"Mars. Mars! Wake up, we're here!"

I woke up groggily to an insistent shaking on my shoulder with my eyes still squeezed shut.

"Seriously, you don't want to miss this view, Mars." My brother tried again, more seriously.

I groaned and turned my head to see what he was making such a big deal about. Past his head, I could see the vast emptiness of the sea, and the ancient, yet still majestic, Golden Gate Bridge. The bay was surrounded on all sides by 100 story skyscrapers and swarms of hovers. I was amazed at the amount of life in the city. Bright neon lights shone across the evening sky, giving the city a liveliness that was almost welcoming. Almost.

"Isn't amazing?" Dean breathed out.

"It actually is," I murmured, still looking out at the vast emptiness of the golden coast.

I gaped at the glass palace that Martin lived in. There wasn't a brick to be seen in the whole bungalow.

Looking at my expression, "I know it looks very unconventional, but the glass is diamond-cased and the shading is adjustable."

I glanced at Dean, who wore the same expression as me. I picked up my 2 suitcases and followed Martin up the stairs. It was all very strange, yet at the same time very posh, exactly catered to Martin's taste.

We waited for a few seconds as Martin's eye sensor scanned him and let us in. He immediately crashed into the goldenrod armchair in front of us and stared awkwardly at us before gesturing for us to sit as well, as if he had forgotten about the 2 of us.

"We didn't properly get a chance to talk back in Phoenix, so I thought we could now. So…Mars, what are you planning on doing after high school?"

I hadn't really thought about that at all, honestly. But the thought of saying the truth to Martin didn't seem like the best idea.

"I was planning on enlisting with Starfleet, I guess. They have a pretty good engineering program."

"Really? Their headquarters are actually in San Francisco, and so is Starfleet Academy. We could arrange a tour there, and you can enroll in no time."

"Oh, uh, great!" I responded with fake enthusiasm, "But, I couldn't ask you to do that-"

"Not at all, Mars. It's perfectly fine. In fact, I'm glad you're showing interest in your future. I'll arrange for a tour tomorrow for both of you."

"Now on to Dean. What are you thinking of doing?"

"Well, I'm not sure. I mean, I'm only a freshman, so I still have time to decide right?"

"I suppose you could intern with my company and see if being a broker interests you. Or if you're more interested in the mining side of things, you could-"

I could clearly see that Dean had absolutely no interest in becoming a man like Martin. In fact, I gagged at that very thought.

"I was actually planning on enrolling in Starfleet Academy as well, like Mars."

Before Martin could reply, a new voice rang out from across the room.

"Hello, darling!"

A strange woman, dressed in a gaudy outfit and fine jewelry, entered the apartment. She hugged Martin from behind and started preparing a drink for herself behind the extravagant bar.

"This is Claudia, my girlfriend. Love, could you get me a drink too?"

"Of course, sweet pea!" she drawled in a sickeningly sweet tone.

She teetered over in her black stilettoes, holding 2 glasses of amber liquid. Claudia was really just a female version of Martin. They were really made for each other. As if she just noticed us sitting in the corner, she turned her head and looked us both over from head to toe.

"Well, aren't you both just charming. Though, your fashion sense is quite….outdated."

I looked down at my outfit. An old t-shirt, a pair of boyfriend jeans, and some chucks were apparently outdated, not that I cared in the least. I had just about had it with these smug, rich weasels who claimed to be my guardians.

"We'll have to take you both shopping before you go to Starfleet. How about tomorrow?"

Oh no. I was not looking forward to this at all.