#i tried to play it but the marbles representing earth the moon mars and Venus kept getting away from me | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

in-an-ecotone · 8 years ago

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Champions of Worlds

I wrote a little thing about human personification of planets (I got the idea from a prompt from writing-prompts but I can’t find the original post anymore sorry) it’s kind of long for one post b/c I have 3 chapters already. Champions of Worlds is the working title, I don’t know if I’ll keep it (I’m bad at titles).

btw I would love some feedback I don’t write much 1st person stuff or changing perspective.

Chapter 1-

“Before we begin, let’s do a quick role call,” I announced. The quiet chatter echoing around the chamber ceased suddenly, and was replaced by the scraping of chairs against the marble floor. The meeting hall was a grand chamber built with elegant marble pillars stretching beyond one’s sight. Artifacts on display lined the walls, silently boasting so we didn’t have to. In the center of the room stood a lengthy, ovalular table with nine ornate wooden chairs sat around it.

Now sitting in these chairs were my fellow champions, representatives of planets, or in my case, stars, responsible for protecting the solar system. Every chair was filled, but rules dictated that I conduct a verbal role call.

“Carlin, of Mercury,” I said in a monotone voice. I glanced at the smallest and closest of the planets; Carlin was swinging his legs back and forth since they didn’t reach the ground. He ran a hand through his sandy brown hair and smiled at me. His skin was covered in circular scars and birthmarks, so many that his pale skin appeared darker.

“Right here,” He said cheerily.

“Thom, of Venus,” I moved to the next planet. Unlike little Carlin, Thom was tall enough to actually touch the ground with his feet, but his legs still bounced up and down in an agitated fashion. His orange bronze hair was neatly styled in a low fade haircut, and he didn’t dare touch it so not to ruin it. His smooth tan skin was scarred in only a few locations, as opposed to Carlin’s hundreds.

“Here,” He responded softly.

“Kaj, of Earth,” I looked upon Kaj. He looked very similar to Thom. The same height, the same face, the same hair. They were practically twins. Unlike Thom, however, Kaj’s hair was a deep blue, the same color as his oceans. He winked one of his piercing green eyes at me. His skin was tan and rough, covered in little bumps or dips.

“Reporting for duty,” He saluted casually.

“Jasper, of Mars,” I ignored him, moving to our first female champion, aside from myself. Jasper’s long, fiery red hair quickly drew my attention. Her crimson locks were practically begging you to look at them. Though she was one of the shorter champions, she was old and experienced, and the many scars on her caramel skin showed it.

“Heya, Ori,” She used my nickname, staring me down with those scarlet eyes of hers.

“Reis, of Jupiter,” I said, glaring at Jasper. Reis and Jasper were separated by a belt in the middle of a table. From here on out, it was hard for me to reach the planets.

Reis was easily the tallest of the champions; she towered over them menacingly, but she was a gentle giant. She had a cute brown pixie cut that reflected her kind personality. She was loud and always cracking jokes. Her great red birthmark was the only discrepancy of her otherwise perfectly smooth skin.

“Yello” She waved.

“Gwendolyn, of Saturn,” I moved on. Gwen was very tall, but still no match for Reis. She kept her yellow blonde hair in a simple side braid, which she was currently fussing with. She had smooth, pale skin which she covered in many necklaces and bracelets.

“Good to see ya, Ana,” She used my other nickname.

“Quilo, of Uranus,” I moved on, angrily glaring at Gwen. After her gaze fell apologetically, I moved on to Quilo. Fey was tall and lanky, with long, bony limbs. Feyr skin was white as sheets, probably due to the lack of sunlight. The bangs of feyr pale blue hair fell into feyr face and fey swept them to the side. Fey had narrow, piercing icy blue eyes to match the color of feyr hair. Fey stared me down without blinking.

“Hello, Oriana,” Fey spoke softly.

“Derya, of Neptune,” I hurried to move on past Quilo. In contrast to Quilo’s pale complexion, Derya had incredibly dark skin. His black hair was curly, like waves, and his deep blue eyes were bright and happy. On his shoulder, there was a large, dark spot, a birthmark.

“How’s it goin’?” He asked.

“Right, so everyone’s here, that’s good.” I finished. “Now, down to business. Jasper.” I addressed the red planet’s champion. She sat up straighter and held her chin high, showing respectful and attentive posture.

“You claimed you have an issue to discuss,” I said.

“Yes, I do have an issue,” She nodded. “It appears that the pathetic whelps that inhabit earth-” Kaj sat up straighter, a fire growing in his usually calm green eyes. “-have plans to colonize Mars.”

