DECEMBER TWENTY-THREE
ANNIE O’CONNOR
PLANET EARTH
YEAR 2116
Annie turned her face to the sky. Let the snow fall over her cheeks.
She had gotten used to it now. Used to keeping her mouth shut, since she knew the taste of the warm chemicals.
“It’s christmas tomorrow,” she whispered.
Her mum had told her once, that when people died years ago, they got put in a coffin in a hole in the ground. But then the plague and starvation happened, and there was no space left.
Annie stared down into the landfill of ash.
“I’m sure you already knew that,” she said, not sure whenever she was talking to her mum or grandma. Maybe both.
“I still have that calendar you gave me.”
Silence.
“I taped it shut and have opened it every day.”
She sighed. Decided that it was finally time to tell them what she had been hiding for months.
“Zacharias and Kiki kicked me out. Zacharias said that he’d always hated me. I think that the money and have has gotten him all over his head, he’s like a different person. Kiki moved in with him when she had gotten all the attention after that article.”
Annie kicked some dirt.
“I met the woman that tried to save you, mom. Her name is May.” Tears were threatening to spill from her eyes. “She recognized me. Let me follow her home and sleep on her couch. She hates Kiki, but won’t tell me why. Only says that they were friends, that she had many friends, but that she split them up.”
Annie brushed some of the snow off her, tried to get it from her hair.
“I don’t know what to think about it all. I’m just doing my best to get through.” she sighed again. “I should probably go.”
She smiled into the hole of dust, getting more and more filled with the fake snow. Turned around and began walking before she realised something and turned back.
“Mum,” she said. “I found that song that you named me after. And I liked it.”
