Page 25 of Between Earth and Eternity
I don’t want to know how they performed these “case studies,” but the only thing I can think of worse than being forced to go into outer space would be being put into a coma and sleeping for over a year in a tube while being projected through outer space.
No way in hell.
Eventually, I discover a channel titledThe Beauty of Eden, which is a variety of nature landscapes set to relaxing music. The images flash from lush forests, to tall waterfalls, and snow-capped mountains. How many Earths and Edens exist in the universe?
I watch in wonder, and somewhere between Earth and Eden, I finally fall asleep.
“The last several years have only proven the greatness to which humanity can rise, and if there is a single thing that embodies all we have accomplished, it is Zenith. A ship that is a miracle, a level of prestige that may very well be humankind’s greatest accomplishment.”
-Alister Mannox
When day five of quarantine rolls around, I find myself excited to see people. I’ve watched way too manydocumentaries and read a few books, which was difficult with the small screen on my phone. I need to ask a steward if there is somewhere I can run to take the edge off my jitters. I’ll even settle for a treadmill if that’s all they have.
A loudbingsounds throughout the room, and a message appears on my screen console that reads,Your quarantine session is now complete. Please be prepared for a debriefing at noon.
I check the time on my phone. It’s barely ten.
The message doesn’t say we have to stay in our rooms until then, so I push the button near my door, and it slides open without a fuss. The hallway is empty as I step out. I wait a moment to see if there’s a steward nearby or if my door triggered anything to the staff, but nothing happens, so I make my way down to Ori’s room.
If only Elliot could see me now, being the one reaching out instead of hiding away in my room.
I softly rap on her door.
“Skyler!” Ori’s face lights up in delight as the door slides open. Thank goodness.
“Hey! I thought we could hang out until we have to meet up with everyone else.”
She grabs my hand, pulling me inside. “Yes please! Let me get changed and we can go explore.”
Ori’s room is an exact replica of mine, but I immediately notice that her little snack packets are spread out on the counter in the kitchenette, separated into groups. She sees me staring.
“Oh, yeah.”
I look at her, confused.
“Food rationing.”
I don’t know what to say, and I try not to look at her with pity.
“It’s a force of habit,” she adds.
“I had no idea things were that bad outside the city,” I say quietly, glancing at the piles. I turn to look at her, hoping she doesn’t take my naivete so harshly that it could ruin a friendship before it truly begins.
Ignorance may be bliss, but realizing how blind I’ve truly been is misery and embarrassment wrapped into one. For Ori, winning a ticket was a miracle, and I’ve been treating it as a curse. I cross my arms over my chest, resenting myself for being so blind.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s not like Mannox would broadcast that to the rest of the world,” she says, but I still feel a pain of guilt in my chest.
“Does the rest of your family live near the edge of the settlement as well?” I ask, hoping she doesn’t find it intrusive. Ori sits on the edge of the bed and pats the space next to her.
“Actually, I have a brother who is already on Eden,” she says as I take a seat.
“Really?”
“Yeah, he left years ago. He was part of one of the first construction crews on site. Pretty epic, right?” she says with a proud smile.
Epic isn’t the word I’d use, but at least she’s excited about it. I wonder if he’s crossed paths with Sarah, Markus, or anyone else I know who left for a work assignment.
“And what about the rest of your family?”
