The air was clean and fresh when I stepped outside. I couldn’t believe life was any other way before. How could people live without the pleasure of green earth and startling blue skies?

However, I knew the struggle it took my people to get here. These seemingly endless pleasures are not to be taken for granted. Not even a hundred years ago, my father was on the front line when the votes to change planets came out. Half the population stayed on earth, that rotten old thing, where the people rotted along side it. The rest came to Aurelia and live as long as the healthy vegetables.

This privilege has never been so meaningful to me as today. The Aurelia government has solemnly decided to break all contact with earth and their people. No more ships will come and go to carry people across lands.

Normally, this wouldn’t put any damper on my mood, as life on Aurelia is nothing short of glorious. But there is one simple factor to my discomfort; I have never been to earth.

Now, I am fully aware that I shouldn’t want to go even near earth, considering all the stories I’ve grown up hearing about it’s dirty lands. But curiosity has claws quicker than cats, and I have scratches.

————————————————————————-

As I make my way back inside my house, I carefully spot every area that is free of people. My parents usually have one of their many business friends partying about, so they rarely spend time focusing on me, but it reassures me to know where exactly I can safely hide.

I head over to our backyard, which is bustling with green plants and flowers everywhere. Bees are greedily stealing pollen and mosquitoes are scouting out lumps of food accidentally knocked on the ground. No one cares or would even think to pull out bug spray. Ever since humans on Aurelia made a pact with every other species’ kingdoms, everyone is at peace. Blatantly killing innocents for the crime of being small is a scene you will never see play out on our mother of green.

I search for my parents, my eyes landing not so gracefully on my father wearing a mesh tank top and surfer shorts. You would think a highly esteemed business man would dress accordingly, but low and behold dear old dad. As much as it embarrasses me, it’s nice to see him so comfortable in his own skin, even after living for roughly two hundred years.

I can’t say the same for my mother. Constantly fidgeting and looking around, she wear a cotton candy pink blouse with a blue pencil skirt. Whoever told her that that combination of colors would look good has seriously got to get their eyes checked because all I’m getting from it is hardcore unicorn vibes. It doesn’t help that she always wears her signature purple glasses. She says they help with blocking out sun rays, but I don’t see the point of them here in Aurelia, since the sun is akin to a deity granting their blessings on us. Anyways, her pink, blue and purple attire along with her frequent jitters are definitely going to give me nightmares filled with frantic unicorns wearing sun glasses.

“Giselle!” My dad calls as soon as he spots me across the hundred or so people between us.

“Hey dad,” I shoot him a small grin after finding my way towards him. My parents don’t spend a lot of time with me, but on the rare occasions that they do, they really give it their all.

“Oh, honey,” my mom gasps as she takes in my person which she probably hasn’t seen in at least a week. I can’t technically blame them for their duties as Aurelia’s high government jobs, but it still hurts to know they had a daughter just to throw her out of the nest as soon as possible.

A cheer runs through the partygoers as my dad shouts my presence out to the crowd. Not to brag or anything, but I’m a fan favourite among my parents friends and coworkers, as I am considered to be a prime example of future generation’s excellence. Hey, I had nothing better to do in my childhood other than study all the books milling about my house about eco systems, so don’t blame me for being an absolute powerhouse when it comes to school.

My mother quickly gathers me and my father before we can both run off again and brings us into a closed off corner in our backyard. She says, “I was thinking.” _That’s already a bad sign. _“What if we do something, the three of us, together?”

“Like, an activity?” My dad asks warily. His funny facial expressions have always made me laugh in the past and now is no exception.

After stifling my giggle, I say “No can do, I have much homework I need to attend to.”

“Oh, who cares?” My mother answers rapidly. My father and I both gasp, although I much less comically than he. We’re both used to mom being a worry wart and her tidbit about homework being useless is much too out of character for her not to be an imposter. No wonder her clothes looked worse than usual.

“Who are you and what have you done to my wife?” My dad starts. Even while making a conscious effort to tone down his mannerisms, he still gets a couple of head turns at his loud voice and many hand gestures.

