For reference, Harris was born in 2236 and Lydia was born in 2258.


Chapter 1

2239

His mother was busy building the last wall of the house, and either hadn't noticed or hadn't worried when he'd wandered off. He knew he wasn't supposed to go far, after all.

He casually moved farther and farther toward the edge of the cliff that their house sat beside, and pretended to be very interested in one rock after another as he made his way over, just in case she was watching. She always was.

At the corner of the house, he surreptitiously peered back to check on her. She was concentrating on hammering. Suddenly she shrieked, dropped the hammer, and stuck her thumb in her mouth. While she was distracted, he edged around the back corner of the house.

The fence she'd built between the house and the cliff was taller than he, all criss-crossing planks and scraps of wood. Perfect for climbing. He started up, carefully placing hand over foot one step at a time. As he neared the top, he craned his neck to see over the top of the fence. The canyon gaped below. He stared down in fascination for a moment, then pulled himself up. He swung a leg over so that he was perched at the top, one leg on either side. He paused there, afraid to continue. He'd never gone this far on his own before.

"Sam Harris!"

He jumped, and hurried to grasp the boards of the fence and keep himself from falling off. He whipped around to see his mother striding toward him. She plucked him off the fence and carried him back to the house. He sulked, frustrated at being caught.

"There'll be plenty of time for that later," she said. She sounded tired instead of angry. Sam looked up at her curiously.

"Enjoy the fences while you have them," she said. "They won't last forever.