Into the Mist

Mel stayed in the infirmary for the next few days. I hadn’t seen Galen, but I didn’t know if that was normal or not. I was seeing so many things! ‘People watching’ was my new favorite pastime and as no one usually looked me in the face, they didn’t notice my sharper gaze or my eyes following movement. I think a few of my teachers noticed something, but not knowing what to say, I did nothing.

The day I did see Galen, he walked right past me. “Hey!” I shouted. “Wait up.” Galen looked shocked and more than a little uncomfortable. “Where have you been?” I asked.

“How did you know it was me?” Huh? Oh, he’d changed cologne. Was that to keep me away? I felt stupid for approaching him when he was obviously trying to avoid me. I guess his father really hadn’t mentioned me seeing. How did he not know? I guess some people have their head in the sand.

“I, uh, thought I sensed you.” I reached for the correct response. “I wanted to talk to you.”

“I’m late,” he said curtly.

I tried looking blankly over his shoulder. “Could you meet me later?”

“I don’t think so Arienne.” Arienne? He’d never been so formal with me before. I had to do something drastic.

“That shirt brings out the blue in your eyes,” I said quietly. His head snapped back to look at me. We locked eyes. Oh my, could I get lost in those eyes.

“How many fingers am I holding up?” He tested.

“None. Your right hand is full of books and your left arm is reaching for my face.”

“How?” His confused face was adorable.

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

“We have to tell my father about this. It’s a miracle. You could go home now.” His excitement crushed me.

“Oh, Galen. Your father knows. He’s been keeping it a secret from you.”

“Why?”

“Meet me after lunch in the gardens, and I’ll tell you everything.”

“Mel was right, wasn’t she?” Galen looked down at the space between our feet.

“Yes.”

“Okay, I’ll meet you there.”

“Thank you Galen.” His thumb brushed my cheek and my stomach tightened.

“I’m sorry,” he began.

“We’ll talk later,” I removed his hand and pushed him lightly.

I felt so relieved knowing I would be talking to Galen soon. It was not hard to act blind. The light hurt my eyes and I felt vertigo when I looked down. It was easier to keep my eyes shut and rely on my other senses; but it was so nice to be able to open my eyes and see. I got a notebook from the commerce closet and after answering some vague questions on why a blind girl needed a blank lined notebook, I took it to classes. I began to try to draw the things I could see. I couldn’t write. No one had ever taught me. My tests were done with a Braille machine. I’d never seen my name on paper before and I practiced it until I could label everything I owned.

I drew objects, flowers, insects and people. Those were my favorite. Trying to draw faces was my passion. Robin said I was doing well. He was having a harder time pretending. His crutch didn’t feel right anymore –when he wanted to run for joy. He was becoming very grumpy. I decided not to tell him about my meeting with Galen.

After lunch, I found my way to the gardens, again easier with my eyes closed because the halls all started looking the same. I couldn’t trust my sight to get me anywhere. I willed the mist to appear, to make it easier to explain to Galen, but it did not materialize. I watched the delicate wings of a butterfly while I waited. I put the feel of it together with the sight of its brightly colored wings. Tears came unbidden to my eyes.

“Are you all right?” Galen’s deep drawl made my insides melt.

“Yes. Sorry. It’s so overwhelming to see sometimes.”

“I can only imagine,” he agreed. “Tell me what happened.” Galen sat next to me on the bench and I self-consciously looked for the video camera. Scooting a little further away from him, I turned my back to the camera. I didn’t want anyone to read my lips.

I told Galen about that night, what he’d seen and what he hadn’t. I explained the mist and how we had to touch the aliens to be healed. But it worked! I told him that I wanted to go with them, but they told me to spread the message that they wanted to heal us all.

“Then why would my father keep this a secret?”

“I don’t know. Maybe to keep everyone from panicking?”

“Maybe to keep people from throwing themselves out of the airlock at the wrong time?” We agreed that that was the most plausible answer.

“You need to find out, though,” I told Galen. “I don’t know if there’s a time limit or what? Robin can’t limp around forever, he needs to exercise his foot and I think people are beginning to tell that I can see.”

“Why doesn’t he just send you two back?”

“Ivy said no one goes back.”

“Ivy, my dad’s assistant? How does she know?”

“Don’t you know her dysfunction?” I asked incredulously.

“No. I just assumed it was an emotional disorder because she seems fine.”

“She was deaf, Galen. The surgeon fixed her and with her hearing aids, she hears just fine.”

“So why didn’t they send her back?”

“Exactly,” I said. “They need workers. That’s why. Everyone is given a job. Some here and the rest in the mines.”

“What mines?”

“On the dark side of the Moon. I recently learned that we mine helium-3 and uranium for fuel and sell it to earth. With their energy crisis, they pay very well and that funds our colony.”

“I had no idea.” Galen sat back on the bench and slouched as he thought.

“No one does, it’s called the 21st program and when you turned 21 you are given your job here... Or there. That’s when you find out.”

“How do you know all this?”

“The disc you found for the earth Internet.”

“I wondered if you’d found anything else. The next day I was confined to quarters for two weeks and then you were gone,” he said. “I’m so sorry. When Robin told me what happened to you, I was so angry. And then you didn’t know me,” he added softly.

I laid my hand over his on the bench and he squeezed my fingers gently. “I’m so sorry,” he said again.

“Well,” I cleared my throat, “luckily the reconditioning didn’t work on Robin. He told me everything I was supposed to forget.” We laughed. It felt good to tell someone and it felt great to let it dissolve into giddiness.

“Wait,” I said. “You and Robin never talked about what was on the Internet?”

“I guess not. We were in so much trouble for having the disc. I guess I figured anything you learned, they made you forget.”

“They did,” I said. “But not Robin.”

I let that sink in. “So, you don’t know about the oil war?”

“No,” he looked worried.

“Galen. You know all the combat training we’re doing?”

“Of course. You don’t mean – ”

“They’re going to send us to the war. Galen, they are training us to be soldiers. That’s why I risked going out of the airlock. We are going to die.”

“But all that’s different now,” he said, “We can be healed.”

“That’s what I told your father and he told me to keep silent. Galen, I’m afraid they’re going to send us anyway.”

“But we will be killed,” he almost shouted.

“The earth doesn’t care about us. People with enough money could probably pay to keep their children here. Earth probably thinks we’ll send all the trained adults over 21, but they won’t stop the mining... And they’re training us. I doubt that they’ve stopped the mines for combat training.”

“This cannot be happening.”

“It is Galen. You have to find out what you can.” I spread my hands out.

“I’ll try,” he said earnestly.

“Don’t worry Galen. I’m sure you won’t have to go.”

“My parents have position, but not money. I am just as likely as you. That’s why my father has me doing extra training.”

“He does?”

“Yeah. I think he’s hoping I’ll have a shot.”

My hands were clammy. “Galen, you need to find out what you can. Keep your ears open. Go visit your father. Take him lunch or something and eavesdrop,” I said passionately. “I’ll ask Ivy. She may be on our side.”

He grasped my face in both his hands and stared into my eyes. I caught my breath at the clarity of his crystal blue eyes framed by long black lashes. He leaned closer to me. His kiss was expected, but just as sweet nonetheless. His lips brushed mine softly and I tilted my head to deepen the kiss. His hands moved to my neck and my head was spinning.

“Galen,” I sighed.

“Yes Ari?” he chuckled.

“Nothing. Just do that again,” and smiling, he did.