Boundless

Wrong Place, Wrong Girl

Once upon a time, 68 years ago, a girl went to the Moon.

To study.

Of all things a girl could do on the Moon, this girl made the journey to Luna to join a program for underprivileged gifted kids.

As a toddler, she lost her father to deployment, a year later her mother to booze.

Taken in by her Uncle, the Girl had a poor, but somewhat idyllic childhood. A tad unstable, that's true. They were always moving, but her family made up for it. They had an adopted kid: another girl, another brilliant girl. The Girl never had siblings before, and now she had the best Older Sister.

Her aunt was not her Uncle's woman (as she liked to remember him, she was his partner), but she was mom to her Older Sister, and Aunt made sure the girl knew she was her Aunt, even if her Uncle one day was no more. She would not leave her children behind.

But life doesn't happen as we plan. Mostly.

For one, it was difficult to care for such a small girl in their conditions (and the Girl knew it. She ended up going to the Moon to study, remember? Smart Girl, that one). And well...

The Aunt was a smart girl too. And she thought long and hard. Aunt had been homeschooling her girls and decided to apply for a program that covered materials and supplies for homeschooled children studying advanced subjects.

The program had rules. To be eligible the Girl had to prove she deserved funding (as if all children didn't deserve it, but alas). She took tests. She tried her best.

And her best granted an invitation to become part of a program for gifted children. On the Moon.

Sounds like a fairy tale, right?

Far from it. The girl didn't want to go, but the family didn't have much more to offer (even if what they offered was enough for the Girl).

You see, they were adults, not little girls. They knew they shouldn't stay in the way of a better and brighter future (for her). One she could get and they couldn't offer. Off to the Moon, the Girl went.

She was 10 years old and a resilient little thing. From home, she only took some clothes and her uncle's dog tags. As she would find later on, the military was quite the family business. Or fate.

The Girl wanted to go back, but she could only move forward (they had taught her well). At 16 she was accepted into university. She planned to become a veterinarian one day.

To achieve that she studied hard, joined the swimming team, volunteered, and took lots of extra activities. It paid off: the Girl was granted enough scholarships to focus on studying.

But life took a wild turn. At 17 she got in trouble with a 19 years old boy. Who was not so smart, but had all the money. The money and a shiner to prove the Girl was not only resilient, she was also feral.

The boy deserved the assault and so much more. So much more. But the Girl had no defense - no way to prove who was right and who was wrong.

(Only 17, and the Girl swore to never be caught off guard again. Ever).

Expelled. The Girl wanted to go back, but how? How would she face her family? The Girl was grown, and she needed to do better. Better than come back home and become a dead weight once more. Dragging them down. Making their lives harder.

That sounded nothing like a happy ending, right?

The Girl got enlisted, alright. And she did well. Very well. So well that people took a second look at her. And her past.

More tests. And now the military knew the girl was more than smart, feral, and resilient.

At 21 she died. To the world, that is. She got a death certificate, an empty casket, a military funeral. Even a gravestone.