Dreaming Of Mars

Chapter Two

Three years later...

"Salem, wake up! We have the test today!" Shane yells whilst jumping in Salem's comfy bed in the room they share. Salem grins at her twin brother's eagerness knowing she feels the same. Salem sits up with an achey back and the burning sensation crawls down her back at a fast pace which only increases the pain more.

"I'm up, go get me food," Salem demands but loses authority from the make up smeared on her face. She was up cramming for the tests last night and was too lazy to wash off all the oily make up.

Shane bounds off the bed and walks to kitchen in the room, thanks to false gravity that is. Salem runs the sleep from her eyes and quickly pulls her hair up into a neat bun seeing as how her instructor hates messy hair.

Salem and Shane are both dressed in the bright green jumpsuits that remind Salem of the flat line when their father had passed. She squeezes her eyes shut and send the negative thoughts away to the back of her brain. They would never disappear, just hang out and wallow in self pity.

"Report to designated testing area," An automated voice commands the set of twins in their grey earpiece no bigger than a dime. Salem and Shane lazily toss their dishes in the marble sink. They scan their ID cards against the scanner hurriedly not wanting to be late.

"Sign in and then please take a seat," the leader of the whole Space station orders with authority lacing his tone, but his eyes fill with happiness at seeing the twins. Of course, they will be the only ones taking the test to be an official Astronaut but they've been on Mars for almost five years now.

Salem chooses to sit near a window something her father had always told her to do. The metal desk cools down her flushed skin while she gazes out the circular plexi glass. The spectacular stars stand out dramatically against the black and purple swirl of space.

Shane, on the other hand, goes to back of them room near a corner. Each have their own way of connecting with their father.

The tests pop up electronically on the metal desk and they begin to take it like cold medicine their father had forced them take, even if it was just allergies.

After five grueling hours, Earth hours that is, the twins both push enter at the bottom of the blue and grey screen. Salem smiles in joy while Shane heaves a sigh of relief.

Being the weirdos they are, Shane walks over to Salem's desk and plasters a knowing grin on his face. His once shaggy hair now sits upon his head cropped short. Salem nods and Shane turns around to face the commander with the smile still there.

Salem, being about the same height as her brother, jumps onto his back with ease. Shane places his hands behind her knee caps and struts forward.

"When will the results be in?" They both ask at the same time in a monotone voice. The commander shivers in fear, but he should be used to their teasing after all these years.

"In a few minutes," he answers as a ping sounds from his ear piece. Shane perks up and eyebrow in question and the commander nods.

"You both missed one question. The same question also," the commander informs them a knowing smile. Salem still sits on Shane's back but howls in delight. Shane smacks her knee telling her to shut up. Salem nods and quiets down quickly.

"Which question,sir," Shane wonders aloud. Salem stays silent thinking the same thing.

"It was whom had been the first person to walk Mars surface," The commander answers treading carefully.

"Who was it then?" Salem asks out loud as Shane asks in his head.

"Your father."