Chapter 2

Five-year-old B'Elanna Torres ran into her room and slammed the door. The resounding thud offered no comfort. Out of pure spite, she slammed her small fist into the wall. Pain rocketed through her hand and up into her arm. It hurt so badly that it almost covered the pain in her heart. Slowly, the pain in her hand lessened, but her heart still stung as worse as ever.

Her dad was gone forever. He had kissed her cheek, and said he'd write, then left. He had told her it wasn't her fault he was leaving, but she knew it was. If she had been more human, maybe her dad would have stayed. Would he have stayed if she had been a good girl, and not fought at school? Or if she had stayed out of trouble? If only she had been brave and good her dad would have stayed.

The house was so quiet now that her dad was gone. It finally sunk in he was gone forever. B'Elanna's small body trembled with anger and sadness. Slowly the first tear rolled down her cheek. She tried to control them, but they fell more and more rapidly. She tried to stop the sobbing but it was stronger than she was.

The door to B'Elanna's room flew open and her mother strode in. "You dishonorable, cowardly, pahtk. Klingons don't cry!" Her mother roared at her. Than she grabbed B'Elanna's collar and pulled her off the bed so that B'Elanna stood in front of her.

"Now, coward, tell me what you are whimpering about!"

B'Elanna groped for an explanation, there wasn't an acceptable one.

"Come, out with it Ha' Dlbalt!" Her mother screamed, becoming frustrated. She was impatient to wait any longer so she just brought her hand up and smacked it solidly against the five-year-olds jaw. Then, for the heck of it, she smacked her again. "There. Now you have something to cry about." She growled, stomping out of B'Elanna's room and slamming the door.

B'Elanna choked back her tears. She knew that what she had just received was a taste of what would happen if her mother ever found her crying again. She reached her small fingers up and tenderly fingered the sore spots on her face. They would bruise badly by tomorrow.

She walked over to the window and punched the pad next to it so it would open. There was a beep and the pad flashed but the window would not open. Her mom had locked her in her room again, but B'Elanna didn't care. Being locked in was just an invitation to rewire and get out. It also offered B'Elanna a chance to work with her favorite thing…machines. The young girl plopped herself down in front in front of a panel wrapped her fingers around it and pried it open.

A few minutes later the window swished open. It took all of the young girl's will power not to shout in triumph. Grabbing the ledge, she pulled herself up and wiggled out. If she was back by dinner, her mom would never knew she left.

***

What happened to our innocence-

Did it go out of style?

Along with our naïveté-

No longer a child,

Different eyes see different things,

Different hearts,

Beat on different strings,

But there are times,

For you and me,

When all such things agree.

-Different Strings

Rush

***

Thomas Eugene Paris nervously twisted the sleeve on his outfit. He was going to Starfleet Academy! He couldn't wait to see it, he'd heard so much about it.

Beside him, his dad, Admiral Owen Paris, glanced, smiling at his son. Tom grinned back. He was young, but he knew that his dad was proud of him. Even at the early age of five, Tom had a knack for piloting. He had learned it from watching his dad pilot shuttlecrafts and the family hovercraft.

Tom spent weeks begging his dad to take him to the Academy stimulator to fly a holographic shuttle. Dad had asked him lots of hard questions about piloting. To his dad's amazement and happiness, Tom answered them all right. So now Dad was taking Tom to the Academy.

Tom wasn't sure how to respond to that. He'd be with a lot of older kids, kids even older than his 10-year-old sister, Danielle. To Tom, that was a very strange thing. Tom really only thought that people looked like his dad, mom and his sisters. Old people were like his dad. Things like that.

The shuttle landed at the front of the Academy and Tom stood up. Admiral Paris took the youngsters hand and led him inside.

People Dad called 'Cadets', scurried around, smiling at Tom and nodding to the Admiral. Tom frowned. He never had to nod to his dad, or stand at attention. So why did these kids have to?

A set of doors parted when the two stopped near them. Inside was a large room with yellow lights. Tom knew what this was. This was the stimulator. Happiness shot through him and he raced in.

"Where's the shuttle?" He asked, looking around.

Dad grinned. "Computer, activate piloting simulator Beta-3-Delta."

Tom frowned. That was a strange name for a shuttle.

Suddenly, the entire room lit up with a shuttle. Tom was standing beside the Conn. He stared at it. "Well?" Dad asked. "Go ahead."

Tom glanced at his dad, then turned to the Conn. He slipped into the chair and tapped at the controls. He felt the shuttle rise into the air and into the outer atmosphere. The sky turned black and dotted with stars. Tom was awed by the sight, but refused to be distracted by them. He quickly turned to the Conn.

He focused all his attention on the Conn., throwing in a few fancy moves he made up in his head. He could tell his dad was impressed, but Tom didn't take time to talk. He had to pilot the shuttle, and not be distracted.

He had fun, making up an elaborate story in his head. He was being chased by Romulans, no, the Borg, and he had to save the crew from being destroyed. Then, when he set down the shuttle, a group of people would come out and praise him, and maybe even give him a medal!

"Tom, I think we've had our time. Cadets will want to use the simulator. Maybe tomorrow we can spend some more time."

"But dad!" Tom protested. "I hardly got any time to practice!"

Dad chuckled. "Tom, my boy, you got two hours to do this! And that's pretty impressive for a 5-year-old."

Tom's shoulders sagged. He wanted more time.

"Tell you what." Dad said. "Some of my friends at work want to see you pilot a shuttle. How would you like to present to them what you can do?"

Tom nodded eagerly.

"Alright, it's settled. Computer, end simulator."

The shuttle and everything disappeared and once again, the same black room with yellow lights appeared.

Tom couldn't wait till the next day.