“So?” I asked.

“So, Mars is my planet, not his,” She growled, annoyed that I didn’t understand at first. “They’ve already sent those disgusting toys over, and I’ve tolerated that, but I will not stand for them living on my beautiful planet.”

“Excuse me, but if I may interrupt-” Kaj started.

“You may not.” I said. “Jasper, finish your argument quickly, and then Kaj, you will have a chance to speak.” Kaj leaned back in his chair with a huff.

“Mars is uninhabitable for humans anyway,” Jasper pouted. “If they want to leave the planet, at least go to Venus where there’s an atmosphere.”

“I will not be housing those destructive beasts!” Thom roared.

“Calm down!” I shouted. “Kaj, you may state your case, and then Thom, if you still feel the need to do so, you may go after Kaj.”

“Thank you, Oriana,” Kaj put his fingertips together without his palms touching. “Now, might I remind everyone that I represent the planet Earth, not its inhabitants. I cannot control what my little darlings do, and I cannot influence their decisions. That being said, if they want to explore the solar system, why be so apprehensive about it? After all, I’m the only one who can say I have life on my planet. Wouldn’t you all like to be able to say that too?”

“Oh please, like we’d want your sentient piles of shit on our planets!” Jasper hissed.

“Jasper, settle down,” I warned.

“As I was saying,” Kaj continued. “My beautiful creatures are interested in inhabiting Mars specifically because it’s so close to Earth-”

“So is Venus!” Jasper shouted, gesturing towards Thom.

“Quit pushing this onto me!” Thom yelled, equally as angry as Jasper.

“Both of you, be quiet!” I slammed my hands down on the table. They both looked down shamefully. Silence hung in the air for what felt like hours, but was most likely only a few seconds.

Kaj began to continue his argument, but he couldn’t get a word in before the creaking of the large, heavy doors at the end of the chamber interrupted him. Everyone turned to face the opening doors.

A young girl, about the same height as Carlin, stepped into the chamber. Her quick and heavy footsteps echoed loudly around the room. “Sorry I’m so late, everyone,” She said as she gasped for air. I eyed her up and down in confusion. All the planets are here. She must be some moon who didn’t get the memo.

I was fairly certain I recognised her, but I couldn’t place from where. She was short and skinny, with light golden skin and platinum blonde hair. Her hair was in a short, cute bob which made her look young and innocent. She slowed as she approached the table.

“Kaj, I thought I had made it clear, this is a planets only meeting. No moons,” I turned to him.

He huffed, “I’ll have you know my darling little Luna is back home playing with the tides. I’ve no idea who this is.”

“Alright, if she’s not your moon, then whose is she?” I addressed the rest of the group.

“I’m not a moon,” The girl interrupted. “I’m Piera, you know, from Pluto.”

“Pluto?” Derya repeated, annoyed. “You mean that little rock that crosses my orbit for twenty years?”

“That’s the one,” She nodded.

“Girl, you best get out of here, this meeting is for planets only,” He said aggressively.

“But I am a planet,” She argued. “I’ve come to these meetings for years, did you all just forget or something?”

“Pluto is a dwarf planet, a fact we agreed upon a long time ago. It’s why you haven’t been invited to any,” I explained. I must have accidentally sent her an invitation to this meeting. I reminded myself not to make that mistake again.

“I just assumed we stopped having them because we didn’t need to…” She mumbled.

“Well, you were wrong. If you would be so kind as to remove yourself from the premises, now. We have work to do,” I requested as politely as I could manage. Such an annoyance. She couldn’t even show up on time, no, she had to interrupt the meeting and waste our time.

“But…” She started, but it seemed she couldn’t find the right words. “But I’m a part of this solar system! I deserve to be here! I deserve to get a vote in these decisions!”

“Sorry, but dwarf planets don’t count,” I said coldly. This child had wasted enough of our time. “We really are busy, so if you wouldn’t mind-”

“No! I will not be reduced to the same status as a freaking moon!” She yelled. Oh, she can’t even bring herself to swear. How old even is she? “I might not have a perfectly circular orbit, but I’m a member of this family and I will not be treated like this!”

“All you are is a waste of precious time,” I interrupted her tantrum. “Now get out or I will be forced to do so for you.”

The girl’s face was scrunched up in anger. She opened her mouth to argue, but she just closed it again and stormed out in anger. Her eyes welled up with tears as she ran, but she tried her best to keep them hidden. She slammed the doors shut behind her, and the sound echoed around the hall long after they were closed.

