by Beth Hoyer
outside. Bruce slept in my lap. I slept leaning against a tree. It was interesting. Heather saw me at 8am and asked me if I slept outside all night. I told her I did and so did Bruce. Heather wasn't happy. She didn't want me to get a cold. I woke Bruce up and we had fruit for breakfast. I'm getting a little sick of fruit. Ugh. Then Bruce carried me inside the citadel. He laid me on the bed in our room and went off to somewhere. I wonder where? It was a cool night. I hope I'm not coming down with a cold. I slept until I felt Bruce kissing me on the lips. I checked my watch. Bruce told me there was a Lamaze class. We walked to the school building. Several Mesan’s Curse were hanging around with their swords drawn. I could see several were teaching others how to use the sword. The Lamaze class was okay. Heather announced that Terin is three months pregnant. I wonder who the father is which wasn’t shared. After class was lunch which was green beans. The Mesan’s Curse filled up a bin full of green beans. I'm happy to eat something besides fruit. There's going to be a first aid class in a few minutes. Christian is trying to get a Mesan’s Curse to give him his sword. The being shook his head and refused to give the sword to Christian. Christian gave up on trying getting a sword from him. In the first aid class Heather taught us many things. Christian complained about feeling his left arm sore. Heather examined him in front of us. Maureen looked worried. Then Christian had a heart attack. He fell to the ground. Maureen screamed. Heather and Annia gave Christian CPR. It seems to work. Heather told Christian to go to bed and stay in bed period. He left leaning on Maureen. She was very upset. Heather followed them outside to the citadel. Terin and I talked about the nausea and throwing up of pregnancy. We talked using our voices and me lip reading. Bruce tried to teach Jordan and Tolland sign language. I taught Terin some signs. Annia sat and watched us. Heather came back and told the pregnant women to go to bed and stay in bed for a while. . Bruce carried me to my room. His face was stony and somber. I'm sad about what happened. I can't believe that Luke passed away. I'm not in a good mood. Dinner was vegetables. I'm glad because it was a welcome change from fruit. I saw Christian and Maureen lying in a bed snuggled together. Christian had a hand on her swollen belly. I think he can feel the baby moving in her. I hope the baby will be fine. I think birthing is going to be hard without any medications for pain. I hope to the One that I can stand the pain of birth. Well after dinner I went to my room and pulled out the Edenia book. I'm on page twenty three. There are like two hundred pages in the book. I wonder how long we have to stay here. I'm hoping to be around several people who are human I hope. Oh Bruce wants to talk to me.
Yours truly,
Elizabeth
July 10, 2384
Dear Anne,
Our conversation was about Christian and Bruce going up the hill and look around providing the Mesan’s Curse let them leave. I complained about being in a prison. Bruce agreed with me. This morning, I woke up at 6am by Annia. She also woke up Bruce. Told me she has Luke's watch and she's wearing it. The Mesan’s Curse let Christian and Bruce out to the hill if they had an escort, which they did. I stayed in the compound. I watched from the compound entrance as Christian and Bruce walked up the hill to the top. I watched them look around. I saw Bruce look at the sky and point. I looked where he was pointing. A sinister helicopter ship was coming over. Christian and Bruce ran down the hill and hid behind a tree. Annia grabbed Maureen and I and pulled us into a building. The building was the smallest. I showed Annia the stairwell by clapping my hands. Then a Mesan’s Curse came in the building with his sword drawn. He stood there at the door way. Then the being let us out. Bruce and Christian came running followed by Mesan’s Curse. I ran to hug Bruce. He hugged me. I feel happy that he's okay. The Mesan’s Curse told us with Maureen interpreting that it's time to move. The High Council is beginning to be suspicious. Christian wanted to go find the Shuttle and see if it was repairable. The Mesan’s Curse signed him out of it. We gathered our stuff and put them in a pile in the middle of the compound. There were backpacks for everyone. I think Helen purposely left some stuff for us. We packed our stuff in backpacks. The Mesan’s Curse told us not to take any food along. They told us where we're going there is food. I hope their taking us to someplace nice. I hope it's someplace with people there.
