Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It’s been barely three weeks since the world has changed. Since it happened. And everything is different now. I have no words to describe it. The world how it was just three weeks ago doesn’t exist anymore.

From one moment to the next the sun was gone. The sun that lights up our days turned dark. We now are wrapped in a blanket of darkness. If I were outside, I wouldn’t even be able to see my hand in front of my eyes, no matter the hour of the day.

Everything is just dark.

No one knows how it happened, only that the comet that was predicted and calculated to pass by Earth smoothly collided with the sun and evaporated due to the heat. And the moment the collision happened everything turned dark.

Chaos and madness filled the days.

It was just like scenes that you would see in a movie.

There isn’t a government anymore, I don’t even know if any of it is even still alive.

Nothing exists anymore. Schools don’t exist anymore, hospitals don’t exist anymore. Banks, post offices, supermarkets, libraries, stores of all sorts, police, the list goes on and on. Nothing exists anymore

Everything was abandoned.

Everything shut down in a matter of hours, it was absolute chaos. No one was prepared for something like this ever happening. I mean no one would expect that the sun suddenly no longer was emitting light, and so many people have died because of it. I don’t even know how many anymore, every second the number is rising. But when the news still aired, it was stated that in the matter of the coming days, billions of people more would die.

It wasn’t the darkness that killed everyone, well at the beginning it did. We all got surprised by it.

But now it wasn’t the darkness that was taking our lives.

It was cold. It came slowly creeping and then it was just there, and no one could do anything against it.

Since the sun turned dark, it was no longer shining its light on Earth, warming our planet. Just minutes before the sun disappeared and brought the cold, we all over the planet were battling heat waves. I can still remember the second the sun was gone the temperature must have dropped at least ten degrees at once. And since it started it was getting colder and colder, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

Earth was going to continue to cool down until we most likely reached the temperature of outer space. Which when you look it up is below four hundred fifty degrees Celsius. Earth was going to freeze.

No one can survive such temperatures.

The temperatures dropped so quickly on the first days. To be honest I’m still surprised none of us experienced a temperature shock because of it.

But since it was announced in the news that humans, and well animals too, pretty much any living species on earth, could only survive a few days in the coming temperatures, even more chaos happened, and I wasn’t even sure that was even possible. But it was.

I mean how can you go from one day calmly living your life and the next moment hoping for the survival of your life?

People ran off with their families just like mine did to find a safe place where they could hide out for who knows how long from the cold and the dark.

My family and I were one of the lucky ones, we knew a place where we would be safe. Hopefully.

But only through pure accident and coincidence do we learn of the place where we could hide out for the coming times, and we currently are on our way there.

When the sun disappeared and everything turned to madness, Elliot, my younger brother, and his two best friends came over with their family to see if we were alright, and they knew of a place where we all could hide out of the cold.

I will never be able to forget this day. It will be burned into my mind forever.

That day was pure chaos and panic, whenever I think back on it, I can feel the fright and panic that I felt throughout my entire body overwhelm me again.

The brother’s father had come up with a crazy and insane idea that would hopefully save our lives from the cold.

You see once the sun disappeared nothing was how it was anymore. Everything broke and shut down, nothing was functioning anymore. There were no more rules or laws, only you vs. the others. And like always when something bad happens people get scared.

And when people get scared, they become reckless, violent, and selfish, they only think of themselves first and their survival. They will take and do anything necessary to live. Even if it means to hurt and take from others. It’s pure instinct, wanting to survive and do everything that you need to not die.

It would have been easier if suddenly there would be no more food in the world, then people would start to plant and grow more meanwhile taking from others to survive. Sure, it would have taken its time, but we knew it wasn’t going to take forever.

But this is different. The sun is gone, meaning there is no light. We are enveloped in darkness with no way out, and the only source of light is what we have with us.

Flashlights, matches, batteries, lighters, anything that can produce light is currency now. At least for those who are still alive.

But no light also means that plants and trees are dying which will make it a lot more difficult to find food away from towns. But it also leads to the stoppage of the production of oxygen over time since everything is dying off. Sure, it isn’t the main problem at the moment but who knows how long it will take till this mess ends.

A year?

Two years?

Ten years?

Hundred years?

Or maybe even forever.

But the most dangerous of all is the cold. The sun is no longer warming up our planet and therefore it is quickly cooling down, but so rapidly that it's deadly for everyone on this planet. And it will only continue to get colder.

Probably by now, roughly three weeks into this hell, every living being on Earth's surface will have frozen to death. Or maybe some lucky beings have found a safe hiding spot and will still live for a bit. But I, like everyone else know that death will happen and there is nothing we can do to change and stop it.

It’s the beginning of a new ice age and the end of probably almost every species here on Earth.

It’s been three weeks and we are already at negative sixty-seven degrees Celsius, that’s negative eighty-eight Fahrenheit. In just a matter of days, we will reach a negative hundred. By then I don’t think anyone will be alive anymore on Earth’s surface no matter if they are used to the cold, or how deep they are hiding in caves or cellars.

They will freeze to death.

Currently, my family and I are stuck in a small submarine kind of boat thousands of meters deep in the Pacific Ocean, which is hopefully bringing us to our new “home” the Aleutian Trench.

A place that I might be able to call home in the future, and a place where we can escape the cold and darkness for the coming years and maybe for the rest of my life.

This day is June thirteen and it's my birthday. I turned twenty-one today, not that it mattered anymore. But it was a birthday that I had been looking forward to for many years. My older brother Jasper had promised me that that we and Kyra, his girlfriend, would go hiking and have a campfire in the woods, and cook my favorite meal.

I would have never been able to imagine that this was how I would celebrate my birthday. Birthdays nowadays are no longer important.

If everything would still be normal, we would be eating dinner right now. But now, at this current moment, I’m not even sure anymore if we have any food left. Food goes quickly especially if you are a larger group of people. Throughout our time here on board there were many fights about food, people were accusing and yelling at each other all the time.

But I am glad about every person that is here on this boat, safe from the outside. I’m glad that I am with them and not all alone out there like so many people are, cold, alone, and scared, slowly freezing to death.

Our journey here on this boat had been rough, especially getting here where I am right now. And every day I am still amazed that we made it so far with a real chance to survive this unlike so many people out there.

I just hope everything goes well, just two more days. Two more days, then we will be safe. That is the only birthday wish I have and maybe it will be my last.

“Happy Birthday Charlotte,” I say quietly to myself.

Chapter Text

Three Weeks Ago.

38°

The heat in the small bookstore is unbearable, even with the air conditioning cranked up full blast. Sweat drips down my back, darkening my green shirt as I dash around the store, reshelving a fresh shipment of books that arrived just hours ago. My arms are empty again, so I hurry back to the storage room to grab the last few books from the first shelf.

The stack of books is heavy, threatening to spill from my arms as I round a corner and bump into a table I didn’t see behind the towering pile. The fantasy and young adult section is nearly full now, and I place the books in their designated spots on the shelves.

I pull my phone from my pocket, unlock it, and groan. Two missed calls from home, plus a message from Jasper reminding me to be home on time for dinner.

I open his first message.

Hey Charly, come home soon. Kyra and Mom are making dinner and we’re not waiting for you again.

It was Thursday, which meant family dinner, and like every Thursday, Kyra and Mom were in the kitchen working their magic. I tapped open the second message.

You’re not checking your phone- come home now dinner is almost ready!

I glanced at the clock. Shit. Twenty minutes late. I grabbed my bag and rushed behind the counter, knocking on the office door without waiting for a response.

» Mrs. S, I gotta go. Dinner’s ready, and my brother is going kill me if I come even later.«

» Well, you better get going then. Can’t have you dying on me—though I do need you to come in tomorrow.« She looked up from behind her desk, smiling. » Are you done putting back the new books? «

» Almost, I have two more of the small boxes left to put back, it won’t take long to do. I’ll come a bit earlier tomorrow so that I have it done before the store opens. «

» Great. But before you put them back tomorrow can you get the order ready for Mr. Lewis, he’s going to come by tomorrow to pick up his books, he has been waiting desperately for the new Stephen King novel. «

» Will do. Anything else? «

» Not that I can think of at the moment. Go home, tell Jasper that I’m not allowing him to kill you, I need you here. « Mrs. S said smiling.

I smiled, already heading toward the door. »I’ll do that. Just don’t forget to turn off the AC and lock up when you’re done. You’ve been forgetting the past few days.«

» I know, I know," she said, waving me off. »Now go! I’ll lock up, don’t worry.«

I turned the sign hanging on the door to close and walked out of the small bookstore. I have been working at the Lost Paradise for about seven months now and I couldn’t think of working anywhere else. Mrs. S is a crazy mess, she is the kindest person I know but so chaotic and messy. It is a wonder that she was able to run the shop with her age alone for such a long time. I have known her for several years now, before I started working there, I was a regular shopper there, spending all my money on books, and when I heard that she was looking to hire someone I was fire and flames. I mean what’s better than working on something you enjoy doing, but also, I was trying to save up money for college.

My grades hadn’t been very good in high school to earn a scholarship for one of the local public colleges and therefore I decided to take some time off to earn some money for college and to help out at home. It was better than doing nothing and it kept Mom and Dad off my back for not continuing my education. I don’t regret taking time off; I still am not sure what I want to study. Maybe in a few months, I will.

At the moment, I can’t shake the feeling that the money I’m saving up isn’t going to a college fund—it’s going to help my parents cover the bills.

Life is expensive. That’s just a fact.

And the heat wave doesn’t help. The crops this season have barely survived—too much heat, too little rain. With fewer crops being produced, grocery prices have skyrocketed over the past few months. Imported fruits and vegetables are the only options, but at prices that make eating healthy a luxury. No one wants to spend two dollars on a single apple.

Supporting a family of five was never easy for my parents, but now that Kyra has been living with us for the past year, the financial strain is even more glaring. Getting the job at the Lost Paradise almost felt like a lifeline—it doesn’t pay much, but it’s enough.

For the last few years, finding a job has gotten harder and harder. Minimum wage keeps dropping, and hours are stretched longer, but the same problem persists: too many people competing for too few jobs.

So when Mrs. S hired me just days after I applied to the "Help Wanted" sign in her window, I was ecstatic. The hours are decent, the work is manageable, and Mrs. S, a sweet older lady, genuinely appreciates the help. She’s getting too old and too messy to run the store on her own. After her husband passed last year, she’s been keeping it together alone—but eventually, it became too much. That’s when she put up the sign.

It’s been a dream job, really. I get to work with books—my passion—and I earn enough to make a difference at home.

Maybe, just maybe, this is something I could study?

It’s also been a relief for Mom not worry so much about our expenses. When I was still in high school, she worked three jobs and came home absolutely exhausted every night. It’s one of the reasons I decided to take some time off college to earn money and help out at home. I’ve never told my parents that, though—and I never will.

Dad is working as a manager in a computer company, which brought in quite some money, but it is always quickly gone. Dad had to pay his travel expenses to get to conferences which were all over the world and there were so many of them that we rarely ever saw him. But when he was home, he was hiding behind his computer, obsessing over his work in our small garage and we still didn’t see him even when he was home. But we have gotten used to it by now. It is like living with an invisible ghost.

Since Kyra moved in with us, she has taken on more of the household responsibilities when she was home. She and Jasper had been together for five years now, and though Kyra had always been a part of our lives, her presence in the house felt even more significant since she moved in.

