Saving Earth.

Chapter 7

“Hanna.” The words escaped Marcus's mouth before he knew it. He'd studied her picture, for the last two weeks, from every angle. He knew every scar, every bump of her nose, and the color of her eyes. It was those eyes that created the most lasting memory. Green. A deep rich green that reminded him of the ocean on certain days.

“Do I know you?” Asked Hanna.

“No...I...no” stuttered Marcus.

“We read your name tag.” Abbey came to the rescue.

“Oh, right. Can I help you find something?”

“We just moved in and don't have any food in the house so we need the basics I guess.”

“You just moved here? That cool where will you be going to school?”

“Kennedy high school.”

“Oh my God, that's where I go.” Said Hanna smiling at both of them. “What Grade?”

“Freshman.”

“Oh my God, me too!” Hanna was bouncing on her toes waiving her hands.

“Wow that is a coincidence, isn't it Marcus?”

Marcus had been staring at Abbey and wasn't really listening. She was much prettier than her pictures and so friendly. “What?”

“I was saying that it's a coincidence that we are all going to be in the same school this year. We just made our first new friend.”

“Yeah, cool.” He finally recovered enough to play his part. He extended his fist in front of him. “I'm Marcus.”

“Um, I'm Hanna,” she said pointing to her name tag, “but you already know that.” A small laugh escaped through her lips. Hanna looked at the extended fist and, hesitantly, bumped Marcus back.

“Boom.” He said as he drew his hand back as though it had exploded. Hanna had a hard time not rolling her eyes.

“Where'd you say you move from?”

“The middle of the country, Iowa.” Said Abbey before Marcus could reply.

“Ah.” Said Hanna as though that explained everything. “Are you ready for school to start tomorrow?”

“What!” Yelped Abbey. “School starts tomorrow?”

“Of course silly, why didn't you know?”

“Like I said we just got here this morning.” Mumbled Abbey.

“But your parents, they should have known, I mean, right?” Even though it's only been a few hours since she'd left a strange feeling passed through, a loneliness, she missed her parents.

“Actually it's just the three of us.” Said Marcus. “My sister Abbey and our older brother Auggie.” Hanna closed her eyes slightly as if trying to concentrate on something.

“You mean that your parents are letting you live on your own?”

“Ah, yeah I guess so.” Marcus looked to Abbey and shrugged his shoulders.

“Where are they? Your parents.”

“Well...they are...you see.” Stumbled Marcus.

“They're on a scientific mission. They'll be gone for a year. But our brother Auggie is old enough to watch out for us.”

“Oh my God, do you know what this means?” Whispered Hanna reaching for Abbey's hand in both of hers. “You will be the hit of the school. We can have parties at your house all the time!” Hanna closed her eyes and tilted her head back. “How cool would it be to not have parents around! To do what you want, when you want?” She pulled Hanna's hand into her chest. “You are SO lucky.”

“Yeah, right?” Marcus held his fist out in front of him an ear to ear grin splitting his face. THIS is what he'd been hoping for, some fun. He'd never been to a party before and the idea sounded like a great adventure to him. Hanna gave him a conspiratorial look and curled her index finger gesturing for him to come closer. Marcus took a couple of steps and leaned down to be nearer her mouth. He noticed that her lips were very red and full. His heart was beating a little faster but he wasn't sure why.

“We don't really do that fist bump thing around here.” Whispered Hanna. “It's kind of old school, you know.”

Marcus could feel the blood rushing to his face and stood erect. How stupid could he be? Asking this girl, with the enticing red lips, to bump his fist. His blond hair made his face look even redder. “Oh, right, sorry.”

“No need to be sorry, silly. How could you know coming from, where did you say, Idaho?”

“Actually, Iowa.” Corrected Abbey.

“Exactly.” Said Hanna.

“So if you didn't know that school starts tomorrow then you probably don't have any clothes or school supplies?”

“Clothes? We have clothes of course. Doesn't the school supply us with everything we need?” In their community everything is supplied for them. The thought of having to bring something because herself to class was foreign. What happened if a person couldn't afford the supplies she wondered.

“You mean they supplied you with pencil and paper and notebooks in Idaho?”

“Iowa.”

“Right.”

“Yeah they did, what ever we needed to learn was supplied.”

“Well not here in Cali. You have to bring a whole list of supplies to the first day of school. And then there are fees to be paid also.”

“Fees?”

“Of course, fees, silly. You sound like you lived in some kind of hippy commune or something...did you?”

Marcus and Abbey gave each other a look hoping the other knew what “hippy” meant. Finally Abbey decided to fake it. “No just a regular city, no hippys around.” She gave a small laugh.

“Of course not, silly.” Hanna laughed. I was just teasing. “Now, you go and get your groceries and then meet me back here at noon, that's when my shift is over, and I'll take you shopping.”

“Shopping?”

“Yes, for clothes and supplies for tomorrow.”

“Oh right. Ah, Marcus and I will be here at noon then.”

Hanna gave Marcus a side way glance. She'd never know a boy to want to go shopping especially with his sister and another girl. But, what the heck she thought, he is cute and it will be so cool when she can show him off at school tomorrow.

“There is one thing. We don't wear sunglasses inside here.” Instinctively both of them reached up and touched the sun glasses as if to protect them.

“We had that lasik surgery done recently and we have to wear these glasses for the next two weeks, doctors orders.” Marcus had seen a commercial for the surgery the night before they left for the surface when he couldn't sleep.

“Oh, sorry I didn't know. Okay meet here at noon.” Hanna turned and walked off to help other customers.

They stood side by side watching Hanna walk away. Abbey, while nervous about going shopping, was thrilled that they'd made contact with the first of the chosen ones. Marcus smile as he watched her walk away remembering how pretty she was.