This is my first ever story, constructive criticism is appreciated. I hope you enjoy.
Mankind had outgrown its cradle and spread out to the other celestial bodies in the solar system, colonising and shaping the once desolate and quiet rocks into the next step of technology, each planet is a marvel of engineering and science. From the massive climate domes on the surface of Mercury, to the terra-forming spires of Venus and Mars. Everything was a breakthrough, and humans went through another golden age of technology. But as the years went by and population grew the excitement of colonising planets died, and it became a way of life. It was no longer something special to wake up and open your curtains to see the red deserts on the horizon or gargantuan space ships fly above the city, even less so to people born on those planets.
The buzz might be gone, but it is undeniable that it was an achievement beyond compare, and as many agree, the Martian capital of Mons is the center of the solar system. A gleaming jewel, known for it's sprawling metropolis of shining, sleek towers. Mons was the first ever colony on Mars, and the first city that wasn't on Earth, its entire existence is a statement and trophy to mankind's resourcefulness.
But the year now is 3409, and Mons is thriving as the biggest hub for trade in the system, and millions of people from all over have travelled to see the outcome of an election that had been going on for months. Theodore Lamirrion and Calio Harp. Their campaigns going neck and neck to see who would become the next Head of System, as the previous leader died of old age. Theodore had been a high up member of the council that overlooked many aspects of the system, so he was quite a well known and influential person. And Calio, although not as wealthy or powerful had definitely caught on well with his charisma and leadership.
In preparation for the reveal of the winner, the city had set up many decorations and parades all over the city, music and cheering rose up through the streets and up past the tall towers where many native Martians lived. And one person didn't seem to take too kindly to being disturbed by the loud parade.
It was early in the morning, and the sun was just rising over the horizon. Creating magnificent orange hues in the clouds as the orange gradually turned into the red daytime sky. The sunlight crept its way over the city and onto the tall towers of the city center, casting shadows down on the less built up areas. Inside one of the shining towers on the thirty first floor, a small crack in the blinds let the warm light gently creep in. Slowly stretching across the blue carpet and onto the side of a rather messy looking bed, with the covers all bundled up and a few pieces of clothing just scattered across it. A small figure was curled up amongst the bed sheets, and the light eventually reached its face. It wasn't long before they grumbled and sat up, moving their legs off the side of the bed and resting their feet on the floor.
"...Morning" they said to themselves, standing up and walking over to the blinds. Making sure not to step on any clothes, gadgets or toys.
Reaching for the small handle that dangled down by a small string, the person twisted it a few times an lifted up the blinds, letting the sunlight flood into the room an illuminate everything. The small person covered their eyes for a few moments before lowering his hands and peering out of the now unobstructed window.
Now that light had filled the room, it was much easier to see the person.
He was a small, black haired boy. His hair was messy and unkempt, with strands of it coming off in nearly every place, but at the same time it still had a semblance of style to it. He was only in his boxer briefs, and didn't seem to have a lot of muscle on him, and was quite skinny. Overall he was quite an average looking young boy, the only thing that would make him stand out was his abnormally blue eyes.
Sighing, the boy turned and quickly threw on some clothes. A pair of baggy joggers, an an oversized shirt. He walked over to the door to his bedroom and grabbed its handle, gently turning it to not wake anyone who might still be asleep. The metal squeaked slightly as it turned, but the door swung on its hinge quietly. The boy stepped out into the dimly lit hallway, its floor was a wooden looking vinyl and the walls painted with a cream coloured paint. He didn't get three steps forward before he was stopped.
"Rez, what are you doing up so early?" It was the voice of his older sister Riza.
Turning to face her, Rez looked at her figure that stood in the doorway of her room, which was directly across from the door to his own room.
She was leaning against the white door frame, and behind her was almost pitch black as she hadn't opened any windows yet. She sighed and stepped forward out into the hall, at least three heads taller than her younger sibling "Well?".
