“I know, right? I asked my dad the same thing. Mom told me that Silas has plans to open up the new mine shaft with the hope of retrieving enough metal and materials to complete a new dome.”
By now, Drew leaned over my shoulder, reading the inventory sheet with as much interest as his sister. “Yeah, Violet and I are working on a new design plan for the proposed dome in our advanced engineering class. We wondered what they planned on using to construct it.”
Alyssa pointed to an item and looked over to her brother. “Do you suppose this carbonized silica is for your project?”
Drew shrugged. “Dunno. Maybe.”
Marcus pushed into the group. “What about new synthesizers? Did those come in?”
“Sorry, no such luck,” I said.
“That sucks. So Blair brings more mouths to feed but nothing to feed them. Figures.” Marcus groaned, letting his feet drag as he fell behind us while he sulked.
“Not so fast, Marcus.” Having already memorized the list, I shared the most sensational tidbit with the group. Knowing their excitement for my news, I paused for effect. “Viceroy Blair brought back several bushels of seed stock. All we have to do is plant them and see what comes of it…”
“Great! How long’ll that take? I could starve before then. Besides, it could all end up being something inedible.”
I shook my head. “I don’t think so, Marcus. There were celery, radish, lettuce, artichoke, and wheat. All of them are categorized under the edible column.”
“I wonder how soon we’ll be able to test them in the ‘ponics class.” Alyssa raised her brows as she looked up at me with the look I anticipated.
I knew how much she loved experimenting in the aquaponics class we shared. While more her forte than mine, I enjoyed sampling the fruits of our labor. Literally. As a part of the curriculum, we needed to taste test everything edible to determine the proper harvest schedule. Some of us required more samples than others if you know what I mean.
Any further conversation regarding the food supply came to an end when our other good friend, Natalie, came bouncing out of her house to join us. Her trademark smile made it nearly impossible not to want to be friends with her. That and her wicked intelligence.
Every day, since our first day of school, my core group of friends would walk together. We got caught up on any happenings from the evening before, as well as discussed our plans for the day ahead. Of course, with all of our houses nearly identical in form as well as the streets aligning precisely to maximize the housing, it made it almost impossible not to run into one another.
Unfortunately, Anna’s early auchieball practice kept her from completing our group. With the tournament just around the corner, our practice times had practically doubled. Not that any of us minded; the sports provided plenty of opportunities to beat the monotony of everyday life.
Nor did Anna particularly need more practice, the girl’s skill for the game bordered on magical. Rarely, if ever, did anyone manage to score against her when she played the goalie position. Technically, I should’ve gone to practice today, as well, but without the aid of my alarm, that hadn’t happened. I’m sure the coach would have some uncomplimentary words for me later this afternoon.
As if she read my mind, Natalie asked, “Aren’t you supposed to be at practice, Kat?”
I quirked my eyebrow and shrugged my shoulder. “Yeah, I forgot to set my alarm.”
“Bummer. So what’s this I hear about you wanting to win all the trophies this year?” Natalie fell into step beside me, displacing Alyssa.
“Where’d you hear that?” Geez, I’d just thought of it yesterday afternoon. Sometimes the speed of gossip within the domes could boggle the mind.
“I might’ve mentioned something about it on my way home last night,” Marcus piped in from behind us.
Looking over at Natalie and seeing her nod of affirmation, I sighed. “I think our dome could do it this year.”
“Sure, if we had someone leading us,” Natalie added pointedly. Her unwavering gaze let me know exactly who she voted to take the lead.
“Yeah, Kat. You’d make a great pusher; you’re so bossy already. I elect you, especially since it’s your brilliant idea. That way, if we fall short, then you’re responsible for it all,” Drew seconded.
“Thanks; I think,” I answered, although I couldn’t stop the grin from quirking up the corners of my mouth. Drew had a point: I tended to take the lead, and it was my idea.
Marcus walked faster to come into line with us, his face lighting up. “I had the weirdest dream last night!”
