Beyond the Milky Way

9.1: The Rerecro

Something told her to open her eyes; Lindsay sensed that something wasn't normal. When she caved in to the feeling, she was staring into the mahogany eyes of her younger brother, and the shock of it caused Lindsay to jump and slip out of bed.

"Oh, my God; what the fuck is wrong with you?!"

"Oh, good; you're up!" William offered her a large grin as he made an effort to help her from the floor but received an angry swat. "You don't usually sleep this late..." he laughed.

"What...?" she shoved him out the way as he attempted to help her once more. Lindsay glanced at the clock on her nightstand. "Oh, fuck my life; I should've been up," she plopped on her bed and sunk her head in her hands. "That's all I need is for Keith to have a fucking aneurysm about me being lat-"

"What are you talking about...?"

"I got practice in like twenty minutes! Fuck, fuck, fuck... okay, I'll have to skip the shower..." Lindsay got up.

"Lizzie... it's Christmas!" William roared with laughter. His sister stopped in her tracks and gazed at him. Lindsay could make out the soft tones of Christmas music coming from the main room.

Over a year had passed since the Earth team moved their surviving family members to Buno. While the crew placed fifth in the Great Buno Races last season, this season was a different story. If they placed in the top ten for the remaining races, the Earth team would be crowned victors, overthrowing the reigning champion, Areiv.

Lindsay and David had to upgrade to the apartments on the top level of the housing building due to the size of their families; the others lived in their former quarters. With the Earth refugees, Buno made a special case where the Earth team kept their old rooms. The other earthlings were dispersed throughout the planet of Buno.

Lindsay made her way into the main room along with her brother and took in the unexpected invasion of holiday decorations. In the center of the room, a tall and bright Christmas tree greeted her, and underneath were wrapped gifts. Lindsay looked towards the kitchen area, where her mother and sister-in-law were cooking and both turned, giving her pleasant smiles.

"Merry Christmas!" Valerie wiped her hands. She wobbled her way towards her sister-in-law and gave her a hug. Valerie Ramsey was the main discussion of the planet; her baby would be the first human being born as a Bunodic in a few weeks.

"You guys did all this while I was sleep...? Damnit, I could've helped..."

"What? No; we wanted to surprise you!" Lindsay's mother called out from the kitchen area. "I couldn't talk Val out of it, anyway!"

"Our daughter's about to pop out and she's still as stubborn as a mule..." William pointed out, giving his wife a kiss. Valerie swatted at him.

"Get your brother!"

"Nah, he's right! Matter of fact, go sit down; I'll take over!" Lindsay said and made her way into the kitchen.

Lindsay didn't know what to say. The day had passed unceremoniously last year; the earthlings were still in mourning and attempting to settle on a new planet. Now, as she experienced nostalgia, Lindsay remembered how she missed the holiday. Her husband was never in a Christmas mood, no matter how much Lindsay decorated their home and sang Christmas songs. For the longest, she dreamed that there was something she could've done to get Tracy in that holiday spirit. As Lindsay washed dishes, she found it weird that was the main thing she missed about the holiday; Lindsay realized that she still missed Tracy, period.

As the day moved on, the rest of the Earth team and their family met in Lindsay's apartment to celebrate. Lindsay was struck dumb to see Keith, who everyone noticed treated her far better than last year. The two had their minor disputes but not as intense.