thought of her desire to help out. Maybe she deserved it. She admitted to herself that she had been a bit spoiled. Since her parents thought her older sister was dead, they had indulged Rachel’s every whim. They didn’t demand anything of her so they didn’t expect anything from her.
Rachel hoped by helping with the supplies being delivered to the subway people, that she could find a purpose for her life. She needed her mother’s help with this. This was her chance.
“Is that what you truly think of me ― that I’m useless?”
Her mother’s face paled. “Baby, I didn’t mean it that way. You are not useless.”
“You wouldn’t be the only one to think that. I’ve heard others say it and I’ve thought it about myself too. I will never be as strong or brave as Maggie. The things she has had to endure made the fact that she still came out surviving simply incredible. But this is my chance to show that I can contribute something worthwhile too. I just need you to let me do this. Please.”
Her mother sighed. “Fine. But you have to promise to follow the security detail’s every word. If they tell you to stop what you are doing, you stop.”
“I will. I swear it!”
“Fine, you may come with me.”
Rachel jumped up and hugged her mother and kissed her on the cheek. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” She ran toward the door but stopped and turned back. “Oh, can you let Dad know that I’m going?”
“What? No, you have to…”
“But I need to pack. The security escorts will be here in less than an hour.” She ran out of the bedroom and didn’t hear her mother grumbling. “Good luck, Mom!”
She floated on cloud nine to her bedroom and searched for her backpack.
*****
“What do you mean Rachel is going with you?” David glared at his wife, Melissa, in shock. She couldn’t be serious.
“Rachel asked to come with me to help and I think it will be a great opportunity for her.”
“No, absolutely not. I won’t have it!” David shook his head.
“Don’t you talk to me in your Lieutenant Colonel voice. I am your wife; your partner in life. You should trust my decisions.”
“I didn’t want you to go to begin with, but now you expect me to sit back while both you and our daughter put yourselves at risk?”
Melissa waved her hand at him, dismissing his concerns. “Please, between you and Great Commander Estro, there will be so much security running around we’ll trip over it all.”
“Melissa, you don’t understand what’s going on right now. There’s a serious situation.”
She raised her eyebrow. “If I don’t know what’s going on, whose fault is that? You won’t tell me anything. You are always telling us what to do, but never telling us why we need to do it your way.”
“I’m the dome leader here. It’s my job to protect everyone. There are some things I can’t disclose because it could cause problems if it’s repeated to everyone else. You know better than anyone what happens when people panic.”
“We’re not just anybody. We’re your family and I am your wife. Tell me what’s going on.”
David sighed as he sat on their bed. He had to explain so that she would understand that it was just too dangerous. “There are groups of people who are angry with the Drastans being here. They want the aliens to leave.”
“Are they stupid? The Drastans are here to help us. They’re just idiots. We shouldn’t put stock in their pointless views.”
“The problem is that they are acting on their beliefs. They have been sabotaging the supply shipments. That’s why we’ve had to double the security. There have been threats to the Drastans and to...me.”
Melissa’s face paled. “They’re threatening you? Why?”
“There were notes found at the destroyed supplies directed to me. They want me to step down from my position as dome leader. They say that I am an alien sympathizer, a traitor to my own race, and that I should die for giving my daughter over to
Rachel hoped by helping with the supplies being delivered to the subway people, that she could find a purpose for her life. She needed her mother’s help with this. This was her chance.
“Is that what you truly think of me ― that I’m useless?”
Her mother’s face paled. “Baby, I didn’t mean it that way. You are not useless.”
“You wouldn’t be the only one to think that. I’ve heard others say it and I’ve thought it about myself too. I will never be as strong or brave as Maggie. The things she has had to endure made the fact that she still came out surviving simply incredible. But this is my chance to show that I can contribute something worthwhile too. I just need you to let me do this. Please.”
Her mother sighed. “Fine. But you have to promise to follow the security detail’s every word. If they tell you to stop what you are doing, you stop.”
“I will. I swear it!”
“Fine, you may come with me.”
Rachel jumped up and hugged her mother and kissed her on the cheek. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” She ran toward the door but stopped and turned back. “Oh, can you let Dad know that I’m going?”
“What? No, you have to…”
“But I need to pack. The security escorts will be here in less than an hour.” She ran out of the bedroom and didn’t hear her mother grumbling. “Good luck, Mom!”
She floated on cloud nine to her bedroom and searched for her backpack.
*****
“What do you mean Rachel is going with you?” David glared at his wife, Melissa, in shock. She couldn’t be serious.
“Rachel asked to come with me to help and I think it will be a great opportunity for her.”
“No, absolutely not. I won’t have it!” David shook his head.
“Don’t you talk to me in your Lieutenant Colonel voice. I am your wife; your partner in life. You should trust my decisions.”
“I didn’t want you to go to begin with, but now you expect me to sit back while both you and our daughter put yourselves at risk?”
Melissa waved her hand at him, dismissing his concerns. “Please, between you and Great Commander Estro, there will be so much security running around we’ll trip over it all.”
“Melissa, you don’t understand what’s going on right now. There’s a serious situation.”
She raised her eyebrow. “If I don’t know what’s going on, whose fault is that? You won’t tell me anything. You are always telling us what to do, but never telling us why we need to do it your way.”
“I’m the dome leader here. It’s my job to protect everyone. There are some things I can’t disclose because it could cause problems if it’s repeated to everyone else. You know better than anyone what happens when people panic.”
“We’re not just anybody. We’re your family and I am your wife. Tell me what’s going on.”
David sighed as he sat on their bed. He had to explain so that she would understand that it was just too dangerous. “There are groups of people who are angry with the Drastans being here. They want the aliens to leave.”
“Are they stupid? The Drastans are here to help us. They’re just idiots. We shouldn’t put stock in their pointless views.”
“The problem is that they are acting on their beliefs. They have been sabotaging the supply shipments. That’s why we’ve had to double the security. There have been threats to the Drastans and to...me.”
Melissa’s face paled. “They’re threatening you? Why?”
“There were notes found at the destroyed supplies directed to me. They want me to step down from my position as dome leader. They say that I am an alien sympathizer, a traitor to my own race, and that I should die for giving my daughter over to
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