Once the sound cleared, I resumed our meeting. “Now then, where were we? Ah yes, Kaj, you were making your case for why your humans should be allowed to colonize Mars.”

Kaj continued his argument without a word from Jasper or Thom. The gas planets silently gestured at one another, having some sort of coded conversation. They did it at almost every meeting, since the hot headed planets up front argued about many things that did not concern them. I didn’t mind, so long as they kept quiet. I did wonder what exactly they were talking about; perhaps they were discussing the child who so rudely interrupted us. Perhaps they think I was too harsh. Whatever they think, at least she’s not bothering us anymore.

Chapter 2-

After storming out of the meeting, I wiped my tears away as best I could. Dwarf planet… Who cares if Pluto’s a dwarf planet? I deserve to be in there. I slid down the wall and buried my face in my knees.

“Piera? What’s wrong?” A squeaky voice asked worriedly. I didn’t have to look up to know it was Styx, the champion of my smallest moon.

“They kicked me out of the meeting,” I said softly. I felt him sliding down the wall next to me.

“Oh, that’s awful. Why?” He wondered. I felt his hand on my shoulder.

“Because Pluto isn’t a ‘real planet’ apparently,” I answered bitterly.

“Not a real planet? Cause it’s so small? Isn’t Mercury also really small?” He pointed out.

“It is, but Pluto is smaller. And it’s not about size, it’s about the orbit,” I corrected him. “Pluto doesn’t have a circular orbit which makes it a dwarf planet.”

“That’s stupid,” Styx commented. “So you get in Neptune’s way sometimes, it doesn’t happen often. And even if it’s just a dwarf planet, Pluto’s still a part of this solar system.”

“That’s what I said, but they won’t listen,” I nodded.

“Piera?” Another, more mature, voice said. It was Charon. “I guess the meeting didn’t go well, huh?”

“It did not,” I confirmed her assumption.

“Well, you know what, fuck them,” She huffed. I looked up abruptly.

“Charon!” I scolded. She knew I didn’t like swearing, but it looked like she didn’t care. She was standing above me, her arms crossed, her face set in a determined expression.

“I mean it,” She said. She came face to face with me abruptly, causing her long straw blonde hair to fall in her face. I backed up as far as I could against the wall, but she just inched closer to me. I tried to read her expression, but all I could get was anger. There was a fire behind her clear white eyes, and she was biting her lip, which she always did when she got angry.

“Fuck them,” She repeated. “Or, if it makes you more comfortable, screw them. Either way, you get the point. Who needs them? They clearly don’t care about you, so why should you care about them? If you want to make a decision on behalf of your planet, do it, don’t wait for a meeting with them!”

“That’s so much pressure though…” I whisper.

“You’re not alone!” She smirked. “You’ve got me, and Styx, and Hydra, and Kerberos, and Nix! We’re all here for you, ain’t that right Styx?”

“Yeah, of course!” He nodded excitedly. I turned toward him. He ran a hand through his straight, white hair and flashed a toothy smile. “I mean, that’s what we’re here for, right?”

“Yeah! We’ll start our own council! The Pluto Council!” Another voice chimed in. I looked up to see Nix, another moon. She stood shyly in front of us, looking over Charon, who was still practically in my lap. Charon coughed and moved next to me so Nix could join our circle. She sat down, neatly crossing her legs and smiling warmly at me. She was about the same height as Styx, and thin bony limbs resembled his. Her hair, which was in short pigtails, was mostly dark grey, but there was one streak of pink on the left side.

Not too far behind Nix were my other two moons, Hydra and Kerberos. Kerberos, a short but tough black haired boy, was holding hands with Hydra, a shorter but equally tough light haired boy. They were inseparable.

“You guys are on board with this too?” I asked. They both nodded silently. I sighed. “Okay, okay. If you all think that highly of me…” I looked around the circle one last time, waiting for an objection, but none came. “Then I guess we can start a Pluto Council.”

They all whooped and cheered excitedly. Charon stood up and offered me a hand. “Come on, we should get home. We have a lot of work to do,” She said. I took her hand and she pulled me up, but once I was standing she didn’t let go. We held hands while we walked away from the meeting hall.

The Center for Planetary Champions, or CPC, was a huge building in the middle of the asteroid belt. It was hidden in a particularly large asteroid so that pesky life forms couldn’t find it. The ceiling of the building was a screen that displayed the perpetually dark sky. Every now and again the asteroid would rotate enough that we could see the sun or other planets. Most of the all we saw was other asteroids though.

