Beneath the Red Sand

Kassi Blake, a ballerina dragged to Mars by her parents, must solve the mystery behind an escalating series of disasters and thwart an ancient guardian spirit to save the colony.****

When seventeen-year-old Kassi Blake's father is chosen by the Joint Space Commission to help terraform the red planet, Kassi gets dragged away with her family to join Mars Colony 1. Mars is a sterile wasteland 33.9 million miles away from home and her dance academy. Heartbroken over sacrificing her ambitions of becoming a prima ballerina for the sake of her father's dream, she has no choice but to make a new life with the limited options available on Mars. She learns the excavation team is accepting applications and takes the opportunity to prove that her physical stamina and grit honed from years of ballet can translate into a new dream - success in one of the most challenging fields Mars offers.

Kassi's assigned partner in hunting archaeological treasure is Noah, a former football player and grandson of the habitat's commander. He teases her new friend with the term of endearment, "Goth Girl," he's got a cocky grin that's too cute for his own good (and hers), and she's stuck with him. On their initial dig, they unearth prehistoric cave drawings and pottery emblazoned with a mysterious symbol. When the habitat's hull breaches during a freak sandstorm that vanishes as quickly as it came, Kassi sees that the walls of their compound now bear that same strange symbol.

With the colony's commanders in denial that this was something more than a natural disaster, Kassi and Noah team up to unravel the mystery of the symbol and discover who - or what - attacked their new home. The next disaster targets the greenhouse. Then the habitat's oxygen circulation system fails. With dwindling food stores and air supply, Kassi and Noah must confront an ancient force before it wipes out the entire community.

1st Place winner - Science Fiction Category, Winter 2021 Four Seasons Awards.