“Me, too!” How strange. I looked at Marcus, indicating he should start talking, while he did the same back to me.
“You, first.” Considering his quiet nature, I thought it only fair since he brought it up.
He grew more animated with the idea of sharing something new. A rare smile transformed his face. “I dreamed I was with you guys, but we weren’t here on Heliok. It’s hard to explain, but it was green all around us like we were in the jungle. You know, like the ones we’ve seen on the vid screens during a research study on the living planets.
“And then as we walked along, we heard a deafening screeching sound, and we all stopped to look up. You’ll never guess what it was!” He looked around in eager anticipation of our theories.
“It was a dragon!” I felt the hairs on my neck stand on end as he shared his dream.
“How’d you know?” Marcus’s expression fell since my first guess had actually been correct.
I needed to lighten the mood. “Duh! After all of Grandma Talya’s new stories last night, of course, it was about dragons.”
Crestfallen, Marcus shrugged his shoulders. “I guess that’s probably true. Anyway,” he sighed, “it was really cool.”
“Well, I guess since Marcus has already spilled the beans, my dream was about dragons, too.” I threaded my hand through Marcus’s arm and held onto his forearm as we walked along. I wanted to make up for stealing his thunder. “What did your dragon look like?”
Marcus pursed his lips and thought about my question. “I don’t know really; it was flying in the air and backlit by the sun. But, you know, the sky was really blue and clear without any haze and, of course, no dome to look through. The air was so fresh and clean it was just like… I don’t know… heaven, maybe.” He blushed as if he felt foolish for having made such a statement.
I gave his arm a little squeeze. “My dream was exactly like that, too. But in mine, the dragon came to land beside us. She was huge! She had the most beautiful blue scales, and I was just mesmerized by her.”
“Weren’t you terrified?” Alyssa’s eyes widened with excitement.
“No. I felt completely at peace like I instinctively knew I could trust her.” Even as the words left my mouth, I realized I’d felt the same kind of security I’d once felt with my sister. Could my brain be turning my sister into a dragon in my dreams to comfort me?
Marcus shook his head. “My dream didn’t seem peaceful; I felt scared and wondered what would happen if the dragon decided that it wanted to eat us.”
We all laughed, just as Marcus had intended. The closer we came to our school, the more kids left their houses to surround us. By then, we had reached the edge of the study yard, and our conversations moved on to class assignments and summer plans rather than anything tournament or dragon related.
Even with the bustle of all the other kids around me, my mind raced. On autopilot, I threaded my way through the crowds toward my first class in the astrophysics lab. Could my dream have been prophetic? It wouldn’t be the first time, but undoubtedly it would have exciting implications if it came true.
I shrugged it off. Grandma Talya’s stories must have infiltrated the rational portion of my brain. Dragons didn’t exist, nor had they ever. Surely, evidence for their existence would have shown up in our history books. It seemed highly unlikely that creatures as big as dragons could simply vanish from our world without any explanation or evidence of
their departure.
Yet my dream had felt so real. I wanted to stand beside the massive creature, feeling its warmth on my hand as I stroked its silky scales. More than anything, I wanted the dragon’s reassuring voice inside my head again.
Wait! What?
I must really be losing my marbles. I can’t continue to fantasize about imaginary conversations with mythical creatures. How much farther would I slip into this delusion? The coincidence between renewed thoughts of my sister because of the storm seemed plausible, but reimagining her as a dragon was a bit farfetched. I needed to focus on my schoolwork, not some silly childhood fantasy.
The bell to end the class rang loudly. I looked around in confusion. Somehow, I’d managed to daydream through the entire class. Even though astrophysics usually kept me on my toes, I’d managed to miss it all as if I’d been inside a spell to speed up time.
I grabbed up my bag, realizing I’d never even unpacked my books — yet another anomaly. Shaking my head, I followed the students out of the classroom. Should I say anything to Alyssa about this strange lapse in my timeline? I moved with the flow of students on my way toward the ‘ponics lab and decided against it.
