Chapter Ten - Bright and Early
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Bright and early. I sit up and stretch for a long moment. It's a gorgeous morning. I'm the first one up, like I usually am. The bridge is sparkling like it's on fire as I go in and look around. Everything inside is the same, yet the sunrise is as unique as everybody on Atmos. This one is the prettiest yet.
Yet as I smile at the glorious splendor, I suddenly find myself sad. Profoundly so. On mornings like these I think of my mother and how her strawberry blonde hair lit up almost as brightly as her smile on mornings like this. How she carried me in her arms; how she danced with me across the yard. And how happy we were when Dad would come home, dirty and tired and just in time for breakfast.
I miss them a lot.
When I get sad, I don't feel bad about one thing. I'm reminded of all the other things I try to let peacefully sleep in the recesses of my mind. I think of Dove and Wren and I wonder if they're okay. I remember how lost Wren looked without his beautiful granddaughter. I think of the Blizzarians. How are they on Terra Nord? How hard it must be to have to keep running from the Cyclonians, never to see their old home again. I'm too scared to ask Piper if she's bothered about the whole Lark thing, even though we're best friends. And pretty soon, instead of the brave, stoic leader, I'm scared like a little kid.
I squint as the sun blinds me. It's like it's coming up in notches, a little bit brighter every few seconds. It hits the time pulse sensor and the whole room lights up like electricity. I walk back a few paces and into the shade of the hallway. It's incredible how stunning a simple metal ship can become with a little bit of nature's touch. Knowing I'm so small, so helpless against nature, is incredible.
But you're not, a voice in me head tells me. While I can't stop a storm, I can change the world. That's what I live for: justice for my parents, safety for Terra Gale, a home for Suzie Lu and Billy Rex, happiness for Piper and everybody.
I'm thankful for that. The power to protect the innocent, the strength to spread hope where it hasn't gone before. I go from bummed out to cheerful again as I contemplate these things. And even though it's a fight, a battle, a war; life isn't so bad after all.
June 23, 2008. (A year ago today!!)