Kyra wasn’t born blind, but she’d struggled with her vision since childhood. By the time she turned ten, her eyesight deteriorated so much that she became legally blind. She was slightly light-sensitive and had only about three percent vision left in both eyes. Despite this, Kyra didn’t let her blindness define her.

She and Jasper had been best friends through school. Kyra once told me that Jasper was the only person who didn’t abandon her after she lost her sight. Most people drifted away, but Jasper stayed. Over time, their friendship blossomed into a deep, loving relationship.

They’d talked for years about moving in together, but there were always roadblocks. Not only were food prices soaring, but rents in our neighborhood were skyrocketing as well. With the cost of living rising so steeply, it seemed nearly impossible for people on a lower income to afford anything decent on their own.

But there was another complication. Kyra’s relationship with her parents had always been strained. They viewed her blindness as her defining trait—and not in a good way. To them, it was a burden. They had supported her financially while the disability checks were coming in, but once those stopped, they made it clear that they didn’t feel obligated to keep her around. They wanted her out.

That’s when Dad came up with a solution. He suggested that Kyra could move into our house and live with Jasper in the garden house out back, which had been unused for years. In exchange, they could help with household chores and homework when they had the time. It was a perfect arrangement.

Living with Kyra turned out to be a wonderful experience. She had this incredible warmth about her—a kindness that made the whole house feel lighter. She had a way of cheering us up on our worst days. Kyra and Jasper both worked at the local elementary school. Kyra served as a music teacher’s assistant, and though she couldn’t see the students in the traditional sense, it never stopped her from connecting with them.

Jasper also worked there as a math teacher, and he’d been running his own homeroom for two years now. He was always proud of his students, and at every family dinner, he would eagerly share stories about how well his class was doing and how amazing his kids were. It was clear that teaching wasn’t just a job for him; it was a passion.

I felt lucky to have Kyra and Jasper living with us. It wasn’t just about the extra help around the house—it was the joy they brought with them, their care for each other, and the way they made everything feel just a little bit brighter.

It was great having them work at the elementary, they have always loved working with children and wanted to bring joy to them. But we were also lucky because the high school back then was just beside it and could always ride with them in the morning instead of taking the school bus.

I fasten my bike onto the basket with a purple elastic strap and unlock my bike, which is leaning against a lamppost covered up with posters and old stickers; the seat was hot from its standing hours long in the sun.

» Just perfect. I’m going to be so sweaty and exhausted by the time I’ll be home. « I say annoyed to myself.

With a few more silent complaints, I finally got on my bike and quickly made my way back home in this unusually hot April heat, while my music was blasting loudly into my ears.

All though it was just past eight the sun was still burning extremely bright while it was slowly setting which was very strange for this time of year. At first, it had been unusual but now everyone is used to it. Experts have claimed that it was the position of the sun that allowed the sunlight to shine on a different angle than usual on Earth. But I don’t think anybody believes it, it probably is just an excusable answer because they don’t have an answer for it either.

I just hope that the heat wave will be over soon, I can’t stand the extreme heat anymore, and it's only April, what the hell is going to happen in July or August? It is insane having temperatures of over forty degrees in April, in Washington alone. I don’t even want to think about how much worse it’s going to be once it’s full summer.

After twenty minutes of hitting the pedals as fast as I could, I was almost home just a few hundred meters left. Beads of sweat ran down my face, my brown hair was sticking to my face, my back was itching horribly, and my face was probably as red as a tomato. The sun was almost completely hidden behind the trees and houses. But the sky was still lit up by the sunset, turning the sky into a spectacle of colors of yellow, orange, red, and blue fading into each other. Every day the sky looked a little different when the sun was setting, and it was amazing to watch how the colors continued to fade darker as time passed. Even though I was almost home I stopped and quickly took a photo of the sky, I probably have millions of photos of the sun setting already but every sunset is incredible, just another photo to add to my collection.

I slowed down and turned onto my street, out of breath I continued to step into the pedals. The streetlights lit up on the entire street, one after another the lights awakened in the darkening area. The light reflected against the windows and the shadows of silhouettes were visible behind the curtains of the houses.

Finally, home.

I’m completely out of breath, exhausted, and sweat-drenched my shirt, I got off my bike pushed it to the wooden column next to the garage, and locked up my bike. I unhooked the purple elastic bike strap grabbed my bag from the basket and walked to the black-painted front door, it had seen better days already in several areas the paint had begun to chip revealing the white color underneath it.

I fished my keys out of my pocket and unlocked the door; loud chatter and music filled my ears as I walked in. I place my keys into the blue bowl on the table stand next to the door, take off my black Converse, and hurry into the living room. The amazing flavor of pasta and sauce was lingering in the room making my mouth water. I am freaking love pasta with sauce.

"You're late," Mom says, though her voice softens as she hands me the plate. She doesn’t need to remind me—I already know the sting of disappointing her.

"Did you and the old hag forget what time it was?" she asks as I sit down next to her at the dinner table. At this point, it's expected that I’ll be late coming home from work. Neither Mrs. S nor I ever check the time, and I always forget to check my phone for messages. I'm just terrible about being on time, and it always leads to me getting home late. The worst part is, Kyra insists they wait for me to eat so we can all sit down together, just like today.

"Sorry, Mom. I forgot to check my phone. I really tried to get home as fast as I could. And you know, the 'old hag,' as you call her, actually has a name." I give her a quiet, apologetic smile.

"I know," she mutters, "but that's what she is." Sometimes, I swear, Mom drives me crazy.

"Just because you don’t like Mrs. S doesn’t mean you have to insult her." If looks could kill, I’d be dead already.

"We waited for you to eat," she says, standing up. "Kyra convinced me and your brothers to hold off since it’s family dinner, and your dad’s not coming home for a few days anyway." As she walks away, her voice rings out, calling my brother’s name, echoing through the house.

» Elliott! Dinner is ready, and turn off your music, I can hear it from down here! « Yelled Mom up the stairs.

» Write Jasper to come inside. We’re not waiting for anyone else anymore. « Mom said to me as she came back into the living room.

I grabbed my phone and sent Jasper a quick message.

J you better come now; Mom is on a warpath. You don’t want to get in her way. Dinner is ready. – Charly

The loud thumping of footsteps on the stairs was heard then my brother rushed around the dinner table and sat himself down with loud rap music playing from his phone.

» Elliott. I told you to turn the music off in your room so that I don’t have to hear it anymore, not so that you can bring it downstairs. « Scolded Mom my younger brother was annoyed, but all he did was roll his eyes.

Another look from Mom and Elliott turned off the music with an annoyed glare on his face. Elliott was the personification of the typical annoying younger teen brother. Elliott just turned sixteen. His world revolves around his friends, his music, and making everyone else miserable. He's always a pain when he gets home, especially when he's been with his friends or after school. But sometimes, when he's not around them, he can be alright. Not great, but alright. Except for his taste in music.

Maybe over time, he will develop a better taste in music, I hope.

I walked into the kitchen, Kyra was by the sink, a strainer in her hand while pouring the steaming paste into it rinsing it quickly under cold water before placing it into a large bowl.

» Want me to take the bowl outside already? « I ask Kyra.

» Yeah, that be great, can you check if salt and cheese are on the table yet? « She asked while handing me the steaming bowl, I walked to the dining table and placed the bowl on the table.

» They’re not out yet, Kyra. « I replied loudly and sat down. Sitting felt so good, my body was beaten, and my arms and legs hurt from walking and carrying things all day long, all I wanted to do today was eat and go to bed.

Mom and Kyra came after a minute, a large pan in Mom’s hands and cheese and salt in Kyra’s, followed by Jasper who came in from the garden. Mom sat down next to me on the left side while Kyra sat next to Jasper on the opposite side and Elliott sat on the short end of the table, where Dad sat when he joined us for dinner when he was here.

As soon as everyone was seated loud chatter filled the air and the bowls of pasta and sauce were passed around. Jasper grabbed the fork for the pasta and filled his plate with steaming spaghetti, then Kyra’s and mine.

Kyra and Mom made the best on the entire planet and there was no dispute against it.

Once everyone’s plates were filled with steaming pasta and sauce, the sound of forks scratching on the plates and the slurping of pasta was all I could hear. It was silent otherwise we all were too preoccupied with eating this dream Kyra and Mom cooked up.

I didn’t notice how hungry I was until the food was in my mouth. I was starving, my food break had been hours ago, and together with the never-ending stack of ordered books that had to be shelved, the bike rides home and the strange heat made me even more hungry than usual and gave me a huge appetite.

» God this is good! This is great as always; you should make this a lot more and not just every once in a while. « Complemented Elliott while he placed a second load of pasta and sauce on his plate and slurped it down with disgusting sounds that made me cringe.

It is the only complement Elliot ever gives and obviously, it is about food. Mom’s face distorts in disgust as she sees him gulp down his pasta, I could only agree with Mom, it was disgusting watching him eat, like a toddler who hasn’t learned to eat yet.

» Well, you think that every food that Mom or Kyra makes is the best. « Jasper argued while nudging Elliott who sat to his left with his mouth covered in red sauce. I still don’t know how he manages to make such a mess when eating, it isn’t like he is a toddler who misses his mouth with his fork but a sixteen-year-old, who could eat like he could fill a never-ending hole.

The chatter slowly quietened once everyone was full, the bowls were empty, and pretty much everything had been talked about already, school, work, and news from town.

I took a look at the clock hanging above the living room door it was just a few minutes before nine. Meaning it is time to clean the table and bring the dishes back into the kitchen before the news starts. The news is the only thing that we watch religiously; we never miss it. Usually, we watched it together after dinner before we went on to do our things.

» The news will be on in a few minutes, let’s clean up the table quickly. That includes you, Elliott! « Announced Mom who just as I did checked the time on her watch. It has been just like clockwork since I can remember my parents watched them with us the news after dinner, in the later years it was usually just us with Mom since Dad was busy with work, but we never forgot to watch them.

Elliott rushed out of the room with his plate in his hand to the kitchen, the only thing that we heard from him before he disappeared upstairs was his place clinking in the sink. I heard him running up the wooden stairs into his room and slamming his door shut to finish his report on plate tectonics before he could play video games on his computer with his best friend Elias.

The rest of us cleared the table and sat down on our comfortable dark purple sofa. Mom turned on the TV and flipped through the channels to her standard news channel. She turned up the volume of the news and the news lady appeared on the screen dressed in a formal black blazer with her hair pinned back.

The lady started talking with a bored monotonous voice about how weather experts claim that the temperature is continually rising and is an effect of the extreme climate change, which is currently experienced all over the world, and that there is no end in sight for the next few days.

How awesome would that be working in this heat in the bookstore while the air condition barely works was going to be fun.

"Now, onto another topic," the news anchor continued. "NASA has reported that an extraordinarily large comet has been sighted, and according to their calculations, it’s on a direct path toward the Sun. Impact is expected. Experts say this could trigger a major solar flare, which may disrupt satellite systems and electronics worldwide. More information will follow in the coming days as we learn more about the comet and its potential impact. Now, let’s move on to the weather situation in Europe, which is getting more dramatic by the hour..."

Mom switched off the TV and closed the blinds, a habit she always did when she heard something she didn’t like. These days, that was happening more often. It was like she was trying to shut out the world’s bad news, not letting it creep into our home.