Just as I reached the turnoff to the hallway leading to the specialized lab pod, I caught up with Alyssa. Apparently, her day had progressed perfectly normal. She chatted about nothing in particular, just some gossip about a girl from Dome 3 talking smack about the upcoming tournament.
I eagerly latched onto the new subject. “Which game did she say they wanted to win?”
Alyssa stopped walking and turned to face me. Her face suddenly drawing a stern expression, she touched my arm. “Now, don’t get your panties in a wad, but she said she was going to take you on in the gladio game.”
I snorted and rolled my eyes even as I shook my head. “As if.” I didn’t lend any credence to the girl’s boasting. I’d watched the practice sessions enough to know my competition had nothing on me. “C’mon; let’s get to our lab station and see if the prof says anything about the new seed stock.”
“I’ve been on pins and needles ever since reading that inventory sheet. Won’t it be exciting to work with something new and unknown? Just think we have no idea what the growing habits are, or what environment we need to create. Super cool!” She turned and practically ran toward our assigned work area, just as I’d known she would.
Some people were so predictable! I chuckled at her passion, even if I mostly shared the same level of excitement. I just kept my enthusiasm toned down about ten notches.
I followed slower, enjoying the freshness of the air as it spilled out from the airlock triggered open by students entering the class. The whole planet would have smelled like this long ago. Before the plants died in the depleted soil, before the waters of the once-great oceans disappeared, and before our life became confined to five domes with recycled air.
The ‘ponics class carried on as if nothing new had entered our world. Of course, none of the other students expected anything different, but Alyssa and I both felt deflated by the lack of news. I guess it might be too much to ask to have the exotic seed stock brought into the curriculum just hours after being brought on-planet. After all, they would probably want to quarantine it first, just for the safety of all the other growing produce.
I eagerly sought out Alyssa to share my insight. Scanning her area, strangely enough, I couldn’t readily see her. Just when I began to worry, I noticed her crouching below her grow bed. Not until then did I notice how quiet the large room had gone.
With my senses on high alert, I searched the room for the cause — namely, Silas, Heliok’s Head of Sustainability Research. Experience had taught the students to appear industrious when Silas came around. He tended to heap on extra assignments to those he felt lacked proper motivation toward production.
Being too far away to hear the conversation Silas held with our instructor, Ryker, I could tell neither party appeared terribly happy. Hopefully, Alyssa’s vantage point allowed her to glean some intel, which she could share after class.
I glanced over at the wall clock to see just a couple of minutes remained of our class. At least I wouldn’t have to wait long to get my answers. I picked up my compost tray and hauled it over to the sanitation bin.
It just so happened this action would remove me from Silas’ line of sight entirely, thus protecting me from any extra duties. Plus, I had planned on going there anyway. I really couldn’t be called out for doing anything devious. Right?
Just as I returned my bin to the cart of other empties, I heard Ryker call out my name. My heart flew up into my throat as if I’d been caught doing something bad. What was wrong with me?
I hastily turned to the direction where Ryker’s voice had emanated, composing my expression to neutrality. Several other students’ names were called out, and I followed two others, including Alyssa, into the far corner of our classroom.
The bell rang to end class, but our teacher’s direction came first. Besides, it seemed odd that he’d hold us after class. He must have something special planned. Noticing the students he had asked to stay were the best in the class simply reinforced my previous assumption.
When Ryker’s gaze slid past my face, the tension in my shoulders relaxed. Definitely not a punishment coming. I took another step forward as Ryker spoke quietly.
“I’d like to ask each of you to contribute to a special assignment after school. There’ll be extra credit for those of you who choose to participate.” His half-hearted smile told us that he had to share that part even though he knew we wouldn’t need it. “I know it’s a lot to ask with the end of the school year so close and the FEE right around the corner, but this is urgently needed.”
“Is this what Silas came to talk to you about?”
