his face as well. I sit up and look around. I half expect him to be standing near, spying on me. I can’t shake the feeling that he is close, but I don’t see him, or anyone. I’m in the middle of the orchard; in the middle of the farm, and the closest place is an outpost for Defense. An unsettling idea comes to me; what if he was here with me? I look towards the woods. I see a tall oak. I run over to it; there’s a path. I can picture him standing there, smiling his crooked smile at me, kissing my lips and walking away. It’s so real that I can remember his warmth, the taste of his mouth, and the smell of his skin. I touch my lips and warmth spreads across my face. My heart responds with a tangle of pain and despair.
“Why did you leave,” I ask myself? And then it occurs to me, “you’re real.”
The path leads to an old dirt road. My siblings and I use to play in the woods, but we never crossed the road. About a mile beyond the road was the boundary to the Defense post, and we were not allowed to trespass. There were kids at school who lived there, but they were not permitted to talk about the post.
I take a few steps down the path. I stop and look over my shoulder. I can see my tree, but I am confident that I am concealed enough that no one would be able to see me from the orchard. Someone could have been watching me, and I wouldn’t have noticed them.
“Access map: display life force.”
I am alone in the woods. My program allows for me to detect anyone within a fifty-yard radius of my current location. I decide to walk further down the path. I stop at the edge of the woods. The road is only a few feet in front of me. I take another step, but my visual display alarm announces a warning.
COMMAND: terminate currently projected course, Federation dead zone warning.
I stand still.
COMMAND: terminate current projected course, Federation dead zone warning, twenty, nineteen, eighteen, seventeen…
I take a step back. My visual display clears, and the warning stops. I turn and run up the path, towards the farm.
Beep, beep, beep - beep, beep, beep
I jump. My alarm sounds and my display shows the time. I run to the house. I close the door softly and lean against the wall. I take a moment to catch my breath before I head into the kitchen. My parents are sitting at the table. I join them.
“Everything okay,” my mother asks. “You look flushed.”
“I’m fine,” I say. “It’s chilly outside and I lost track of the time and ran back to the house.”
I hear Pam and my brothers’ stomp down the stairs. Pam stares at me and then quickly looks away. Chatter and commotion fill the room. I think of how quiet it will be when I finally get an occupation. I look forward to the quiet. I feel a twinge in my stomach and push my breakfast aside. After my vomiting in the orchard and stepping into a dead zone, I don’t feel like eating. I can’t stop thinking about him, and about the dead zone. And then I remember waking up last night, and Pam asking me if I had heard a sound. She said it was like an explosion. What happened?
I push my feelings aside. I take a deep breath and imagine I am sitting under my tree. It is summer, and a warm, sweet breeze flows around me, embracing me, and comforting me. As long as I can keep myself calm, and think about happy, peaceful memories, I can maintain my composure. I can appear to be normal. I pick up my dishes and place them in the sink. I start for the door, but my father’s voice stops me.
“I think we all need to acknowledge Emma and her new adventure.” He stands up and walks towards me. I stiffen as he puts his arms around me, hugging me tight. It takes a second for my mind to register what he’s doing. My entire body starts to shake, and I make a feeble attempt to push away, but he’s too strong. My sister and brothers look at us in shock. We aren’t allowed to hug or show any
“Why did you leave,” I ask myself? And then it occurs to me, “you’re real.”
The path leads to an old dirt road. My siblings and I use to play in the woods, but we never crossed the road. About a mile beyond the road was the boundary to the Defense post, and we were not allowed to trespass. There were kids at school who lived there, but they were not permitted to talk about the post.
I take a few steps down the path. I stop and look over my shoulder. I can see my tree, but I am confident that I am concealed enough that no one would be able to see me from the orchard. Someone could have been watching me, and I wouldn’t have noticed them.
“Access map: display life force.”
I am alone in the woods. My program allows for me to detect anyone within a fifty-yard radius of my current location. I decide to walk further down the path. I stop at the edge of the woods. The road is only a few feet in front of me. I take another step, but my visual display alarm announces a warning.
COMMAND: terminate currently projected course, Federation dead zone warning.
I stand still.
COMMAND: terminate current projected course, Federation dead zone warning, twenty, nineteen, eighteen, seventeen…
I take a step back. My visual display clears, and the warning stops. I turn and run up the path, towards the farm.
Beep, beep, beep - beep, beep, beep
I jump. My alarm sounds and my display shows the time. I run to the house. I close the door softly and lean against the wall. I take a moment to catch my breath before I head into the kitchen. My parents are sitting at the table. I join them.
“Everything okay,” my mother asks. “You look flushed.”
“I’m fine,” I say. “It’s chilly outside and I lost track of the time and ran back to the house.”
I hear Pam and my brothers’ stomp down the stairs. Pam stares at me and then quickly looks away. Chatter and commotion fill the room. I think of how quiet it will be when I finally get an occupation. I look forward to the quiet. I feel a twinge in my stomach and push my breakfast aside. After my vomiting in the orchard and stepping into a dead zone, I don’t feel like eating. I can’t stop thinking about him, and about the dead zone. And then I remember waking up last night, and Pam asking me if I had heard a sound. She said it was like an explosion. What happened?
I push my feelings aside. I take a deep breath and imagine I am sitting under my tree. It is summer, and a warm, sweet breeze flows around me, embracing me, and comforting me. As long as I can keep myself calm, and think about happy, peaceful memories, I can maintain my composure. I can appear to be normal. I pick up my dishes and place them in the sink. I start for the door, but my father’s voice stops me.
“I think we all need to acknowledge Emma and her new adventure.” He stands up and walks towards me. I stiffen as he puts his arms around me, hugging me tight. It takes a second for my mind to register what he’s doing. My entire body starts to shake, and I make a feeble attempt to push away, but he’s too strong. My sister and brothers look at us in shock. We aren’t allowed to hug or show any
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