"A comet? Hitting the Sun?" I asked, my voice rising. "Do they really think it’ll affect us like NASA says? The Sun’s so far away from Earth."

"Who knows?" Jasper murmured, his eyes fixed on the pictures hanging across from him. "I read that solar flares can be pretty dangerous these days, with how much we all rely on electronics. It could cause some damage, but I don’t think it’ll be a major problem for us. They're probably just giving us a heads-up, so they won’t get sued if something goes wrong."

Kyra, with her head resting on Jasper’s shoulder, closed her eyes and absentmindedly ran her fingers through her long brown hair. It was her usual habit when she was worried. Jasper wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer.

"I don’t think anything bad will happen. Probably the northern countries will just see more intense northern lights, and that’s it." He looked at me, his eyes urging me to drop the subject. I knew better than to press when Kyra was around. Kyra had always been a worrier, long before she lost her sight. She couldn’t stand not knowing, especially when it came to disasters. It was like she needed to understand every possible outcome, every tiny detail, just to feel in control of something.

Once a topic catches Kyra’s interest she would start to obsess so much over it trying to learn everything about it. But these were usually all about natural disasters or some horrible thing going on in the news. Sometimes it was so bad that she wouldn’t sleep, she would stay up all night to find updates so that once the situations were under control she no longer had to worry about it. I had asked her once about why she did that and Kyra explained to me that although she couldn’t see anything she didn’t want to be ignorant of the problems in the world and therefore wanted to be informed about problems and disasters and learn everything about them.

I handed the TV remote to Jasper and left the living room. I was exhausted even though it was still early, just past nine pm. With slow and tired steps, I walked up the stairs and down the hall into my room. I turned on the lights and with heavy steps I sat down on my bed, the purple sheets ruffled beneath me. I was never one of these people who would do my bed, they were going to be messy anyway once you lay in it, so why bother? Exhausted I laid on my back, eyes closed, and felt how much my body hurt from the bike ride and carrying the heavy books.

My room was the smallest of the others, but I didn’t mind. It used to be Jaspers's room before he moved to the garden house with Kyra. My old room became a small office for my mom who kept bringing work home even though she hated it. Mom kept saying that she would never do it again since she didn’t want to like Dad who we barely ever saw because of that exact reason.

I had decorated my room and stuffed it full of books and another nick knack that looked smaller but not cramped. Posters of movies and photos of my two best friends Clara and Sierra filled the walls. The two were gone now, unlike me they went off to university and came home only in the long holidays because it was too expensive to come home every week. Which sucked but at least we found the time at least once a week to Skype together so that we stayed in contact and knew about everything that was going on in each other’s lives.

The loud beat of music from Elliott’s room that was beside mine reached my ears as I lay on my bed. He never had good taste in music. The air in my room was stuffy not only because of the heat but also because I had laundry to do which had pilled itself in the corner of my room for the past weeks. I was so ready to go to bed and just sleep but I had to do it now if I didn’t do it now. I would forget to do it over the weekend and then would not have fresh clothes for work on Monday. I groggily stood up and opened my window, a cool breeze entered my room. I gathered all my laundry and placed them in my blue hamper. I walked out of my room into the bathroom, laundry hampers in my hand and placed it next to the door.

I quickly showered; the cool water was so refreshing against the hot air that filled the house. Quickly I got dressed in a shirt and leggings, my wet hair pulled up in a towel. I grabbed my used towel and put it in the laundry hamper together with my clothes. I walked down the stairs to the small garage that was attached through the hallway that we could enter through the small door behind the stairs was where our laundry machine stood and turned it on. It was quiet enough that it didn’t bother anyone when it was on during the night. The sounds of turning, spinning, and the entering of water into the machine were heard as I left the garage. I walked into the kitchen and filled up a glass of water.

Jasper and Kyra were still watching TV wrapped up in a small blanket arm in arm.

» Good night you two. « I bid them goodnight and went back to my room turned off the lights and laid down. My blanket which was not even a real blanket, but a thin sheet was pushed to the side, the window was still open, but it was still so uncomfortably warm in my room that I couldn’t sleep. I could hear the sounds of cars driving the quiet sounds of leaves blowing in the wind and the quiet music coming from Elliott’s room. Sleep came over me at last, while my mind was still thinking about all the work, I had to do tomorrow at the Lost Paradise. But also, I couldn’t stop thinking about the comet that was supposed to hit the sun, the sun was millions of miles away from us, what could happen to us?

If I only knew what was to come in the coming weeks. I wouldn’t have been able to fall asleep so easily.

Chapter Text

Day 1503

Dear Ila,

It’s been over four years since we have started the housing project. It’s going slowly but we are making progress every day. Currently, we are having trouble producing enough energy for all the used machines on a daily basis. The food growth, therefore, is slow, but we have enough to last us till we find a solution.

Dr. Wilson believes that water movement could be used as a short-term solution to produce enough energy to complete sector 3 for the outside area. The next shipping of materials should be coming in the next few weeks, we are running out of steel and deep pressure diving suits. The construction outside is quickly tearing and harming the suits. We need to find another way other than to keep buying new suits, otherwise, we will be sending all our funding for diving suits than for the needed working material. But that’s a problem for another time.

The water temperature is normal, with no noticeable changes and is not affecting our work. Tomorrow I’m going out again to take samples from the ocean floor and water probes that you have asked for.

Just 1052 days left until the entire project is set to be completed. Till then enjoy the sun for me and send me sunshine down here, it’s getting boring having only the sigh of murky dark water every day to see.

Please sent my love to Simon and the boys.

Dr. Anja Brown.

Chapter Text

36°

Mornings were usually quick, I made breakfast for everyone while Mom made lunches for everyone before she headed off to work. Kyra and Jasper were responsible that Elliott would leave on time for school so that he wouldn’t miss the bus which left a few hundred meters away from our home. When he started high school, he decided to take the bus so that he could spend some time with his friends before school. But also, because he thought it was uncool to drive to school with his older brother and his girlfriend because they were teachers.

I grabbed my lunch box and placed it in my bag, my keys were already in my pocket while I waited at the door for the two. Jasper had told me that they could drive me to the store today after dropping Elliott off because even though it was just morning it was already thirty degrees hot. I would have died riding my bike in this heat for three kilometers into town. When will this horrible heat finally be over?

»You ready to go? You’ll be late for your classes if we don’t leave now! « I yelled into the hallway stepped out of the front door and waited at Jasper's car which was parked in front of the garage. I stepped from one foot to another as I waited and checked my watch every few seconds. I hated waiting, but most of all I hated being late. After two minutes the door finally opened, and Jasper and Kyra stepped out and rushed to the car with their bags in their hands. Elliott ran out and slammed the door shut behind him and tripped over his shoelaces to the car.

Once we were all seated in the car Jasper drove out of the driveway. The drive to Elliott’s bus stop was quick, he stepped out of the car and walked to the sidewalk where his two friends Felix and Noah already waited. I looked out of the window with my music plugged in while Jasper and Kyra were discussing their classes for the day. Barely any cars were on the road since it was so early, classes at school started at eight but since the two always wanted to have some time before their classes started, they always tried to be there half an hour earlier.

» I won’t be able to pick you up today, I have afternoon homework club with the third grade today and then I have a meeting with another teacher for the summer festival which is happening in a few months. « Jasper told me as I unbuckled my seatbelt and the car came to a stop in front of the bookstore.

»That’s alright. I’ll just take the bus and then walk for the rest. Thanks for the ride. Good luck with your classes today you two! « I rushed out of the car, my bag hung over my shoulder as I waved them goodbye as Jasper’s car disappeared by the next corner. Great. Eight hours in a small stuffy overheated store with an air conditioner that doesn’t work. Fantastic, I thought as I opened the glass door which was covered with small papers and posters about books, and the store's opening hours taped to the door.

No one was in yet besides Mrs. S who pretty much lived in the store, she was shuffling with slow steps around the tables that stood around the room and arranged some of the new books on them.

»Good morning Mrs. S, want me to finish the order of books from yesterday or bring out some of the tables first? « I asked while I placed my bag in the small cupboard under the checkout took out my lunch from the bag and walked into her small office where she had a tiny fridge hidden in the mess of her bookshelves and placed my lunch. Better a cold sandwich than a soggy one from the heat.

» Bring out the tables first and if no one is here yet start shelving the books from yesterday, I’ve started already but there are still quite a lot to place in order. I didn’t think that I ordered so many, and we’re getting another order next week. « Honestly, I don’t know how we still have space for books, especially since Mrs. S orders so many each time.

Well, at least she had started placing some books back then not all of them had to be done by me. It’s not that I don’t like it, but it takes forever to put books back onto their new shelves and check that they are in the catalog system. I grabbed the closest table with wheels rolled it out on the sidewalk and pushed it next to the entrance door in front of the window display.

After the last table was outside, I walked inside to the storage room that was next to Mrs. S's office, while she sat at the checkout and waited for customers to trickle into the small store. Even though our town was small we did pretty well with selling books, usually, students, parents, and teachers came in and took a look around and luckily the older population still liked to have an actual book in their hand when they read not just an electronic device. Before I had worked here, I came by at least once a week to see if a new order of books came in that I would like and would add to my growing collection of books that I had acquired over the years. Which mostly consisted of horror and fantasy novels. But at the moment I didn’t have the time and energy to read which I hated.

Oh, great I thought as I looked around the shelves, that will take me at least four hours to complete. There were still three large shelves filled to the rink with copies of books. As the hours flew by and people slowly filled the store and left, I completed placing the new order of books in their new spaces and the catalog was up to date. Finally. No more books in the storage room, since we had opened at eight only a handful of people came in and collected their order of books that they had ordered the previous days.

It wasn’t even twelve yet and the sun was already shining strongly into the windows, heating the small store. The air condition had finally given up two hours ago, it had been running the last few weeks on full blast for almost the entire day so that at least some cool air would enter the store but now that had come to an end. Mrs. S and I had tried to fix it but no chance, it was dead, and we didn’t have any fans either so that meant that we had to suffer for the next hours. On Monday if I font forget I should probably bring my fan from my room since it won’t be fixed by then.

Now all the windows and the front door were opened, in the hope that it would at least help a tiny bit. But it probably didn’t help at all since outside it was around the same temperature as inside.

Beats of sweat flowed down my face as I followed the movement of a woman in front of me with my eyes around the store in the hope that time would pass faster. Her bright pink glittery shirt was hideous and attracted a lot of attention. It was almost lunchtime, and I couldn’t wait for it any longer, I needed a break from this hot day, and I was starving, the unnatural heat and the work combined just called for food. I went into Mrs. S's office grabbed my cold sandwich out of the fridge walked back out and took a seat. With big bites, my sandwich was gone, and my hunger stilled for the next few hours.

A small fan had been set up on the checkout area that Mrs. S had brought down from her apartment above the bookstore, and thankfully brought some cool wind into the store. This morning when I had sat down in front of it, the cool air blew in my face, it felt so good that I had my eyes closed. The woman left after browsing the store for twenty minutes, the store was empty now, and Mrs. S sat in her office looking over the list of books that needed to be ordered for the next few days. Meanwhile, I walked around the shelves and brought the books in order again while I waited for other customers to come.

