After major coastal cities sink to the bottom of the ocean at the end of the twenty-first century, the richest inhabitants of Earth escape the planet to build new colonies in a distant solar system. Thirty six light years away from the Milky Way gal...
Note: The moodboard/aesthetic in this chapter is the work of @whoisereza and should not be used without their permission. Check out their shop if you need one.
When Moira returned from the library, she found Neesa sitting in the living room watching a comedy with a bowl of celery on one hand and a bottle of ranch dressing on the other. Moira said a quick hey and looked in the fridge for snacks so that she could watch the comedy with Neesa. She knew her cousin liked crunchy vegetables, but she herself hated the blandness of celery and the taste of ranch dressing and would much prefer something sweet, like strawberries or nectarines. Moira wasn't a picky eater, it was just that some textures made her uncomfortable due to her sensitivity to sensory inputs. The fridge was empty, except for a carton of eggs. Uncle Martin and Aunt Zoe had left a note: "Went grocery shopping. We will get chocolate-covered almonds for Moira and baby carrots for Neesa. Please wash the dishes and do the laundry."
Moira turned to her cousin. "Hey Neesa, you did your share of the chores?" she asked while checking the washing machine. Neesa answered in affirmative, so Moira checked the dishwasher and put dirty dishes in. When she was younger, all the grease and dirt on the plates would gross her out. Now, she knew to wear gloves while handling the dishes.
Neesa's comedy show was finally over and Moira sat next to her, enthusiastically telling her about Kenta's greenhouse and Vannie's plan about reading a pop-up book for elementary schoolers. Neesa was not very interested in the part about reading, but when Moira told her about Kenta's boyfriend, she seemed sad. "I have a crush on him, Moira, and not just because he baked me muffins although I gotta admit that was a huge bonus. Oh well, I suppose he is too old for me anyway, but I am still a bit heartbroken," Neesa sighed. Moira shot her an empathetic look and put an arm around the cousin's shoulder. Suddenly, Moira's phone vibrated in her pocket. Neesa had a habit of reading texts over Moira's shoulder, but to be fair Moira always did the same to her, so growing up they almost had no secret to keep from each other.
There was a text from an unknown number. The area code indicated that the sender lived in Black Elm, the neighboring planet to the west of White Banyan. Moira and Neesa exchanged a glance and then clicked on the message.
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