My mom sighs and asks, “Of course you think that I’m an imposter as soon as I start vocalizing my thoughts. Honestly, Henry. Don’t you know how wrong it is to neglect a person’s ideas just because you don’t see eye to eye?”

My dad makes an expression that tells me that he’s thinking exactly what I am thinking. Mom has been to earth. These ideologies have never been discussed on Aurelia and my mother’s only reason for bringing them up is if she has made a certain trip my father despises.

“Have you been to earth?” My father asks menacingly. Long gone are his funny retorts and hilarious faces. The businessman who has fought tooth and nail to never hear about earth again is standing in front of us now, and he’s not backing down.

Which what makes what I’m going to do much more difficult.

“So what if I have?” My mom finally says after gathering up her courage. “It’s not like it’s illegal.”

“It will be in less than a month, and you know it!” He nearly screams. The crowd has almost completely stopped partying and is now intently watching the scene.

“Hey, guys,” I start, the embarrassment I normally feel around my parents nothing compared to now. “How about we just calm down?”

“Exactly,” my mom retorts, completely ingnoring me. A few dejected whistles fly out through the crowd after seeing my upset. “I deserve now more than ever to go see my old home. Don’t you know how great their stories are? Nothing like we have here. Oh, Henry. Why have you never told me about their stories?”

She starts looking towards the sun while biting her nails, a universal sign amongst my small family that my mom is having one of her episodes. My dad sighs and the crowd slowly starts to gather their things and go, understanding the fragile moment they intruded on.

“C’mon, sweetie. Let’s go.” He carefully grabs her hands, anger gone, and brings her back into the house, effectively leaving me alone again.

Contrary to what you may be thinking, this little scene did nothing to stop me from wanting to go to earth. Actually, it made my questions raise to even higher heights. What stories made my mom act out like this and why doesn’t my father want to tell her?

Mind made up, I take my emergency bag from my room quietly and head to the front porch. Turning my head back moments before leaving, I place my hand softly on the concrete walls and say a simple goodbye.

—————————————————————————

“Are you really sure you want to go through with this?” My best friend Raya asks me as she drives me to some of the last shuttles ever leaving Aurelia. Raya’s dark skin and gorgeous green eyes have made me jealous ever since kindergarten, where we first met. Now, the sight is a comforting reminder to my life here in Aurelia as she makes one of the final turns. “You do know that by the time you want to come home, the shuttles may already be closed for good. You will be stuck on that wretched planet with no friends, family or anyone you care about.”

Wow, Raya. Way to paint a picture. “Yeah, I’m aware. I need to know what made my mom go so crazy.” _And why my dad won’t tell me what it is._

__

__

Raya inhales deeply as she parks her car in the driveway. “Okay. I trust you,” her green eyes glittering with unshed tears as she rallies her gaze to meet mine.

I suck in a wet sniffles and am immediately soothed by her arms around me as we both cradle each other for what may be the last time.

“You have your shuttle pass, food and entertainment for the ride?” Oh, Raya. Ever the overprotective mother hen.

I roll my eyes teasingly and her serious face morphs back into a small smile I’m more accustomed to seeing her with. “I will miss you so much,” I say. She smiles and we fight over who will miss the other more. Finally having enough of the bursts of giggles, I unlock the electric car door and start towards the shuttles. I make sure to not turn around, as I know I would be too tempted to run right back to Raya’s car if I see her pleading eyes for one more second.

It takes me no longer than 10 minutes to successfully trade in my shuttles ticket and get my bag checked before I make my way right in front of the shuttle door. We have to wait in line for the people of earth to come off before we go on, so I watch curiously as each one of them steps off with the same expression; awe, excitement, and even hopefulness.

I internally shudder, thinking about how bad earth is that they seem to excited to be relieved of it. I steel my resolve. There will be no stopping now. I have to figure out these stories.

The pilot comes out of the shuttle right after the last passenger and makes and hand gesture, indicating the first person in our line to come aboard. I solemnly note that there are only seven people going to earth, compared to the almost full crew coming back from it.

_No going back now. _

I take one final breath, and step on.