The Starchild

Chapter 1

Golan Desert.

15th of August. 12,006.

I know that I promised Calis the other day that I would come in to see him at his workshop in Shark's Bay. But I also promised mom that I would put in some time at home for some last minute (and overdue) chores and a few other things of absolute necessity with my younger brother Trell—before going to bed last night too.

Guess which wore me out first towards the end around midnight my time?

If you guessed right, then you won the Prize of the Day!

Congratulations!

However...me being so worn out on this fine morning would also explain why I was sleeping so peacefully right now and having the usual candy-coated dreams stemming from the week before too. But I couldn't help but get that distinctive feeling in the back of my mind that I was missing out on something mighty important here.

A steady knock on my bedroom door woke me up faster than the alarm clock perched on my white vanity dresser was supposed to. In fact, I think I had forgotten to set the damned thing again, because otherwise...?

Why would mom be pounding on my door so early in the morning like this?

"Isis? Did you forget to clean out the holding tank out back like I asked you to last night?" Came a very unhappy mom voice.

What time is it again? Came the disjointed thought in my head.

The knocking ceased for a couple blessed seconds after that, then the sound of a brass key being inserted into my locked door followed suit, and finally...?

The torturous creaking noise of my bedroom door opening to beat the band.

I moaned in response to her coming in, curling up in my spent covers and sheets and feeling like death warmed over. I did not want to wake up right now!

Not for all the money in the world.

But my mom was on a business oriented mission to make sure that a teenage girl like me didn't get her beauty sleep for another ten minutes and started shaking me firmly in the process.

"Isis? Did you not hear me a moment ago?" My mother repeated with a disappointed look on her face.

I did not want to wake up! Why are you waking me up? Why??? I was screaming inside the comforts of my mind.

"Isis McGowan...! Answer me damn it!"

I let out a sorry sounding noise that forced my mom to take a step back in concern. But that lasted only bought me a few seconds at best.

"Oh, good. You're awake." She said with quiet approval, but didn't disturb me any further on that account.

"What do you want...?" I muttered sleepily.

"The holding tank." My mom repeated again. "Did you clean it out like I had asked?"

There came a measure of silence on my behalf before I answered: "I might have. I don't know. It was such a long evening. I may not have gotten to it like I promised I would."

"Well, thanks to you, I checked. You didn't."

Rubbing my eyes a bit to get rid of the sleep in them, I said, "Sorry. But I was pretty wiped out after all the house cleaning I did after you and Trell went to bed."

"Do you want me to ground you again like I did last time? I can tell Calis that he can forget about meeting you today if you don't at least finish your assigned chores like I wanted you to. You know how dangerous things can get if I let things lapse—especially out here in the middle of nowhere."