In the very center of the building is the meeting hall. From there, hallways branch out into ten different sections, each of which house a different champion. Sometimes, instead of staying in their section at the Center, a champion will return to their planet for a short amount of time. We’ll do this if there is a crisis on our planet, or if we’re just feeling homesick. Moons tend to spend more time away from the Center than planets.

The Pluto section is on the opposite side of the meeting hall of where we were sitting. We pass almost every planet on the way to our section. Above the doorway of each hall, a rotating 3D model of the planet, accompanied by its moons, is suspended in the air. The gas giants’ models have been getting out of hand as they discover more moons; currently Jupiter has 67 moons, and Saturn has 62. Uranus is also cluttered with 27 moons, as well as Neptune with 14, but neither of them come close to the mess of satellites around the gas giants.

Finally we arrive at Pluto’s section. The littlest planet hung rotating slowly above the doorway, with five moons lovingly circling it. Charon and I entered together, with Hydra and Kerberos quietly muttering to each other behind us, and Nix and Styx loudly bringing up the rear.

Inside the section, there was one large living room, six bedrooms, a dining hall, and two bathrooms. In the living room, there was holoscreen on the far wall, which, contradictory to its name, was not a hologram. There was a big, cushiony couch with far too many pillows and blankets piled onto it. The nearest wall was lined with bookshelves stocked with records of Pluto, documents about the solar system, and journals we’ve kept over the years. On the coffee table in front of the couch there was an image of the solar system that moved in real time, tracking the planets and other celestial bodies.

I flopped onto the couch, sighing heavily. I hugged my favorite pillow, a fluffy purple heart shaped one. “Channel 17,” I commanded the holoscreen. The news channel, run by some dedicated moons of Jupiter.

“Right now, the planets are discussing the regulations of human space travel,” The anchor on the left said. Io had bright yellow hair, the color of sulfur, which covered most of his face. He was constantly lifting a pale hand to brush it out of his face.

I perked up at the mention of such a big decision. As Io said, “This is one of the biggest decisions the Council is making in a very long time. It will surely have a great impact on the solar system.”

Charon brought me a plate of earth fruit from the buffet in the dining room. I happily took it and ate as she sat next to me. As Io and Europa, the other news anchor, talked about the last time the Council made a decision this big, Charon gave me the status of the other moons.

“Nix and Styx are filling in their journals, which should keep them busy for at least a little while,” She sighed. Those two were such balls of energy, it was hard to keep up with them sometimes. “Hydra and Kerberos have created a blog on some earth website and are trolling humans,” She continued. “Should we stop them?”

“Nah,” I shook my head, eating a strawberry. “Whatever keeps them satisfied.” Charon shrugged, and we turned our attention back to the news.

“Kaj argues that humans should be allowed to explore the solar system, since they aren’t doing any harm,” Europa stated. “However, as Jasper claims, humans have already done enough damage to their home planet, they shouldn’t be permitted to do the same to other planets.”

“That’s a good point,” Io nodded. “We have a photo of Kaj just half a century ago, and another photo of him today.” The video of the anchors disappeared and was replaced with two pictures of Kaj. In the left photograph, Kaj looked like a young energetic man, but in the right photograph he looked older. The color of his hair had faded slightly, he was thinner, paler, and there were massive bags under his eyes.

“Yes, he has aged worse since humans started advancing,” Europa restated. The image of the two anchors returned. “He resembles his twin Planet Thom even more now.”

“We do have word of a rumor that the proposed solution is to send humans to Pluto, the dwarf planet,” Io said. I drop a grape I had picked up onto the floor. My mouth hangs open, and Charon is looking very similar.

“Since it’s not a planet, it’s not quite as big of a deal if the humans screw it up,” Io continued. I drop the platter of fruit and cover my mouth with one hand. My eyes start watering and my chest tightens. Charon places one hand tightly on my shoulder.

“Yes, and it should be as easy as any other planet to colonize,” Europa added. “Charon, Pluto’s largest moon, is also a favorable option, due to its similar size.” Charon’s eyes widened and she frantically ran a hand through her hair.

“Off,” I commanded, my breath becoming shaky. The holoscreen dimmed and we were left in silence. We sat unmoving for a long time, until Charon broke the horrifying silence.

“Are you FUCKING SERIOUS?!” She screamed.

Chapter 3-

“Are you FUCKING SERIOUS?!” I screamed.

“Language!” Piera hissed, looking at the doors to the other moons’ rooms. I stood up and started pacing around the room.

“I can’t believe this,” I repeated that over and over like a mantra. “They can’t do this, it’s not fair! First they kick you out of the meeting, and then they try to decide the fate of your planet without you? They have to see how crazy that is!”

