The Ships: Natalya: The Letter
Dec. 11th, 2016 07:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
k_a_webb posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
kawebbwritingEveryone heard the post come through the letterbox. No one moved for several minutes. It was another day that would change the lives of multiple people. On the other days I’d been lucky. There hadn’t been a letter for me on the doorstep, but we knew it might not last, and finding it was something none of us wanted to do. When far too much time had passed I stood. I couldn’t wait any longer. I needed to know. Before I was anywhere near the pile of letters I could see it. People had posted what it looked like for others, so I knew it was there. What I didn’t know was which of us it was for. Even though it would be hard I wanted it to be for me. Having to watch my baby sister step onto one of those ships was something I really didn’t want to do. We all knew it was just the World Government clutching at straws. Nothing else they’d done had worked the way they wanted it to. That, for some reason, led to them thinking they should send some of us out there, to find new worlds to colonise. Like we believed it was actually going to happen.
Breathing deeply I stepped closed to the pile. I picked up all the letters. All the others were the same sort of thing we always got through the door. It was almost reassuring to know that life would go on after I looked at who the letter was for, but at the same time it was a horrible reminder that one of us was going to be leaving our home behind. Finally I got to the letter, the most important of them all, and saw it was for me. Relief flooded through me, because it wasn’t going to be my sister, before it was replaced by a mix of emotions, the primary one being anger. They were taking me away from everyone and everything I cared about. They didn’t know anything about what we were going to find out there, but they were sending us anyway. The anger faded quickly. We all knew if they didn’t do something there would be problems again, the way there had been before the World Government took control. Even though it wasn’t good enough they were doing their best to fix things.
As I stepped into the kitchen I felt the eyes of every member of my family on me. My baby sister, my two older brothers, and my parents. I looked at each of them in turn. That was enough for Mum. She knew the moment I locked eyes with her that I was the one who’d got the letter. A flash of relief was quickly replaced by anger. I’d expected her to feel the same way I did. The last thing any of us wanted was for it to be Darya. Feeling less uncertain than I thought I would I put the rest of the post on the table. Thanks to the posts I already knew exactly what the letter would say, but that didn’t stop me from opening it. I needed to see the words for myself in order to make it real. Like 99 other young women I was getting a letter to tell me I was chosen for an exciting opportunity. It was one none of us wanted to be part of.
“I’m going to be fine.” My voice was calmer than I thought it could be. “I’m not the only person going through this.”
“No, you aren’t.” Dad stood. “You’re being very brave, Nat, and I’m proud to call you my daughter.” He crossed the room, and pulled me into his arms. “We’re going to miss you.”
Leaning my head on his chest I did my best to hold onto that courage. “I’m going to miss you too.”
Until the letter he hadn’t been the sort of person who hugged anyone, and the fact he was holding me told me something. I’d always looked up to Dad. No matter how bad things got he was always able to cope with them. He was the one I was going to channel for the next three days, as I prepared myself for what was coming, knowing that my life was never going to be the same. At least I wasn’t going to be alone. When I stepped onto the ship I’d be with the others, who were all going to be feeling the same way I was.
Far sooner than I wanted him to he stepped back. He studied me. “We all know what happens next. Can we help you with anything?”
Part of me wanted to ask him to fix things. Unfortunately we all knew there was no way out. Once someone got the letter that was it. Due to the still increasing population, and the fact women outnumbered men, most of the ships were for females alone. At least that was what we were told. I don’t think anyone truly believed what the World Government was saying, but they were the ones in charge. They were the ones who’d been voted for. We had needed them, and we still did, but their choices were something no one was happy with. There had been riots when the announcement was first made. People wanted to stop what was coming, only that was never going to be possible. We’d never been able to stop things before. All we could do was accept the way things were.
“Maybe.” I brushed a hand through my hair. “I need to work things out.” I knew I needed to say goodbye to my friends, to my boyfriend, to the life I thought I was going to live… pushing that thought away I told myself to stop being dramatic. It wasn’t going to help. All I could do was accept what had happened and get ready for the life I was going to lead. “I’m going to need to pack.”
The letter told me I was permitted one suitcase, nothing more. I sighed. One suitcase was nothing, especially as it had to be a specific size, and that size meant I was never going to be able to take everything I wanted. Instead I was going to have to be careful not to overfill it with mementos, because I had no idea how we were going to be able to get new clothing. They hadn’t given us any information about the ships, or what we were going to expect while we were on them, or where we were going. Every time those questions were asked spokespeople for the World Government answered them with carefully chosen replies, which didn’t actually answer the question. That annoyed everyone. People wanted the answers to those questions, because it was their children who were going on the ships, but there was no way of forcing them out of someone who didn’t want to tell the truth.
“We have a suitcase the right size in the wardrobe.”
“Did you buy it in case I was chosen?”
Smiling, Dad shook his head. “We bought it for your brother when he went on his school trip. Now you get to take it into space with you.”
“Yeah, I do.” We didn’t even know if we were going to be able to communicate with home. “Thank you.”
“No matter how you feel right now I believe in you. You will be able to make this work for you. Somehow.”
