’t see it at the time.

  With the addition of the Africans, Erimos core is reaching its population max now. CGC has already moved some people out to one of the new complexes and I think we may have to soon as well. War looms imminently over our heads, though, so we should be thankful for the population size we have, I guess. It may not be much longer.

  Just after dinner, Gavin leads a group of us down the militia den to the training center. I see why Ember was afraid after her first day training here. This place has an ominous feel to it and smells like death. He takes us to the shooting range first and gives me a small pistol to start with. I miss my mark by several inches.

  “You’re too tense!” Gavin shouts at me.

  Doesn’t he know that yelling at me just makes me tenser?

  I take a deep breath, try to relax, think about my sister and what I’m fighting for. After about thirty minutes of shooting, I’m getting better. Next, he gives me an asprosium-based weapon called a DAGR, and when I fire it almost knocks me off my feet. It is essentially a high-powered gun that shoots tiny balls of diamonds encased in fire that burn a hole right through anything in its way. This…this is an amazing weapon.

  Gavin says he named it himself for the acronym Diamond Asprosium Grenade Rifle. There’s even a blade that pops out of the side for hand-to-hand combat.

  They were just developed and none have yet left Erimos. This gives us an advantage. There are only one hundred available right now, but Gavin has already ordered Erimos 2 to ramp up production and we are expecting another shipment of them tomorrow.

  Everyone takes a turn firing it and every male in the room especially is drooling with love for this new-fangled killing machine. Ember would have been so happy.

  Next we train with the blade aspect of the DAGR. I’m horribly clumsy with this part and almost get stabbed several times. Timidity consumes me when it comes to fighting which only makes me angrier and clumsier.

  “Imagine seeing Ember locked in a cage.” Gavin says. “You are the only person who can save her.”

  The imagery helps, but I still know that I’m just practicing with my friends and I’m not sure how I would really do in battle.

  After a while, Gavin gets us fitted with gun belts and armor.

  “Reckoning day will come.” He tells us. “So keep this stuff with you at all times. We don’t know when he’s coming, but we know that he will.”

  Exhausted from the training, I head off to bed with all my militia gadgets. My ring clinks against the doorknob when I come into the room—reminding me of the promise of a better day to come.

  It feels strange coming back to my old bunk. Even stranger not seeing Ember here among my roommates. Kylee is reconnecting with her sisters and mother, excited that they finally know the truth and can be a family now. We’re all just happy to see each other. I had never gotten to know my other roommates very well, but suddenly I’m overcome with happiness to see them—to know that they are alive and that we are fighting on the same side, that we have so very much in common after all. I try to ignore the empty bunk below me as I close my eyes and wait for another uncertain tomorrow.

  The blank wall is in front of me again. I stand with the brush in my hand and Andre asks me what I’m going to paint. I smile at him because this time I have an answer.

  Chapter 29

  *

  Dr. Mitchell

  I slept so hard that when I woke up I jumped out of bed disoriented. I had one of those feelings like I slept through an alarm clock, or I missed my flight, or I forgot a patient’s medicine, or a war started without me.

  It doesn’t feel like anything is normal. I should go to breakfast and yet, I know I’ll be surprised to see everyone doing their jobs like it’s just another day.

  When I get to the atrium, there’s a crowd of people huddled up staring at the wall with my own dear Genna covered in paint and looking like she didn’t sleep a wink last night.

  In awe, I wonder at the scope of what she’s done. The mural she painted is simple, breathtaking, and very large. She has created a symbol for the rebellion.

  It must have taken all night. Her artwork is a complex yet simple and twisted thing--a snowflake constructed of multi-colored branches—some intertwine and some stand alone.

  Genna takes my arm and kisses my cheek. She explains the symbols in the middle.

  “That triangle resembles our crystal spire with different colored sides--green for the pastures of Pavana, Blue for the sun that gives life to us here, and white for the asprosium of Erimos.”

  I couldn’t be prouder of her. I know from her recounts of the dreams that she’s been bothered that Elise’s painting never finishes—it always leaves something unsaid and undone. But here it is finished at last, a trademark of hope. Our lives have crossed paths at this moment to bring in a free future.

  When Gavin sees it, he fights back tears and orders the symbol to be painted on all our specters and buildings. Genna seems taken aback by the praise and admiration. She didn’t expect for everyone to take on the symbol so excitedly, but they have and I’m glad for it. People need an identity and it’s high time that the snowflakes stop thinking of themselves as separate from the rest of humanity.

  “I love you more every day and with every new surprise I find in you. I didn’t know you were a painter.” I tell her as we walk toward the cafeteria.

  “Is that what I am?” She laughs.

  After breakfast, we head to the militia den for another round of training. There are more people participating today then there were yesterday. More DAGRS. Word is spreading. People are angry. Reckoning day is one step closer.

  Chapter 30

  *

  Genesis

  I’m not surprised when I find Hannah eating dinner by herself. She looks terrified and younger without the gothic makeup, like any other innocent child. Her hair is pulled back in a neat ponytail and she looks like any other teenager. I feel like I have cheated her by not offering more guidance and making her survival here a priority because of everyone here, she is most completely alone. I walk over to her table and strike up a conversation.

  She pushes her raven black bangs out of her eyes when I sit down.

  “So…this is Erimos.” I say trying to start conversation. “What do you think of your new planet?”

  “It’s hot and dusty here.”

  “True. If they have room in Pavana, you could move there.”

  “So what am I supposed to do?” She asks.

  I’m not sure exactly what she’s referring to.

  “What are you supposed to do with what?” I’m puzzled.

  “With myself. Now that I’m here. Am I supposed to be in school or something?”

  I think for a few seconds. This girl is just a kid, but I’m not exactly sure what to do with her. I wonde
r if anyone’s ever asked what she wanted.

  “Well, back on the specter I told you to think about the life you wanted. So…you tell me.”

  She’s taken aback by my answer. The honest truth is that we don’t have a school here and no one is going to take their mind off the coming battle enough to tutor her…except maybe me.

  “I’ll tell you what.” I wink at her. “Let me give you the options that you have for a job here, and then, in the evenings I can tutor you a little. I have to warn you, though…my knowledge base is questionable and basically second hand.”

  “Then I want to work with you in the diamond mine.” She answers without thinking.

  I want to tell her “anything but that”, but it won’t matter because the mining has been put on hold..

  “I’m a fighter now, Hannah. I’m not sure you’re ready for what’s coming.” I tell her.

  Her eyes fall and I know she’s tasting the bitterness of rejection once again. I guess I could take her to militia training with me. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt anything. I could be a big sister to her--let her walk in my footsteps without stepping as deeply as I have had to.

  “All right.” I concede to her. “Grab your stuff and let’s go find a punching bag.”

  For the first time since we met I see her smile. Someone wants to be near her and not push her away. Someone wants to give her freedom to make choices without allowing her to hurt herself too much. She needs love, and I need a distraction. I think that makes us a good match.

  * * *

  Three weeks have passed. No sign of Titus Camp. No sign of the doctors who left Erimos and Pavana and went…well, no one knows where exactly.

  Our days have been spent planning, training, and working—trying to conserve our resources for an unknown future. Training myself to think like a fighter hasn’t been easy for me, but then not too much in my short life has been easy. I’ve had to adapt multiple times to things outside my control and every time it has changed a part of me. I wish I could spend my days looking for Ember, but the truth is we just don’t know where to start. I miss her so.