The other moons were starting to filter into the room. They gathered around Piera worriedly. I ignored them, continuing to pace around the room.

“This isn’t fair,” I muttered. “It isn’t fair, it isn’t fair, it isn’t fair!”

“Charon, calm down,” Piera said, concerned.

“Calm down?!” I whipped around to face her. “How am I supposed to calm down with this happening?! I mean, are you seeing this? It’s not weird for me to freak out, it’s weird that you’re not freaking out!”

“Charon, please,” She stood and walked over to me, placing a hand gingerly on my shoulder. “You’re scaring them.”

I glanced at the other moons, who were standing behind the couch with wide eyes. They stared at me in shock. I suddenly remembered that they had never seen me get panicked like this; it had happened before, but Piera had been the only one present.

“We can’t let them do this,” I whispered, turning back to Piera.

“I know, but we shouldn’t panic in front of them. We’ll scare them,” She agreed.

“Says the girl who was crying in the hallway a few minutes ago,” I mumbled, smirking.

“Okay, you’re fine, you don’t need my help,” She rolled her eyes at me, removing her hand from my arm. We laughed, which seemed to comfort the moons. Piera shooed them back into their rooms. She followed Nix into her room to tell her the whole situation.

Instead of waiting in the living room, I decided to take a walk. I leave a note explaining where I went in case Piera gets worried. She always jumps to the worst outcome in times of worry. I leave our section and wander around the CPC with no real destination.

In the eastern wing, where Pluto’s section is located, there’s an air lock marked in bold red letters “EXIT.” Often, I would leave to check up on Charon, my moon. There were even times when I visited other planets and moons, which was supposed to be forbidden. I especially liked checking up on Mercury. Aside from other moons and Piera, Carlin was the only champion who seemed to like me. All the others pretend I don’t even exist. After all, Charon is just a moon, it doesn’t actually matter.

Thinking about the planets’ harsh ideals got me even more riled up. I needed to do something. I wouldn’t, I couldn’t wait around any longer. My mind raced; what could I even do? The Council surely wouldn’t care about my arguments, and Piera would just tell me to calm down again. Other moons would tell me to suck it up and deal with it. There was no one I could go to.

I stopped walking in front of the Earth section. Of course, I thought. If the Council won’t listen, I’ll go straight to the champions. I hastily entered. It was very different from the Pluto section. Our home was modest and cozy, but this was extravagant and complicated. The living room was much larger than ours, despite there being less residents. An ornate emerald chandelier hung from the ceiling, and the entire room was decorated in paintings and delicate vases. There were bookshelves chock full of novels I didn’t recognize. I wasn’t even aware there were books other than records of the solar system.

Where the doors to our rooms were in our section, there was a golden staircase leading to an upstairs balcony. I could see from here there were more rooms up there. I carefully and quietly ascend the stairs, hurrying to the first door I see. It leads to a room that is mostly dark, except for a light in the middle of the floor. The light projected an image of constellations onto the ceiling and walls. In the corner, there was a small blue bed with a comforter covered in pictures of creatures I don’t understand. On one side of the room, there was a tank of water that was tall enough to go up to my shoulders. A girl was standing on a stool to reach the top of the tank, and she was playing with the water.

The girl didn’t notice me at first. She had long, white hair that reached her knees. Her pale skin was covered in craterous scars. She was short, extremely so. I concluded that she must be Earth’s moon, Luna.

As silently as I could, I retreated out of the bedroom and closed the door. I hoped she didn’t notice me, in case she wanted to kick me out. Before I moved on to the next door, I convinced myself that she was too busy playing in that tank to notice the slight noise I may make.

The next room was much larger than Luna’s. Despite there only being two champions here, there were four long dining tables with enough chairs to house everyone on CPC and more. For whatever reason, Kaj had decided that each table be decorated with a different color. On the far left, the tablecloth and napkins were a deep emerald green. The table next to it had canary yellow tablecloth and napkins. The one next to that was royal blue. And on the far right, the cloth and napkins were bright scarlet. Other than that, there was nothing of interest in this room. Just a frivolously large dining room.

I moved on to the next, room, which I assumed was Kaj’s bedroom. Upon opening the door, I knew I had to be right. There was nothing else that could explain the hideously boastful display before me.

There were two levels to this room, separated by one small stair. On the first level, the one I was currently on, there was a hot tub, a sleek black leather couch, and a… I actually didn’t know what that was. It wasn’t a holoscreen, but it sort of resembled it; perhaps it was an earlier model? But it was so large. The huge flat black screen took up a quarter of one wall. It was no model of holoscreen I had ever seen; then again, Kaj was the type of person who would brag about having an “authentic, vintage HV.” Holoscreens used to be called H-views, or HV’s for short.

