Ascension

Elijah

I never agreed to this. I didn't vote but that didn't matter. Enough people in the room did and now we are going to be constructing an atom bomb and dropping it on millions of Brights.

Civilians who were never in the war. This almost makes us as bad as the Brights themselves. I guess the people were right about history. It always repeats itself. I just wish we could avoid repeating nuclear wars again.

"Elijah, this is cruel." Lorelei looked into my eyes.

"I know." I hang my head.

"Why do they feel its right to do this to them?"

"I cannot speak on their behalf Lorelei."

"Right." She sighs.

Lorelei gets up and I begin to follow her.

"No. I need to be alone right now Elijah." She tells me.

I sit back down on the couch and stare off into the distance. My heart clenches in a familiar feeling of despair. I groan, I haven't taken my pills in to long.

I walk back to my supposed room that America made sure had my mood correctioning pills. I took a few in my hand but I was hesitant to put them in my mouth. I decided it would be better if I took them with food.

I walked down to the kitchen where I found Lorelei eating her weight in Ice Cream.

"Do you have enough Ice Cream for me?" I asked her.

She pushed a tub of rich chocolate Ice Cream over to me and I popped the pills into my mouth and took a bite of the mouthwatering Ice Cream.

I felt the familiar drug taking effect in my system. Then the intercom turned on.

We will be landing in about an hour so pack up all your belongings and report to the main deck.

I pulled Lorelei away from her Ice Cream and we grabbed a few changes of clothes from the Dresser in each of our rooms and put them into a duffel bag.

When we got to the main deck America and Silas were already sitting there with their bags.

"What took you so long?" America asked suspiciously.

"We had to run around the ship looking for items we might need." Lorelei explained cooly.

"Do you think that Orion A will have a track, because I want to take a run with you when we get there." I whisper in her ear.

"I'm sure they do." Lorelei answered evenly.

I turned Lorelei so that she would face me.

"Are you feeling okay?" I asked her.

I made her see that I really wanted to help her if she wasn't okay.

"I'll be fine." She turned away.

I grabbed her shoulders so she would stay looking at me.

"But you aren't fine now." I answered.

"Nothing is fine." She whispered quietly.

"I know Lorelei. Stars, I know." I empathize with her.

She nods her head.

"I want you to know I will always be there for you." I assure her.

I wrap my arms tightly around her and she stiffens for a moment but then melts into the hug.

"I love you. You know that right." I whisper into her hair.

She leaned her head against me and closes her eyes. I keep her cuddled up against me and America gives us suspicious looks. I glare at her while I brush Lorelei's hair out of her face. Silas doesn't say or do anything but sit quietly in the corner of the room.

I can tell that the Atomic Bomb thing is worrying him. It's worrying all of us. America looks almost green and I know it's not from motion sickness because you can barely even feel that we are in space.

I gently shake Lorelei when I get an idea.

"What?" She yawns.

"I have an idea. Just sit tight." I tell her.

I walked over to where America is sitting and I crouched down beside her.

"Where is the biggest window on this shuttle?" I whisper in her ear.

"It's on the bridge." She responded.

"Are we allowed on the Bridge?"

"Yes, as long as you don't interrupt them." America made sure I remembered that.

I walked over to Lorelei and pulled her off the couch.

"Where are we going?" She asks as I dragged her along.

"You'll see." I assured her.

Lorelei willingly allowed herself to be pulled along by me.

When we reached our destination I slowly opened the door to the Bridge.

It wasn't as big as the one on the Darkness but it was still familiar to Lorelei. Her eyes got wide when she saw it. It brought her back simpler times before everything happened.

She smiled genuinely.

"That wasn't even going to be my surprise but I'm glad you are smiling Lorelei." I know I sound cheesy.

"Than what is your surprise?"

"Close your eyes." I tell her.

Her eyes shut and I led her in front of the window.

"Can you open it?" I whispered.

They opened it and it made a loud noise but Lorelei didn't open her eyes. I clasped my hand over her eyes until the window was fully uncovered.

"It better be a good surprise Eli." She informed me.

"Trust me, I believe you will enjoy it." I can hardly cover the excitement in my voice.

Finally when the window was open I unclasped my hand from her eyes and they fluttered open. Her mouth dropped as she stared through the window.

"They are so close." She whispered.

I wrapped my arms around her shoulder. She hardly noticed it. I looked up into the stars and I was imagining what Lorelei was feeling right now.

"I will never truly get over seeing stars from outer space." Lorelei sighed as she relaxed back into a chair.

"They truly are beautiful." I agree.

"We are surrounded." Lorelei laughed looking as far as she could see.

It almost made me dizzy to see that many stars. It didn't make Lorelei dizzy though and she kept staring as we made our way to the Planet.