Rearth

Rearth
The wind rustled the pages of the abandoned books, drawing Amber and Megan in. They stepped through the sliding glass door, long cracked by time and animal attacks. Starting with collecting books from the library shelves, one of the books caught Megan???s eye. She set her stack down and called Amber to her side. They tentatively opened it and began to read.

June 15, 2100
A top secret planet, Rearth, was discovered today on one of the space program???s ???Beyond the Galaxy??? shuttles. After they perfected space travel in 2050, missions have been sent off to find new planets. Rearth is the first one found that people could live on. The only reason I know is Dad is the top scientist on the project. Just an odd thought, WWIII still hasn???t stopped since 2015, 85 years ago! It seems that all the leaders don???t want it to end. As much as I think war is necessary sometimes, it doesn???t seem right to keep fighting for fun.
June 18, 2100
Oops, the clumsy side of me has decided to make an appearance. I forgot to mention why Rearth is such a big deal. Rearth is going to be the new home for some scientists and their friends and families. The thing is, the people at the space program thought they???d detected an earth-like planet. Figuring we???d end up killing ourselves off, they???ve decided to start a colony there with very few people knowing. Not even the president will know! It???s called Rearth because it is a remake of Earth. A fresh start, a brand new life is waiting for the scientists, their families, and their very close friends.

June 19, 2100
Since the war has emptied out the federal reserves, and almost everyone uses the barter system now, all the technologies people said would be available by now, never were available. The only programs to not be cut were the agricultural program and the weapons program. The space program is still alive only because of funds they saved early in the century. It is coming to a slowdown though. The weapons program, on the other hand is thriving. This is no surprise, considering the war.
June 22, 2100
I couldn???t decide who to bring with me, Kelsey or Mariah, but then Mom told me I could have them both come. See, every scientist gets to bring their own family and two other families with. Mom and Dad said I could pick both of the families because their friends are already going. Sixty families total are coming, so with each family having an average of four people, there are 240 people going.
June 23, 2100
Dad???s disappeared! Mom came home after work yesterday without him; she said he was staying late to get some last minute preparations done. Problem is, he never came home last night, and didn???t show up today. Mom says she won???t leave on the shuttle if she doesn???t find Dad in time, and I???m definitely not leaving without them. I also forgot to add, Mom is one of the program???s top agricultural scientists.
June 26, 2100
A letter came about Dad today. It was a very odd note, so I???ll copy it down here. ???We understand Mr. Taylor is the head scientist of the ???Beyond the Galaxy??? project. We also know that you have decided to lead a mission to a terrestrial planet outside our galaxy. Abandon the mission or abandon your dear Mr. Taylor. As soon as you???ve dismissed the mission, send a letter in the envelope enclosed. Try to start the mission after he???s returned, and expect much worse. Signed,??? I wasn???t able to copy the signature, because it was illegible. After reading the note, Mom burst into tears. I asked her what the matter was and she handed me the note to read for myself. We???re now both torn between Dad and Rearth. Might as well sleep on it.
June 27, 2100
Here???s what we came up with: they send the shuttle off without us, we send the letter off saying we aborted the mission, and Dad comes back. We won???t get to go to Rearth, but the families we chose will. We???re going to have go stay with Aunt Carrie and Uncle Matt in Minnesota.
June 29, 2100
Shuttle left today. The last time now that I???ll see anyone besides Aunt Carrie, Uncle Matt, and my parents. It???s soon time to head to up north.
June 30, 2100
Dad showed up early this morning. We???re leaving under the cover of the stars.
July 1, 2100
Amazing how boring this drive is. Remember when I said extra funds go to agriculture and weapons? They???re definitely using the agricultural funds well. No sarcasm intended.
July 3, 2100
I am SO bored.