Next to the old HV, there were a bunch of other devices I didn’t recognize. They were all little boxes accompanied by what looked like control devices. There was also a stack of boxes filled with discs. Each disc looked the same, but the box for each was drastically different. I didn’t take the time to investigate what they were.

On the first level, there was also another bookcase filled with more volumes I couldn’t place, a glass case full of bones, and a playpen in the corner. I walked over to the playpen, and inside it there was a small reptilious monster that screeched at me. The harsh noise startled me and I backed away from the pen abruptly. Why the hell was Kaj keeping that thing in a fucking playpen?

Trying to ignore my horror, I moved on to the second level. On this level there was a grand, king sized bed with golden bed sheets. Could he be more pretentious? I thought to myself. Accompanying the bed, there was a night stand, with more books piled on top of it. I never knew he was so well read… I thought. There were portraits and paintings all over the walls. Is he actually… cultured? I wondered. There was a model solar system, as everyone was required to have, next to a portrait of himself holding his planet in the palm of his hand. Nope, he’s a total douchebag. I nodded silently.

It was probably best I wait here for him to get back from the meeting. So, I plopped myself down on his bed (which I might add was incredibly comfortable), and picked up one of his books. This one was titled, Romeo and Juliet by one William Shakespeare. Was this written by a human? Were these all books by Kaj’s precious life forms? Were such destructive creatures able to write?

Out of curiosity, I started reading. It wasn’t like most books; it was all dialogue, and the speaker was written in italics above each line. When there were actions, they were written in parentheses, and often said things like stage left or right. And all the words were so frivolous. What Shakespeare describes in three paragraphs, I can describe in two words. It’s like he’s constantly boasting about his ability to write metaphors. It made sense that Kaj likes him.

After a couple of hours, I had finished the book. I was about to reach for another when I heard footsteps coming from downstairs. “Luna, I’m home!” I heard Kaj yell.

I heard the opening of a door and fast footsteps. “Hi Kaj!” The boisterous voice of Luna yelled back. “How was the meeting?”

“Oh, not good, Luna. I’m being attacked for allowing my humans to explore other planets,” He said.

“That’s not good. Do they not understand the benefits of having life forms?” Luna asked.

“Apparently not,” Kaj sighed. “We argued for hours. Even Thom was against me!”

“Well, as hurtful as that may be, Venus’ atmosphere is filled with poisonous gas,” Luna mentioned. “Perhaps it’s best humans stay off of Venus.”

“Still, I can’t believe he’s not supporting me on this!” Kaj moaned.

“Maybe a nice steak and some mashed potatoes would cheer you up,” She suggested.

“Oh Luna, you’re so sweet to me,” I could hear him smiling. “Let me get changed into something comfortable first.”

“I’ll be waiting in the dining room,” Luna said. Slow, heavy footsteps made their way upstairs and down the hallway. I heard the dining room door open and close. This was my chance. Before I could prepare, the door swung open and in walked Kaj, looking particularly dapper. He wore an emerald green suit with long coat tails, a white vest with a red tie, and a white pocket square. His deep blue hair was styled in a low fade cut and kept neat with lots of gel. He was even carrying a black cane for fashion purposes.

Kaj nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw me. I’d been told I have that effect on people. My pale, straw blonde hair nearly blended into my skin. I wore all black all the time; the outfit I wore right now was a leather jacket, black ripped pants, and lots of dark jewelry. It also helped that I was sitting on the bed, so he had to look up at me. That way he couldn’t see how short I was. What the freakiest thing about my face was though, was my eyes. I had pale white, almost clear, irises that scared most other people.

“Who are you?!” He screeched, aggressively walking toward me. “What are you doing in my bed?!”

“I want to talk about your plan to move your walking scum to Pluto and Charon,” I said, ignoring his questions.

“What are you talking about?” He asked.

“Channel 17, they said that the plan right now is to move your humans to Pluto and Charon,” I repeated.

“Why do you care?” He wondered. “You aren’t Piera.” I was actually surprised that he remembered her name. “Wait, are you Charon? The moon?”

“I am indeed,” I confirmed. “But that doesn’t matter, the point is, you are going to go back to the champions and tell them that Pluto and Charon will remain uninhabited.”

“You don’t think I’ve tried that already?” He said dryly. That caught me off guard.

“Wait, you’ve tried that already?” I repeated.

