Table Of Contents | |||||
Book 1 | Book 2 | Book 3 | Book 4 | Book 5 | Book 6 |
#SciFi #ScienceFiction #Futuristic #SpeculativeFiction #MindBending #Interdimensional #Otherworldly #PortalFiction #CosmicEncounter #ParallelRealities#GirlPower #YoungHeroes #UnexpectedHeroes #Teamwork #BraveGirls #EldritchHorror #UnknownEntity #BeyondTheVeil #DimensionalRift #AlienMystery#SciFiAdventure #RealityWarp #ExtraDimensional #StrangePhenomena #SupernaturalSciFi
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The high school classroom feels stifling on this Saturday morning, its stillness a stark contrast to the crisp November air outside. Ella, Roxana, Eileen, and Helana shuffle in, bleary-eyed and grumbling. A week-long school break loomsâmeant for teacher training and maintenance, with homework assignments no one expects to be completedâbut this mandatory class cuts into their freedom. A breakfast table offers pastries and juice, but the girls pick at it, too sleepy to eat. Alisha Patel, Ellaâs mother, sits quietly near Melanie Crenshaw, her presence adding an unexpected weight to the morning.
âFirst, some business,â Commander Beaker says, standing at the front, his voice clipped. âThe Pentagonâs Medical Countermeasures team has flagged a potential biological threat. Weâre distributing pill packets for you and your familiesâone daily. Theyâre mostly vitamins and minerals to boost your immune system, reducing the risk or severity of illness if exposed. Donât skip them; your health is critical. If you do get sick, we have additional meds to speed recovery.â He hands out small, sealed packets, their metallic sheen catching the light. The girls exchange uneasy glances, the vague threat settling like a shadow.
Melanie steps forward, her silver hair glinting. âTake your seats, girls. We have a treat today: Ellaâs mom is joining us. Our focus this week is survival. Alisha will share her fatherâs story of surviving a dark time in India, now Pakistan.â âMom?â Ella says, slouching. âPlease donât bore us with Grandpaâs hippie stories. Weâve heard them.â Alishaâs eyes narrow. âDonât be a brat, Ella. This isnât about his hippie days. Itâs a grim story weâve kept from you, but with survival training starting, you need to hear it. Over a million died in Indiaâif my grandfather hadnât known survival skills, our family wouldnât have survived, and you wouldnât exist. Sit up and listen.â Chastened, the girls straighten, their usual defiance fading.
Alishaâs voice softens, heavy with memory. âMy father was born in 1945, during World War II, in India under British rule. It was a brutal time globally, worse in India, where colonial oppression deepened poverty and tension. Weâve spared you this part because itâs ugly, but you need to understand how fragile order can be.â She projects black-and-white photos onto the wallâemaciated bodies strewn across Calcuttaâs streets, vultures perched on ledges. The girls wince, the images stark and unrelenting. âWhen the war ended, Britain was bankrupt,â Alisha continues. âTheir empire crumbled, and they couldnât afford to hold colonies like India. They planned to grant independence, but ignored Indiaâs religious divide. Most were Hindu or Sikh, but a quarter were Muslim. Under British rule, Muslims were protected, but independence sparked fears of Hindu persecution.â
She clicks to another image: bloodied streets, burning homes. âFear turned to hatred. In 1946, the Great Calcutta Killing erupted. Thousands were slaughtered in days; hundreds of thousands fled. Look at these vultures eating the dead. I know itâs horrific, but you must see how fast things spiral. You may face such atrocities in your lifetime.â Eileen frowns. âPeople were dumb back then. That wouldnât happen here. Arenât we awakening?â Alishaâs gaze hardens. âThe 20th century taught us much, but donât be naive. These horrors persist globallyâgenocide, displacement. Complacency blinds you. Smart people warn it could happen here.â
She continues, âThe violence forced Britain to act. In 1947, they partitioned India: Pakistan for Muslims, India for Hindus and others. It didnât stop the fighting. Muslims in India faced persecution, fleeing to Pakistan; Hindus in Pakistan fled to India. Tens of millions were displaced. Disease and violence killed a million. My fatherâs family, in what became Pakistan, had to flee to India, abandoning everything. My great-grandfatherâs foresight saved themâa âbug-out bagâ with survival essentials. They avoided cities and refugee camps, where starvation and violence raged, trekking through farmlands to safety.â
Alisha pauses, meeting their eyes. âToday, Melanie will teach you to prepare a bug-out bag. And we have a surprise: since thereâs no school this week, weâre spending it on a beach.â âThe beach!â the girls shout, their gloom lifting. âWhich beach?â Eileen asks, eyes bright. Melanie smiles. âA remote South Pacific islandâwhite sand, clear water, palm trees. Itâs uninhabited, with no buildings, perfect for survival training. Youâll learn to fish, cook, find edible plants, and avoid poisonous ones. You can swim and play, but these skills could save your life if things go bad.â