The hours slowly trickled by, and the sun rose higher and started to set although it wasn’t noticeable, I looked outside, and the sun was still shining brightly into the windows. It seems like barely any time has passed since this morning based on the sun high up in the sky. Since no customer was in the store at the moment and Mrs. S hadn’t said anything that I needed to do I pulled out a paper from a stack of books and grabbed a pen.

»What do I need? « I asked myself quietly while I tapped the pencil against the desk. Mom had told me to buy groceries for dinner today. Thursdays were family dinners where usually Mom and Kyra cooked together. Mondays and Fridays were my days for cooking, and on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, everyone cooked for themselves because it was the longest day of work for my parents. When Kyra was in a good mood, she sometimes made dinner for us as well. While on Saturdays and Sundays, we ordered takeout and watched a movie with it. Mom and I were the only ones in our family apart from Kyra that cooked.

It’s not that Jasper and Dad couldn’t cook it’s just that they have never managed to make any type of food without managing to burn it or make it somehow uneatable. It was incredible that they even managed to make plain pasta not edible. Therefore, to save us all from their cooking skills the deal was that we cooked, and the boys had to set the table and clean up the kitchen so that the work was divided between us all. Once the list of groceries was completed, I placed the list in my bag sat down again, and waited for someone to come in again.

Finally, my shift was over, I grabbed my bag and walked with quick steps to the closest grocery store that was on my way to the bus stop. A loud ding announced that I entered the store, it was almost empty just a young couple and an older man were in the store.

I pulled out my list carried the basket that I had picked up when I came in and walked to the rice section. The bag of rice was heavy in the basket as I walked to the meat section where I looked for chicken. I had decided to make cooked rice with chicken since everyone liked it and it was easy to make. I was out of the store quickly and rushed to the bus stop I had only a few minutes before the next bus would arrive. I sat down on the last empty spot on the bench and waited with the other people for the bus while the sun shined brightly on us. Luckily, it came quickly and didn’t let us burn in the hot weather.

With my music plugged in, I stepped into the overheated bus, the air outside was much better than in here, it was stuffy and smelled of sweat. Luckily, it was only a short ride to the closest stop from where I walked home. I took a seat by the window in the front part of the bus and stared out the window watching the houses and trees pass by. I was exhausted, the long day at the store and the heat didn’t help at all, I was dreaming of dinner and then my bed.

Finally, the bus arrived at my stop, and I stepped off the bus and walked the last hundred meters home. The streetlights weren’t on yet, it was still astoundingly bright outside even though it was already eight. Weird, last year around this time dusk usually had set in already, but then these years everything seems to work differently.

Music was blaring in my ears as I stepped up to the front door and unlocked it, I placed my keys in the bowl next to the door and walked into the kitchen with my bag of bought groceries and placed them on the closest counter.

The house was empty, no music was playing from somewhere or someone talking. No one was home yet, Mom had to pick up Elliott from soccer practice and Jasper and Kyra were still at school because they had teacher-parent conferences today. They were probably going to be home about the time that I finished cooking dinner. I unplugged my headphones from my phone, turned up some indie songs, and started boiling water for rice in a large pot. I danced around the kitchen while occasionally stirring the mix of cooked rice with chicken in the pan. I was in the middle of trying to see how many times I could spin on my toes when Jasper and Kyra entered the kitchen, with my music on I didn’t even hear them unlock the door. Their faces were red from the heat.

»Hey, I didn’t hear you come in. Dinner is ready. Could you start seeing the table? « I asked while returning to the pan and stirring the rice a bit more. Jasper opened the cupboard carrying plates out on the table, while Kyra disappeared into the garden where she and Jasper lived together.

» How were your days? Did you give your kids the math test that you told me about? « I asked him when he returned to the kitchen.

»Yeah, you should have seen their faces, even if I tell them that today is going to be an announced test, they never study for them. I love them to death but sometimes they are dumb. But I can’t tell their parents that when they come in to complain about why their kids’ grades are so bad. «

» I bet you we weren’t any better. « said Kyra smiling, walking back into the kitchen, her hand sliding over the counter. She stopped and ruffled by hair before she stepped to Jasper and leaned into him.

» We were probably worse in their age. « Said Jasper agreeing, « Mom texted me she said that she is going to be home soon with Elliott then we can finally eat. I’m starving, and this heat isn’t making it any better. I hope that it will cool down soon. « said Jasper as he finished setting the table in the other room.

Kyra grabbed the bowl of salad that I made while I took the pan of rice with chicken and set them on the table. We sat down and waited for the others, passing the time and talking about our day. A few minutes later the sound of the garage opening was heard and seconds later Mom and Elliott were heard in the hallway. Deep in conversation, they walked in and sat themselves to us.

»But I’m telling you Mom it’s for a school project that Felix, Elias, and I have to do, and the only day they have time so that we can work on it together, is next Saturday. I promised them already that I would be there, and Simon already agreed that I could stay overnight with them. And I don’t want to go to that stupid soccer game anyway, my team is going to lose anyway so why even bother playing, everyone knows that we suck. « Argued Elliott while he filled his plate and started shoveling his mouth full.

»We are not going to talk about this again, I told you in the car already that I will think about it. But now we are going to eat so drop the subject. « Declared Mom, starring at Elliott who slightly nodded and returned to shoveling his mouth full. With that, the subject was dropped, and everyone continued eating. We all knew to stop arguing with her if we didn’t want to get on Mom’s bad side.

Once we were all finished Mom had told us that Dad had called that he would return Saturdays late at night. We all could tell from her voice that she disliked it, she hated it when Dad had to work during the weekend since during the week, we barely ever saw him because of his massive workloads. But all the talking and complaining to Dad never helped, nothing could be done about it. We were lucky that he usually had time to eat dinner with us. But later at night, we didn’t see him anymore he retired to the garage where he had built himself a small office where he would sit till deep in the night wrapped up in work.

After we cleaned the table, I laid myself on the sofa and turned on the news while Kyra helped Mom in the kitchen and Elliott and Jasper were wrapped up in a loud discussion about the upcoming season of a show that they were watching.

I closed my eyes and listened to the monotonous report from the Astronomy expert on the news. » Just days ago, the discovery of the large comet was made which is on direct course to the sun. Experts from all around the world have worked continuously on answers for the upcoming comet's impact on our sun. We concluded after running multiple computer-modeled scenarios of the impact of the comet on the sun that our planet Earth and its surrounding planets will not be affected in any way. Meanwhile, NASA has calculated that the comet will impact in around ten days and fifteen hours, on Monday late at night. A live stream is going to be set up forty-eight hours before the impact to learn more about the impact and its outcomes. Since the sun is a gas ball it will be interesting to see what will happen when the comet hits the surface, till today there have been no accurate studies of this astronomical phenomena. For now, we are treating the effects like a solar flare. We don’t know for sure yet what kind of impacts we will be expecting here on Earth, but we are certain Earth faces no danger from the collision. We expect that countries located in the northern hemisphere will experience extreme northern lights during and after the collision. Although it’s been claimed that no harm would come to us people are warned not to directly stare into the sun as it could cause possibly cause damage to the eyes. We assure the public that there is no reason for panic. The satellites orbiting around the earth might be slightly affected and cause some disturbances with our technology but otherwise, we assure the public nothing will happen. This is not the first time that a comet this size has collided with the sun. « The monotonous boring voice stopped and was replaced by the usual peppery voice of the news lady.

» Thank you for your very informative report, Professor Robertson. We will keep you updated about any new information we will receive. Also, we will make everything available for our viewers online, now to a report from Florida about the housing problems. «

»You were right with your assumption about the northern lights. « I said to Jasper who sat next to me, he mumbled something that I didn’t hear. Jasper stood up, walked to the dining table sitting himself next to Kyra who sat at the table reading a braille book. He took out his third-grade math tests and started grading them with a loud sigh.

People are probably going to make a big deal out of it and win some money with this, tricking people into buying some nonsense such as special glasses so that people could watch the impact from roof balconies and parks. People always do that to win some easy money around here.

Elliott was most likely going to participate in one of these things with his friends and people from his class, they always found an excuse to party and forget about school. Jasper and I were never these sorts of people in school. He had always been too busy with his sports stuff, and I simply never enjoyed it. Why bother bursting your eardrums with bad music if you could enjoy a good book or movie at home under a warm blanket with snacks?

Sure, I was a loner with barely any friends other than Sierra and Clara, but it never bothered me. I got used to the mean words that were thrown at me, but I didn’t care. I was so used to people around me making fun of me that I no longer cared what people other than my friends and family thought of me. Why bother fiving into the mean words of others that are just meant to hurt you?

I stayed on the sofa and watched an episode of the Big Bang Theory, I didn’t pay attention, but it was quick to pass the time, everyone had left to do their own thing. Once the episode ended, I turned off the TV and returned to my room, lying on my bed after turning off my light. I threw my thin blanket on the ground; it was way too warm to use it anyway. I was exhausted but not tired yet.

I grabbed the fantasy novel that I was halfway through from the nightstand and started reading, the light from the streetlamp close to my window was bright enough that I could see the letters on the page. Mom had scolded me for years that I should just turn on the light to read because I would ruin my eyes by reading in the dark, but I never cared. I was pulled into the word of my novel, forgetting everything around me that I didn’t realize my eyes continuously falling shut. It didn’t take long till my eyes fell shut my book fell out of my hands and sleep came over me.

Chapter Text

Day 1511

Dear Ila,
Did you get the samples that I sent you?

Thanks to Dr. Wilson’s idea of using water movement as an energy source the machines have been able to run on full power for the last two days. The food growth has increased, and the botanists have started to harvest the ripe vegetables and fruits and started canning them. Our food storage is growing by the day, we will have enough remaining food for the next weeks until the next food shipping arrives.

Any news of new shipping arrival dates? We will need the new materials soon. Otherwise, we will become behind schedule in the construction.

The water temperature is normal, with no noticeable changes.

Thanks for sending the photos of Elias and Felix, they have grown a lot, haven’t they? When you have, the time could you drive by and see if they are okay, you know how forgetful Simon is. You are the best!

Please send my love to Simon and the boys!
Dr. Anja Brown 

Chapter Text

37°

I lay sprawled on my bed, bored out of my mind, scrolling through Facebook and Instagram to see if anyone had posted something new. Nothing. Not a single post. It was Saturday, and I had nothing to do. I didn’t have to work because Mrs. S closed the store for the weekend to spend time with her husband. Elliott was off with his friends, and Kyra and Jasper had disappeared without saying where they were going. So here I was, on a sunny Saturday, stuck in bed with no motivation to do anything.

All my friends had gone off to college. I was one of the few from my grade who didn’t leave, opting to take a break and work instead. Sometimes I regretted that choice. It was a weird feeling, being the only one left behind. I used to go hiking with some friends—or even alone when no one had time—but the heat made it almost unbearable now. Who wanted to risk heatstroke or a sunburn?

I used to enjoy having nothing to do, the quiet solitude. But after months of this, I was starting to get tired of it. I wanted to be around people my age again, to have fun, but I didn’t know anyone anymore. They were all gone, doing their own thing. I was tired of being alone. But, being so antisocial and awkward, I couldn’t seem to connect with anyone. It frustrated me. I wanted to be around people, but I never knew what to say or how to act. Worse, I never knew if someone was a friend or just an acquaintance. I didn’t want to annoy anyone by just being there, but I missed human contact.

