Page 2 of Between Earth and Eternity
“Sky?” my mom calls out from her bedroom. Instead of turning right at the top of the stairs to my room, I follow her voice. My dad stands in front of the bathroom mirror, adjusting the buttons of his shirt, his brown hair and beard sprinkled with the slightest touch of gray, while my mom sits at her vanity, brushing through her dark auburn locks, the same shade as my own. She’s kept the length just past her shoulders, while mine has grown to the middle of my back.
“Are you just getting home?” she asks, keeping her hooded hazel eyes on her reflection.
“I enjoyed the view at the top a little longer today.” I grimace as I reply, knowing I’m in for a scolding.
“Skyler, you know I hate that you go out there alone every day as it is. You can’t dillydally. It’s there and back from now on, okay?” she says, turning to look at me.
“Oh, Candice. She’s perfectly fine. What’s so bad about a little dillying and dallying?” my dad interrupts, walking over and planting a kiss on her head, but not before giving me a wink, our matching golden-brown eyes meeting.
“Harrison, honestly. Things are getting more unsettled, especially with the new ration protocol,” she replies, looking upat him with worried eyes. “Not to mention her violations,” she adds, giving me a chastising look.
It’s not just my hair color I inherited from my mother, it’s an anxiety-riddled mind. But my “violations” are probably in credit to my father’s genes. My outspoken and sometimes questionable opinions about Mannox Industries have drawn unwanted attention from time to time, but I haven’t had an outburst for several months. I’ve been working on controlling my tongue, but I can’t control the reports of unrest near the edges of the settlements in the past couple of weeks, so her worry is warranted to an extent. Although we live nowhere near those areas, tensions have been high and the badges have been cracking down more and more.
“I’m fine, Mom. If I ever feel unsafe, I promise I won’t go anymore, okay?” I say and turn to my dad for reassurance, which he provides.
“See? Nothing to worry about, love.” His voice comforting for us both.
She gives us a smile that doesn't meet her eyes . “Fine. But remember, I worry so much because—”
“You care so much,” my dad and I say in tandem, cutting her off. She rolls her eyes while we smirk, pleased with ourselves.
“Oh you two,” she scoffs, waving us away.
“I really do need to get going,” my dad says, giving my mom another kiss.
“Me too,” I add, leaving their room to get ready for the day.
“I’ll see you on campus,” he says, rushing down the stairs.
“See you there.” I listen for the front door to click shut, then look back into my parents’ room, finding my mom still staring into the mirror, eyes heavy with worry. I come up behind her, wrapping my arms around her in a tight hug. “I love you, Mom.” I watch her face as we study each other in the reflection.
“I love you more.”
We stay here for another second or two. I know how much she cherishes these little moments together, especially since she spends her days taking care of Gran, as she has for several years. We play pretend when we can, imagining a normal life.
She is lucky enough to be able to reflect on a time when everything wasn’t falling apart, when everything was “normal.” Our versions of normal are as different as day and night. I love when my parents and Gran share stories of Earth before the sundering. It wasn’t a perfect world, but at least it was alive. They remember an Earth of paradise, while all I’ve known is one of perdition.
She pats me on the arm. “You better get going or you’re going to be late.”
I squeeze her shoulders one more time and rush off to face the impending death of our planet now at our doorstep.
“Before we embark on this new beginning, we must first build the foundation for our future. Mannox Industries is currently accepting applications for construction crew positions to travel to Eden and begin preparations for our new home. If construction is not the ideal fit for you, we will soon be offering opportunities across a variety of departments suited to diverse skill sets. Stay tuned to find out how you can join us in shaping the next chapter.”
Announcement from Mannox Industries, June 2122
Igive Gran a swift kiss on the cheek before I head out. Sliding my long pony tail through the opening in my hat, I grab my bag hanging near the door and yell a quick goodbye to Mom over my shoulder as I rush to catch the shuttle. Personal vehicles are rare these days, but there’s an abundance of air shuttles that move throughout Wasatch. The shuttles make getting around easy and efficient, gliding through the settlement in all directions and at all times of the day.
The usual large crowd has already gathered on the tall boarding platform at the nearest stop. Most of us are journeying to the same place: Mannox Industries’s campus.Campusis a modest term.
I weave my way through the sea of people. The sunrays penetrate the dust that lingers in the air, the slight tint of orange and gold cascading over the surface of what is left of the planet. It hasn’t rained in months, but even when a storm passes through, it doesn’t last long enough to keep the air clean for more than a day.
Stretching to peer over heads, I finally spot him. “El!” I shout over the crowd. A young man with shaggy, golden hair and chocolate brown eyes turns my way.
“I was about to text you. I thought you were going to miss the shuttle, San Fran,” he says with a goofy grin.
“You always say that, and yet I always make it, don’t I?”
He rolls his eyes playfully just as we hear thewhooshof a shuttle approaching, slowly gliding down to dock, kicking up even more dust. The large rectangular vessel is nothing beautiful to behold, but even the basic function of a floatingvehicle is something Earth would never have seen if it weren’t for the brilliant minds of the past couple of generations and, of course, the backing of a wealthy contributor. No achievement of humankind in the last fifty years would have been possible without Mannox.
