Dandelions Don't Grow in Space

Chapter One - Dilly

A flickering image of Earth hovers a few inches above the hologram table. It's so beautiful. The blue masses, the green shapes, and the swirly white streaks on top of it all. What was it like to live there? What was it like to breathe the fresh air? What was it like to eat real food, to drink fresh water? What was it like to see a sunrise or a sunset? What was it like to see the sun at all? What did the sky look like? What would it be like to go anywhere you wanted, any time you wanted, and not be confined by the metal walls of this Outpost?

A knock from behind me breaks my trance.

I wave my hand through the image to clear it away, and watch as the blinking red words 'LIVE FEED' fade from the corner of the projection.

Turning, I see Cedar leaning against the entryway to the common room. He raises an eyebrow and smiles at me with crossed arms.

My skin feels prickly. Of course it was Cedar.

"Staring at Earth projections again, Dilly?" He says, crossing the room to stand next to me.

I face the hologram table and turn it on again. The planet jumps back into the air in front of us.

"Hey there's no rule on the FTS that says a girl can't dream," I say, elbowing him in the ribs. "And as my best friend, aren't you obligated to support me no matter what?"

"You know I support you, but you know you have other responsibilities too. Summer and Branch have been asking you for ages to help out more with Ivy and Clover."

I flinch at the mention of my parents and younger sisters.

I rest my head on my palm. "I know, and I will. But it's not like I see them very much anyway."

"Rose and the twins made the time," Cedar says.

I look at him. He's right.

My older sisters would always take time to spend with me when I was younger, and they always did the same with Ivy and Clover. But Rose, the oldest is 21 now. She has a job of her own, just like Summer and Branch. And the twins, Lily and Poppy, will be turning 20 sooner than I'll turn 17. They'll get their job assignments when they turn 20, just like Rose did, just like everybody does. Just like Cedar and I will some day.

I shift my eyes to the floor, avoiding Cedar's gaze. He wraps his arm around me and gives my shoulders a squeeze. It's a comforting gesture he's always used to cheer me up.

Cedar and I have been best friends for as long as I can remember. He's always been a part of my life, and I can't imagine him ever not being with me. He knows how to make me smile when I'm sad, laugh when I'm crying, and see the reality of any situation when my head gets too far out in the stars.

I'm suddenly aware of my own heartbeat. Is it getting faster? 

I jerk my head up, and Cedar's hand falls away. I try not to feel disappointed. Why would I feel disappointed?

I give his shoulder a light punch. "Thanks for always being there for me, Cedar."

He blinks at me with soft, brown eyes. "I'll always be here for you, Dilly."

My stomach flips. How can I just be noticing now how handsome he is? His red-brown hair is pulled to the left slightly, like he's been running his hands through it. I feel like wrapping my arms around him and never letting go.

Then Cedar looks down at his wrist. "What's wrong?" I ask.

Then my own wrist buzzes, and I look down at the small, black lens embedded in the skin just below my hand. It blinks blue, and I tap it to open the message. I rectangular screen flies into the air a few inches above my arm. Words print out along the screen as I stare at it.

= ALL PERSONAL REPORT TO THE GATHERING AREA FOR A MESSAGE FROM THE CAPTAIN = 

The projection blinks a few times as the message runs across the screen twice more, then turns off. I look at Cedar, who's already looking at me.

My stomach does another flip.

We nod at each other, then take off toward the gathering area. What was so important that the Captain had to call a meeting for the entire Outpost?

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Hi everybody!! Thanks so much for reading the first chapter of Dandelions Don't Grow in Space! I really hope you guys will like this story, I'm pretty fond of it myself. There are plenty of twists and turns along the way, so I hope you're all ready to sit back, relax, and enjoy a story from far beyond our solar system.

Don't hesitate to leave comments on this chapter if you have any questions or suggestions! I would love to get your feedback on my writing, since I would love to publish a novel one day. I really do love this story, so updates should be posted pretty often. I want to get to know these characters and experience their world as much as I hope you all do too!

That's all for now, thanks again for reading!

XOXO,

Charli