I glanced at the clock on my screen. Ugh, it wasn’t even noon yet, and I already wanted the weekend to be over. It hadn’t even really started. At least at the bookstore, I had something to do. I pushed myself off the bed and walked downstairs. The house was eerily quiet. Mom was in her office working, and no one else was home. I flopped onto the couch, turned on the TV, and pulled out my phone while listening to the news.

"Over the next few days, no rain is expected, just sun with a few clouds. Tomorrow, temperatures will reach forty-two degrees, cooling down to the high twenties at night. Now, back to the studio for a report on food scarcity due to extreme temperatures…" The weatherman’s voice faded out and was replaced by a young news reporter.

I didn’t wait for her to start speaking before I switched off the TV and stared out the window into the empty front yard. Normally, the neighborhood was bustling on weekends, people out in their gardens, planting and watering while kids played and screamed with laughter. But today, everything was still. All I could hear was the faint sound of crickets and birds. No one was outside—not even the gardeners. Even for them, it was too hot to be out in the sun. And it was only June. I shuddered at the thought of how much worse it would get by August or September when the summer heat usually peaked.

I was in the same position hours later when Jasper came home and walked into the living room. I pushed myself in a sitting position moving my legs to the floor to make room for Jasper who sat down next to me.

»Where’s Kyra? « I asked while following the cartoon running on TV.
» She’s with Elle, we meet her in town, they went to a coffee shop to catch up so I decided to go back home so that they could talk. You know how she is. Elle is going to come by later and bring Kyra, they want to watch a movie together and hang out. The usual you know. « replied Jasper.

Elle was Kyra’s best friend since they met in high school, but she was barely in town anymore because of her work as an accountant in Port Angeles. She was talkative and could talk for hours without stopping, probably the reason why Jasper left Kyra with Elle. I could completely understand him; Elle was nice but also exhausting after a while.

» Have you been lying here the whole time? Nothing to do. No friends to hang out with. « He asked while looking at my pajamas that I was still wearing.
» Jup, nothing to do, it is way too hot outside, and no one’s here, everyone’s gone. Sierra is in Minnesota and Clara is in Montana. They sent a few photos a few weeks ago but otherwise, I haven’t heard anything from them. It’s so boring. » I complained to him, I hated that I didn’t have anyone that I could talk to. Sure, I could write Sierra and Clara, but it was not the same as hanging out in the same room and just talking about nonsense. And they were probably too busy with homework and friends to answer me anyway.

He only nodded, he knew how I felt, he had a similar problem, he was never a real people person, but he liked spending time around people. That was one of the reasons why he wanted to become a teacher. But since he became a teacher most of his time was dedicated to his students and when he was home with Kyra. Besides the teachers from his school, he didn’t know a lot of people from town either. Mom had always joked that Jasper and I were similar and acted the same. But she was right in some ways. We both weren’t people who others would come up to and just start a conversation with, but we would love it if we could just spend some time around people.

» Dad’s coming home tonight, Mom hasn’t said anything yet when he will be home, but he might be in time to watch a movie with us. Who’s turn is it this time to choose the movie? « Asked Jasper curious while he smiled at the scene in front of him.
» Elliott’s, so that means some sort of brutal action movie like he always chooses. But it's Kyra’s turn to choose where we order from today. « I said to him, Japer nodded, but I could tell from his face that he wasn’t looking forward to the movie. Neither Jasper, Kyra, Mom, or me. I didn’t like it when Elliott chose the movies because he had a very bad taste in them, he was the only one in the family who liked those over-blooded and violent movies. But it was only fair to watch it without complaining since he also has to endure Mom’s chick flicks and Jasper’s documentaries.
The both of us sat for a few minutes on the sofa in silence watching the end of the episode before Jasper turned off the TV. Jasper stood up grabbed the pile of half-marked tests from the dining table and left most likely to the garden house where he and Kyra had lived for the past year.
I sat there for a few more minutes before deciding that enough was enough. I’m going to get changed and do something outside. With quick steps, I climbed the stairs while checking on my phone the temperature. Thirty-nine degrees with a bit of wind, so hopefully not too bad.
I walked to my room changed into my lightest workout clothes tied up my hair walked down to the kitchen again filled up my water bottle and placed it into my purple bag.
I decided to bike around the neighborhood which I hadn’t done in a while. I knew I was going to regret it later because of the heat but hey it was better than dying of boredom in my room. I unlocked my bike and started following the road to the outer part of the town where the forest started. I had to be back by seven at the latest for dinner, so I had a few more hours to bike around. I decided to go to the lake that was about half an hour away, where my friends and I had hung out all summer, swimming and relaxing. It was a beautiful place, quiet and beautiful, flowers bloomed everywhere in bright colors. But the grass was a greenish-yellow color because of the dry season, since it hadn’t rained in months, and a large forest surrounded the remote lake.
The ride to the lake was quick, no one was on the hiking trail. Everyone else was probably not that stupid to decide to take a bike tour in this weather. Sweat ran down my face and my shirt was drenched as well as I continued to follow the path. I could hear the quiet and soft sound of water. Finally.
I left the path and slowly made my way through the thick forest over large roots and fallen branches. After a few minutes and out of breath I stepped off my bike and locked it against a narrow tree trunk. I walked for a few meters through the trees to the small green meadow that surrounded the lake. The grass here was bright green compared to the yellowish dry grass at home. Bright-colored flowers grew across the small meadow, slowly moving with the light wind.
Everything was so quiet here, no cars and people in sight that could disturb this beautiful place. All I could hear as I stepped into the meadow was the sound of leaves moving in the wind, birds singing quietly in the trees and the soft sound of the lake I. Everything was quiet besides the sound of nature.
With my towel in my hand, I walked close to the water and spread it out on the ground. I sat down on the towel, my bag laid next to me, and I took a deep breath. The bike ride had been exhausting I hadn’t done that for so long that I no longer had any endurance. I stood up took off my clothes leaving me only in my blue swimsuit and made my way to the small lake, crouching down I placed my hand in the water. It was freezing. I hated cold water, it felt like hundreds of stings on my skin as the cold water touched my skin.
Slowly I got more and more into the cold water while goosebumps covered my still dry skin. After several imbues, I was finally completely in, and my body got so used to the cold water that it no longer felt cold anymore. I swam further in enjoying the cool water while the sun shined brightly into the lake. I turned on my back floating while drifting in the cold water. It was so relaxing. I can't feel the heat anymore that I have complained about for the past weeks, only the soothing water on my skin.
I hadn’t been in here forever, months probably. The last time was with my two best friends before they left for university. We had spent here all day, playing, and goofing around in the lake, laying on our towels while the sun shined brightly on us. Playing cards and talking for hours about anything, enjoying the last moments till we all went our separate ways in a few days. We would see each other again only in the winter holidays when they returned home.
I missed them so much, I didn’t have anyone else besides them. During school it was only us three together, we didn’t need anyone else but each other. Days like these I realized how alone I am, no one to hang out with, to talk to, or even just to text. I had always enjoyed spending time alone but now I become lonelier by the day. I didn’t interact with anyone else besides my family and the people who came by the Lost Paradise. I should probably go out more and meet more people, just one person would be enough that I could talk or write to now and then. But that was probably never going to happen, I was really bad at stuff like that and was not a people magnet.
Now I only have Clara and Sierra, but they didn’t have a lot of time anymore where we could talk. Occasionally I got a few photos from them and quick updates on how things were, all their amounts of homework and tests they had to study for which didn’t give them a lot of time for themselves anymore. They had promised that they would come back in the summer after they completed their summer semester.
The sun shined warm on my body drying it while the rest of me was still wet while I continued to float on my back. I really should get out now before I get a sunburn. I swam back to the shore and climbed out. I grabbed my towel and hung it around me and sat down.
I was lost in thought as I slowly dried, my brown hair becoming hot from the sun. I took out my phone from my bag to check the time. It was almost seven. Time flew by so fast while I was here. It seemed almost just minutes that went by while I was in the water. I stood up and changed quickly into the clothes that I brought with me and stuffed the wet bathing suit and towel into an extra bag.
I grabbed my red, blue poke dot bag and walked back to the tree line. A thought came into my mind, quickly pulled out my phone took a photo of the lake, and sent it to Clara and Sierra. I unlocked my bike and pushed it to the trail not wanting to ride through the thick forest anymore. The cool wind made it noticeable that it had cooled down a lot. But it was still too warm for this time of year to be normal. It was weird how much more extreme the weather was this year compared to the last. A slight breeze swept through the trees around me, and the leaves rusted and the wind quietly howling filled the air. I got on my bike got onto the empty hiking trail and made my way back home.
It took longer to ride home than on my way to the lake. It was past eight when I finally arrived on my street, the streetlights weren’t on yet, but the sun was already setting behind the trees. I pulled into the driveway, locked up my bike, and walked through the garage into the hallway. I walked up the stairs grabbed a change of clothes and rushed into the bathroom. I badly needed a shower, the lake water started to itch on my skin.
I stepped out of the bathroom with a towel twisted in my hair and my pajamas on, it was never too early to wear them. I walked down the stairs and heard voices, everyone seemed to be home again.
I let myself fall on the sofa next to Elliott who was immersed in some car racing game on his Xbox. I was exhausted; the bike ride had taken all the energy that I had away. I rode back with music in my ears and wind blowing through my hair I realized how much fun it had been, it took my mind on things and made the time fly by so fast.
» What are we going to watch tonight? « I asked Elliott but got no answer from him.
» He said earlier something about Resident Evil or something similar to that. « Said Kyra who unplugged her headphones. » Also, before you ask, we're going to eat Chinese takeout. Jean already ordered. It will be here soon. «
» How was it with Elle? Jasper said that the two ran into each other in town. «
» She’s great. Elle’s thinking of moving back here and start working from home because she never sees her kids. She has so much to do and is always stuck at the office which she hates. But it was great to see her again. It’s been a while since we met up. « said Kyra smiling.
» Hey Jasper? « I turned to my brother who just came into the living room from the kitchen. » Do you know when Dad will be home? «
» He’s going to be late; his flight arrives at then thirty pm so he’ll most likely be home by midnight or so, that’s what he said earlier when Mom called him. «

❄
After we all watched the movie that Elliott had chosen and finished eating the Chinese takeout, I went half-asleep to my room. I had fallen asleep halfway through the movie and didn’t know what the movie was about.
I walked into my room, shut the light, and let myself fall on my bed. The moon was high in the dark sky with large almost black clouds hanging in the sky covering up the stars. I hope that a storm will come soon. I can’t stand the high humidity and the hot weather anymore. I wanted to stand outside while the cold rain fell on me. Enjoying the cool air that rain normally brings with it. But according to the weather forecast today in the news, there was no rain in sight for the next weeks only a temperature rise. How freaking great.
Just thinking about the heat made me dream about the cool water in the lake in the woods. I’ll probably go there next week again. I opened my phone and replied to Sierra’s message about the photo of the lake I had sent her.
I stared at the moon through my window as I lay on my bed. It was really pretty; it was a full moon and shined brightly against the night and the clouds that covered the sky. Somewhere out there is the comet which is on a direct path to the sun with no way of stopping it. I was curious about the collision because the news reporter and the brought-in experts were making such a big deal out of it that I wanted to see what would happen. There have been similar instances where they made a huge deal about an asteroid colliding with the sun which started a small panic across the world, but nothing happened unlike they predicted.
Maybe Sierra and Clara will be here by then and we could watch it happen together. They had written a few weeks ago that their summer classes were almost over and that they would come home for the rest of the summer. So, if I’m lucky they will come in a few days.

