The last two months that the Skyshard family spent together passed by in a blink of an eye.
While the brothers did wrestle with emotions of guilt and worry, they did their best to hide them from Elena, with Luke keeping a firm eye over Leo to prevent his younger brother from making any rash decision.
To make the most of their remaining time together, Elena took it upon herself to initiate "Memory Mondays," where the family would sit together and recall fond memories.
So for two months, every Monday after dinner the family would sit together and discuss fond old memories as although each session ended with Elena in tears, it gave her the closure of having lived a fulfilling life with the children so far.
Luke started "Film Fridays," featuring movies from their happier days, as on film Friday's the family would watch videos captured in poor 4k quality on their old mobile devices and laugh about how silly times used to be.
Finally, as Leo felt the need to contribute, he created "Weekend Wandering," where they explored their crumbling city one last time, taking photos to keep the memories alive.
Outside, their community was in chaos. Public forums turned into shouting matches, neighbours who were once close now avoided eye contact. But amid the pandemonium, the Skyshards found pockets of warmth—goodbye barbecues, heartfelt hugs, and an unsaid promise to reunite on Terra Nova if things ever took a turn for the better.
During these two months Luke remained the rock, always projecting an aura of stoic courage while Leo found solace in quiet moments, sketching imaginary landscapes of Terra Nova, but both brothers held onto the hope that just like there were four arc ships bound for Terra Nova this year, there would be four more bound for Terra Nova the next year and if they made enough money in transit, they would be able to buy a spot for their mother on that ship next time around.
So far, the news about the second round of ships was only an unconfirmed rumour, but for Luke and Leo, it was a ray of hope in dark times.
As the date for departing came closer, the family went through their belongings, keeping only the essentials that could fit into their 3kg baggage limit as Elena folded old letters into a small box and gave both kids something to read if they ever felt depressed or lonely while on the ship.
There was not much the two could carry with the very limited 3kg limit, but Luke carried some essential tool-kit that may come handy for his job, while Leo decided to pack a sketch-book and crayons amongst other essentials.
In a silent agreement between the brothers, they sold everything within the house that they no longer needed and used it to raise money for Elena.
Whether it was their more handy high power tools or their bedroom furniture or old clothes, they sold it all to raise a total of 30,000 dollars.
The family already had some 40,000 odd dollars saved prior to the arc announcement and with the 250,000 remaining from Elena's surgery alongside the 30,000 dollars the brothers raised by selling everything they owned, they left their mother with a comfortable sum of 320,000 dollars to survive in the near future.
In a show of love and support, they also reinforced their own house by repainting the interior and nailing strategic support beams across the roof so that it could bear a little more weight before it came collapsing down. A gesture that Elena was very thankful for.
Nonetheless, the sweet times did fly by and eventually the date for departing finally arrived.
On their final night together, Elena cooked a simple meal as the family of three sat around their weathered dining table, eating in silence, until Elena raised her glass and gave a toast "To new beginnings," with her voice tinged with both sorrow and hope.
For Luke and Leo, the final good-bye was probably the most difficult thing the two had done in their entire lives, but they braved through the event with a bright smile on their faces only to cry heaps once they were alone.
The next morning, the brothers were on their way, undertaking a dangerous 6 hours trek on foot to leave their apartment and reach the Washington airport where apparently one of the arc ships were docked.
At first, the journey was safe and smooth as they crossed their own suburban, however, once they were within a five mile radius of their destination, nefarious elements could be seen roaming the streets.
Thugs, criminals and all sorts of desperate stragglers gathered around the Washington Airport with the single goal of robbing some rich individual of their ticket to the arc ship and somehow finding a way to escape the dying planet.
If there was one thing that worked in the favour of the brothers, it was their poor and ragged appearance that looked like their skin often saw exposure to the sun.
The more dangerous elements considered them to be stranded individuals finding a way to sneak in just like themselves and did not cause trouble for them, however, Leo could have sworn he saw dead bodies of a couple of rich looking families as he passed some dark alleys, reminding him about the dangers of these streets.
Once they reached the main hangar bay, there was a military fencing and guard post where their identities and invites were verified and only after everything checked out were they permitted entry in the restricted area.
The hangar was a marvel of modern technology, juxtaposed against the decay outside. Screens displayed departure time, and uniformed officials guided people. Yet, the atmosphere was electric, filled with a collective sense of trepidation.
Individuals in expensive suits and coats, families with skins as white as snow and extremely expensive gadgets and accessories at hand seemed to be the norm as the Skyshard brothers were given a reminder of just how lavishly the rich lived their lives once they arrived at the hangar bay versus how they had lived theirs.
As they moved through the queues, finally reaching a desk where their identities were confirmed once more, each brother was handed a small envelope with the stamp of the USA government on top.
"Instructions and keys to your quarters," said the official, emotionless in her approach as she judged them off their poor appearance but Luke and Leo took no offense.
Finally, their baggage was weighed and the two were given an armband that they were not supposed to remove for the rest of their journey.
It wasn't like they could remove it either as the 'Armband ' was more like a wrist monitor that criminals under house arrest would need to wear and seemed to be a permanent accessory, but anyways it did not matter as having the wrist monitor applied meant that the two had cleared all formalities and were now ready to board the legendary arc ship and start a new adventure.