July 4, 2100
Happy Independence Day! It???s become less of a deal, since we???ve lost battles, meaning we???ve lost territories. Also, the government is taking more of our freedoms away seemingly every day. No one seems to care who???s in charge, and everyone mostly just cares for themselves.
July 6, 2100
We arrived today. Aunt Carrie and Uncle Matt live out in the woods, so we???ll be well sheltered from the outside world. At least it???ll be more interesting than the car drive.
July 7, 2100
Talk of a national draft has come our way. Apparently the number of people willing to join the army has plunged to about an average of two people a month. Since the military is forcing their way through the country, I hope Minnesota is hit last.
July 10, 2100
Too late, the army has come to our region. We just found out that anyone who doesn???t willingly leave with the soldiers will be shot. They have deadly accuracy though, so one shot and you???re toast. If you aren???t gone by the first shot, they leave you for their dogs. Kind of creepy, but it???s true. What has America turned into?
July 11, 2100
Mom sent me out into the woods to hide, with this can of really weird spray, and told me to spray it all over my body. As soon as it lands on something, the droplets change different colors before sinking in to the object landed on. At first I had no idea why Mom sent me outside, but then the sound of harsh voices echoed through the trees. The noise of dogs barking pierced the air. I crunched deeper into my hollow, and frantically hoped they wouldn???t find me. Finally, the din ceased. The wood held its breath in uncertainty until a hesitant chickadee chirped a call. Taking it as a good sign, I hastily crept back to the house. I reached for the door and opened it, wincing when I heard a creak. Not a sound could be heard, so I chanced a call. ???Mom? Dad? Are you there???? There was no one. So I
Drat, I???ve got to stop crying. Now the page is all wet. I???ll just continue it later.
July 12, 2100
To continue the story: I picked up the paper and began to read the headline story, ???What to Expect When You???re About to be Drafted???. I shuddered, and read on. I copied it down here for anyone that may chance to read it in the future. ???Due to the combination of loss and lack of willing soldiers, the president has issued a national draft. Minnesota is next in line for drafting, so we???ve provided a reader???s guide for what will happen after you???re forced out of your house. You???ll be sent to D.C. to report for duty. After being given your supplies, you will be deported immediately to Eurasia, the great battle continent. From then on, who knows? The chances of you surviving the war are about 0%, as the leaders have decided to end the war by ending the human race all together.??? I stopped reading right there. What a stupid idea that is, killing everyone to end something that should???ve ended 85 years ago but continued for the leaders??? own selfish reasons. The other reason I stopped is a piece of paper slipped out of the newspaper. Immediately recognizing Dad???s handwriting I started to read it, then found some glue to put it in here. ???Madison, if you???re reading this, chances are, we???ve been drafted and you managed to survive in the woods. I really wish we???d been able to say some last goodbye, but your mother and I decided that we would rather you die for some other reason than taking part in a ludicrous war. The spray that you put on was a model your mother developed that eliminates any smells. It was originally supposed to be for cleaning, but we thought we would be able to save you with it. I???m sure you have a bunch of questions right now, and I???ll try to answer the ones that you???d most likely ask. We didn???t wear the spray because they knew who we were, and they had everyone on a list to check off. Your name wasn???t on there, because we never entered you into the government???s system. We just didn???t trust them. The reason you hid outside is because we knew the soldiers were going to search inside, but the outside is too big to search all of it. Madison, your mother and I love you. Please don???t forget that we will always keep you in our hearts. P.S. If you???re hungry, you know how to drive, so go ahead and visit the grocery store and stock up on food. Just be careful not to overload the car.??? My eyes began filling up with tears. Questions ran through my head like bullets through the air, one after another. How much longer do I have? Is there anyone still alive? They just kept coming, and are still coming now. I???m going to try to fall asleep to try and shut my thoughts up.
July 13, 2100
I took some trips to the store today and completely stocked up on food. At least I have the library only a mile away, and couple other places to visit in town.
June 30, 2100
I???m leaving tomorrow to go see if there???s anyone else left on Earth. My first stop will be the TV or radio stations, as people may be there trying to set up again. I???m going to leave this journal here, in case someone from Rearth happens to visit.

Closing the book, Amber and Megan looked at each other. ???She was right,??? Amber whispered. ???We did come back.???
???I see why Rearth founded the ???Back to Earth??? project now. They wanted us to learn what Earth was really like for ourselves,??? Megan replied.
???Do you think we should come back here to live????
???No, Earth is like a giant museum now. Rearth is our home.??? They tenderly closed the journal and slipped it into their bag.