Tomorrow I will call them and find out when they will be here.

Chapter Text

Day 1512

Dear Ila,

We received the message that in the matter of a few days the needed materials will arrive. Also, we will get another food supply a day or two later, and the next will be in about a month.

Energy is still running on full power. Dr. Wilson seems to have found a great solution that might be a long-term solution for the long run. The generator that we used before is damaged beyond repair, and we don’t have the necessary technicians to repair it even just partially.

We have not found any changes in the water temperature. The few sea creatures that we see down here are also acting normal.
The project is now running full force again, the new materials and supplies will be the last that we need to complete the outside project area. And just to say, it looks amazing, better than we could have ever imagined.

The food growth is good, still going strong, the botanists have started planting new seeds that were delivered to us. They had explained to us that they could be used for the production of medicine such as insulin and pain relievers. Which would be amazing. Then we don’t need to import it and save some of the dunned money on materials and food. We have a few employees who require it and other special medication, and it is often forgotten to be shipped because the higher-ups don’t see it as a necessity.

Thank you so much for the update on Felix and Elias. I’ll call them today if it’s not too late. Thanks for all your help. I can’t wait so see you again.

Ps. I heard about the comet, do you think the expected solar flares will have an impact on the planet and harm it?

Could you send me the live stream link once it is released, I have heard in the radio that NASA would make it available twenty-four hours before the collision.

Miss you all so much! Can’t wait to see you.

Hugs and kisses from the depth of the ocean!
Dr. Anja Brown.

