“No. When they called, I told them I didn’t want to go. Then the nice lady on the phone proceeded to tell me that I didn’t have a choice, that I was being ‘drafted.’ They delivered papers and everything. Wait, did you not?”
“No! They called and asked me if I would go, and I said yes... but I wonder if I have the same papers. Maybe they just didn’t need to show me mine, since I was willing.” My mind began to wander. Why would they need to enlist the draft for this? Maybe that was how the government contributed. Since they had no money to help, they had power, in exchange for knowledge. “Why didn’t you wanna go?”
“Why did you?” he asked.
The question caught me off guard. “I, um, don’t really have a life.”
“What?”
“I mean, I do, I just didn’t really have anything exciting going on in my life. Felt like I needed to do something worthwhile, change the world, you know? Or start a new one! Make new friends, see the world in a different light... You still didn’t answer me. Why didn’t you want to come?”
“I watched the interviews and I listened. Sounded like it was going to be a shit show, and I was right. The world almost ended, and when it didn’t, I was pretty happy. I was ready to enjoy it, but now I’m being sent away from it.” He lifted his eyebrows and rolled his eyes. “Not to mention, I have no idea why they need a lunar astronomer on Circadia. If you couldn’t tell before, I wasn’t exactly pleased when I first got here.”
“Oh, really? I hadn’t noticed! I just thought you were naturally a huge dick! It all makes sense now!” I said, trying to hold back the laughter to emphasize the sarcasm.
Garrett kept a straight face and looked back at me.
“I’m sorry, but it’s true. You know it is,” I said. “Do you think Idris knows about this?”
“Yeah, he was drafted too. You didn’t know?”
“No?”
“Yeah, after Idris punched me in the face for being an asshole, he asked me to stay after the meeting. Told me that he was drafted too, and that we had to make the most of it,” Garrett said.
“I would’ve never guessed... Guess he handled it better than you, eh?” I said, laughing.
He slowly rocked his head from side to side into a nod. “I guess you are probably right,” he winked. “I can probably work on that. Sounds like whether we all knew it or not, we’re all probably forced to be here.” Garrett looked at his watch and stood up. “We only have about twenty minutes till launch. I better get going. See you there?”
“See you there!” I said, already standing, ready to rush back to my room to use the telephone.
“Mom?”
My mother was the only person in the entire world I cared to talk to. She understood what I was and how I was, and didn’t care. She just got it. She had understood I didn’t belong on this planet, she understood when I told her I was leaving. It hadn’t kept her from getting emotional, but she was at peace with it. Back before ‘Grow’, even before the false alarm of the apocalypse, she understood my inability to relate to the rest of the world. I’d always seemed to be on a different wavelength than everyone else. We were never able to pinpoint the differences, but we both knew I just didn’t belong.
“Hi, honey! You’re getting ready to leave, aren’t you?” she said, disheartened. My mother was excited for me to take this journey, but wasn’t prepared for me to leave. We couldn’t even say goodbye due to the covertness of the program, which made it even more difficult.
“Yeah, I am mom. I’m scared, but I’m going to be okay. Alright?” I tried to suppress the tears that welled up in my eyes. “I just want you to know I love you, in case anything does happen. I love you so much.”
The silence on the other end was telling.
“Mom, I’ve got to go. Okay?”
“Yeah, honey, I understand. I love you too, so much. I am so proud of you. I always hoped you would change the world...but you’re doing so much more than that. You are creating a new one. Be safe, okay? I love you,” she said, sobbing.
“I love you too, mom! I’ve got to go. I’ll try and stay in touch however I can.”
“Alright, I look forward to it. Bye, baby.”
The phone call ended when I forced myself to hang up. My heart shattered into a million pieces. But I had to pick them up quickly, as I had to go.
TWO HOURS BEFORE LAUNCH we all met in our designated rally place. My team was waiting for me as I arrived in my white, skin tight suit. The garments were extremely comfortable, but also served the essential purpose of helping to control our body temperatures. The new speed of the craft was not without fault, as it would become very hot during launch until we surpassed the atmosphere. Once we were out, the temperatures would drop dramatically until the systems were up and going.
Everyone stood around looking nervous. Garrett pulled at the white suit where it bunched and became visibly uncomfortable for him. Catching my gaze, his face turned bright red, but he played it off like he was straightening his wardrobe. Of course, I knew better.
Jane sported a high ponytail and made the jumpsuit look like a fashion statement. Her hair was perfectly slicked back and her makeup pristine. Everything she did she took pride in, and going to a new planet was no exception. I always enjoyed seeing how much effort she put into every task she applied herself to.
Everyone else twiddled their thumbs and looked at the ground. We all stood silently, waiting. We paced around, trying to air out our sweaty
