Paphos

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Carolina blinked.  There was a wall here, buried into the hillside.

This was interesting, she had discovered a new place or something.  But then Carolina’s face grew puzzled.  She thought they said no one else had ever been here?  She was certain they said that.  Didn’t they?  Wasn’t that the point of coming here? 

Carolina blinked again, trying to remember what the grownups had talked about.  She was certain they said something like that.  She went to scratch her head, but her breath froze when she saw something move out of the corner of her eye.  Carolina whipped her head around, frightened by the suddenness of it.  But nothing was there, just trees and bushes, unless the forest had eyes.  Carolina took a moment and tried to relax.  She was just a kid, she knew there must be a logical reason for what she found.  Obviously someone had been here before, or the wall wouldn’t be there.  She would just have to go ask her dad, assuming she wasn’t going to be grounded for traveling this far. 

When her fear subsided she followed the long stretch of black steel to see where it went.  The hillside had mostly grown over it, giving it natural camouflage, and there wasn’t a window or door.  She climbed around long gnarled tendrils of foliage, it reminded her of ancient ruins from Earth.  She didn’t understand why they hadn’t seen this before landing, she thought they had different satellites that could read building materials and stuff.  Now she knew she would have to ask her dad.  He always had the answers, he was the scientist. 

This felt like trespassing, and she still felt like someone was watching her.  She continued to walk along the ominous black wall another thirty meters, wondering when she would reach the end.  The more she walked the farther she felt from home.  Finally the wall disappeared completely into the dirt and it didn’t resurface.  She stopped for a moment to notice her reflection in the wall, surprised at how messy her hair looked.  She was much farther beyond the second perimeter than she was supposed to be.  Carolina bit her lip disappointingly.  With a huff she realized it was time to tell her dad about it and walked back to the quadrohuts.

The walk back, a few kilometers it must have been, offered no greater relief from the feeling that she was being watched.  She stopped and turned her head at so many shadows, so many branches swaying in the wind, each of them a looming figure in her imagination.  If something else moved out of the corner of her eye she was likely to break out into a full run. 

Finally she approached the quadrohuts and waited for the door to open.  Upon entering she found the crew inside, all looking ill as they listened to Dmitry speak.  Muster, they called it.  Apparently Dmitry wasn’t happy with their progress, they were running out of time to make good on key projects that the company had commissioned them for.  So many big words, being an adult didn’t seem very fun.  Carolina didn’t understand why they couldn’t just stay until the job was done, not that she wanted any delays in their return home.  Daddy mentioned something about a schedule, something about a launch window, gravity, alignment… he was never good at explaining simple questions with simple answers. 

Carolina paced, wanting to interrupt, but daddy noticed and glared, so she waited.  Dmitry was long winded tonight.  Carolina sat down and out of boredom began to draw little circles and shapes on the wall next to her.  Then, realizing what she was doing, she quickly put her markerpen away.  All she could think about was what she had found.  She wanted to go back but it was getting too late for today.  She could at least go back tomorrow with her photolense and take some pictures this time.  Dmitry’s voice drawled on.  She was excited, knowing something that the others didn’t know, she wondered what else she might find.  When muster was over Dublin and Athen sat at the tiny table they called the mess hall and ate, Austin and the others took their meals to their own rooms.  Carolina decided to follow him, she grabbed a packaged ham slice and a juice.  They ate in silence on the bottom bunk bed, she had a feeling even if she did say something he wouldn’t hear her.  He had a far away gaze that didn’t break for many moments.