We both looked over at the table at the same time. Mum had her arms around Darya, who was crying. That wasn’t a surprise. Ever since she was born the two of us had been close. It had never once crossed my mind I might be taken away from her. At least I had friends I knew would look out for her when I couldn’t. My brothers both looked lost. I smiled at them, doing my best to get them to see I was okay, but it was going to be hard for all of us. From the moment I saw the letter I knew that. Having to deal with it… that was different. Glancing at Dad, who nodded, I slipped out of the room. He would help them get through it all. That wasn’t my job. My job was to prepare for what was coming next as best I could, even though I had no idea how I was going to do that.
Breathing deeply I stepped closed to the pile. I picked up all the letters. All the others were the same sort of thing we always got through the door. It was almost reassuring to know that life would go on after I looked at who the letter was for, but at the same time it was a horrible reminder that one of us was going to be leaving our home behind. Finally I got to the letter, the most important of them all, and saw it was for me. Relief flooded through me, because it wasn’t going to be my sister, before it was replaced by a mix of emotions, the primary one being anger. They were taking me away from everyone and everything I cared about. They didn’t know anything about what we were going to find out there, but they were sending us anyway. The anger faded quickly. We all knew if they didn’t do something there would be problems again, the way there had been before the World Government took control. Even though it wasn’t good enough they were doing their best to fix things.
As I stepped into the kitchen I felt the eyes of every member of my family on me. My baby sister, my two older brothers, and my parents. I looked at each of them in turn. That was enough for Mum. She knew the moment I locked eyes with her that I was the one who’d got the letter. A flash of relief was quickly replaced by anger. I’d expected her to feel the same way I did. The last thing any of us wanted was for it to be Darya. Feeling less uncertain than I thought I would I put the rest of the post on the table. Thanks to the posts I already knew exactly what the letter would say, but that didn’t stop me from opening it. I needed to see the words for myself in order to make it real. Like 99 other young women I was getting a letter to tell me I was chosen for an exciting opportunity. It was one none of us wanted to be part of.
“I’m going to be fine.” My voice was calmer than I thought it could be. “I’m not the only person going through this.”
“No, you aren’t.” Dad stood. “You’re being very brave, Nat, and I’m proud to call you my daughter.” He crossed the room, and pulled me into his arms. “We’re going to miss you.”
Leaning my head on his chest I did my best to hold onto that courage. “I’m going to miss you too.”
Until the letter he hadn’t been the sort of person who hugged anyone, and the fact he was holding me told me something. I’d always looked up to Dad. No matter how bad things got he was always able to cope with them. He was the one I was going to channel for the next three days, as I prepared myself for what was coming, knowing that my life was never going to be the same. At least I wasn’t going to be alone. When I stepped onto the ship I’d be with the others, who were all going to be feeling the same way I was.
Far sooner than I wanted him to he stepped back. He studied me. “We all know what happens next. Can we help you with anything?”
Part of me wanted to ask him to fix things. Unfortunately we all knew there was no way out. Once someone got the letter that was it. Due to the still increasing population, and the fact women outnumbered men, most of the ships were for females alone. At least that was what we were told. I don’t think anyone truly believed what the World Government was saying, but they were the ones in charge. They were the ones who’d been voted for. We had needed them, and we still did, but their choices were something no one was happy with. There had been riots when the announcement was first made. People wanted to stop what was coming, only that was never going to be possible. We’d never been able to stop things before. All we could do was accept the way things were.
“Maybe.” I brushed a hand through my hair. “I need to work things out.” I knew I needed to say goodbye to my friends, to my boyfriend, to the life I thought I was going to live… pushing that thought away I told myself to stop being dramatic. It wasn’t going to help. All I could do was accept what had happened and get ready for the life I was going to lead. “I’m going to need to pack.”
The letter told me I was permitted one suitcase, nothing more. I sighed. One suitcase was nothing, especially as it had to be a specific size, and that size meant I was never going to be able to take everything I wanted. Instead I was going to have to be careful not to overfill it with mementos, because I had no idea how we were going to be able to get new clothing. They hadn’t given us any information about the ships, or what we were going to expect while we were on them, or where we were going. Every time those questions were asked spokespeople for the World Government answered them with carefully chosen replies, which didn’t actually answer the question. That annoyed everyone. People wanted the answers to those questions, because it was their children who were going on the ships, but there was no way of forcing them out of someone who didn’t want to tell the truth.
“We have a suitcase the right size in the wardrobe.”
“Did you buy it in case I was chosen?”
Smiling, Dad shook his head. “We bought it for your brother when he went on his school trip. Now you get to take it into space with you.”
“Yeah, I do.” We didn’t even know if we were going to be able to communicate with home. “Thank you.”
“No matter how you feel right now I believe in you. You will be able to make this work for you. Somehow.”
We both looked over at the table at the same time. Mum had her arms around Darya, who was crying. That wasn’t a surprise. Ever since she was born the two of us had been close. It had never once crossed my mind I might be taken away from her. At least I had friends I knew would look out for her when I couldn’t. My brothers both looked lost. I smiled at them, doing my best to get them to see I was okay, but it was going to be hard for all of us. From the moment I saw the letter I knew that. Having to deal with it… that was different. Glancing at Dad, who nodded, I slipped out of the room. He would help them get through it all. That wasn’t my job. My job was to prepare for what was coming next as best I could, even though I had no idea how I was going to do that.
