Postcards from Sierra Nova

Summer of 2088 in Copper Hill, Michigan. The sun is hot. The local swimming hole is murky and nobody knows what hides in its depths.

“Dead bodies,” Bianca teases.

“Nuh uh,” Julia cries. “Stop it, I’m telling Dad!”

“Leeches.” Lily giggles, her fingers tickling up Willow’s shoulder.

“Seaweed,” Willow shouts, grabbing a clump. Throw, splat. Squeals, splashing, laughter.

The days are long and sweaty and sweet. In twenty years, when four little girls have become women swamped with jobs and family and life, when they think back on their childhood, this will be what they remember.

make a wish

June 2088. Lucy Deppiesse is 22, Cassie is 2, Eris is 6 months. Delphie and Dakota are 18. Shannon Brett is 17, Jacob Collins is 16.

Previously: Dallas is sent to Fort Hollow to build rockets // Shannon struggles to break up with Jake

Lucy once said she wanted seven children, but the truth was, she could barely handle two.

It rained far too much here in Washington. Cassie didn’t mind the rain. And maybe Lucy promised they would play outside one last time before bed. But then Eris needed to nurse, again. Growth spurt. She needed a bounce and a burp, and then she spit up. The little squirt aimed straight for Lucy’s cleavage and soaked her all the way down to the underboob. They both needed a change of clothes. Then the rain started. The downpour was too intense to bring the baby out. Too intense for a strong-willed, toddler, too, but try telling that to Cassie. “Why? Mama, you said. You said.”

And Cassie wasn’t wrong. Lucy did say, didn’t she?

There was no one to help. They worked Dallas to the bone here, twelve-hour shifts most days of the week. Her neighbor, Marlie, was eight months pregnant and ready to pop. It should have been so lucky to have a teenager next door, but Marlie’s moody teenage son scared Lucy and she would never ask for his help. Everyone else on base had somewhere to be and something to do.

So, sorry, teary little one, so it seems sometimes life doesn’t turn out the way you thought it would. So it seems, sometimes, you don’t get to play outside one more time before bed even though you were given a promise.

But they were so blessed to be here, together, after everything they’d been through. So blessed.

head over feet

June 2088. Vicky Garth is 23. Vale Akiyama is 27. Melissa Fortney is 21.

previously: Vale and Vicky prepare for a hot summer of music // with a monumental oops on her hands, Melissa makes a difficult decision to free up her future.

soundtrack: "Head Over Feet," by Alanis Morissette.

With dreams of freedom and sunshine and festival summer in her head, Melissa never imagined she’d be tempted by a summer job offer.

That is, until it turned out that her boss at Halston House Studios is actually best friends with Vale Akiyama, and Vale needed a roadie and media manager for his tour this summer.

Do you mean to say that Melissa isn’t just going to some festivals this summer…? She’s going to ALL the festivals this summer? And she’ll be paid to do it?

“Can you film in varying lighting conditions and weather elements? Can you edit videos and navigate social media platforms? Can you carry thirty—okay, fifty pounds of musical equipment?”

Hell fucking yes I can! Melissa thinks. Well, she’s never tried to lift fifty pounds before, but how hard can it be?

“Totally! When do we start?”

commencement

June 2088. Selena Sosa is 24, Andre Sylvester is 23, Luis Talbot is 24, Evie Bachman is 24, Odin Grant is 27, and Summer Phoenix is 23.

previously: Selena and Luis were so in love for many years… // but Andre is in love with Selena, too? // in the end, Selena and Luis can’t make it work // despite the initial rejection, Andre and Selena give it a shot

—

The graduation ceremony ended and everyone filed into the reception hall for drinks and congratulations. Selena joined everyone, standing nearby Andre and his parents like an afterthought.

Everyone congratulated him on his acceptance to med school and on his big move across the country which didn’t involve her for at least the next three years. No hard feelings, though. They all knew he’d go to med school next. They knew he planned to live in the dorm housing and bury himself in his studies. It wasn’t exactly a breakup, but the fact was that there was no room for her in his immediate future.

But, summer break! Yes, they still had summer break. Then maybe they would talk about the end of things. Or maybe they would try to make long-distance work. Or maybe they would just let the relationship fade and cut the cord over the phone on some random weekday night this fall when they both decided it wasn’t worth the trouble anymore.

Seven months was such a precarious length of time. Too little to make a big deal over, but long enough to feel its loss.

Gosh, he was going to be a doctor. Emergency room trauma. He was going to save lives. Surely that was more important than some college girlfriend. He was so good and so giving, and she felt so petty for feeling sorry for herself.

But all this talk of his bright and bountiful future was getting her down.

graduation 2088

June 2088.

This evening is presented by April Harris, Education Minister.

AH: “Welcome, friends, family, and esteemed graduates! Tonight we gather in San Catalina, California, to congratulate our graduating class of 2088! This year’s graduating class was brimming with talent, but one student inched out ahead with her dedication to service and community as Class President and National Merit Kindness Ambassador. Please enjoy a speech by this year’s valedictorian, Delphie Deppiesse, from Fort Palms High School.”

cherry blossom girl, part 2 (prom 2088)

May 2088.

seniors: Delphie Deppiesse, Dakota Deppiesse, Austin Turner, Desmond Banks

juniors: Ryanne Phoenix, Malia Kapule, Sam Harris, Shannon Brett

chaperones: Violet & Orion Deppiesse

—

The next morning at breakfast, Shannon sat at Dakota’s table, which must have been the first time she even attempted to speak to Dakota since their big blowout back at home.

“I didn’t see you at the lights festival last night,” Shannon said.

“I went home, it was kind of boring.”

“It wasn’t boring, you were just in a mood. I had plenty of fun. Did you see my kimono?”

“Maybe for a minute.”

“You went home with Austin?”

“Maybe, why?”

“Did you guys do it?”

Dakota scoffed. “What’s it to you if we did? Are you jealous? You can’t be jealous. You have a boyfriend at home.”

“But did you?”

Dakota refused to offer anything, not even a hint of expression on her face. “Maybe we did, maybe we didn’t.”

Shannon rolled her eyes. “Ugh. Whatever.”

They didn’t, for the record. But Dakota didn’t mind letting Shannon sweat about it a little.

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