We walked for hours and stopped now to take a break. The Mesan’s Curse pointed out plants we could eat. I felt hungry so I ate. Christian is doing fine. We seem to be near a river according to Maureen. Annia told me she could hear a roaring sound. I wonder what was that Dragons? I don't know. The Mesan’s Curse led us pass a hill to the river. I asked them if it was the same river that runs under the compound. They confirmed that. My feet hurt. My ankles feel sore. I feel like fainting. I told the others that then I sat down on a log. A Mesan’s Curse sat next to me. Bruce sat down at my feet throwing stones in the air. I wonder why he's doing that. I hope we reach a town soon. I would love to know what they look like. It is very interesting.
We reached a town. It was similar to a western town on Earth. The buildings were made out of wood. There were humans. They looked weird. They had markings on their bare arms that appeared to be numbers and the humans stared at us. The Mesan’s Curse told us to go in town and get a place to stay. They told us the people in the town are a superstitious folk towards Mesan’s Curse. We went in the town. I lip read them speaking English talking about us mostly. They called us Defenders. Christian found a hotel and we went inside. The man at the desk welcomed us. He told us we could stay in the hotel for free. I was shocked at that. I asked him his name. He seemed confused. Christian signed to me that Defenders are supposed to know everything including names. Maureen must be teaching him sign language. I told the man I was testing him. He laughed and rang a bell. He was like my father, all bald and wearing black pants and a brown turtleneck sweater. A bellboy came, wearing the same outfit as the manager. I think he's the manager. I lip read him telling the bellboy to take us to rooms on the top floor. We followed the bellboy up two flights of stairs to a hallway. He led us to several doors and told us there were two beds in them. Christian and Maureen took a room. Heather and Annia took a room next to them. Opposite the hallway Bruce and I took a room. Terin and Tolland took a room besides ours and Julia with Jordan took the room opposite them. The bellboy bowed and left us. The room had two seemly queen sized beds with shiny gray blankets. The wall was dark gray. There was a window that overlooked the town. There was a bathroom with a stall for showering. I lay down on the bed and snoozed. Bruce woke me up. He told me there was going to be a meeting soon. Christian told him that. I still have that book with me. I wonder if I could find anyone around town. I hope to read a page or two in the book. We gathered in the hallway and discussed many things food, medical items and a chance to sell some of our stuff. We don’t need the air mattresses. There are mattresses on the bed. I declined to sell some of my twentieth century stuff because I was sentimental attached to them. Christian and Bruce got all the air mattresses in a back pack then left to find the store. I went back to my room to snooze. I'm a little tired from doing a lot of walking. I hope we'll be fine here. I read a page in the book.
Bruce and Christian came by minus the air mattresses. They had money with them. They were paid very richly for the mattresses. A bellboy came by and told us about a cafeteria on the first floor. We walked down the stairs to the cafeteria. There were few people there. They stopped talking to stare at us. We choose a table and sat down. A waitress wearing brown turtleneck and black pants came. She gave us menus. The food list was very weird. There was food I didn't recognize. Christian had to ask the lady for help. She suggested a food item which we choose. Then we chatted in sign language about food and the planet we're on. I pulled out the Edenia book. The waitress came by and saw the book. She was excited. She told us there was a written record about how the species came to exist. I noticed that a lot of people were wearing black pants and a brown turtleneck sweater. I think our coveralls stick out. I hoped we get some clothes and cover up our arms too. The lady came back with
our food. It was green stuff with greens to drink. The food tasted like vegetables. After eating Christian tried to pay the lady for the food. She wouldn't accept the money.
She said "it's on the house. We don't get many space visitors."
They think we're from outer space. Wow. Then we went to our rooms to rest. I was tired from walking. Bruce and I are sharing a bed. He's rubbing my belly and nuzzling my neck. It is very pleasant. I wonder do the people like skin walkers around here. I hope so.
From,
Elizabeth
July 11, 2384
Dear Anne,
Bruce woke me up because Annia woke him up. I wonder why 7am instead of 6am. Oh the watch must be broken. I saw Annia whacking it. Bruce made her give it to him. Then we went to the cafeteria. There were several people there. The same waitress waited on us. We had gray food to eat and gray stuff to drink. After eating we sat around talking about the planet and its people. I pulled out my diary and started writing in here. The waitress introduced herself. Told us her name
