The inner child in me took over as my conscience did cartwheels and high-fived. This couldn’t possibly be happening to me. Then I caught myself. “Whoa, wait. Why me? I’m sure there are a million other people on this planet that would kill to go. Why me?”
“We have scoured the planet looking for experts in their fields with the drive and personality we are looking for in a candidate, and you fit the description perfectly! We heard about your work in Russia with the land reclamation. We would love to take that ingenuity and expertise up to Circadia with us when we go. A resource like you would be invaluable.”
I hesitated for a second. Or two. It was dangerous, scary, and disorganized. The lady didn’t even know the difference between an agronomist and an agricultural specialist, for crying out loud.
“Okay. That sounds great. When can we meet to discuss details?” The words fell out of my mouth. Curiosity was eating me alive. How cool would it be to tell future generations that I was one of the first colonists on Circadia? The grandeur of the proposal caught me, and I jumped. The moment I agreed, there was instant regret and anxiety, but it was too late.
Chapter Two
Patricia had said we could meet the next day at their studio in California. I lived in Chicago, so they bought my plane ticket and flew me out. The meeting was rushed and the people running it were ill-informed. After trying to ask a million questions, and only receiving vague answers to a few of them, the meeting was over. The network told me there would be two formal meetings before launch, and that the first meeting was in two days. They got me a decent hotel room and told me to stick around for a while.
For the two days I had to wait, I just sat in my hotel room and paced a lot. All I could think about was what it would be like up there. I was obsessed, and frequently looked out my hotel window towards the sky to catch a glimpse of the odd-colored globe.
WHEN THE DAY FINALLY came for the first formal meeting, I was a little let down when I arrived. I had expected a grand ball, lavish with the latest technology and experts that rivaled the world. Instead, I was shown paper plates on plastic table covers and an unorganized event. The interviewed experts from before had been right; the whole thing was a shit show, but I took my seat anyway.
I was anxious with all the people in the room. I was a socially awkward mess, as usual. In my regular life, I stayed alone in my apartment for the most part, careful to avoid any social interactions except for the occasional grocery store or gas station necessities. At work, I put on a professional facade to cover my insecurities. I did the same thing at the meeting so I could function.
Observing the people around me, I noticed there was quite a wide variety. Assuming it was in the interest of providing a diversity of skills and different walks of life on Circadia, I felt a little more at ease. It would take a lot of brilliant minds to make this work.
“Hey, what are you?” the man seated behind me asked.
“Don’t you mean: what’s your name?” I laughed.
“No. I don’t. I mean, why are you here?” he asked, his face serious.
“Oh, I’m an agronomist,” I answered lightheartedly.
“...And that is?”
“An agronomist focuses on the science of producing and using plants, or crops, in this case. We also specialize in soil, plant physiology, and genetics. You don’t hear about us a lot on the news. It’s not a very recognized profession, but it’s necessary.”
“Wow, how cool.” He rolled his eyes.
“What do you do?”
At first, he gave me a bored stare. I didn’t think he would answer. I kept waiting for a reply, until he finally seemed to give up under my scrutiny. “I’m a lunar astronomer. I specialize in predicting how the moons interact with different planets, like Saturn’s moons. All moons play a different role for each planet. They’re hoping I can shed some light on Circadia.” He held his chin high, arrogance dripping from every word.
“That’s so neat! That subject has always fascinated me! My name is Aella, by the way. Nice to meet you.” I extended my hand to shake his, but was met with dead space.
“Yeah... I’ll let you do your little farming gig over there, and I’ll do the important stuff over here, okay?” He flicked his hand in a dismissive way and turned in his seat to face away from me.
I sat stunned, staring blankly at the back of his head. What a prick! With only a hundred people on the journey, we were almost sure to run into each other again. I was not looking forward to it in the slightest. Turning back toward my table, I caught the eye of a small, young woman sitting across from me.
“Hi,” she said shyly.
Her blonde ponytail bobbed and weaved as she shifted in her seat to face me. She wore a tight pink shirt and freshly touched-up makeup. She waved, showing freshly manicured and painted nails.
“Hey, I’m Aella. What’s your name?”
“My name’s Jane.”
How perfect.
“What specialty are you in?”
“I’m an explosives engineer!” she piped with excitement.
The shock on my face must have been obvious. Her shoulders fell. She frowned and squinted at me through her beautiful lashes. “What? Didn’t expect that from me, huh? Well, I get that a lot. I get it, okay? I’m not exactly what you would picture an explosives engineer to look like... Thought maybe I played with Barbies instead? I earned my right to be on this trip, just like everyone else.”
“Whoa!” I held up my hands in submission. “Not at all what I said, not that I wasn’t thinking it...” I laughed, my