âNavy survival specialists will set up tents and guide you,â she adds. âParents are welcome if they can take off work. Alishaâs coming.â âHow do we get there?â Roxana asks. âItâs a trek,â Melanie says. âWeâll fly to San Diego, then take a helicopter to a Navy ship. From there, a boat to the island. Weâll have radio contactâno Gilliganâs Island mishaps.â âWhoâs Gilligan?â Roxana asks. âAn old TV show about people stuck on an island,â Ella says. âItâs dumb.â âHelana, youâre quiet,â Melanie says. âWhat do you think?â Helana smiles faintly. âIâm happy with my people. It sounds fun. Iâm ready.â âIs there Wi-Fi?â Roxana asks. âNo internet, radio, or TV,â Melanie says. âBring your phones for music or photos to upload later. Weâll teach you to set up solar chargers. Instructors will have satellite phones for emergencies.â
The South Pacific island is a paradox of beauty and challenge: turquoise waves lap at white sand, but the dense jungle hums with insects. The girls, in cargo shorts and Navy-issued tees, stand ankle-deep in surf, their faces flushed from the sun. Alisha watches from a makeshift camp, where Navy tents dot the beach. âWhatâs Roxana screaming about?â Alisha asks, shading her eyes. Ella, gutting a fish with a practiced hand, laughs. âFish guts fell on her foot, and she lost it. Roxanaâs not cut out for this. If weâre ever lost for real, just hug her goodbyeâsheâs not coming home.â âDonât be harsh,â Alisha says. âSheâll step up when it counts. It takes time.â
After a meal of fried fish and MREsâmeals ready-to-eat, tasting of cardboard and saltâthe girls gather around Agent Rodgers, a grizzled Navy survivalist. He hefts four large backpacks, unzipping one to reveal its contents. âThese arenât hiking packs,â Rodgers says, his voice rough. âTheyâre bug-out bags, for when you flee home fastâstorms, quakes, or worse. Iâll show you each itemâs purpose and use. This isnât military crash-site survival with just a knife. Itâs civilian preparedness.â
He pulls out a tool strapped to the packâs side. âThis is a Pulaski axe, for chopping wood or clearing debris. Strapped beside it is a machete, in a sheathâsharp enough to hack through underbrush. Both can be weapons if needed, but thatâs not their main use.â âI think Eileenâs got weapon skills covered,â Ella says, smirking. Rodgers ignores her, holding up a small bottle. âPotassium iodide tablets. These protect against radioactive iodine from nuclear accidentsâlike Fukushima, Three Mile Island, or Chernobylânot just bombs. Radioactive iodine collects in your thyroid, risking cancer. These fill your thyroid with safe iodine, blocking the bad stuff. Take them *before* exposure; after, itâs too late. They wonât save you from a blast, so avoid cities or bases if oneâs coming.â
He lifts a red pouch. âAmerican Red Cross first aid kit: antibiotic ointment, antiseptic wipes, gauze, bandages, cold compresses, thermometer, scissors, more. Critical if youâre hurt. Check it regularlyâreplace anything used at home. You wonât have time during a crisis.â âRoxana used to steal band-aids and stick them all over herself,â Eileen says, grinning. âHer mom was furious.â âShut up, Eileen,â Roxana mutters, blushing. Rodgers continues, holding up a coil. âStarter ropeâstrong, like lawnmower pull cords. Use it to hang food in trees, make a hammock, snare game, or a hundred other tasks. Donât forget rope.â
He shows coffee filters and a Clorox bottle. âWaterâs heavyâyou canât carry enough for days. Filter debris with these, then add a few drops of Clorox per gallon to kill bacteria, fungi, parasites. You can make coffee too, if you brought grounds.â Next, a compact tent and sleeping bag. âThis single-person tent sets up fast, fits in the pack. The sleeping bagâs thin but warm, with a mylar lining to reflect body heat. A mylar emergency blanket adds insulation or wraps around you. Sleep under stars if you want, but cold groundâs no joke.â
Over the week, Rodgers demonstrates each item, guiding the girls through fishing, fire-building, and foraging. At first, they resistâgrumbling about early mornings and sore musclesâbut the islandâs rhythm captivates them. They spear fish, roast roots, and laugh under starlit skies, their skills sharpening faster than they expected.
Back in Ellaâs bedroom, the familiar scent of lavender and books is a comfort after the islandâs wildness. Exhausted but restless, she opens her diary, the weekâs lessons heavy in her mind.
Dear Diary,
Sorry I didnât bring youâI was scared youâd get lost or soaked. We spent a week on a nowhere island. Scary but fun.
We learned to catch, cook, and eat fish. We hiked, surfed, and got so sore. Eileenâs tan, Roxanaâs super brown, Iâm basically black. School friends will flip.
Stupid one-piece suits left us white in the middle. If Agent Rodgers were a girl, weâd have no tan lines. Tents sucked. Even with blankets, I couldnât get comfy. Too cold or too hot, never right.
I barely slept. We were getting on each otherâs nerves by the end. Good to be home. Goodnight, Diary. We were getting on each otherâs nerves by the end.
Good to be home.
Goodnight, Diary.
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