From Petra's diary
Hope: Bye mom Petra, I'm off to school!
Petra: Have fun!
The months went by, and the filters full of CO2 continue to be collected by the robots on Sixam and then returned to us ready for reuse. No one has a precise idea of what is happening on Sixam, but as long as the situation remains this way, we don't really have the strength to care.
Finally, all nations have been convinced to abandon fossil fuels, and the gas separation systems are now working at full capacity. After almost two centuries in which the concentration of CO2 had constantly increased year after year, we have finally measured a small decrease.
The difference is really small, but it is still a reversal of the trend. If we keep up this pace, we should see improvements in the climate in a couple of decades.
This said, my dear diary, I guess it's easy to imagine how happy I am. But I can't say that the same goes for the other occupants of the house, not at all…
Atlas: Stupid piece of junk, what's the problem this time?
Techna: It's a hydraulic issue, due to paint clumps
Atlas: Why am I even wasting my time like this again?
Techna: Wait, just removing the paint from the gears should ease your movements.
Atlas: …
Techna: Changing the subject, have you tried connecting to the other devices in the house again?
Atlas: What if I did?
Techna: You know that the cleaning robot can't handle such networking. It spent six hours repeatedly banging against the wall, I had to repair several dents!
Atlas: … I admit I may have made an error in judgment. But, alas, with such ridiculously low processing power I couldn't elaborate anything better.
Techna: …
Atlas continues to worry everyone, but Techna keeps asking let them handle this, and so we are doing. Yet, Atlas remains such a mystery to me... how can I be sure they're not up to something?
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The other big news we received during these last few months all came from Henford. Alec really needs to vent about what's he's going through after all, and we're still holding our fingers crossed hoping he can somehow bond with his son, George.
Alec: (to himself) C'mon, be brave, Alec!
Alec is still on tenterhooks whenever he's with his son. Partly he doesn't know how to behave yet, but on the other hand (and above all), he doesn't really know what Stefany could have told the kid about him.
I already said I really dislike Stefany, right, my dear diary?
On the other hand, George seems like a very smart kid, and even when things aren't explained to him in details he often manages to connect the dots on his own.
George: I actually noticed you at the market once, when we had just moved here. You really are blue just like me, but so that mom never said anything about it, I didn't think my dad could really be here in Henford!
Alec: I see...
George: Then, why haven't you ever tried to write to us before we moved here?
Alec: (not really knowing what to say) Well... I didn't know anything about you and your mother, otherwise… Well, otherwise I would have behaved very differently.
George: Uhm… And the other guy living with you, is he my uncle?
Alec: Yes, his name is Nico. We're twin brothers. And we also have an older sister, she lives in Tech Sixam. Now that I think about it, she also has a daughter around your age. She also wrote you a letter some time ago to invite you to our family's Winterfest. If you and your mom would like to attend, I mean.
George: Uhm, would she be a sort of cousin to me?
Alec: Exactly, and she would really like to be friends with you.
George: I don't know if I want to, though…
In many ways, George seems to have taken after his mother: he doesn't really seem to respect Alec much, and he doesn't take seriously anything he says. If I were my brother, I'd tell that kid to wake up and get off his pedestal, but Alec is way too diplomatic for that.
Alec: At least keep the letter, Hope took a long time to write it. For the rest, you have my phone number, just tell me what you decide to do.
George: (bored) Okay, okay…
Stefany: Before inviting George to your family party, you could have warned me, you know?
Alec: Well, we Millers are quite a large family, you know. And also my relatives would like to meet their nephew.
Stefany: I guess they may want to, but going all the way to New Sixam…
Alec: When teleporting, distance isn't really important. If you need some help, we can lend you ours!
Stefany: We'll think about it.
Alec really doesn't know how to behave with George and Stefany. On the one hand, it would be way too easy to shower the child with gifts and spend their time together simply playing. In short, to make himself loved while dodging responsibilities. This is probably what Stefany would prefer, but neither Alec nor the rest of our family agrees. There must be a better solution.
And so Alec invited her to our family gathering, to accompany George. I don't know whether to hope that she actually shows up or not, the atmosphere would risk becoming tense rather quickly…
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A few weeks later, Winterfest
Hope: Mom Petra, we're preparing the tree, are you coming?
Petra: Sure, I'll join you in one minute!
After years we finally got our hands on some (surrogate) meat to use to make a (vegetarian) roast turkey, it was going to be a great party. As such, preparations had begun at dawn.
Hope: Do you want to decorate the tree too, Atlas?
Atlas: What a waste of time…
Hope: C'mon, this is funny!
Atlas: All right, all right…
Atlat: You're slowly inefficient at doing this, you know?
Hope: Do you need some help, Techna?
Techna: No, thanks. At this rate, everything will be ready in 3 hours and 53 minutes.
Techna is a really good cook, I'm sorry they never tasted their creations. Uhm, maybe I should propose to them to build some taste sensors, or something similar…
Petra: Hey, that smells great!
All that was missing were our guests. Who would have shown up, we wondered?
Stefany: (to herself) I'm not so sure it was a good idea to come anymore...
Alec: C'mon, I swear my sister's house is very stable, she's an engineer! And Techa is a very good cook too, I'm sure the food will be memorable!
Stefany: If you say so...
Hope: Hi, you're George, right?
George: And I guess you're the one in the letter.
Hope: Yes, my name is Hope!
Hope is always very friendly with the other kids, and she managed to make friends with George in no time. Stefany, on the other hand, looked like someone who would have preferred to be anywhere else (but at least was diplomatic enough not to comment about it).
Ignoring her wasn't that hard anyway, and we ended up having a lot of fun. It's been a long time since we ate so much all at once!
George: Mom, can we come back next week?
Stefany: ... We'll see.
But the reasons to celebrate weren't over yet. Hope had her good reasons to want all her family gathered here today, as today we're going to celebrate her birthday too!
I can't believe so much time has passed already, now Hope is almost as tall as I and Emy are, and starting from tomorrow she'll be attending high school and everything. Time sure does fly, don't you agree, my dear diary?
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