A/N This is an updated version of the story I posted last year. It is still very much the same. However, I have added a little more to the story, as well as page breaks.


The following publication is from a diary found near a school in the Eastern Plains District on the northern continent of the planet Miranda. The inscription in the front of the diary says it belonged to a young girl named Emmeline Crumb. She received this diary for her twelfth birthday, just two days before the release of the PAX. It was a gift from her Aunt Emma. Research has revealed that Emmeline was named after her paternal aunt Emma Crumb-Black of Terra 3. Please keep in mind the disturbing nature of the events on Miranda as you read the last days of that planet as recorded by Emmeline in her new diary.


Dear Diary,

I am so happy I have you. I can't wait to tell you all about what happens around here. I had a really great birthday party and got lots of great presents. It's really late and I have to get up early in the morning so I won't tell you all of them right now. I don't mind not telling you much now because we will have forever.

Goodnight,

Emmeline

P.S. I'm going to write Aunt Emma and tell her I love my birthday present from her.


Dear Diary,

I'm not exactly sure what I should write, so I will just tell you a little bit about me for now. My name is Emmeline Crumb. My brother is Emmett. He is two years older than me. My parents' names are Emil and Evelyn. Yeah, we all have E names. I think it is kind of neat. It makes us different from all the other families. My best friends are June Sung and Macie Waters. We have known each other forever. We all live on the same street across from a huge playground. We go to there a lot. That is where we met and we keep hanging out there. On the other side of the playground is the school we go to. It is made almost all of glass. I think it is really pretty.

My mom owns a diner on the other side of the district called Evelyn's. She made all the recipes and is always working, but she still likes to cook for us at home too. Dad is an engineer. He works for the Alliance. Tomorrow we are going to the park over by the diner to watch the PAX deployment.

I wore my new clothes that I got for my birthday to school today. Macie and June liked the blue color of my skirt. They said it matches my eyes. I didn't tell them, but I was hoping Bobby Redman would like it too, but he sat on the other side of the room and didn't see me.

Well, I'm tired. Now you know a little more about me and I know a little bit more about how to talk to you. We are going to be the best of friends.

Goodnight,

Emmeline

P.S. I wrote a thank you letter to Aunt Emma. She should get it next week.


Dear Diary,

Today is the day. Mom says the Alliance is going to help make Miranda better. I don't know how. I think it is already pretty good, but Mom and Dad say I am too young to know any different. They are so dumb. Of course I know stuff. Just because they don't think I do doesn't mean I don't.

I know that the PAX is supposed to make all the crime go away. There isn't much crime here, so I don't know why they are releasing it here. It doesn't matter though because we get out of school today because of it. Ms. Janson says it's so we can witness history. All I know is that me, June and Macie are going to the park with June's parents to watch the deployment. They say there might be a big explosion. I can't wait. Mom was going to meet us there, but she has to work. I hope Mom gets to go outside to see it, at least for a little while. Since Dad has been working on the deployment engine, he has to make sure everything is working good, so he is going to get a really good view. I'm sure Emmett will be with his dumb friends at the park too.

Oh, they're here. I'll tell you all about it tonight.

Dear Diary,

I'm back and all I can say is wow! That was the coolest thing ever! There were two shuttles flying over us really high up, almost out of the atmosphere. We couldn't see it but they announced it over the speakers when they released the PAX. We thought that nothing would happen. Then all of a sudden there was a bright flash and we could see a huge fireball expand through the sky. It was so high up it took several seconds for the sound to reach us. Then everyone started cheering.

When the fireball died out everyone started leaving. June's mom told us to head to the transport so we could go get some lunch. On the way to the transport we saw several people holding signs saying how bad the PAX was. They think it will damage the ecosystem and not have any effect on crime. I wanted to tell them that my dad would never work on something that would hurt anything, but Junes' mom made us walk faster past those people.

We went to Chinny Chin's. I love their taco soup. After that me and Macie stayed at June's house for the rest of the day. We had so much fun. Macie said that Bobby likes me. I hope so because I like him too. Mom came and got me after she got off work. I don't think she needs to take me everywhere. She lets Emmett go wherever he wants. She says it's because he is older and that one day I can go where I want too. I can't wait to be older.

Dad was really happy tonight. He said they will start to look at "the numbers" tomorrow to see if the PAX is working, but it will probably take a couple of days. He said since he worked on the deployment part he just has to review the engine's performance. I think that means he will not be doing much tomorrow. Today was so much fun I don't want to go to school tomorrow. I wish every day was just as good as today.

Goodnight,

Emmeline


Dear Diary,

Today at school all everyone wanted to talk about was the deployment. Not everyone got to see it. Bobby said I was lucky. His parents wouldn't let him watch it. He is so cute. I can't believe he was talking to me! That was in second lecture. The rest of the day I kept trying to talk to him again but he was always with his friends. June says he is just a dumb boy and that I should like someone else. She likes Charlie. He is two years older than us and friends with Emmett and I think he looks like a gorilla. Bobby is so much better.

At supper Dad said people at work were worried about the PAX. He said it isn't acting right. He said that he would probably be working a lot until they figured out what's going on. I'm not worried though. Dad said they did a good job making it. He has been working with those scientists most of my life so he knows what they have been doing. He was so happy yesterday. I'm sure everything is fine because every time Dad says something isn't acting right it turns out that he is wrong and the thing is working right.

Emmett said that he wants to be a scientist and make stuff like the PAX when he grows up. Mom and Dad think that is a great idea. I think it sucks. There is no way he will be a good scientist. I think he should be a pilot. He is really good with that type of stuff. After supper Emmett was being nice so he played checkers with me. He beat me twice, but I like it when he is nice so I didn't complain.

Well, I have to do my homework now. What I really want to do is call Macie and talk to her about Bobby, but she is grounded. She told me and June at lunch that she and her brother had a really bad argument last night after we left, and they were both grounded for a week. So I guess I will do my homework.

Goodnight,

Emmeline.

P.S. I really hope I get to talk to Bobby tomorrow.


Dear Diary,

I can't wait for school. Bobby will be in second lecture so I'm going to try and sit by him. And I can talk to Macie at lunch. I always hate it when one of us is grounded. We are together so much it's weird when one of us is missing.

I will be back this afternoon to tell you all about my day.

Dear Diary,

Oh my gosh! Today was so weird! Everyone was smiling. Even Macie was in a good mood. Normally she is sad and mopey the entire time she is grounded. Bobby held my hand too! He barely talks to me ever and today he said he wanted to hold my hand and he didn't care if we got in trouble. Ms. Janson looked right at us and just kept smiling. He held my hand all lecture. I am so glad Macie was right because I really like Bobby a lot. The second best part of the day was that we don't have any homework.

It was just as weird at home. Emmett didn't argue with Mom about what was for supper. Dad was smiling again, so I guess the PAX is acting right after all. Mom made her famous tofu salad for supper. It was SO good! It's my favorite thing she makes. She said that is why she made it. She also made Dad the steamed vegetables that he likes and Emmett a chocolate cake. She said I could go to the playground with June if it was okay with her parents. Since Macie is grounded I couldn't ask her.

Macie was at June's house when I got there. She said her mom said that she and her brother weren't grounded anymore. So we went to the playground and talked until it was dark. There were a lot of people out there. It's like everyone decided to have a big party and everyone was invited. I'm tired now.

Goodnight,

Emmeline