Chapter 4.2: The first book

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From Leo's diary

Without even realising how much time had passed, we found ourselves organising Lyra's birthday. Life is going on so quietly here, and time is passing by so quickly...

We invited all of her family and friends to the celebration, it was one of the biggest parties we have attended since we moved here.

Misty: Finally we have all finished school!
Ariana: Have you already thought about what to do now, Lyra?

Lyra: Of course I did! I want to be a fashion designer!

Ariana: A what?

Lyra: A fashion designer! You know, the clothes and make-up that are good for us are completely different from those that are good for humans, yet a lot of us insist on dressing like them! I mean, you've seen what my brother is wearing all the time, haven't you?

Misty: (laughing) So would you like to start selling green and purple lipsticks?

Lyra: That will certainly be a fundamental point, for sure!

After that first announcement, Lyra didn't take long before starting to proudly exhibit the most extravagant looks. 

Claire: What... (A bit worried) Since when do you use so much makeup, Lyra?

Lyra: It's very modern, isn't it?

Claire: ... these are the things that make me feel old, more than anything else ...

In the following days, she started to set up her new blog about alien fashion. I admit that we were a bit sceptical at first, but she seems to have taken it very seriously and we soon decided to support her choice.

She also asked her brother for advice to improve her writing. In fact, Luke is becoming a really good writer, Claire and I have read some paragraphs of the thesis he submitted to his university a few weeks ago and remained very impressed by it.

Luke likes to write about Sixam's story, about us alie... sixamians, and about relationships with humans. He is also correcting us whenever, out of habit, we continue to call ourselves "aliens". His reasoning is actually quite simple and hardly contestable: an alien is, by definition, someone who does not belong to a given place, but we were in fact all born and risen here on Earth instead. Considering that our species comes from Sixam, and we are now living in New Sixam, most locals are quickly switching to the new definition. 

Luke: What? Should I waste time helping you write about skirts and whatnot?
Lyra: Please, Luke!

Luke is probably the least interested in his sister career choices, but eventually he accepted to give her some help anyway.

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Life at home is surprisingly quiet and normal, considering that we are now the family of the President. When we go out, anyway, now everyone recognizes Claire and can't wait to say hello and compliment her. 

Waitress: President, what an honor! Can I recommend our main dish, the spinach omelette?

Claire: Sounds like a great idea, thanks!

Claire: So, are you already used to being the first Gentlemen of Nuova Sixam?

Leo: People love you, and that's great, but I have to admit that I've not gotten used to be recognized by complete strangers.

Claire: Do people recognize you as well?

Leo: It happened a couple of times. And also to Lyra and Luke, when they were in school and at the university.

Claire: I know, that's the hardest part... But it also worth it so much, we are doing a lot to set up New Sixam and it's great to see that people support us!

Yes, there are a few drawbacks in being the "Presidential family", but we are definitively lucky at the moment. We have a large house all for us and enough money to not need to worry about it, while most of the inhabitants of New Sixam have to accept many compromises and are making sacrifices to make ends meet during this first settling phase. I see it first hand every day, at work.

At first glance, everyone at home seems happy with the new situation. After the abrupt change that followed our move in here, we have gradually gotten used to this new life. 

On closer inspection, however, it is evident that Luke still seems as thoughtful and gloomy as when we arrived in here, if not more so.

Although he has recently graduated from university and he hasn't to study all day long anymore, he continues to stay in his room most of the day, in front of his PC, writing who knows what.

Leo: (knocking the door) Luke, can I come in?

Luke: no, I told you already! I'm busy. 

I suspect something bad happened to him recently, but so that he never told us about it we have no clue about what could it be.

Our worries for him increase day after day, but as long as he refuses to talk with us we don't really know how to help him. What should we do, my dear diary?

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From Luke's diary

I wrote to Serena shortly after our disastrous "surprise visit" some time ago. For me, this was the easiest way to explain what was on my mind, even though I know that telling such important things over email is for cowards. However, if she really knew me at least a little, she should be aware of the fact that I prefer to put words down on paper.

I told her that, unlike her, I can't forget and keep going if I continue talking to her. I realized it when I saw her again in that new house, with that guy and everything else.

Hard as it was, I therefore told her that I had no intention of contacting her again in the future.

She replied with one last email, she seemed understanding. And she wished me good luck for the future.

Everyone seems so happy at home, but I just can't share their spirit at the moment...

Misty: Hi Lyra!

Lyra: I thought you'd disappeared, you didn't answer any call for so long! What happened to you?

Misty: I just started a new job a few weeks ago, you know... Rather, how are you doing here?

Lyra: Great, Luke just graduated from college and we're trying to convince him to celebrate it!

Misty: C'mon, he really needs to be convinced to celebrate it?

Lyra: I don't get it either, but he insists on staying closed in his room writing.

Misty: Why didn't any of you go to talk to him yet?

Lyra: We tried, but he's always refusing to open the door, you know...

