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Chapter 6 - Second Earth

Author's Note: English is not my primary language so pardon my French :)) no to grammar nazi but i'm welcome to any positive criticism (you know what i mean) This story were created inside my sister's dream so all rights reserved to me cause she doesn't have wattpad nor does she likes writing so let's roll! By the way, this is a fast paced story since it's one shot so no to elaborated details.

Alexandra Sky Sandoval is a 16-year-old who loves staying at home reading eBooks, playing choices or some random RPG games, loves eating salty and junk foods and be lazy since school won't start at least for another one more month so it was really a backbreaking circumstance for her to be out and about. Well since her Mother, Angelita Sandoval, asked her that she needs company, whether she likes it or not so even though she is itching to read some eBooks on her phone she can't since her Mother 'lovingly' took her phone for safekeeping while they are now walking in a congested mall in Divisoria, Manila. Her Mother stops at every shop, keeps bidding on half the price of something she finds 'unique' with the saleslady.

Sky just wants to sit back and watch her Mother go to anywhere she would like and wait for her to come back once she's done, however she needed to be by her side since she easily gets dizzy. She really wants to whine but since her Mother is having a good time she shuts her mouth.

Angelita saw her daughter's scowling face so she asked her to sit somewhere not to dampened her mood. Sky sit somewhere near since she is still worried that her Mother will get dizzy due to heat, she just sits there while watching some news with the old ladies from a store nearby.

Sky wasn't really paying attention to the news, but when she saw her favorite anchor, Sabina Santillan, she sits up straight and listened carefully. The anchor stated "United Nations are afraid that food shortage will be just another problem the whole world will be facing if our population keeps on growing, rapidly. As you can see on our screen that as of today we now have, roughly 60 billion people and counting. So United Nations are making sure we will not end up with war just for food resources. Based on UN Philippine Representative, Ms. Santos, they are currently on an experimental stage of something big that will help our problem on population growth."

"I'm done. Let's eat before we go home." Angelita stated and drop half of the stuff she is carrying. She passes 15 or so plastic bags to Sky. Angelita walked to a nearby fast food chain with Sky in tow. Sky was thinking and guessing what does the United Nations' solution will be? They went inside the fast food chain happily since Sky will be having her fill after the dreading way of shopping.

>>>After 6 Months<<<

Sky is in front of her phone, searching for answers on her homework that seems only her teacher knows. But since it's already 6 in the afternoon she needs to go down and have dinner with her family, she took that as a break and will continue later on. Her mother is a housewife since with her conditions she really can't do any hard labor work, her father, Angelo, is a taxi driver in a small company, her older sister, Claire, is a saleslady and a single mother of 2. Her niece and nephew started studying in a kinder garden school nearby. Her older brother, Raan, died a few years back due to Brain Cancer so her parents are still working their asses off to paid off the remaining bill they left in the hospital, nearly 600,000.00 pesos more. So right now, they are living pay check to pay check, squeezing every cent they have to make sure they can eat at least thrice a day. While having dinner, Angelo, turned on the TV to watch some news and turn the volume up.

The anchor right now is reporting a news about the drug and corruption that never ended and in every corner of this country. They continued eating until the reporter changed to a new information. The anchor said "United Nations have verified that they now found the new innovative planet that people can live on. They found a new Earth, a second Earth where we can start afresh. United Nations informed us that already send a lot of Engineers, Doctors, Farmers, Professors, and such prior to the experimental stage. They made sure that the second Earth will be livable, that once our people here on planet Earth go there, there will be houses, food sources, and such, everything that we lack here will be abundant there. All United Nations' Representatives and Government officials agreed that all of the white-collar worker will be the second batch to be send on second Earth. Families will be chosen carefully by our UN Representative, Ms. Santos and our Senators. Further news will be announced soon. Thank you for watching Z News." When Angelo turn off the TV, he was more than shocked and speechless, he also has hope. For his kids and grandkids, to have a better life, a better future. So, she immediately asks his youngest daughter to go search what will be the requirements so that they can join the program and be sent to second Earth. Sky made sure to search every detail she can get and find. She wanted to get to the second Earth with her family. This Earth is deteriorating little by little. Earth itself is filled with trash and toxic. People on Earth slowly giving in to their animal instinct, survival of the fittest, the greed to gain everything for yourself or for your loved ones. Each day, in their city, police will have found at least one dead body. It's not getting safe since sources are getting limited. Once she finds all the details that are needed to be part of the second batch traveling the second Earth, she wrote it down. Hope will be within sight.

>>>1 week after<<<

"Congratulations Mr. Sandoval, you and your family will be part of the second batch travelers. We will be picking up your family at the airport the day after tomorrow so we can head back to the United Nations Headquarters and wait for the remaining travelers so we can take off to the second Earth." Mr. Rosario, a government representative in their city that are handling second batch travelers. "Thank you so much Mr. Rosario, it means the world to me, to us, that we will be joining the travelers to see a better future. Please keep up doing your good work." Angelo said with teary eyes. The representative left, so does Angelo, to share the good news with his boss and file a resignation and inform the good news to the rest of the family.