“Yes, of course,” He nodded. “I’d much rather have my humans stick to Mars, but Jasper’s so full of herself-” I snorted. He ignored me. “-that she demanded I move them elsewhere.”

“And they decided on Pluto?” I assumed.

“Yes, that is what they came to,” He nodded. “But honestly, I’m on your side. Pluto’s so far away, and it’s so cold! Mars is a much better choice. And even if we decreed that they must go to Pluto, I have no way of influencing their decision. And even if I did, what’s to say they’ll stop at Pluto? What’s to say they won’t go to Mars anyway?”

“Oh. I guess I kinda assumed it was your idea,” I mumbled, embarrassed.

“That’s alright, dear. But from now on, perhaps you shouldn’t break into someone’s home just to get what you want,” He smirked.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” I bit my lip, avoiding his bright green eyes.

“Would you care to stay for dinner?” He asked. “We’re having steak tonight.”

“Steak?” I wondered.

“Yes, I suppose you’ve only ever had CPC’s signature schlop,” He said sarcastically.

“I think it tastes good,” I argued. The food CPC serves is a special blend of plant matter mixed with added nutrients and vitamins called practoblend.

“Oh please, once you have real food, you’ll know just how awful that goop is,” He huffed. Before I could argue, he took my hand and pulled me off the bed. “Go join Luna in the dining room, it’s the door next to this one, you probably passed it on your way in. I’ll change and join you shortly.”

I did as he instructed and found Luna in the dining room. She was sitting at the canary yellow table. I sat next to her, and she gave me a confused stare. She had silver grey eyes, sort of similar to mine. Her long white hair was practically glowing as the light reflected off of it.

“I’m Charon,” I said. “One of Pluto’s moons.” She nodded.

“I’ve seen you around the center,” She said. “What brings you here?”

“I was kind of pissed that the Council decided to send the life forms on Earth to Pluto and Charon,” I explained. “I came to argue with Kaj about it.”

“Oh, but he’s on your side!” She interrupted me. “Kaj would rather have the humans go to Mars.”

“As he told me,” I nodded. “So, he invited me to stay for supper.”

“Well, it’s good to meet you properly, Charon,” She smiled warmly at me.

“Yes, you too, Luna,” I said.

The doors to the dining hall opened and Kaj entered. He was a mess; his hair that had been styled so neatly was now hanging over one side of his face. He was wearing a plain oversized grey shirt and baggy black pants, and he was now barefoot. He looked like he just got out of bed.

“Well that was fast,” I said, not bothering to comment on his disheveled appearance.

“I do try to make haste as often as possible,” He nodded. “I noticed you had picked up one of my books. Romeo and Juliet. Do you enjoy romance?”

“I’ve never really read any,” I answered. “The only books I have access to are records and journals.”

“No fictional novels of any kind?” Kaj asked.

“None. The CPC doesn’t keep any,” I shook my head.

“Oh my, how deprived you really are. I never realized how much they kept from you,” He gasped.

“I don’t know if I’d say we’re deprived,” I said. “I mean, this is all stuff your life forms have made, right? Are we really missing out on that much?”

“It may not seem like that much, but that’s just because you haven’t really experienced art before,” Kaj tutted. “Once you actually get a taste of human art, you’ll realize exactly what you’ve been shielded from. Speaking of which, I’m starving. Let’s eat.”

He lifted the lid off of a silver platter, revealing what I assumed was the steak they mentioned earlier. It was a huge, thick, dark, glistening block of meat. Kaj grabbed a sharp, serrated knife and cut the steak into inequal thirds. He gave the smallest piece to Luna and the largest piece to himself. I stared at it inquisitively. All of my food was a thick, mushy paste. I had no idea how to approach a solid hunk of meat.

“Potatoes?” Kaj offered a bowl to me. The bowl was full of a white, fluffy substance with black dots peppered throughout it.

“Uh, sure,” I nodded uncertainly. He used a large spoon to serve me a blob of the white paste. He then offered me something he called “green beans,” which I think I had heard of before. I was pretty certain it was an ingredient in one of the practoblend flavors. But these were long, thin, bumpy, green pods. Kaj spooned about ten of them onto my plate.

“Dig in,” He said after setting the bowl of green beans down. Luna grabbed a knife like the one Kaj had used earlier and cut into her steak. I had never had to use a knife before. I tried to copy her actions, but I got kind of frustrated. Kaj watched me struggle with the utensils.

“Ah, I forgot. You’ve only ever had the goop before,” He said. I suddenly felt very flustered and embarrassed.

“Um, y-yes, that’s correct,” I nodded.