Misty shook her head, she seemed quite exasperated, before marching into our house.

Luke: It’s considered polite to knock on the door.

Misty: I know, but I didn’t want you to answer: "No, go away!", as you seem to be doing all the time now.

Luke: ...

Misty: So, what are you up to now? 

Luke: I'm writing.

Misty: Still?

Misty had often sneaked into my room without permission, she became so good at it that not even locked doors were stopping her anymore. But she had always come to talk with Serena. What other reason could she have for coming here this time?

Luke: (annoyed) I think it's quite obvious that now I'm not in contact with Serena in any way anymore. So, if you want to talk to her, you have to find some other way.

Misty: I had figured it out.

Luke: What do you want from me, then?

Misty: Just chatting a bit, you know.

Luke: ...

Misty: I mean, it's summer outside, why do you keep writing all day? You've been writing for so long that you could have put together half an encyclopedia by now!

Luke: ...

Misty: You're not really writing an entire encyclopedia, are you?

Luke: No.

Misty: But it's a book, isn't it?

She had insisted so much on asking me to read it, that I couldn't avoid passing her the printed draft I used for the review.

Misty: This is the first book on Sixam's history that he has ever seen... And it's well written too!

Luke: You look surprised.

Misty: What do you plan to do with it?

Luke: ... I haven't decided yet. It's not even finished, anyway.

Misty: I think you should publish it, a lot of people here in New Sixam would love it!

Luke: Uhm, I don't think it would be so simple instead...

She left soon after, reminding me that my family was preparing a big cake to celebrate my graduation. I wasn't really in the mood for any celebration at that moment... but maybe I could at least show up for a while.

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Misty is often at our place to spend some time with Lyra and Ariana, by now I'm not even surprised to see her around anymore. But what I saw today surprised me a lot...

Luke: (surprised) Misty? Are you all right?

Misty: (yawning) ... what? Oh, it's you... I was waiting for Lyra, but I guess I dozed off for a moment...

I prepared her a cup of coffee, she really seemed to need it at that moment.

Luke: What happened? You look like someone who hasn't slept in weeks!

Misty: I'm a bit tired from work, that's all.

Luke: But what work are you doing? 

Misty: I joined the army.

Luke: What? The army!?

Misty: Well, yes. Anyway, I was waiting for your sister to go to the pool together, so...

Luke: The pool? Don't you think you're tired enough for today?

Misty: (yawning) Uhm, maybe you're not completely wrong...

Since she was so tired that she fell asleep on other people's sofas, I preferred to accompany her home. She seemed so tired to risk passing along the way, I thought it was the safest way.

However, she seemed to have taken it as a chance to chat a bit instead.

Misty: Do you really think it’s so weird that I joined the army? It's not like we are shooting people, you know?

Of course I knew, mum was often talking about this kind of affair at the dinner time. New Sixam had no intention of attacking other Countries, but we needed to demonstrate to be able to defend ourselves for preventing them to attack us.

However, in reality, most of the new army recruits were employed in the construction and expansion of all those strategic infrastructures that New Sixam still needed. For example, I know that they are working on a new wing of the hospital at the end of that street.

However, when trying to imagine Misty in the army, I couldn't help but think that...

Luke: No, that's not the point. But I know you don't like rules, and if there's one thing the army is full of, that is rules.

Misty: What can I say... The pay is above average, and I can work outdoors. We can't all afford to be fashion designers like Lyra, you know?

Luke: But...

Misty: It's getting late, I better go. Tomorrow I have to leave the cot at 5:30!

Having said that, she waved at me and ran to her house. Maybe I was worrying too much about her being too tired to walk back by herself, after all.

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In the following months, we got to speak quite often. It took a while before I gasped her way of doing, but I'm starting to consider her as a friend of mine. And I think she thinks the same about me, because now she knocks at our door asking for me, and no more for my sister Lyra.

Misty: So, have you published that book already?

Luke: Not yet, the more I reason about it the more I think it's a bad idea...

Misty: But why?

Luke: Because I fear that people would buy it just because "the beloved President's son" wrote it, and not because they really care.

Misty: Oh.

Misty: Why don't you just find a pen name instead? Something like "Cosmic Grumpyman", for example.

Luke: Uh...

I didn't know how to answer. I had never considered using a pseudonym but, thinking about it, it didn't seem such a bad idea. I had never given her much credit in this sense before, but Misty is actually way smarter than people think.

Luke: "Cosmic Grumpyman"? Don't you think it's a bit exaggerated?

Misty: Not at all, you are one of the most grumpy people I know.

Luke: So why do you bother listening to me?

Misty: Because you always say things the way they are. And, often, you are also right.

I was dumbfounded, I did not expect that answer. She was certainly one of the most direct and straightforward people I knew instead.

After that speech, however, I had finally made up my mind, I had already spent too much time editing that book I had been working on for years. So I got up the courage and send it to an editor, hoping for the best.

For the records, I signed myself up as Lucas Mills.

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