The Ark Diary of Dylan De Rovia Book One of De Rovia Diaries

The Past, Present and Future

Monday November 17th, 2149

Everyone and I mean everyone is talking about the planet. In school at work on the trains. People are relieved that there no intelligent life. Me being one of them. But, life that is there is amazing. Living here the only other type of life is fish or plants.

Kye is talking about the plants how new species mostly are a cousin to Earth plants. He said that the soil based on the samples analyzed by the probes should be compatible with our plants. I'm just in wonder at all of it.

There is a great big world out there and it's ours. We get to land there, live there make it a place where civilization can flourish again. My mind can't help go to earth. The rationed planet is lays in ruin. People are still there I'm sure.

The war only lasted couple hours a fraction of the bombs fell but there is no sure thing as a small nuclear exchange. The planet went silent two days after. Some people survived underground I'm sure. We learned about whole communities who choose to live underground they had a closed ecosystems like us.

With all they need live on. They'll have to wait another two hundred years for the radiation level out enough for surface living. I'll live to stand on the surface but our cousins on earth won't. They'll have to stay underground for another three generations.

"Hello, love."

I smile at him from the couch, he'd given me a key to his apartment. "Hey. How was work?"

"Good, how was school?" He ask setting cloth bags on the counter.

"Less schooling more talking today." I close my tablet ready to help him unpack dinner. After a couple of failed dinner dates it was clear that his basic cooking was no match for mine.

He nods. "I have something to ask you about."

Putting the asparagus in the fridge I lean against the counter.I've been waiting for him to ask me about this because we're so much alike. "What?"

He breathes out then swallows his fear. "I want to apply for the the first surface team."

"I know." His face breaks into a huge smile. "So, you'll confirm your career as a mecha repair."

"I would confirm that I that had two heads if it means I get to go down."

He pulls me into a hug right there in the middle of the kitchen. I lean in listening to his heart it beats on like a drum. I could listen to heartbeat all night long. Its comfort to me, I read in an old article in health class how when couples sleep together over long periods of time their heart start to beat in sync with each other. I wonder if that happens to Mom and Dad, they sleep in the same room, they do care for each other.

"When will you do it?"

"On my birthday, I guess. I'll miss teaching the little kids and we need to be paired officially to apply."

"You could volunteer at arcade," He offers.

I have different plans for when I'm paired. "Oh I have better plans for my free time after pairing."

"Am I going to like these plans?"

"I hope so."

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The sound of my tablet beeping wakes me from a damn good sleep, I look at the message. I'm outside.

Wrapping my blanket around me I cross the apartment to the front door. Opening the door I see Lori her bag in one hand and pillow in the other. "Hey."

Pulling the blanket off my shoulders I pull her leading her into the the house. This hasn't happen in a while. We're at my door when my mother's voice whispers in the darkness. "Who is that?"

"Lori go back to bed, Mom."

I enter my room with Lori on my bed still looking down. Sitting next to her pull back her hair there is red red going across her face. "You should tell someone."

"I'll be fine."

Reaching under my bed I pull out my second blanket wrapping myself. This is the third time she's shown up at my door with a mark. The first time it was on her shoulder the second across her stomach. This one won't be easy to hid like the others and my Dad is great telling when he's being lied to. "Look at me."

She looks up, I feel a swell of anger rise in my lungs. The mark red but not fading into a purple shade. "What happen?"

"Mom was drunk and she was yelling about how she hated this apartment and how Dad was careless prick. I just wanted her to calm down...I...Tried to take the bottle away she pushed me but she didn't mean it."

"Like she didn't mean like time either. Lori just tell someone they'll understand you can stay here."

She shakes her head. "No I'll be done with school soon and I can move out to the singles and just let them explode."

Gently I lay her down, "Two years isn't soon come on you can stay here with us you know you could."

Her voice breaks, "Can we please stop talking about this."

Laying beside her my mind goes back to a time when her parents were fighting before. She would come here pillow in hand a stuffed bear in the other. My parents would lay her down next to me. She would be crying then too, Mom would sing a song till we both fell asleep, rubbing her back I start humming it.