In The Orbit (Part I)

8. Strom

So I suppose I should explain how it all started. My aunt is one of the big bosses of this company called United States and Satellites Cooperation (US+SC). They own most of the big satellites orbiting Earth. They work closely with the federal government, probably because of all the legality and foreign relations issues. Lately they have been noticing other satellites around, from other countries most likely.

I have never been on any of the six American satellites. My aunt says that most of them are labs and science-ish stuff. There is a school up there though. It is for the richest of the rich of course, and only people who are planning on working in space or on new satellites go there.

US+SC set up a program for people 15-17 years of age to come work for two years on the satellites. They only had space for six people, and they had to be perfect for the job. They would go through intense training in the first year, and get to work in the next year. I don't know exactly what the the work was, but I do know that it likely would be working very closely with the government.

Well, they got fewer applications than they expected, and only three really fit the bill. My aunt and my parents got into a really heated argument about whether I should go or not. Finally, they left the ultimate decision up to me, and I said yes. Because I really did want to go. My aunt had also told me I was the perfect fit and they really needed someone like me. I have a relatively uninteresting life, so that sounded like it would spice things up a little. And besides, it's two years. It's not like I am signing the rest of my life away.

So that was that. I was the fourth kid accepted into the program. The program needed exactly six people. My aunt did not say how they were going to get two more perfect candidates.

Right now, I sit at the window listening to the storm. I pull up the file my aunt sent me on my phone. I look at the first picture and the description of the kid. It's a girl, and her name is Fiona, or Fifi. She has a nice face. The description does not give me any information about her personality at all. The next one is of a girl named Karma Kashner. She has blonde hair with dark blue tips. She isn't smiling in the picture. She looks like she could beat me up. The last one is a guy. He has glasses and a dorky hairstyle. His name is Harold Rolder and he looks like my annoying neighbor. He is from some small town in Montana. I hope he isn't the only guy there because he looks really obnoxious.

My dad comes into the room. He has a glass of wine in his hand.

"Join us on the porch, son," he says. He always calls me son, which is pretty weird if you ask me.

I follow him outside. My mom and my little sister Kimmie are sitting on the porch swing.

"We're going to miss you, Strom," my mom says. "But we know this is a good decision for you. We also know that the satellites are quite dangerous, and because your aunt is not saying what kind of work you will be doing, we have our suspicions."

"If anything is unjust or odd or feels wrong with this program, alert us immediately," my dad says.

"Um, I don't think you guys need to worry about anything," I tell them.

"Well, son, they might be doing something illegal and not telling anyone about it."

"And no matter what, we can get you out of any situation you are not comfortable with. Because we have your aunt there, we can get you out, okay?" my mom adds.

"I think you guys have been watching too much tv. It's all completely legal, otherwise the government would have shut them down," I argue. 

"You're probably right, but keep your eye out for us, ok Strom?" my mom chirps.

"You got it mom," I chirp back, and we sit and watch the lightening and the rain in silence.