Ryker rubbed the back of his neck as if Alyssa’s question made him uncomfortable; his throat-clearing further confirmed his mood. He only hesitated for a moment. “Not entirely. Suffice it to say; the ‘ponics lab is going to have its resources stretched pretty thin with this new project. For those of you who want to participate, stay here. Everyone else, feel free to head off to lunch or your next class.”
“My mom needs my help after school. I’m sorry.” Brooklyn’s shoulders dejectedly slumped.
“I’m sorry to hear that, but I understand.”
Brooklyn left, leaving just four of us to hear Ryker’s idea. My intuition that his next statement would concern Viceroy Blair’s cargo proved correct.
“We’ve had some new seeds delivered to us by Viceroy Blair from a planet called Tuala. Unfortunately, Blair did not see fit to bring back any growing instructions, nor did he ask to see the final produce. So, as you can see, we’ve got our work cut out for us. Who still wants to try?”
“Are we going to be using the newest batch of growth hormones?” Brodie leaned forward with one eyebrow raised, and his eyes gleaming.
Of course, he would ask about that. Always one to push the envelope of acceptable practices, Brodie had wanted an excuse to experiment with the latest breakthrough on enhanced production. He’d probably get his wish with this project.
Ryker sighed. “Yes, Brodie, I’ll let you try it with your sample. As for the rest of you, I’d like to have different plans for growth as well as a control group. Until we know the best practice for the new seeds, we’ll have to branch out to every known method. How does that sound?”
“Cool!” Brodie’s face flushed with excitement. “When can I get started?”
“After school today will be soon enough. Off with you now.” Ryker dismissively waved his hand to our group.
I had conflicting feelings about this project. On the one hand, I wanted opportunities like this to prove myself. On the other hand, I had other obligations already occupying every spare moment of my day. Should I decide to opt-out, or should I find a way to make it work?
Alyssa grabbed my arm, her fingers digging into the tender flesh of my bicep. “Can you believe it? We’re going to be the first to ev
er see these plants on all of Heliok! The first, Kat! I’ve never been the first to do anything!”
Her enthusiasm bolstered my own until I realized she had a point. As the pioneers in this strain of food production, we could make a significant impact on the lives of everyone on Heliok. Already, I could see the populace singing my praises as they ate fresh food grown in abundance because of the protocols I helped invent. This might be the exact thing I wanted to achieve all along.
Alyssa and I returned to our work stations to gather our belongings. The other two students had already left, most likely because they had one more class before lunch.
At the classroom exit, Ryker’s words stopped me in my tracks. “Katherine, a moment, please?”
Alyssa and I turned to face the teacher.
“Alone; if you don’t mind, Alyssa.”
“Oh, sure. Um. I’ll save you a seat at our table.” Alyssa’s hands nervously clutched her bag.
I didn’t know why Alyssa had gotten so anxious, considering she could leave. It did seem strange to have Ryker want to speak with me in private, but I imagined it would pertain to something about the project, or maybe about the upcoming FEE. “I’ll see you in a couple of minutes, Alyssa,” I smiled at her more confidently than I felt.
For some reason, Ryker’s departure from the norm had me more than a little puzzled as well as uneasy. Maybe my concern stemmed from Silas’ visit to our class. Or possibly because he hadn’t wanted anyone else to know about our conversation.
Alyssa left. The way she nervously bit her lip as she turned for one parting look did not help my already tattered nerves. I set my bag down at my feet and faced Ryker, who had come to stand just a couple feet in front of me. “What can I do for you?” I attempted to make my voice cheerful even though I felt anything but that.
“I heard a rumor that I wanted to ask you about.” He shoved his hands into the pockets of his white lab coat.
Okay, that was not where I thought this was going. He already had me sputtering for a reply. “A rumor?”
“Yes. Some students said you were planning to run the gambit at the tournament. Is that true?” He rocked back on his heels, his eyes staring intently at me as if he wanted me to deny it.
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