Chapter Text

41°

It was Monday again, eight am in the morning and already I couldn’t wait to get home. No one was in the small bookstore, probably too early for everyone. Not that I blamed them. So here I am sitting behind the register counter in the stuffy and hot store waiting for people to come in.
Sunday had passed pretty quickly. Dad had come home around midnight when I was already asleep. Mom had us all help clean the house and take care of the garden which was drying out. It took forever. The garden had taken the longest to finish. Mom had given me the task of watering the grass and the planets. But since it hadn’t rained in months the soil was extremely dry and took a while till Mom was satisfied with how much water they got. I didn’t mind helping out since it was easy stuff, but it was annoying the hell out of me that Elliott was able to escape Mom’s chores just after a few minutes to hang out with his friends Elias and Felix. He was always able to get away with things because he was the youngest. Dad had to work like always, so that left Kyra, Jasper, and me to fix the garden as Mom wanted it to be.
It took the whole day till Mom was satisfied with what the house and garden looked like. We would have finished a lot sooner if Elliott had helped us.
I had called Sierra and Clara at night for several hours. Catching up with everything that we missed out on since we were apart, talked and laughed the whole time. They had screaming all excited into their phones that they would be home by Wednesday. Sierra who studied in Minnesota was going to pick up Clara in Montana and drive together home.
We already made plans for a bike tour to the lake which we used to do almost every weekend when we were younger and ended it with a sleepover.
I was so happy and excited that I couldn’t stop smiling. I don’t think I have been this happy since I got the job from Mrs. S so many months ago.
I was looking forward to it, I was so excited to see the two and finally properly catch up with them. We have been best friends since kindergarten after Sierra had cut off parts of Clara’s hair and Clara had hidden the plush teddy bear that I once brought to class. We did everything together ever since then. People always told us that we seemed to be glued by the hip together since they never saw us apart. Well, that was until we graduated high school, and with heavy hearts and lots of crying went our way. Clara and Sierra decided to go to university while I worked.
Sierra went off to Minnesota to study nursing there, ever since she was little, she had always told everyone that when she was big she would become a doctor. While Clara majored in psychology in Montana. Although she had considered changing it to English literature. She was one of those people who could never set their minds on something and always changed what they were doing.
❄
When I came in this morning, I had let Mrs. S know that I wouldn’t be working on Thursday.
Time passed slowly but eventually, it was seven and I could finally go home. The bookstore had heated up so much throughout the day as the sun shined for hours through the large display windows. Mrs. S had called someone to come fix the air conditioning, but the earliest someone could come in was next Monday, and we had no way of cooling down the store since the air conditioner broke three days ago. Many people had the same problem, their air conditions were breaking after running for weeks without end trying to fight the heat at their homes.
I pulled in the last table from outside and grabbed my bag to leave. I knocked on Mrs. S’s door and stepped in.
» Hey Mrs. S I’m leaving. I just want to let you know that I’m taking a day off on Thursday. Everything should be down with the cataloging so that you don’t have to do anything with it anymore till the next order. «
» Thank you, sweetheart. I’ll see you tomorrow, be careful getting home. «
I bid Mrs. S goodbye and rode home on my bike. Kyra and Jasper hadn’t been able to drive me today. They had overslept and were late and couldn’t drive the longer route past the Lost Paradise.
The sun was beautiful, shining brightly low in the sky slowly setting. Allowing the temperature to drop again from the thirty-nine degrees that showed up on the thermometer at the bookstore just hours ago before I left. Mrs. S had cursed out the sun and the summer after seeing the temperatures, and all I could do was agree with her. It was insane. It was almost June and not even full summer yet and the heat was already too much for us. I just wish it’s going to get colder soon.
Every day the news announced information on the comet, which was coming closer by the second. That wildfire that destroyed forests all over the world seemed to be unstopped to put out and that mass deaths of animals because of the heat are happening now more often. But also, more and more people are brought to hospitals because of heatstrokes and dehydration. Even some deaths have been reported. I asked Mom yesterday what the people and the hospitals would do if the temperatures were just continuing to rise, and the people’s bodies could no longer cope with it. But she didn’t have an answer and neither did I.
It reminded me of a movie that I watched when I was younger where the temperature became too much that mass deaths occurred. Starting with elder people and kids whose bodies couldn’t tolerate the heat. It was terrifying and I couldn't get my mind around it that the same thing is happening right now. My music was blaring in my ears as I turned onto my road. I focused on the lyrics of the song that was playing to ignore the heat, but the bike ride didn’t make it any better just worse.
My shirt clung to my body because of the sweat running down my body. I really can’t wait for winter to arrive. I will no longer complain to Mom that it’s too cold and that I won’t go outside. Right now, I would welcome a hail and snowstorm just for the temperatures to drop.
I steered into the driveway, stepped off my bike, and locked it up against the column. Jasper’s car was here already, usually, he arrived home a bit later than me. I opened the door and with slow exhausted steps walked into the kitchen.
Mom was cooking, the smell of food watered my mouth and my stomach rumbled. From what I could smell it was something with potatoes.
»How are you? Is everything good? « I asked while filling up a glass with water which I drowned in a matter of seconds. I looked over her shoulder, jup she was making something with potatoes and some sort of meat.
»I’m okay. « Mom answered, her voice wavering which she covered up with a quick smile, but I could tell from her voice that she was anything but ok, it was the voice she had when she was annoyed but didn’t want anyone else to know that she was. Typical.
» Lots to do today, Elliott failed his math test. Seriously I studied with him for hours for this. The school had called, and a parent of his has to come in tomorrow to the principal, they want to talk about his grades. And obviously, it's going to have to be me. Since your dad won’t take a day off work, so I will have to. Honestly, sometimes it makes me believe that he is more married to his work than me. « Mom said upset with a snippy voice.
I know how much it annoyed her, she has so much on her plate already. Worked two different jobs doing the household with some help and studying with Elliott to keep his grades up. And well Dad was barely ever home and when he was, he locked himself in the garage claiming that he still had lots of work to do that had to be finished immediately. We only ever saw him for meals and on rare occasions to see a movie at night.
»I could go with you if you want and drive you to your job so that you could save some time. I’m sure Jasper won’t mind me borrowing his car, he’s teaching anyway. I’ll let Mrs. S know that I’ll come in a bit later, she won’t mind barely anyone is coming in any way when we open. « I offered a small smile light up Mom’s face. She always looked so pretty when she was smiling, all the worry lifted off her face. But now she says she rarely smiled having so much to do that she barely had the energy at night to even talk.
Dad and Jasper were the only ones who had a car. Mom and I ride the bike, Elliott the bus and Kyra is always riding in the car with Jasper or walking. Jasper only bought his car because the elementary school is too far in town to walk or ride the bike in the morning, especially in this weather. But also, that Mom could use it when he didn’t need it.
»I’ll think about it Charly, but thanks. « Replied Mom. She was the only one who still called me Charly. It was my nickname since I was little but once I got older, I was Charlotte again, but for my Mom, I was still Charly.
I was still talking to Mom about tomorrow when Jasper walked in with Elliott in tow.
»Is dinner ready yet? « Asked Elliott's Mom while avoiding looking at her. He must have known that the school called her about his failing grade. It wasn’t that he was a bad student just horrible in math which now could lead him to repeat tenth grade. Mom only nodded and returned her attention to the meat frying in the pan in front of her.
Elliott and Jasper started to set the table while I walked up to my room. Till dinner was on the table it was still going to take around twenty minutes, enough time for me to take a quick shower and change.
I took a quick shower to cool down, picked up all my clothes in my room, and opened the window before I walked back down to the dining room. Only Mom was missing, everyone else including Dad was already seated. Dad must have come home while I was showering since I didn’t hear him come home. He was discussing football with Jasper with a loud and energetic voice his hand moving to gestured throws. He and Jasper had always gotten along well, maybe because he was the oldest. Elliott and I didn’t do anything with Dad. We were family and cared about one another, but we didn’t have anything that we could discuss about since we didn’t know really anything about another. Pretty sad actually.
But after years of trying to get closer to Dad, I gave up, it seemed to me that he wasn’t even interested in his family anymore.
Elliott was quiet, trying not to draw our parent’s attention to himself. Mom sat down her shoulder-length brown hair frizzy and her face red either from cooking or a sunburn that she got while riding home, or maybe both. Kyra was the first to fill her plate and passed around the bowls.
The food tasted amazing, eagerly I emptied my plate. Mom and Kyra were talking about what dish they could make for Thursday’s family dinner. This reminded me of my plans with Clara and Sierra to let them know not to calculate me in.
» Clara and Sierra are coming home on Wednesday, we planned to make a bike tour to the lake on Thursday. I already told Mrs. S about it. We’re going to sleep at Sierra’s after the wars, so I won’t be here for dinner. « I informed Mom, a wide smile on my face.
» Oh, they are finally coming home. I haven’t seen them in ages. They have to come by sometime. « Asked Mom surprised. » That’s great, you finally have someone to hang out with again, you seemed pretty bored the last few weeks. You should get out more and meet more people. « Oh, please make her stop, please don’t let this become one of her lectures.
» tell them to send greetings to their Moms from me. « Said Mom. She and their moms, Catherine and Emily have been old friends since they were in high school together. But she barely ever sees them anymore because of work.
Dad stood up with a loud sigh and walked out with heavy steps, his backsuit hanging over his arm. He hasn’t said anything all dinner. It didn’t even look like he was listening to us talk. It seemed like he didn’t care about us and didn’t want to be part of our family anymore. The sad thing about is that it wasn’t always like this. It began around a year ago were he suddenly had to travel and work all the time. He locked himself away from us as if he couldn’t stand the sight of us anymore. I just wished that he would become normal again and spend more time with us. It’s probably a foolish wish but one can wish and see.
We all talked for a bit more before we stood up and cleaned the table. Kyra went on to wash the dishes while I sorted and cleaned the kitchen counter.
I love being in the kitchen, cleaning, cooking, and organizing it. Cleaning and organizing have always given me a calming effect. It helped me sort out my mind but also it helped me to think. But I also loved helping my mom with it, I enjoyed the work anyway. And besides one day I’ll move out and then I will already know how to cook and properly clean everything. I’ve never seen it as something negative when my mom got me more involved in our household tasks. It brought us closer which I’m eternally grateful for.
Mom and Elliott went to his room to discuss his math grade, which he had been dreading all evening. I feel really bad for him; we all know how much he studies especially for math, but it never shows in his tests. Jasper left for the garden house that he and Kyra lived in, to finish grading his students’ tests that he had given them a few days ago.
» Do you need a hand with putting away the dishes? « I asked Kyra who was placing the clean dishes on the counter.
» No, I’m good. I’m almost done, but if you want once I’m done, we could play Monopoly. Jean would probably play as well if we asked her. «
» But only if Mom isn’t allowed to manage the bank, you know how much Mom cheats. I don’t think she knows that we notice when she does it. « I replied laughing,
» Very true, give me ten minutes and I’ll get it from the garage. « Said Kyra.
I sat down on the sofa and turned on the TV, I hoped that there would be a report coming about the comet. I was lucky I only had to watch a few minutes of a report about climate change until a live-streamed interview between a news reporter and an astronomy professor was played.
»Good evening my name is Lucy Murray, I am here with astronomy expert and professor Aaron Bloomfield, his specialty lies in extraterrestrial moving bodies, « started Lucy Murray. She was a meek-looking woman with too large glasses sitting on her nose that made her seem like Edna Mode from the Incredibles.
» Thanks for having me, Mrs. Murray. I have studied the comet very closely in detail. My team and I have given the comet the name Sundancer also known as SUN3912. We have just - «
»Sorry for the interruption professor. But could you please for the viewers explain what a comet is and what makes the SUN1923, also known as Sundancer, so extraordinary? « Lucy Murray interrupted quietly Aaron Bloomfield. He made an annoyed face for being interrupted which he quickly tried to hide with a charming smile.
» Of course. A comet is composed of water iced mixed with frozen crystals of methane, ammonia, carbon dioxide, and other components. A comet is made up of the head and tail. The head which consists of a nucleus or core is made of frozen gases and small stone-like particles. Compared to the tail which consists of gasses and dust particles. The tail will form as the comet gets closer to the sun and will increase in size due to solar winds, particles, and radiation. They can become up to hundred forty million kilometers long.« Aaron Bloomfield explained, smiling confidently into the camera; he enjoyed his time on television being viewed by millions of people around the world.
» For clarification for you viewers. Hundred forty million kilometers is the distance between the sun and earth. So, the size of the tail can become enormous « clarified Mrs. Murray.
» But this comet is already so much larges as anything we have ever recorded. Currently, the size of the comet is about double the sun. «
» That large? « Lucy Murray asked horrified, the panic could be read on her face.
» Yes. But it’s still far away, around the time the comet will pass Mars it will start to decrease in size due to solar winds as I said before, and shift form. The coma will decrease, and the tail will form from that. «
» So, once it is impacted by the sun it will have lost most of its size? «
» Yes, that’s correct, but it will still be enormous compared to normal-sized comets that we have studied. What’s also to point out is that the Sundancer is a kind of comet of which not many exist. «
» What is it that makes it so different from the other comets? « asked Mrs. Murray interested.
» As you might know usually comets are stuck in an orbit around the sun which year after year orbits around the sun far distances away from it. So, what makes the Sundancer so special is that it’s a type of comet called the Kreutz Sungrazer. Don’t worry I will explain what that is. A sungrazer is a comet that flies very close to the sun. It happens rarely that comets will collide right into the sun. The sun will swallow the comet and it will be destroyed forever. « Explained Aaron Bloomfield, although he seemed like a very arrogant person, I could tell that he was very knowledgeable about this subject.
» From what I understand from this is that the comet that will collide with the sun in a few days isn’t the first. There have been other cases of this happening. « Lucy Murray asked, she looked down on her note cards and back at the man in question.
» No not at all. There have been several records of events like this happening. But none are the size of the Sundancer, it is massive in size compared to the others. Because of its large size, we have informed the media to warn the public of the collision. «
» If I can ask not only for the viewers’ interest but also mine. How large is this comet? « Mrs. Murray asked curiously.
» Of course. My team and I with the help of astronomers from all around the world have calculated and estimated that the nucleus also known as the core is to be around forty kilometers in diameter. While the coma is calculated to be around two points eight million in diameter. We are not sure about the size of the tail yet. But we will inform the media of any new updates. « Informed Professor Bloomfield, his eyes fixed on the quiet woman in front of him.
» Professor Bloomfield, I’m going to ask the most important question now which the entire audience has been asking themselves. What can we expect from the collision? « Lucy Murray asked her quiet voice was strong and curious.
» Since we won’t know the exact size of the comet at the moment of impact, we can only for sure state to the public that an enormous sun flare will escape the sun followed by extreme solar winds. « Aaron Bloomfield started, pausing shortly to look down at his note cards.
He continued » Since we have calculated its size and weight from the current moment, we have run extensive computer simulations to calculate the extended, size and outcome of the solar flare and solar winds and how the earth and its surrounding neighboring planets would become affected by it. «
» What have these simulations shown your team and what can you make out of them? « Asked Lucy Murray, while staring directly at him.
» Mercury will have the strongest and worst repercussions from the solar flare and winds, due to its close potion to the sun. We expect that the side facing the sun will become completely scorched. Venus also will have bad repercussions just like Mercury but not as extreme. «
» What have the simulations shown for Earth? What do we have to expect to happen and how can we prepare for it? « Asked Lucy Murray.
»The simulations have shown that the solar flare and winds won’t reach Earth and will not create any form of destruction on this planet. Although our satellite system might become affected and fall out for several hours after, that is our worst-case scenario. But the people should expect no danger to their lives, no harm will come to them. As a warning, though the moment the collision occurs, the public should avoid looking at the sky and directly at the sun as it could cause damage to the eyes as a colleague of mine has previously explained already. « Answered Professor Bloomfield confidently.
» So, we will be fine and won’t need to prepare for any serious event. « Asked Lucy Murray interested.
» No, but the moment that we discover any changes we will let the nations know immediately. « assured Bloomfield.
» Just like in any emergency, an amber alert will be sent to everyone’s phones several minutes before the collision to warn the public. « Explained Lucy Murray.
» And has the time of the impact changed? From what we last heard the collision of the comet is to occur on Monday, June second at them pm local time here in Washington. « She asked while looking at the note cards in her hands.
» Although since the size of the come is changing so rapidly we do expect that the closer it will get the faster it will collide. But the most only a few minutes will change. It’s still expected to collide at ten pm and twenty-five minutes on June 2, in six days. « Announced Aaron Bloomfield.
» Thank you so much for your time, Mr. Bloomfield, now back to the studio for a discussion about the unusual heatwaves around the world. « The image of a smiling Bloomfield and Murray disappeared and was exchanged to the news station office.
» You seem to follow everything that comes in the news about this comet. « Kyra’s sudden voice startled me out of my thoughts. She seemed to have sat next to me without me noticing.
» Man, you scared me, Kyra. « I said to her while clutching my chest, I still felt the fright she gave me in my body.
» Yeah, I find it interesting. It reminds me so much of the astronomy course I took in the eleventh grade where Jasper had to help me so much. I’m just curious about what will happen when the collision occurs. Everyone seems to make such a huge deal out of it and state in their reports just like now that barely anything will happen to us. But I don’t know if that’s true, they probably are underestimating the consequences. « I explained to Kyra, she nodded and smiled. We sat a few minutes in silence listening to the voices coming in from upstairs.
» Seems like Mom is still talking with Elliott. «
» Yeah, they're on about getting a tutor for him. « Replied Kyra quietly. I couldn’t understand anything from the mumbling voices upstairs, but Kyra could hear them. She had once told me that once her sight had been completely gone over the months of practice her hearing, developed so much that she could hear the quietest noise around her.
» Do you want to play Monopoly now? « I asked. » I’ll set up and you get Mom? I don’t want to interrupt her lecture with Elliott, she always yells at me but never at you. And I think Elliott will appreciate the freedom from Mom’s lecture. « Kyra nodded and walked up the stairs quickly. Although she was completely blind with some slight sensation to bright light, she came around really well. While she has lived here for the last few years, she has memorized everything about our home, every tiny corner and niche, and didn’t need any help to get around. She had made it extremely clear that once she moved in she wanted to get around on her own with no help from us so that she didn’t need to rely on anyone for help. And now she knew more about our home than even Mom. I still remember her excitement when Dad had allowed Kyra to move in with us, well Jasper. Her smile lit up her face and her blue eyes sparkled with joy, she hugged Dad and thanked him hundreds of times for the next few days, so much that he eventually told her to stop as it was getting on his nerves.
I was handing out the money between the three of us when the two sat down around the table. The game took forever to finish but it was fun, we joked around and laughed the whole time. I lost miserably while Mom defeated both me and Kyra by miles which placed Kyra in second place. I have never been good at Monopoly, but I enjoyed playing with them. We talked and talked, and the hours just flew by it had been a while since we three had spent some time alone and it was nice catching up, even if it was just hearing about their jobs. I only realized how much time had passed once the large clock that hung since I was a little above the dining table struck midnight.
» I’m going to turn it, goodnight you two. « Kyra grabbed her blue bag and made her way to the kitchen where the door to the garden was, leading to the small, converted garden house covered in dried-up vines.
I reached for the box and sorted the monopoly money into their correct slots, with the help from Mom the game was back in its box in record time.
» Do you offer still stand with you driving me to school? I called Romy, she allowed me to come in an hour late if I made up the time by staying an hour later. I would ask Jasper to pick me up after work when he drives home. « Mom asked.
» What about Dad? Can’t he, do it? « I asked Mom. Not because I didn’t want to, but I was curious for Dad’s excuse.
» He has to leave tomorrow for another business trip and will be gone for almost two weeks, he has to attend a conference in Spain. « Mom answered irritated, she leaned back in her chair and pushed the hair that was hanging in her face aside.
» Sure, I’ll tell Jasper tomorrow that I’ll borrow his car while he’s at work, he won’t need it anyway. «
» Thanks, sweetheart. «
» Don’t worry about it, mom. It’s nothing, anyway, Mr. S won’t mind, and besides it's better if I’m there for moral support. Besides, I need to keep you from screaming at the prick Mr. Clarkson. You have no clue how happy I am that I will never have to see or hear his voice again. « A loud laughter escaped my mom; she and I shared a common hatred for my old principal.
» Well, I’m going to bed now. Goodnight sleep well. « I stood up and yawned, I bid Mom goodnight again and walked up to my room. A small detour through the kitchen to grab a glass of water that I balanced in my hand while I rushed up the stairs to my room.
I closed my window it had finally cooled down in here, no longer did it have the thirty-five degrees that it had earlier. God that heat was getting on my nerves. This year climate change is kicking out asses, what I would give for the normal summer temperatures again. While I desperately hoped for a colder summer, I packed my bag for tomorrow and plugged in my phone to charge overnight. I quickly changed into my pajamas rushed to the bathroom brushed my teeth and laid down.
Tomorrow was going to be a busy day, but it would be one day closer till Clara and Sierra arrived home. I send them a quick message.
Can’t wait to see you guys again Have a safe drive home!
Love you guys.

