Snow Dancing

Chapter 1

We had all been seated at the dinning table, and to no surprised Adam was already asking for seconds by the time I had finished up. I swear he could eat a horse if I let him. I wasn't very hungry at the time, so I just played with the food on my plate or gave it to Adam. Ava wasn't very hungry either so, I took her dish away and she went off to her room. When I sat back down, Aharon clasped his hands together and stared directly at me. "It's happening again," and said, emotionless. I knew what he was talking about. They were counting the ID chips. "They're just counting, Aharon. It's not a big deal. They just need numbers." I mumbled, looking down at my food to try and avoid this conversation. I didn't need this conversation right now. "You know they just want to know how many people the Surg take," he almost shouted. "You and I both know that they're coming again." I squeezed my hands into fists. I could feel my face burning up. "No they're not," I said forcefully. "They always want to make us think they're coming to scare us. But it's just another drill. They don't even know where we are." Aharon almost started shouting, "Yes they do! Why do you think shipments are slow, or why the merchants won't go to Senth anymore! Just because we moved 30 years ago doesn't mean we're safe here!" I slammed my fists on the table. "We just got here, Aharon!" I shouted. "They're not coming because they can't come! I'm not leaving here! This is home and if we admit that they're coming then they will!" This time Aharon slammed the table and pushed his chair back. "Open your eyes already!" He screamed this time. "No one's coming to save us, not the army, not the government, and not mom and dad!" I felt myself gasp a little. He never brought them up unless he was serious. I stood up slowly, and started clearing the table. "You know I'm right," he announced, sitting down and calm now. "You both do." He glanced over at Adam, who had just finished the pile on this plate. "Aren't you gonna say anything?" He snapped at Adam, apparently not as calm as he seemed. "Ok, look," Adam said, now losing a bit of his calm. "Stop fighting. You're gonna make Ava upset and I don't feel like listening to this while I eat. They're coming or they're not. Right now, in this moment, it doesn't matter. So just blow off some steam somewhere else." Aharon stomped off in his usual manner, and I kept clearing the dishes. Somewhere in me, I knew he was right. He was usually right. And anyways, how would I know? I don't leave this house, and I don't have any friends other than the ones in my books. I might be the silly girl that everyone thinks I am. I cleared off the table and cleaned the dishes off. "Listen, Green," Adam said leaning on the doorway to the hall. "He's just scared, like the rest of us. Don't take what he says seriously, he doesn't really mean them." I looked back and gave him my best smile. "Thanks Adam." I said. He smiled and walked down the hall into Ava's room and the giggles started once again. I walked into my room at the very end of the hall and shut my door. I turned on my string lights and my holograms. The appeared with my last search, a map of the galaxy. I swiped along through planets and stars and asteroids until I found the edge. It was the end of what we knew, or what they wanted us to know. I wondered what was beyond that, what would happen if I sailed my shuttle past the edge. Would I fall, or simply float into blackness? I've always wanted to know if anyone ever has, and if they have, did the come back and tell the tale? Or did the never return? I spent a few more minutes looking at the black before I searched up the Surg reports. It's true, they were in our solar system, but they were on the outer edges. We were the closest to our star, so we were a few weeks away at least. I sighed a breath of relief knowing a had a few more weeks to myself, in my home. I had only heard of the stories of what their planet looks like. Some say it's blood red, others say it's only darkness. To be honest, I have no idea what it looks like, and I don't want to find out. They only think we really know about they is that their eyes are pale blue, but nothing else. We know they want our life source, they energy that flow through all of the beings int he universe, even the Surg. We all have our own, but life source elixir carries a big price on the black market. I turned off the TV and went to go check on Ava. She was already in her night gown and turning off the light. "Hi Evie!" Her face light up, and she immediately ran up to me and hugged my legs. I laughed to myself and picked her up in a big hug. "How's the Princess?" I joked, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "I'm good, kinda tired though," she said, following it with a yawn. I sighed and put her into her bed, tucking her in. "Evie?" She asked. "Yeah?" I answered. "Are the bad guys coming?" She asked, her face no longer smiling. I sighed to myself. "No they're not. They're very far away," I said with a fake smile. I poked her nose. "No matter why big brother says ok?" She nodded and kissed my cheek. "Goodnight Evie," she said, a brand new smile on her face. "Sweet dreams Ava," I said, turning off the light and shutting the door. I sighed to myself, knowing that I lied to her, but knowing she was going to be safer this way. I went back to my room and fell onto my bed, falling asleep before I could even turn off the lights.