To the Moon?

   “The announcement of Annual Moon Lottery of 4018 ‘s lucky winner is drawing closer. “ The voice on the age-beaten radio was overlapped with a static tune. “On the 31st the launch will--” Ari withdrew her hand from the radio dial and cautiously made her way to the window. To see through the overgrown vines, fallen plaster, and boards crowding the glassless pane, Ari pressed her face against it. The splintered wood brushed her skin, adding more scrapes to her already battered appearance. She heard voices, cold and commanding, booming loud enough to hear from her third-story hideaway. Though she was unable to see them through her poor vantage point, their tone made it clear they were Officials, Air shivered.  

Ari, like the rest of her generation, grew up on stories of space. Tales of wondrous phenomena, advanced technology, and brave individuals. Every year, she watched as one person, age 14 or above, was selected in the Annual Moon Lottery to take a trip through space and find landing on the Moon. The other kids would crowd the televisions to witness the launch through storefront windows, then track the spec of movement that was the rocket in the sky. They would spend their birthday wishes on having a chance to be the chosen citizen and all their games would involve space. Ari couldn’t be bothered to join such games or waste her wishes, in fact, she avoided it. While her peers seem to be entranced by the event, Ari saw something else in it. For her, space was an empty, lonely, unpredictable, dangerous void, and the trip to the moon an exile. The Annual Moon Trips were seen by the greater community as an exceptional achievement and privilege; Ari could not shake the feeling there was a darker reality behind them. 

“Break in? No way, dude!” Barked a panicked whisper.  

Ari sat in the corner of the classroom, unintentionally eavesdropping on her classmates. Her unusual opinions caused her to go ignored by most of the other teens; practically invisible, she heard a lot of things that weren’t meet for her ears. 

“Don’t you want to go to the Moon? Besides, it’s not like we are stealing. My dad works there, we can get in easy enough,” Replied a far more confident boy.” Sam, the owner of the unsure voice, was unable to combat his peer’s rebuttal and remained silent.  

“Are you guys going to pay a visit to the National Space Committee Building? Cause I want in,” Ari hopped down from the desk she was sitting on and approached the two boys, breaking her inconspicuousness. They both stared in shock. Nox was the first to speak. 

“You?” His confused tone was laced with mockery, “Don’t you hate space? Why would you care and why would we want you to tag along?” 

She ignored the mocking and responded with a newfound assertiveness. “I have my own reasons. And you’ll take me because I'll rat you out otherwise.” Not wanting to get in trouble and have their plan be compromised, they let Ari join them. They would find where the drawing took place and change the result to their liking; Ari rather wanted to get off the list and see what else was going on inside the committee. 

With a little bit of coaxing, Nox got his Father to get them a private tour of the NSC building. He greeted Sam warmly; the most Ari got was a questionable look and wave.  

Noticing this, Nox said, “She’s finally giving space a chance.” A smile appeared on his father's face; Ari eternally gagged at the idea.  

It was a while before the tour began due to the lengthy talk about following the rules they were told. The kids nodded along, knowing fully well they were planning to do the opposite. Nox’s father was not leading the tour because he had a meeting to attend. A third of the way through, the tour guide got a call and stepped away to take it. This was their chance! Ari proposed the idea to split up in order to find where the drawing was held quicker. Nox agreed, but Sam decided to stay with him. Even though what Ari said was reasonable, she had another motive to separate from the two.   

The hallway she found herself in had a broken light causing it to be blanketed in shadow. Ari fought a feeling of vertigo as her fears of space resurfaced. She let out her breath, which she had not realized she was holding when she reached a working light. It illuminated a door locked with a keypad. Must be important, Ari thought, but how am I supposed to get inside? She got her answer when she pushed on the door; It swung open and, taken by surprise, almost fell. Someone had failed to close the door properly and it never locked!  

The room was overwhelming. A chemical smell, failing to mask itself with an artificial sweetness, wafted up her nose. The desk was a tornado of a mess, though it showed signs of some sort of organization system. In the back corner, a set of machinery loomed intimidatingly. Ari took a hesitant step towards the desk. Her eyes eagerly searched the papers laid out on the desk. They settled to a document titled “NSC 4018 Official decision on--” Her attention snapped away. 

“Breach of security,” Rang an automatic voice. “Please secure all files and find the perpetrator.” 

Her body stood as a statute as she processed the information. It hit her with a pang of terror. Her feet took off before she could register the movement. They took her through the hallway, where the previously broken light was now on. She could hear the addled and frantic employees. What was fortunate for the sudden run away was the lesser amount on employees in on the day. Her head was racing, her heart beating just as fast. She recalled an emergency exit they had pasted at the beginning of the tour; I'll go for that!  

She passed a section of hallway that opened into the lobby and caught a brief glimpse of the drama occurring. Sam was hugging his knees on a bench, possibly crying, but Ari couldn’t tell. Nox was standing next to him, clearing avoiding eye contact. They were getting scolded by their father and interrogated by other adults. She didn’t have the time or courage to help them. They were all too preoccupied to notice the flash of movment that was Ari. Still, she could not avoid the cameras and was being pursued.  

“Stop and come to us!” An employee shouted, catching up to her. Ari didn’t obey and made off, much quicker than the man. She made a swift turn and reached her arms out, slamming open the emergency door.  The alarm started blaring, but the sound soon faded from Ari’s range of hearing. Her anxieties carried her much farther than just leaving the building and she found herself running on tiredly.  

The outskirt of the city was made up an abandoned neighborhood; It was rough and rundown, but its foundation was mostly stable. Ari found herself hidden away in one of the impaired buildings. Her fear of space and the committee's punishment was emphasized in her head, keeping her in place. Three days had passed: hunger was itching at Ari’s stomach, her hair was messy and coarse, her skin dirty and scraped. She was yet to be found and was unsure if people were actually searching for her. Surely my parents are, and the angry committee. The old radio she found told her searches were ramping up as the announcement for the lottery winner drew closer. 

She was starting to feel comfortable going back home; not the threat of the committee lessened, but her longing for her family and house grew. These thoughts of safety crumbled when she saw the Officials. Their harsh voices and clambering steps became noticeable, then faded, only to emerge closer. Exhausted with nowhere to go, Ari did not run. Terror simply enveloped her as the sounds approached; so much so, the commands and rough journey to the committee building was a blur.  

She was given drink and food, wolfing it down. Maybe they aren’t so bad after all. It took a few minutes to fully come to her senses. A thin man stood in the room with her, clearly not one of the Officials who brought her there. He smiled, though Ari felt it to be an empty gesture.  

“Ari, it is nice to see you.”  

Her eyes drifted to avoid contact and found a paper pinned on the wall behind the man. It read,  

“NSC 4018 Official decision on Project Moon - Stay Behind Sector:”  

She was unable to make out the full document but recognized as the same print as the one on the desk. She read what she could, 

“.... Citizen Ari Nomu to be placed in the SBS for 4018.” Her eyes widen, her heartbeat picked up and a sweat began to form on her skin.  

The man spoke, “I see you have figured some of this out. The truth is the lottery is not real. We have a list of carefully selected citizens to choose from each year. Those with important traits, like you who openly expresses diverse ways of thinking. You see, this planet is not fit for us anymore. We all will go to space, to find home on planets and moons. However, we must leave some behind. We pick the best to find their way here. The “lottery” gives us time to set everything and prevent families from protesting. Ari, you among others, will not come with us. We will be out in space and you’ll be on earth.”