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

"Who do I have to lose?" I asked. "I have you and Jane, Smith. That's it! That's all that's left! This isn't going to get better. It's going to get worse. No matter where we are, Circadia or Earth. This situation isn't going to stop until we end it." My breathing was heavy, and I was nearly in tears.

Silence.

Ross cleared his throat. "She's right. I stand with Aella."

"Me too," Phillip agreed.

"Me too." Jane winked at me.

"You're on your own," Smith spat. He waved dismissively and walked away.

I gritted my teeth together. Another loss, but this was what we needed to do. This was why we were here.

CHAPTER NINE

"First things first," I said. "I want a formal meeting with government officials."

Ross scoffed. "You're serious?" His face straightened. "Why?"

"They've made it pretty apparent they can't touch me. They'd make me a martyr. If that weren't the case, when The Divinity took me before, they would've disposed of me then. Right?"

"Right," Jane agreed.

"So, I want a meeting with them. I want them to see and fully understand what we're about to do."

Jane's eyes narrowed. "What are we about to do exactly?"

Ross piped loudly, "Start a revolution, my dear girl!" His smile spread across his face, and his foot splayed out from under him in a show of grandeur. I hadn't seen this side of him before and felt a little curious. I couldn't help but laugh, as did everyone in the room. It was enough silliness to lighten the mood of a weighty subject.

I shook my head, and he put his arm around my shoulder in a comradely way. He shot a wink at me and giggled a little. Shyness overcame me, and I glanced at the floor and smiled. "Come on, let's go have some fun for a while. Then we'll start planning. I think everyone needs a little diversion," Ross said.

I nodded.

THE BOWLING ALLEY IN the basement was something I'd seen but never heard. No one had used it the entire time I was here. I wasn't sure anyone ever had, in all honesty. The pristine wood floors gleaned in the light as we all came around the corner. I was instantly excited. I couldn't remember the last time I had fun, let alone the last time I went bowling. I'd never had friends to go with, and while these friendships had been forced, they were still mine.

Phillip smiled and looked all around. "We had this installed for our employees. We put a lot of pressure on them to succeed with lots of deadlines. It gets stressful."

"I can imagine," Jane said. She winked at him. I thought I saw him wink back.

"We felt guilty. We thought this would help ease their stress and our conscience. After a few months, we realized no one was using it. We even offered free alcohol and still no takers."

"What the hell?" Jane laughed.

"That's what we thought!" Phillip agreed. "So we straight up asked them, 'Why aren't you using the bowling alley? What's so bad about it?'"

"And?" Jane prompted.

Ross laughed. "You won't believe it. We didn't believe it."

"Tell us!" I laughed.

"They said they enjoyed their jobs and didn't need a way to cool off. Their job was their break from their real lives." Phillip erupted in laughter. Both brothers did.

At first, we kind of giggled, but after letting it sit for a few seconds, I think everyone stopped thinking it was funny. The laughter slowly drifted off. The brothers looked around the room then down at the floor. "I guess that's in poor taste now. It was funny and obscure when the world was different, but now it makes sense. I apologize," Ross said. His voice dropped.

Phillip picked it up. "Well, now we all know we’re the worst at jokes and humor, so let's skip the comedy and get straight to the competition. We all know the Herrold brothers are nothing if not competitive, so who wishes to take on the champion?" He held both his arms out in the air and walked around with his chest puffed up.

Everyone genuinely seemed to laugh at this, and the evening went on. Jane and Phillip seemed to be cozy for most of the evening, which I thought was odd. Smith kept to himself for most of the evening, occasionally casting a playfully sarcastic remark toward the brothers, and I played my turns and tried to forget everything. It worked for a while. The fun was something new and required attention. It made me realize how much I'd missed out on Earth before. No wonder Garrett had loved it so much.

An image of Garrett bowling with friends flashed through my mind until I stopped the thought. There it was again. Damn it. I tried to refocus on the game and my friends, but it was impossible for me not to think about him. I grabbed Jane's arm while fighting tears. "I think I'm going to head back to my room and get some sleep."

Her face crinkled. "Why? You're not having fun?"

She meant well, but the more I had to explain myself, the more my resolve broke down. "I-I just am tire—"

Jane saw the look on my face and interrupted me. "Oh yeah! I'm tired too! I'll probably turn in soon as well. I'll catch you later." She winked at me as she patted my shoulder. I turned to walk away but not before smirking at her. I hoped she'd understand it was my thank you.

She nodded.

I HEARD THEIR LAUGHTER echoing down the halls all night from my room.

I laid awake in somewhat of a daze for most of the night and thought about Garrett. I missed him. I wondered about the life I'd missed out on back here on Earth and how I'd never really fit in here. Listening to the playful banter filtering through my door magnified the truth. I was almost asleep despite my intrusive thoughts when I noticed the silence. Dead air replaced loud