INKWELL

Chapter Seven

June 1, 2081

We landed next to some of the other spaceships. They were as big as the one we were in. As we settled, I waited anxiously while Angela talked to some of her officers. I was eager to go out and see out new home.

According to the officials, people were being led out of the spaceship and they wanted all of them to go out before we—Angela and everyone with her—stepped out.

"Excited?" someone said and I turned to see Caleb standing behind me. His eyes twinkled as be stared at me and I suddenly felt shy.

I looked down at my feet. "Yeah."

He turned to look at Angela. "My mum has talked about this so much. I'm happy I can finally see it. It's good to see her happy."

I turned to look at Angela. Tears had gathered in her eyes as she stared out at our new home. No one disturbed her, it seemed they knew how much it meant to her.

"She's a good woman," I said.

Caleb glanced at me before turning back to her. "Yeah." After a few seconds of silence, he turned to me. "So who did you come with? Your parents?"

I shook my head, tears gathering in my eyes. It had been a while since my parents died but Caleb mentioning it now made me emotional. I wondered how they would have felt if they were here with us. I imagined my dad talking to Angela Cassey, trying to find the next step. Dad was a good business man, he liked taking action. I imagined my mum prancing around in heels, looking effortlessly beautiful. She would be barking orders to people, she was good in that. Somehow, she got people to do what she wanted them to do.

Caleb noticed the look on my face and seemed to understand. "I'm sorry. Did you leave them behind?"

I frowned for a second wondering what he meant, then I remembered the tests. I shook my head. "No. They died before that. On the day the first inky rain fell." I moved closer to the window. "I was young then but I watched my parents reduce to ink before my eyes. I watched life show me its ugly side." Tears rolled down my cheeks as I stared outside.

Caleb walked close to me and stared out the window. He didn't act awkward, like he wasn't used to people crying. In fact, it was like he had seen it a lot of times. I expected him to say something but he didn't. Instead he stood silently, looking out the window. There was something about his silence though—something comforting. His presence too had this calming effect. He was standing beside me and though we weren't touching, I felt calm wash over me.

We stood silently, watching people. They were all looking around our new world, chattering excitedly.

"What of you?" I asked after a few minutes. He turned to me, looking confused so I added, "Have you lost anybody?"

He grimaced and turned back to the window. "My dad," he said quietly. "He got infected by the ink. Mum watched him die. It almost broke her. It almost broke me."

I stayed silent, hoping he'll continue talking. There was something calming about his voice. Maybe it was because it sounded confident and strong and yet filled with emotions.

"I lost other people too, my friends, classmates. It was hard watching people die. It felt weird being alive. I tried to distance myself from people. What was the need of making friends if they could be dead the next minute?"

I hadn't thought of that before but as I thought of it, a reply formed in my head. "What is the need of not making friends when you could be dead the next second? Maybe it's better to spend the rest of your life with a friend—happy—than to spend it alone."

He turned to me, his eyes twinkling. "That's what my mum says."

I smiled shyly, looking away. It felt good to be compared to Angela Cassey.