Time to Orbit: Unknown

First -- Prev-- Archive -- Next Medical was a pretty interesting jaunt. Kids can’t do real Medical on their jaunt, of course. There’s not too many Medical jobs that the hospitals want to trust us with. And it’s okay for kids to mess around sorting scraps or cooking food but running around a hospital getting … Continue reading 24: Growing Up Fast

First -- Prev-- Archive -- Next I tried to find Yamin again for a really long time. The Courageous wouldn’t tell me where he was very often. It would sometimes say he was ‘at work’, but wouldn’t tell me where he worked. (Working in admin and wearing a jumpsuit to work probably meant he worked … Continue reading 23: Plia

First -- Prev-- Archive -- Next “What do you mean by that?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. “What? Nothing.” “Don’t lie to me. Don’t treat me like a little kid. What do you know about my grandma?” He looked surprised. Maybe he didn’t know anything. Maybe I’d read his expression wrong. “Nothing. I’m sure she’s … Continue reading 22: The Flaw in the Plan

First -- Prev-- Archive -- Next Epilepsy? I’d never heard the word. I shook my head. “That’s not surprising. It’s been incredibly rare for a long time, as we identify more of the genetic risk factors involved, and we cure it whenever we do find it, because it’s so dangerous. Epilepsy is a neurological condition … Continue reading 21: Mental Structure

First -- Prev-- Archive -- Next Babysitting duty was the absolute worst. I had to look after any of the younger kids in the family whenever any of the adults wanted me to. The only things more important than babysitting were going to my jaunt, sleeping, and any important meetings or celebrations that my parents … Continue reading 20: Secret Meeting

First -- Prev-- Archive -- Next My parents frowned at me as I came in, but the strange man smiled. He was older than Mum and Dad, but younger than Grandma. Most of his very short beard was white, with just a little black in the middle; his eyes were surrounded by wrinkles; his hair … Continue reading 19: Apprenticeship

First -- Prev-- Archive -- Next I didn’t, of course, tell anyone where I had been. But the day after seeing Grandma, I asked Dad about citrus trees and about the treegrave. I just told him that it was something that had been mentioned on my jaunt and he believed me. “The history about the … Continue reading 18: Hitan’s Birthday

First -- Prev-- Archive -- Next “What are you on about now?” Saro asked. “I went on a tour and the tour guide said that the treegrave people are further in,” I said, “towards the middle of the treegrave. But you’ve taken me to one of the outer sectors. This is the opposite direction. Where … Continue reading 17: Aspen Trees

First -- Prev-- Archive -- Next At the end of the corridor was a big, important-looking door. It was closed, but there was no sign on it. No lock, either. On the one hand, it was important-looking, so if I went through there there might be people in there who I couldn’t talk my way … Continue reading 16: Visitation Rights

First -- Prev-- Archive -- Next When Laisor strode in, everyone made a big fuss, but most of us left after saying hi. I headed off to a quiet corner of the garden while Mum and Dad fussed over kem and the younger boys asked about the ship. Nobody had fussed over Plia this much … Continue reading 15: Infiltration