“That’s alright. Here,” He took my plate and cut the steak into nice bite sized pieces for me. “There you go,” He said when he handed it back to me.

I stabbed a piece with my fork and bit into it. Juice exploded from the steak in my mouth, spewing out flavor like I had never experienced before. It was salty, savory, but at the same time, sort of sweet. I could barely describe it. And the texture was tough but not too chewy. You couldn’t get this in a practoblend.

I scarfed down more and more, eager to taste the succulent steak again. The flavor lingered in my mouth after I swallowed. I tried the potatoes next; the texture reminded me of practoblend, but the flavor was nothing like it. It was creamy and light and buttery and savory and I could go on and on but words can’t capture the feeling. CPC had taught me that food was essential to survival, but here it was so much more. It wasn’t just a necessity, it could be a luxury.

I tried one of the green beans. It was crunchy, but not hard to bite through. It was a touch bitter, but not bad by any means. I scarfed them down as fast as I did the steak. I couldn’t get enough of this food. I was finished and ready for more while Luna and Kaj were barely halfway finished with their food. I waited patiently even though I was hungry for more. Luna pushed her plate away with potatoes left still.

“You’re not going to finish?” I asked, eyeing the potatoes hungrily. Luna chuckled.

“You can have them,” She passed her plate to me. I happily took it from her and dug in.

“Just wait until dessert,” Kaj smirked. “What are we having tonight, Luna?”

“Brownies with ice cream,” She answered.

“Oh, are you in for a treat. Luna makes the best brownies. Not even Ramsay could dislike them,” Kaj said.

“Who’s Ramsay?” I asked, finishing the potatoes.

“A chef on earth. Don’t worry about it,” Luna dismissed it. She got up and left through a door in the very back corner of the room. When she came back moments later, she was carrying another large platter and a tub. She placed them on the table and lifted the lid off the platter. There was a neat pyramid of warm, soft, gooey brown blocks, probably the brownies. In the tub, there was a thick, creamy, white substance, the ice cream. Luna served one brownie to me and then scooped some ice cream onto it. Before I could eat, she took a bottle of hot brown sauce and poured it over the whole thing, and then neatly positioned a bright, juicy red sphere on top.

“There you go: one chocolate fudge brownie with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, and a cherry on top,” Luna said cheerily. Kaj handed me a clean set of silverware. While Luna served herself and Kaj, I took a big bite of the brownie. It was sweet, rich, and soft. It was thick and gooey and warm but the ice cream was cold and creamy. The two items were so different, but they complemented each other so well. I had to show Piera this. She’d love it.

“So, what do you think of practoblend now that you’ve had real food?” Kaj asked after I scarfed down the brownie. I gladly admitted my earlier mistakes.

“It’s nothing compared to this,” I said.

“I knew you’d say that,” Kaj grinned. “And that’s not all humans have to offer. The food’s amazing, but they also make art through painting, music, writing, dance. Not to mention the contributions of mathematicians, scientists, economists, and so on and so on.”

“And of course the other animals on earth. All the beautiful creatures, especially the ones in the ocean,” Luna added.

“Yes, now that we’re on the same team, we have much to show you,” Kaj agreed.

“Okay, slow down a bit. The same team?” I said. “Are you expecting some sort of war? And I’m not alone. I’m not doing anything without Piera and the other moons. Speaking of which, it’s been a while, they’re probably worried about me…”

“Oh, you can invite them here,” Kaj said. “And yes, to answer your first question, I am expecting a war. It’s doubtful it will escalate beyond a lot of angry shouting and arguments, but there will certainly be a division. Those who are for human exploration and those against it. As of right now, we are the only ones for it.”

“I’m not for it,” I disagreed.

“You’re not for human exploration of Pluto. As long as they keep away from your planet, you don’t mind, yes?” Kaj specified.

“I guess so,” I shrugged.

“Good,” Kaj said. “That makes us on the same team. So, if you must get home, go ahead, we don’t want to worry anybody. But do bring your friends up to speed, won’t you?” He requested, getting up. I stood as well, and Kaj lead me to the door. We arrived at the exit into the rest of the center and stopped.

“Thank you for dinner. And sorry for breaking into your room,” I said.

“You needn’t worry, dear,” He waved it off. “Get some rest. There’s going to be many long days ahead of us.” I nodded and quickly left the section. Piera was probably freaking out right now, but hopefully, she’ll be appreciative of our new allies.

There you have it! I am working on a chapter four if you’re interested let me know? It’s really fun to write.

@asexual-trashbag @d-strider @blueberryxz

@deafinatelyfangirling

#writing #my writing #space #planets #champions_of_worlds

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