Hey everybody! Back with another chapter here. Again, thanks to everyone who's been reading this series and keeping up with it. I'm glad to be able to write something that people enjoy, it motivates me to want to continue writing and giving you all these stories. Feel free to comment, rate, or send me a message if you want! Suggestions and opinions are welcomed too, thanks again!
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"Please tell me you didn't forget it again. We always plan to watch it, and you always forget."
"Forget what?"
"Asia!"
"Seriously, what are you talking about? I think you have me confused with someone else." Asia joked as she snickered through her sentence.
"Nope, only my best friend could be this annoying."
"Relax, Kodi. I got it right here." Asia pulled out a DVD out of her cream-colored wool knapsack and handed it to her. It was
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
, their favorite movie, and almost a relic at this point. Movies like this were difficult to find on Earth over a hundred years after their initial release, especially since there were new technological innovations that made watching movies much more efficient.
But, being that Kodi and her parents were inventors and appreciated technology from all ages, they actually had an old Blu-Ray player and a copy of
Harry Potter
. It was one of the only old movies they had from that long ago, but it was perfect for two eleven-year-old girls to watch. The fantasy of it always transported them to a different place, and helped them forget about the impending danger that was to plague Earth soon.
"Oh, finally you remembered!" Kodi said sarcastically, although genuinely excited about watching.
"Oh, shut up! It's not like I always forget. Just a few times."
"Uh-huh, sure."
"How did your parents find this anyway? I never asked, and the date says like 2001 on the back, which is basically a million years ago."
"I know, I guess it's one of those things they just found randomly. Maybe it was passed down or something."
"Well, whoever did it, thanks, cause this movie is awesome."
"Exactly." Kodi said as she prepared to put the DVD in the Blu-Ray player.
They were over Kodi's house in her room, chilling and playing after a long day at school. Kodi's parents were downstairs, working on something really important, and Asia's parents were too, since her dad worked for the government. They needed the break, especially since rumors of something serious happening were spreading like wildfire on the internet, news stations, and had even made it to their middle school lives. Kodi and Asia didn't know anything specific, but they knew enough to be worried, even as kids.
"Have you heard anything new about it?" Kodi said before they started the movie.
"No, not really. I mean I don't know anything about it. I just know that whatever it is, it's pretty bad because my dad gets really angry about it, and he never gets angry."
"Yea mine too."
"Have you heard your mom and dad argue like that since the last time?"
"I mean it hasn't been as bad as before, but I have picked up some things since then."
"What's that thing called again? How you hear them?"
"It's called the Sound Catcher. And it's not a thing Asia, jeez. It's an invention. My invention."
"Alright, alright, sorry. It is pretty cool though."
"Thanks." Kodi replied with a smile. She always liked hearing Asia, her teachers or her parents give her praise for one of her inventions.
"So, what did you hear?" Asia said, her voice and Kodi's drifting to a low whisper just in case Kodi's parents were listening.
"I mean, they've kind of been talking in code, but I did hear them mention something about war and staying safe and all that."
"Yea, my dad said something about that too."
"Yea..." Kodi said while turning around and looking away, the beads in the braids clinging against each other while her anxiety about everything rose steadily.
"But I mean they talk about war all the time on the news, and my dad always mentions it on the phone but it never happens."
"You don't think it's for real?"
"Nah, I bet it's just a joke or a way to get elected or something. Or something to talk about on TV."
"Yea that's true, it's all they talk about now. But Asia it does feel different this time though, I'm worried something is gonna really happen this time."
"Seriously Kodi? Come on, they've gone through this before."
"I mean it, Asia, would our parents really be getting this upset and almost fighting if it weren't real?"
Kodi's feelings of anxiety and fear were warranted. Despite Asia's attempts to quell her fears, she knew something was bubbling on the horizon as well. Their parents had conversations about it, they overheard teachers discussing it, and everything on the TV and internet discussed it. It wasn't the usual media storm that enveloped the country when something trendy or exciting happened. There was a cloud of uncertainty and fear that was omnipresent, causing people to argue in public amidst mysterious leaks that gave people small amounts of information. It was enough information to let people know that something was coming, but not enough for them to know what.
"I mean our parents fight all the time. They're adults, it's like what they do." Asia said, trying to reassure her friend that everything was fine. As she noticed Kodi still looking down with a somber expression on her face, she got an idea.
"Hey, where did you say your parents were again?"
"They're downstairs in the lab, I think. Why?"
"Didn't you say you implanted one of those homing things in there before?"
"Yea, but just barely. They've been keeping it really secretive lately."