Vanished

By Angela Myrick

Lucas is sixteen and returning to the origins of his people, Earth. An Alien race threatens to take possession of Earth unless they recolonize it. Now they must return to Earth, will they find a peaceful planet or will whatever killed their human ancestors kill them too.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tulip City Publishing
• Release date: Jan 15, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311916648

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Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Dedication

To my Grandfather, Edward Welicko, you will always be remembered.

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Her Alaskan Wolf Book 1

Vampires in the City Series

Sin City Vampires Book 1

Young Adult

Vanished

Prologue

2345

Mars Colony to Earth One. Check in status report, please respond.

Silence, nothing but silence. This is the seventh day in a row Earth has not responded to any of our check in reports. I know something has happened. If Earth cuts us off we know we will be alone on Mars, a planet uninhabitable without supplies and support from Earth.

This is Rita Adair. Earth One, please respond.

Still nothing? my best friend and wife, Lisa asked, coming inside to check on me.

I think it’s time we consider the possibility either we have been abandoned or something on Earth went terribly wrong.

What does this mean for the Colony? she asked.

We will have to survive on our own. We can do it. I refuse to return to the pollution and crime on Earth. I don’t want that for our children.

I kissed Lisa, trying to comfort her. She caressed my hair. I loved when she did that. I wondered if she did it on purpose, or if it was automatic. I always thought she was much more feminine that I was. I had short brown hair and very plain looking brown eyes that went well with my light coco skin.

I don't want to return either, Lisa responded, laying her head on my shoulder. I could smell her strawberry shampoo and loved her beautiful reddish blonde hair. I knew the first moment I met her I loved her. We volunteered for the Colony, wanting to find a new start where we wouldn’t be seen as one of the last lesbians on earth. We wanted to just be seen as members of a community without the pity, pity that out parents chose to have us the way were and not modified to get rid of the gay. With the new gay gene modifier, children with our preference were almost extinct. It was sad that people were so afraid of differences they would spend millions to detect and destroy it. We were promised a Colony of peace and free from any kind of gene manipulation. It seemed too good to be true but so far it was just as we were promised. A Colony of kind and accepting people.

I need to get back, Lisa whispered. I could hear the fear in her voice. As much as neither one of us would want to return, the thought of being all alone out here was even more terrifying.

Chapter 1

2445

(100 years later)

A static sounded over the communication device then a strange voice started speaking in an accent I just couldn’t place. Earth colony, this is the spacecraft orbiting your planet. We are giving you a notice of salvage rights. Earth has been deserted and we are taking possession unless you decide to reclaim ownership within one Earth year.

I couldn’t breathe. It felt like it was about to beat right out of my chest. It had been one hundred years since we last heard from Earth and now we were hearing from an alien race wanting our planet. I didn’t know how to answer. I pressed the button and took a deep breath. Alien space craft, this is Earth Mars Colony. We do not, I repeat, we do not relinquish ownership of Earth and will take ownership within one Earth year. I thought my heart would stop. I had been given the night shift for the communication room. This was where I tested most efficient, though not exactly my first choice. At first, I hated working here, but after a while the quiet of the night became a comfort to me. I was only an engineering apprentice; I was not qualified to deal with alien

species. Now we had a choice. Give up rights to Earth or move back to a potentially dangerous planet. I knew then what the answer would be. It didn’t matter what the circumstances were. Though we had never seen or lived there, it was ours and we wouldn’t give it up. I disconnected from the alien ship and called the capital building.

This is Shane McCann in the communications room. We have been contacted by an alien species.

***

Earth was a foreign concept to me, as I was born in space in a colony on Mars. I see the Earth, but it required the help of a telescope. It was just a planet, the place we came from, it was not my home. I couldn’t see it clearly, but I knew it was out there, It was no different than any other planet in space—there, but not real to me. We still learned all about earth, but I’d never seen an ocean or a sunset on Earth. Don’t get me wrong, my home here has its own beauty, but this planet wasn’t meant for human life.

The colony was the idea of a group of very rich people on Earth. They wanted an option when the planet would no longer be inhabitable, due to pollution and just plain stupid people not caring about the planet they lived on. They sent fifty families, mostly couples but some children too, to see how they would do long term on Mars. Everything went well for the first couple years and then communications came to a halt.

The Earth became silent and no one knew what was going on. They waited months, until, finally, they sent a probe to the planet. All probes found no human life. Like everyone just vanished, an empty planet. The council and the Elders speculated what might have happened. They told everyone a terrible disease killed everyone, but they never really had any proof. Those in charge decided to stay and do what we all came to do anyway. A new start on a nearby planet and now here we are, one hundred years later and now we must risk our lives and go back to the blue planet that may have killed so many. Many have speculated the earth itself killed the humans to save itself from destruction, a purge of some sort. If that was true, what would it do to us when we returned?

Lucas! Are you packed yet? my mother asked. She was a good mother, raising me alone. She wouldn’t tell me who my father was. From what I figured out on my own, he was married and maybe even had other kids. I could be friends with my own half siblings. Creepy much?

Almost. What do I pack to go to another planet?

Well, that is a good question. Clothes, books, mementoes. Basically anything you want with you. Just remember to keep it to 50lbs.

All housing units were attached like one big dysfunctional family. Tube-like hallways attached unit to unit like a big ant colony. In the center was the garden center where we grew food for the colony. It was also where we held meetings and school classes. It was my favorite part of the colony as you could almost forget the crap hole planet we lived on.

I had all my clothes packed, but trying to decide what else to pack was tricky. My art supplies were a must, but should I pack pictures, my information discs? I just didn’t know.

I was about to call my Mom for help when Mr. Davis came in our unit. I liked Mr. Davis. He always tried to be there for me as a friend. Considering I had no father, I appreciated it.

I never understood why my mother wouldn’t date. Obviously, my father didn’t want us so why