The Circadia Chronicles: Omnibus: The Complete Colonization Sci-Fi Series by Heather Heckadon

Author:Heather Heckadon [Heckadon, Heather]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Heather Heckadon
Published: 2021-03-21T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

After staying up all night, the moon disappeared and the sun stayed. Our twenty-four-hour daylight was a blessing and a curse. It felt like the days dragged on and on, but it was better than the darkness. Our group's plan had been talked out to every extent, and everyone was ready to come together collectively and collaborate. I was interested in what the other groups had come up with, and how our plan would help theirs.

“Everyone meet here in two hours, we’ll disclose plans, then get some rest,” I said. “I know everyone’s tired. We need to sleep on these anyway.”

Everyone broke away to eat or try and get a nap in before the meeting. I went outside to ponder. We were about to wage war, and I was scared and hungry. I was always a nervous eater back on Earth. It was a bad habit, but one that proved difficult to kick. Scavenging for an edible snack, I felt a hand on my shoulder. Air caught in my throat as I hesitated to turn around. Quickly turning after a moment, I saw Garrett’s deep eyes searching mine.

“Hey, you doin’ okay?” he asked. “Pretty heavy stuff in there...”

My shoulders relaxed and I took a long breath. “Yeah, I think so. I mean, I think I feel okay about it right now. Later though, I think I’ll feel different about everything, you know, like after,” I looked down at the ground and grabbed a sideways glance to catch his reaction.

“Yeah, I get that. It’s kinda getting to me now. Just casually talking about killing hundreds of people, it’s weird. Really weird.” His eyebrows raised as he seemed to contemplate our situation.

“Yeah, it’s not easy, that’s for sure,” I answered. A pause followed, while I assumed we were both trying to find a way to change the subject. I know I needed a break from it all.

“I’m glad you made it out,” he blurted out. Garrett and I had never really classified ourselves as a couple before, but we did have our history. During the long darkness on Circadia, he kept me warm. We had both saved each other’s sanity during a desperate time, but once it was over, we never really talked. It left a lot of things unsaid, which made for awkward conversation.

“Thanks. I’m glad I made it out, too,” I said.

“What kept you going through all that isolation and dehydration? Did you think about anything in particular that made you push through?” he asked. I could tell he was prying and I didn’t handle these kinds of situations well.

“You know,” I said, “there was... now that you mention it. At night I would dream about you and wish that I could be close to you. During the day in the sweltering heat, I would yearn for one more kiss from you. Just one more.”

“Really?” he asked.

“No,” I laughed, “did you really believe that?” I asked, shoving him. Sarcasm was always my diffuser, and even on a new planet with a man I had a lot of feelings for, it was no different.

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