Page 18 of Between Earth and Eternity
The ground absorbs my tears and minuscular drops of blood left from the pine needles.
Good.
At least there’s a small piece of me that will forever remain here. Let it sink under the crust, down into the Earth’s core so it can never be washed away or turned to ash. Let it remember that, once upon a millennia, I was here.
Instead of the morning sunrays greeting me, it is the fading light of dusk. I lie flat on my back, already missing the surety that something is grounding me, a thing I can touch, see, and know without a doubt is real. In space, there is nothing. It is nothingness. I’ll be spinning through the darkness.
But even through the dust, a few distant stars appear in the darkening sky. They are as small as seeds, but only from my perspective. If I could see them in their full glory, it would be like finding burning suns. Perhaps it’s time I changed my own perspective. Perhaps it’s time to see my name being drawn as an opportunity, a gift.
I don’t care that I’m covered in dust and dirt. All I can think is,What will I do when there is no gravity to hold me? When all surety fades into the stars?
I search everywhere for my hat, but it’s oddly missing. As if the day could get any worse.
I spent the night packing and rearranging the regulated medium-sized bag with the preapproved items I could bring on Zenith. Not that I have a lot of things in the first place, but packing up a life is not easy.
I spend most of my time trying to decide which books to take. Each special in their own way from my little collection, a good amount marked with my father’s notes from his days as a student. A strange sort of loss consumes me until I remind myself that other departments of the E.P.S. have been cataloging books for years. Where they will end up and how to access them will be another thing entirely. I’ll have to rely on good faith that they have done their job well.
“Sky, it’s time to go!” my dad shouts from downstairs. I give my room another once-over, accepting defeat. Bile rises in my throat . . . again. I already vomited earlier this morning when I couldn’t sleep.
“The shuttle should be here any minute,” my mother says, looking out the window as I come down the stairs.
The digital information packet stated I could bring up to three people with me to the drop-off location. Gran immediately insisted that Elliot go with me and my parents. Besides, it’s best for her to not travel if she doesn’t have to. The clinic recommended she stay indoors as much as she can to breathe only filtered air, though it can never fully get rid of all the dust.
The hum of an approaching vessel sounds from outside. We make our way to the porch as it lands, and a woman walks off the small air shuttle toward us. She wears a dark blue pantsuit, the Mannox insignia stamped on her shoulder.
“Hello, you must be Miss Andrews?” she asks, looking my way.
“I am.” I nod.
Her dark gray hair is in a neat, short bob. She has plump cheeks and deep crow’s feet on the edges of her eyes, which are kind, something I wasn’t expecting, though I’m not sure why. I’ve never met a higher-up employee of Mannox Industries before.
“My name is Runa. I am a steward on Zenith, and I’ll be your guide as we prepare you for launch day and get you settled into your accommodations.” I shake her outstretched hand. “If you wouldn’t mind”—she holds out her datapad—“please place your thumb on the screen so I can verify your identity.” I do as she says, and the device beeps with a positivebingimmediately. She smiles, pleased with the results. “It’s nice to meet all of you.” She turns to greet my parents and Gran just as I spy Elliot jogging over from across the street. My heart both aches and beams at the sight.
“The one time you’re late for a shuttle . . .” I say with a wink. His face lights up, probably glad to see me in brighter spirits than he was anticipating.
“Whatever. I still had time. See?” He holds up his phone to show me that he does technically have one minute left.
“We need to get going,” Runa interrupts. “I’ll give you a moment to say goodbye to those who won’t be joining us on the shuttle.”
Gran doesn’t make a fuss about it. She pulls me into a hug and runs a hand down my hair. “Be brave and be good, my precious girl.”
“I’ll do my best,” I say, trying not to think about this being the last time I see her. It’s the thing we have all left unsaid. Who knows what state she will be in in a few months, let alone years.
“No matter what happens, it will all be okay,” she says.
I nod, pulling away and kissing her cheek. My father carries my bag toward the shuttle, and we follow as Gran watches us from the porch. I enter the shuttle last, turning to lay my eyes on my grandmother and the only home I’ve ever known for the last time. I wave until the door closes and then find a seat next to Elliot before the shuttle lifts off the ground.
Just one of too many farewells.
The forty-five-minute shuttle ride is flown on autopilot, so Runa busies herself with something on her datapad to give us space. I loop my arm through Elliot’s, and he grabs hold of my hand.
“So, what exactly are you all going to do with your time until you join me?” I ask, trying to lighten the mood and trick myself into remaining calm, at least whatever calm looks like for me.
“E.P.S. will be a welcome distraction, but it won’t be the same without you, of course,” Elliot says.
“Well . . .” my father starts. He gives each of us a worried look.
“Well, what?” I ask
