The Space Bubbles

A Chat With My Friends

Silence fills the room like a empty void, and there is an intake of breath. I think that we all know that something up. Ean and I saw the room, but now I realize that other people might've too. This could be a crisis! Either that, or they're just surprised at the interior of the fruit. Finally, Thelma breaks the silence. "Wow." she whimpers, as if she's afraid. Then regaining her composure, she speaks once again. "Well, we'll have to report this." Trying to lighten the mood she continues. "If this is a new discovery we could be famous! Millionaires even! Imagine that. Maybe this lemon has some type of GMO in it. Or, it could be a prank!" Timed perfectly she checks her watch and realizes that it's 10:59. "One minute to lunch! Let's go!" 

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I'm sitting under the vast canopy of trees. The fake wind brushes my hair, as I smell the sweet and sour fragrance of lemons. The sounds around me are quiet, with the sounds of munching and the few people who are talking. I'm in a section of The Greenhouse where the tall but yet delicate lemon trees grow. There are other plants here too. Most of them I haven't seen, but I've seen ones like artichokes, walnuts, kiwis, plums, and apricots. The (amazing) cucumbers are some where else. Sitting beside me are my friends Opal, Moxie, and Izzie. 

Opal's eating a fancy meal of homemade orecchiette pasta (Italian cooking is her forte), Moxie is leaning against a tree with some headphones on, while Izzie is l talking and eating some mango. I've been with these friends since I started LTC.  My first year in LTC was stressful. Mountains of homework were piled upon my shoulders, and in the first few months it was difficult to keep up. It was definitively a big change! Once I met Opal, Moxie, and Izzie though, it was easier. It also helped that we helped each other, and then at school we were learnt about 'Time Management'. Sitting here with them feels different than it did a year ago. Gradually, we haven't stayed in touch and don't talk that much. Maybe it's just school. 

"Everyone was super-late." I say to my friends. "Do you know why?". Opal and Moxie look at each other nervously. "Accidentally slept in." Izzie shrugs. "What about you two?" I say. "We got lost in the factory part of the bubbles." Opal says cautiously. I can tell that they're trying to hide something from me. "Oh" I reply.  And now they're wondering about my reaction. They probably expected more from me, as I'm usually a very organized person. Them, not so much. Izzie, on the other hand, gives them a better reaction. "How? How could you have got lost? If you entered through the main doors, there are clear signs everywhere. You obviously should've seen them. Duh." "The thing is..." Moxie says, speaking up for the first time. "We didn't enter from the first doors, we entered from the side entrance."

"Why?" I ask. "Well..." Opal says cautiously. "We," she pauses, then looks at Moxie, who only gives her a blank expression in return. "We sort of accidentally broke some ancient artifact."