By 2422, humankind has achieved an ecotopian climate-positive future. There's zero conflict and zero waste throughout the whole world. But, when a young girl starts having mysterious visions of a walled city, it might signal the ancient return of so...
After Poppy departs, Mum and I have a fight that afternoon as the storms on the surface continues. I keep whining and she loses her temper.
'Of course, I'm happy you'll be home for the next three months but I'm tired of you complaining. It's not like I can control the weather! You're fifteen today. Act like it.'
'You wanted this.' I shout back. 'You wanted me to stay here forever and live in the same sector and do the same things you and Dad do.'
I know it's irrational but I blame Mum for the storms. It's like she wanted me to stay home and got her wish.
I say this to Dad but he tells me I'm being unreasonable.
I go back to my room to sulk. I am nervous about being with new people tomorrow. I don't have any friends unless you count Fox Two. I never know how to talk to people...or what to talk about.
My parents have always been protective of me but Mum is the worst. She and Poppy have always been stifling. I had this fantasy that I would be different when I started my rotations at fifteen. Suddenly I would be more outgoing and confident...not a social outcast anymore. In my mind, I can picture myself as popular and cool. Am I this way because I was not allowed to make friends or it is just my personality? Maybe it is easier to blame Mum and my sister and not myself.
My first day at ocean farming isn't going too badly. I've grown up watching what my dad does so I know the equipment well. On a list of things that make me anxious, new things like using unfamiliar technology and equipment would be number one. I'm good at absorbing knowledge from books, but not so great at trying things out in real life. Pressing buttons, making selections and so on; I struggle with, especially with other people around. What if I press the wrong thing, or make an incorrect choice? I hate it when I make mistakes in front of others.
'Who cares what other people think? Who said you have to be perfect? Just laugh it off if you make a mistake.' Poppy would always yell at me. Easy for her to say. She was really popular in school and during her rotations.
Thank goodness, Dad walked me through the harvester equipment the night before. It's a physically demanding job, and I'm sweating in my pressure suit. I've seen pictures of ancient diving gear that humans used to have before we had to live underwater. I can't imagine doing this job with all that weight on me...oxygen tanks, flippers, masks, and helmets. Luckily, we all wear thermo-insulated and pressure-designed suits that adjust to our bodies. It's lightweight, and we have an endless oxygen supply, recycled through the suit. Ancient humans are kind of my thing. They and The Great Planetary War fascinate me, which is why I hoped to get into PDS. They are the only people on the planet with unrestricted access to all the Archives, not just the Public Archives like the rest of us.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Fox Two's been annoying me all morning. I don't often get into the water, so he's very excited to have me here but it's challenging to do my work when he's being this playful. I shove a few tentacles away and try and get on with things.
