Author Games: Brave New World

Task Three Entries: 13-24

Xander Gallus

I let out a shaky breath as the remainder of the colonists all stand on the sandy shores of this beautiful new planet. Our leaders are bickering again, and all I can sense is danger. Governor Chen and Dr. Moriz have been shaky ever since the start of our journey, but their arguments have never been up to this scale. All of us watch in a tense silence, completely clueless as to what to do. The Colony High Ups are like the gamemasters, and we are game pieces. They tell us what to do, and we do our job to the best of our abilities.

My head spins with a different beat, as if dizziness could feel different on this new planet. My vision gets blurry, and my body feel weak from the lack of oxygen. It gets worse and worse as the shouts and yells worsen. I seem to be more and more prone to panic attacks here.

Demetrius looks over at me worriedly. I give him a weak smile as if to say not to worry, he replies with a smile of his own before turning back to the bickering leaders. I take a few deep breaths to calm myself down. This is not a time to freak out.

Suddenly, they seem to come to a decision, and a complete silence strikes like lightning, suddenly and unexpectedly. The calm waves and heavy breathing is all that we hear for a short few seconds before Governor Chen makes an announcement, "Dear Colonists, due to many arguments over the way we're running things here in the colony. Dr. Moirz has decided to split from our colony and form a different colony where they are allowing all scientific experimentation. I am sure that the scientists within us are overjoyed to hear this. You have one hour to decide between the two colonies. Of course you may discuss within you, and I leave you with that information."

How can this be happening? I stand shell-shocked, but my decision has already been made. Always the one for safe routes, I am going with Governor Chen. Looking around me though, the scientists eyes are shining with happiness and I can already tell what they have decided to do. I look over at Demetrius, where my eyes are met with his stormy ones. I can tell he up has come to his own decision as well, though I do not know what it is, I hope he is wise about it.

I let out a shaky breath as Governor Chen and Dr. Moriz return standing side by side. I know that it is time to make a decision, but all I feel is my heart thumping in fear for the unknown we call tomorrow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lucia Paula Fernandez

It's just another night,

And I'm staring at the moon.

It was odd how brightly the stars still shone in the dark night sky, even though that the elite group of colonists were now camped a foreign planet. Before embarking on this journey, Lucia had believed that the stars gleamed and glimmered to Earth alone, that somehow they only emitted their light to that one single planet. Now, truly analyzing her thoughts for the first time, Lucia realized that her views were completely irrational and illogical.

I saw a shooting star,

And thought of you.

She tilted her head upwards, basking in the rare peace and quiet of Eden – their new settlement – enjoying one last night out in the open before she would depart with Doctor Moriz further inland. Rumors had been speculating that the location where Moriz would be settling was something close to the Amazon Rainforest back on Earth – lush trees and undergrowth, damp weather, much more biodiversity than the plain fields of Eden.

I sang a lullaby,

By the waterside and knew.

Though it was Lucia's first choice to follow the Doctor over the Governor – for she believed that to complete the mission more exploration had to be done – it still pained her heart that underneath the overhanging branches of towering trees, she was certain that she would no longer be able to gaze up at the heavens and cherish the beauty of the stars like she was doing now. And somehow, that new theory seemed to distance Lucia even further from home, from Earth. From Maria. Somehow, the stars had acted like a thread to connect them both across the galaxies, a thread which Lucia clung onto with all of her heart.