Stories Collide - A Stuart Gibbs Story

Chapter 2: Questioning

PERSPECTIVE SWITCH: DASHIELL GIBSON.

NOTE: TAKES PLACE BEFORE THE FUTURE IN WASTE OF SPACE. DASHIELL IS STILL A CHILD.

YEAR 2041

BOOM! THERE WAS A FLASH OF LIGHT, AND THEN EVERYTHING RETURNED TO NORMAL.

WONDERING WHAT IT WAS, I STARTED OUT THE DOOR.

I HEARD A CLANK, FOLLOWED BY A GASP. I RUSHED OUT OF MY FAMILY'S RESIDENCE, WONDERING IF MY SISTER, VIOLET, HAD GOTTEN INTO TROUBLE. THE SJOBERGS WERE BANNED FROM TORMENTING ANYONE, BUT THEY WEREN'T EXACTLY THE MOST TRUSTWORTHY HUMANS ON EARTH. OR RATHER, THE MOON.

WHEN I STEPPED OUT THE DOOR, I SAW A GIRL THAT WAS AROUND MY AGE, BUT LOOKED MUCH OLDER. SHE HAD BRIGHT, GREEN EYES. SHE LOOKED RATHER NORMAL, BUT THERE WAS SOMETHING ABOUT HER THAT SEEMED SLIGHTLY OFF. SHE WAS LOOKING OUT THE TINY WINDOW IN THE DINING HALL WITH SHOCK, STARING AT THE MOON'S CRATERS. BUT I WAS CONFUSED. NO ROCKET WAS SCHEDULED TO COME TODAY, AND MY FAMILY AND I WERE LEAVING TOMORROW. THE GIRL LOOKED AT ME AND SAID, "WHO ARE YOU? AND WHY DOES IT LOOK LIKE WE'RE ON THE MOON?"

"IM DASH, AND WE ARE ON THE MOON," I INFORMED HER.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?" SHE ASKED.

"WHAT'S YOUR NAME?" I ASKED HER.

"CHARLOTTE. MY FRIENDS CALL ME CHARLIE."

"HOW DO YOU KNOW I'M YOUR FRIEND?"

"I DON'T. HEY, BACK TO THAT MOON THING, WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE'RE ON THE MOON?"

"WHY DON'T YOU BELIEVE ME? WHERE DO YOU LIVE?" I ASKED.

SHE GIVES ME A HARD STARE. "BECAUSE THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE TO LIVE ON THE MOON. I MEAN, I GUESS IT COULD HAPPEN, BUT NO ONE HAS YET. I'M A GENIUS, YOU KNOW."

I LAUGHED. " YEAH, RIGHT."

SHE LOOKS AT ME SERIOUSLY, BUT WITH A MOCKING SMILE. "ALRIGHT, THEN TELL ME HOW IT'S POSSIBLE."

I GAVE HER A HARD STARE. "2035 SCIENCE."

SHE RAISED AN EYEBROW. "IT'S NOT 2035. ARE YOU PLAYING A JOKE ON ME?"

"NO," I REPLIED. THEN I ASKED, "NO OFFENSE, BUT HAVE YOU BEEN CLONKED ON THE HEAD WITH HEAVY MACHINERY LATELY? YOU SEEM A LITTLE OFF. THINGS NOTHING AGAINST YOU, THINGS GO WRONG HERE ALL THE TIME. I'VE NEVER SEEN YOU BEFORE, SO MAYBE THE CLONK RELEASED SOMETHING TO MAKE YOU THINK AND LOOK LIKE SOMEONE ELSE-"

SHE CUT ME OFF. "ARE YOU THE ONE WHO GOT CLONKED ON THE HEAD? BECAUSE YOU SEEM KINDA LOOPY. BUT, THEN AGAIN, I MIGHT BE DREAMING OR POSSIBLY HALLUCINATING-

NOW I CUT HER OFF. "NO ROCKET IS SCHEDULED TO COME TODAY. HOW DID YOU GET HERE? WHAT PLANET ARE YOU FROM? EARTH OR BOSCO?"

"BOSCO?"

"NEVER MIND. DO YOU LIVE ON EARTH?"

"NO, I LIVE ON JUPITER ."

"REALLY?"

"NO."

"OH." I SIGHED, EXASPERATED. THEN WHERE ARE YOU FROM?"

"EARTH."

"OH." LOOKING AT HER, SHE REMINDED ME OF RILEY BOCK, MY BEST FRIEND FROM EARTH. I BEGIN TO THINK ABOUT LIFE ON EARTH, HOW GOOD IT WAS... AND WONDER IF IT WOULD POSSIBLY BE THE SAME AGAIN ONCE I GOT BACK. US MOONIES WERE FAMOUS. I DIDN'T WANT TO BE FAMOUS. I WANTED TO BE ME. REGULAR OLD ME, YOUR AVERAGE 13-YEAR-OLD KID.

I REALIZED I HAD ZONED OUT AND TRIED TO FOCUS ON THE TASK AT HAND: FIGURING OUT CHARLIE.

"OKAY, THIS ISN'T FUNNY ANYMORE. WHY ARE YOU SO SURPRISED THAT I LIVE ON THE MOON?" I ASKED, THEN UNDERSTANDING DESCENDED ON ME. "OH, YOU MUST BE ONE OF THOSE MOONIE FANS. HOW DID YOU GET UP HERE? DO YOUR PARENTS WORK AT NASA? YOU DO REALIZE HOW DANGEROUS IT IS TO SNEAK ONTO A ROCKET TO THE MOON?" I BEGAN TO WALK AWAY, ONLY CHARLIE STOPPED ME.

"WAIT! DASH, DON'T LEAVE ME HERE!" SHE SAID FRANTICALLY. THE DESPERATION IN HER VOICE MADE ME SURE SHE WASN'T JOKING.

"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?" I ASKED.