Although it was quite warm in my room, I pulled my blanket around me and snuggled into my pillow. I closed my eyes while listening to the music coming from Elliott’s room. Minutes turned into an hour, and I still couldn’t sleep, Elliott’s music was still blasting quietly in his room as he worked on a paper of his.
I stood up, walked to my window, and opened it, hoping that maybe a slight breeze might come through the window. I stared at the clear moon; no dark clouds covered it.
Somewhere far out there the comet had to be, too small for me to see even though it was gigantic as Dr. Aaron Bloomfield had explained.
I took a deep breath of the cool air outside closed the window and lay down again, I plugged in my earphones in my phone and turned on a quiet movie soundtrack. Better than just lying around in silence waiting for sleep to come.  

Chapter Text

Day 1514

Dear Ila.

Thanks for the quick message.

We have revived the material today that we had been waiting for, the boats arrived earlier than expected. We went through the census and have calculated that the brought material will also be used as replacement material in case something were to get damaged.

The workers have started early this morning with their work. The building master has predicted that in the matter of around a month the project will be completed. Finally. That’s one step closer for me to come home.

Once completed we will reveal the announcement to the public of out “completed project”. With our enhanced plant growth, we have managed to start the production of insulin and pain medication. I just hope they really work otherwise we are really screwed down here.

We have received word that the boat that will bring us to the upside will set sail in a few days and will arrive after three weeks after they started their journey.

There have been no noticeable water temperature changes, but the wave movement from which we take our energy is starting to act strange. I hope that it won’t get worse as we might then lose our only source of stable energy that is easy to acquire without any unnecessary costs.

Our technicians have called specific experts because of it just in case to fix up the generator that we had been using before to create energy. Through visual calls they have been working together to see what the problem is, we cannot afford to lose power. So that they won’t waste tome to fix it. They will also come with the boat in a month. Hopefully, it will last thing long with no problem, because if the energy goes out, we are all screwed.

Miss you all!
Thanks for the photos!
Dr. Anja Brown

Chapter Text

38°

It was finally Thursday. I have been waiting for this day since like forever Clara and Sierra are going to come any minute for our bike tour. I was so excited, literally hyper with energy that I couldn’t stand still. I must have already made a dent in the floors from walking around for the past hours. Checking my phone by the minute and continually looked out the window in the hope of seeing my best friends walking up to the front door. I looked out again like a million times, but no one was there, the street was empty of people and cars, all busy at work or school. Everyone except me.
Yesterday flew by insanely fast, Jasper had driven us to the elementary school where he gave me his car keys so that I could pick up Mom and bring her to Elliott’s high school. Jasper left with a stern look and a warning that he gave me whenever I drove his car. Not because he was worried that I could get hurt in a crash but that nothing would happen to his beloved car. He loved that old car, adored it, and was always very careful about the people who would drive it. I mean I get it; the car had been the first thing Jasper bought with his own earned money that he had saved up for the past years.
I drove home and picked up Mom who was already waiting on the sidewalk, her dark purple handbag hung across her shoulder. We stopped at a coffee shop for half an hour so that we didn’t have to wait forever for Mom’s appointment at the principal’s office. While we waited, we had ordered drinks to help us stay awake. Mom had her coffee and I had ordered my favorite hot chocolate. I knew it was crazy to drink hot chocolate in this heat, even the barista had given me a weird look, but hey it was my favorite. The coffee store made the best hot chocolate in the world. Clara, Sierra, and I had always met up here a lot during high school to enjoy its hot chocolate while studying for exams and hanging out. I hadn’t been there in forever. It was strange not having the company of Clara and Sierra around while I was here. Another thing to do with them once they are back home.
We arrived at the high school just on time, Mom was able to just walk into the office without having to wait outside. With a sour mood, she walked in but had her friendly face, I was never able to tell what she was thinking while she was masking her annoyance and anger. It was kind of terrifying she was like two kinds of people at the same time while playing pretend that she was not annoyed and bothered at all.
Meanwhile, I wandered the halls of my old high school, while classes were in process, the different voices of teachers and students filtered through the doors as I walked by. It was crazy but I missed being here, I missed seeing my friends every day, having a quick chat with some of my favorite teachers or just other people from my classes. When I was back at the office I sat down and waited, staring at photos of the school teams that hung largely framed on the white wall, luckily not for long. The door opened and Mom rushed out to the exit, I quickly stood up and ran up to her. She was not in a good mood, she stayed quiet and didn’t talk about what Principal Johnson had said to her.
I brought Mom to her work and parked at the Lost Paradis, the hours passed slowly since there wasn’t a lot to do, usually the busy days were only then when Mrs. S had ordered a bunch of books and needed them to be shelved. I was so happy to leave, the hot temperature in the small store seemed to have started to cook my brain from its heat. I picked up Jasper and Kyra at school and climbed in the back while Jasper drove back home.
Clara and Sierra had called late at night that they were finally home, arrived safe and soundly but extremely tired from the road trip, and that they would come by tomorrow around ten. Once the call ended, I set an alarm on my phone for nine in the morning so that I had enough time to get ready for when they came. I was glad that they decided not to come earlier, I would be able to sleep at least two more hours than usual, and I needed them. The heat alone made me so tired during the day that I wished I could take small power naps to restore my energy. The two extra hours were very welcoming.
I was still wandering around the house when the bell rang. I ran full speed to the door, opening it and Clara and Sierra were finally in front of me. I throw myself on them hugging them tightly, oh how I missed them. I stepped back after about forever and looked into their smiling faces.
» Someone seemed to have missed us. « Joked Sierra while pulling me in a hug again, she always gave the best hugs.
» You have no idea, god I missed you two, you have no clue how glad I am that you are back home. Finally, you’re here. « I said to them, my voice breaking as tears started to rise in my eyes. Shot, I had promised myself that I wouldn’t cry when I saw them again, but too late. They were streaming down my face already, I whipped them away with my hands and laughed. » You ready to go? I’ll probably start crying even more if we don’t. «
We started the bike tour, quickly we arrived at the beginning of the bike trail, and we rode slowly while we chatted, laughed, and listened to music that Sierra had turned up a while ago. The sun was almost at its highest point. Shining brightly in the cloudless blue sky.
Today could only be perfect, Clara and Sierra were here, the weather was perfect if not a bit hot and we were almost at the lake. After twenty minutes on the bike trail, we stepped off our bikes and pushed them off the trail through the woods, the tree line started to appear and the lake was visible, the water glittering in the sunlight. We locked up our bikes and grabbed our bags. We laughed and smiled while we walked closer to the lake.
» The last one in is a rotten egg. « Shrieked Clara, throwing her bag on the ground and pulling off her dress running in her swimsuit in the cold water. I quickly pulled off my yellow skirt and top rushing into the freezing lake, Sierra close behind me. I screamed as Sierra pushed me down into the water, I fell and was completely soaked. I quickly stood up and my hair clung to my face.
» You’re going to get it now. « I laughed as I pulled her down into the lake, till she was submerged deep in the cold water, she quickly came up laughing, pushing her long brown hair out of her face. She looked at me and knew exactly what she wanted to do. I nodded smiling stalking close to Clara who realized what we were about to do. Both of us punched at her.
We splashed around for several more minutes all of us soaked. We swam deep into the lake and floated on our backs close to one another as we talked about the last few months since we had seen each other.
» I love it in Montana, everyone’s nice there, but I’m not user if psychology is really for me. Don’t get me wrong it’s really interesting, a lot better than business but I can’t see myself working with it and I can’t change my major again. Mom and Dad are mad enough already that I changed from studying business like they wanted me to do. I don’t know what to do. « Said Clara quietly, staring into the blue sky. » I wish I could live home again; my roommate is awful constantly getting drunk and having parties while I’m trying to study, and Mom and Dad aren’t any help when I call them for advice. I wish I could come back and be with you guys. « Her sadness could be heard from her voice.
» Yeah, me too, I found some great people at campus, my roommate is alright. But the whole studying for exams and being in classes with a few hundred people in a course is so overwhelming. But Minnesota is beautiful, you should come to visit sometime. « Said Sierra.
»What about you Charly? How is it here? « Asked Clara.
» It’s alright, I guess. « I said quietly. » I got a job at the bookstore the Lost Pared- «
» You’re working for the old hag? « Interrupted Sierra, while staring at me. » Yeah, she isn’t that bad actually, often there is a lot to do but it’s a good job and it's paid alright. But I miss you guys so much. Everyone else is gone. All I do now is hang out at home and sometimes go with Kyra to town but otherwise, I’m all alone. « I said quietly, sighting. I turned my head and smiled at both. It seemed like we were all not happy with how things were now.
» How about we get out, I’m starting to get cold, and eat something, my mom gave me a box of her cookies that you two love so much. « Suggested Sierra. God, I loved those cookies so much, the three of us had tried several times to make them but they were never as good as Sierra's Mom’s. I don’t know how she did it.
We stayed a few more minutes in the cold lake before slowly swimming to the rocky shore. We spread out our towels on the grass and lay down and let us sun-dried us. Sierra brought out the box of vanilla cookies with chocolate chips out of her bag. This must be what the heavens must taste like I thought while biting into the soft cookie.
I turned up some quiet music laid on my back, my skirt floating slightly in the breeze. We got dressed again once we were dry to prevent more of us from being burned in the sun. I stared into the sky; the sun was visible through the tree crowns. I was lost in thought while I watched the clear sky and nibbled on my cookie.
Clara sat up next to me to switch the song on my phone and laid down again asking Sierra something that I didn’t hear. I was just going to sit up and ask them when they wanted to leave since it was past five already when all of a sudden, a flashing lit up the sky. A bright light flashed behind my eyes blinding me. Quickly I covered my eyes, my hands placed over my eyes to try to make the bright light disappear behind my eyes.
Screams from Clara and Sierra were heard right next to me. I was still shocked by what just happened to get a sound out. With my eyes still closed and my hands over my eyes, the light started to fade. I was terrified.
» What the hell was that? « I screamed, seriously what was that?
All of a sudden, I was cold, the warm sunlight that shined on us just seconds ago seemed to be gone all of a sudden. I placed my hands on my eyes and opened them. But everything was dark. Nothing was visible, I couldn’t even see my hand which was still in front of my face.
Panicked I scrambled up to stand, my first thought was that somehow my eyes didn’t work right anymore but all of a sudden, a light lit up on the ground. I looked down to see what it was. My phone. Lit up my message sent to my mom and Jasper. Ignoring them for now I turned on my flashlight so that I could see something again and looked at my two best friends, their silhouettes barely visible in the low light. Their shock was written across their faces.
» What the hell is happening? « I asked them scared, panic slowly rose in my voice as my body trembled.

But no answer. We were surrounded by darkness. The sun was gone.