The Circadia Chronicles: Omnibus: The Complete Colonization Sci-Fi Series by Heather Heckadon (books to read to get smarter .txt) 📗

I glanced out at the crowd in the darkness. Hundreds of lights showed in the dark. It gave me some comfort. "I think we've seen enough, right?" I looked at Smith and Jane. They both nodded.

"All right, let's head back then." Phillip waved his hand to signal the armed men, who switched positions and led us back through the throng of people.

CHAPTER FIVE

I laid in my bed that night with my eyes wide open. My first interview on international news was scheduled for the morning, and I wasn't ready. I stared up at the smooth, white ceiling illuminated by the ambient blue light from the alarm clock next to me. The deafening quiet in the room was enough to strangle me. After what felt like hours, I glanced to my right side on the nightstand to see it had only been a few minutes. When I thought the night would never end, I heard a knock on the door.

I jumped out of bed in the white pajamas Nira gave me and rushed to the door. "Who is it?" I asked quietly.

"It's Smith."

I still stood behind the door. I put my head against it and thought for a moment, then opened it.

Smith stood there in pajamas identical to mine. His hands clenched tightly together. Beads of perspiration dripped down the side of his face, and he nervously laughed before he spoke. "Hey, did I wake you?"

I swept my hair behind my ear out of my face. "No, of course not. What's going on?"

"I couldn't sleep. Figured you were in the same boat. Can I come in?"

I hesitated. "Smith, honestly, I'd rather you didn't." The pang of rudeness wasn't lost on me, but I didn't want him in my room. Not since he made his comment back on Circadia. He said it wasn't true, designed to make me hate him, but I couldn't get it out of my head. I knew in my mind that everything he’d done on Circadia was in our best interest, but the memories would always be there for me. There was a small part of me that would still always hate him even if he did it for me.

"Okay. Really?"

"Yeah. I'd kinda like to be alone tonight."

He twisted his head and squinted at me. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I want to be alone, okay?"

He snorted. "Is this about Garrett?"

My blood boiled. "Good night, Smith." I slammed the door in his face.

I made my way back to the bed and slung the covers over myself. I laid there for a moment and shook with anger, then grabbed my pillow, pressed it to my face as hard as possible, and screamed.

EVERYTHING WAS A BLUR in the morning. I was tired and confused from last night. What happened? It didn't matter. I quickly dressed in the clothes I was given and made my way out to the facility’s main room. The Herrold brothers and Jane waited for me. No Smith. "Are you ready?" Phillip asked.

"I guess so. Where's Smith?"

Jane piped in. "He wasn't feeling well. Something about the smells from last night getting to him or something. He'll be fine."

"All right, let's move." The brothers made their way out the front door toward an all-white private jet as the wind threatened to blow them over on the open runway.

"What's this?" I asked. "I thought they were coming here?"

"No, we don't allow anyone at our facility. We must go to them."

"Where are we going?" I asked.

They laughed. "Canada."

I couldn't help but laugh as well. "Um, why?"

"The geography's changed, remember? The huge news broadcaster is in Canada now. It was far enough away from the blasts, so there's a lot of people there now. That's where we gotta be," Herrold said. "I hear it's a lot warmer than it is here, currently." He laughed.

"What?"

THEY WERE RIGHT. ONCE we landed in Canada, the first thing I noticed was the climate. It was hot. Like, desert hot. All the trees had burned up, and the soil had cracked with dehydration. The air was dry and crisp, except for the small outcroppings of old lakes, where there were vegetation and life. The surrounding cities were built around these areas and thriving. It was completely different than how I remembered Canada. It reminded me of Vegas. What used to be old farmland was now a desert oasis.

We were immediately escorted from the private jet to a black SUV with tinted windows, then driven down winding roads through insane traffic to a remote building.

Once we parked next to the curb, men in suits greeted us. "Miss Toms, please accompany us to the interview area. Mrs. Brach will be waiting for you," they said.

"Mrs. Brach?" I asked. Mrs. Brach was the lead interviewer for CNSTV even before I'd left Earth. I turned to Jane. "Did you know?"

Her eyes were wide. "No idea. This is huge!"

We walked with the suited men up the sidewalk toward the concrete building. The windows were black and showed no sign of life. Once we were at the entrance, the men typed a code into the lock, and the door opened. One held it open while the other led us in.

The lights inside were bright and the rooms modern. We walked down a hallway with lighted areas on every side of us as we went forward. "Wait here." The man held out a hand. We stopped, and he entered the room in front of us, then disappeared for a moment as he closed the door behind him. We stood silent.

After a short moment, he reappeared. "Ms. Toms, are you ready?"

I stood dumbfounded. "I guess?"

"Follow me then," he said. He opened the door, and we all followed.

He stopped in front of me once more and turned to address the party behind me. "Aella only. Thank you."

Goosebumps.

"You'll do fine, Aella!" Ross hollered as I entered the room and closed the door behind me.

Upon entering the room, I did a short survey of the area. It was a quaint setting with