Angelo's boss, Pablo, accepted the resignation letter of his most diligent worker, he congratulated Angelo and bid farewell. He loses not just an employee but also a friend but still happy that his friend will be seeing a better future ahead. Since Pablo is single he didn't apply for the second batch travelers. Angelo went straight to his daughter, Sky's school for drop out as well as his grandkids. They will be starting their school at the second Earth since that was also part of the plan of United Nations. Once done, he texted his other daughter, Claire, to file an immediate resignation, and his wife, to pack their clothes, since UN promised them they won't be needing anything but a change of clothes since they will still be travelling to UN Headquarters, but once they set off, everything will be provided on second Earth.

Angelo made preparations, all of their other belongings will be given to some neighbors and charity but their house, as part of their contract, will be given to the government. UN stated that half of the people here will be going to second Earth the remaining half will stay here to make sure that our home planet, our original Earth will also have a second chance and become a better place as well. Two days after, the Sandoval's and other qualified families gathered at the airport. Some were excited, others are nervous and questioning, will the government really help them?

Mr. Rosario are making sure that every families are there, no one is left behind, after all the necessary checking, 100 lucky families are boarding the plane, a total of 500 people plus Ms. Santos and the other UN Representatives are boarding the plane to the UN HQ in just 3 hours.

Upon arriving at the HQ, everyone is amazed, it was a small island with a big building inside still with a wide greenery. The building itself is just up to 4th floor however it was wide, enough to occupy ¼ of the island itself. Batch by batch people were separated and being ushered to different entrance. The Sandoval family was led by Ms. Santos with five subordinates around him. He led them to a wide elevator that can accommodate around 30 people. But instead of going up, the buttons are indicating from Ground Floor to Basement Floor50. And Ms. Santos pushed B50.

"Right now, we will be going to the main lounge for the travelers. We will accompany you there for a small gathering so we can know who will be the people that will be staying with you." Ms. Santos informed everyone.

Everyone was talking, excited and nervous. It was exciting to travel to a different planet but it was also scary to travel to outer space and to live in a foreign planet. But right now, everyone felt that at long last, after the hardship they experienced, they can somehow live a stable life. As promised by the government they can live at the second Earth with ease, they all just need to help improve and maintain for the upcoming people that will also live there. Manual labor is needed; however, no one will be getting paid. But they will have free meal thrice a day as well as free education. Although from then on, no one is allowed to reproduce otherwise approved by the Council on the second Earth.

As they went to B50, all of them were advised to line up and washed up. They were given a grey jumpsuit, white shirt and undergarments. Once everyone was done, they were advised to go up to B49 for their last meal here on Earth. It was a joyous and loud celebration.

Pablo turned on his television to watch the world-wide show for the launch of a wide rocket ship that will travel all the second batch travelers to second Earth. There were two rocket ships to be launched today to send 500 people to the second Earth. He was happy for his friend. United Nations are airing not only their take off but as well as their travel from Earth to the second Earth to their landing there. They will also televise the first few days of the second batch travelers.

Pablo made sure to watch the travelers, to watch the show closely, so he can see his friend and be at ease. For exactly five days, it was being aired world-wide, the life of all travelers in the second Earth. He was happy to know that at last his friend found the peace and solemnity he was searching for and he deserved. He shut down his television and start working.

"Mom, it's our sixth day here, I am so happy that we are one of the people that are chosen to live here in the second Earth." Sky said as they plant trees and crops. Her mother smiled at her but suddenly she felt dizzy. Her mother came to her aid but she's slowly losing consciousness. She can hear some beeping noise as well as some whispers, like people chatting and laughing. She saw nothing but darkness but can hear some noises.

"It's a good thing that now the population are reduced, we can now somehow live a better life. United Nations really done a great job with our ordeal."

"I agree and it's nice that we are part of the remaining people here. Those people are still lucky they were poised the moment they finished their foods and now with the HyperVR they are dreaming together of a happy life not feeling any pain."

"True. On the 6th day their body will have multiple organ failure, dying on their sleep. The HyperVR is great as well as the video editing of the rocket launch that people thought really happe. But there's really nothing they can do since people are carelessly giving birth and making our planet overblown with population. The remaining here in Earth should be the rich, the laborers, the genius, the United Nations workers and the governments. And I'm so happy to be part UN workers, at least, we and our family are safe."

"I second the motion. Those people believed that there is a second Earth. As if? It's like 0.00000001% in hundreds of hundreds of hundreds of billion probability. But it's a good thing they believed it. At least after 6 days, from 60 billion people we now have 59 billion. So, in a few months or a year, everything will be a whole lot better."

As the noises died down, Sky's eyes open slowly, mortified as she sees that her body was filled with apparatus, with people around her, with the same predicament. 

•Fin•