Riza was a pale skinned woman with long, messy white hair that went down her back, with two locks of hair that went over each shoulder and down across her chest. Her skin seemed perfect, and her eyes were a deep shade of red that glimmered in what little light there was in the hall. Her frame was slender and curvy, with a flat stomach and wide hips. Her chest was above average for women her age, and she was wearing a grey pair of baggy joggers, and a black tank top.
Rez seemed confused for a few moments before looking up to his older sister "What are you doing up so early?" he shot back at her teasingly. Mostly teasingly anyway.
Sighing, Riza looked back over her shoulder and into her room "The noise from the parade woke me up. They're all really excited about the election" she spoke quietly to not wake their parents "Just wish they wouldn't start so early, people all over the city are still asleep I bet"
"Go ask them to quiet it down then" Replied Rez, who had already began to walk down the hall towards the kitchen and living room. One he reached the end of the hall, the room opened up completely. A lavish living room on the left, and a fancy looking kitchen on the right. It was an open planned apartment, and it was divided by the kitchens counter. The living room had a fuzzy blue carpet with a wide and long couch that was pressed against the kitchen counter, and it faced a very large flatscreen that was attached to the wall on the opposite end of the room. The wall next to the couch and along to the TV was completely made of glass. Of course it was pretty strong glass, but the view it gave was almost perfect, as it overlooked the huge freshwater river that went through the city.
Because Mons was such a big city, supplying everything with power and water became an issue, so big facilities were built inside Olympus Mons itself, which directed the water flow into the vast concrete rivers and brought the water right to where it needed to be. Water powered generators were also placed along the river to keep up with power demands.
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
As Rez walked into the living room he reached down and picked up the remote which seemed to have fallen off the couch at some point. He sat down and leaned back, taking aim with the remote and turning on the television, which was immediately on the news channel. There was a male reporter on screen, a microphone attached to the collar of his shirt, and a massive parade going on in the back, with banners for both Theodore and Calio.
"As you can clearly see the streets are completely packed full of these very enthusiastic supporters. Theodore supporters and Calio supporters sharing the streets and all of them are excited. I can't feel any tension or malice in the air and I honestly think that this is such a hopeful and inspiring moment, that despite these people having two different political views, they can still create this parade and celebrate. But that's all the time we have right now, we'll be back in a few hours when the two candidates come down from orbit. In the meantime, the weather, last nights sports result, and a professional athlete will be in the studio answering your Comet-Page messages and giving tips on how to stay fit. We'll see you soon!" the man said, waving to the camera as the picture cut to a woman standing in front of a large screen for weather.
Rez sighed and rolled his eyes, he had been getting tired of hearing nothing but politics for the last month, he gently tossed the remote onto the couch beside him "God I'm so fed up with hearing about this election. I just want the news to go back to showing us cool stuff and the occasional "Young kids are out of control" thing that I get annoyed at..".
Riza seemed a bit confused at that last part as she walked over and sat beside him, before gently ruffling up his hair "Well it's the last day of the election so, it should go back to that pretty soon".
"I hope so... Hey... Remember when the headline 'Venus man wakes up on Earth' came up?" he laughed slightly, making Riza smile and chuckle as she nodded.
"How could I forget? Apparently it took him a week to get his way back, and when he did he ended up in the wrong city" she snickered "Not sure how someone could be that clueless"
Rez nodded and smiled, he leaned his head against his older sister's shoulder and sighed, before looking up to her "No school today, cause of the election, right?"
"Mhmm" she hummed, placing her finger on her cheek "Pretty sure, yeah... It'd be a nightmare for anyone taking their kids in a car if it was open today"
"I guess it would be"
But before anything else could be said, a new voice entered the room.
"Oh? What are you two doing up so early?" a rather young sounding, but at the same time mature and aged voice asked. The two siblings turned to see who was speaking, and a gray haired man was standing there leaning against the kitchen counter. His hair was quite messy as he just got out of bed, and his face had a few wrinkles and lines across it despite the rest of him looking so young. His eyes were gentle and warm, with a dark brown colour. His body was quite built, with just enough muscle to make his shirt look tight around his arms, but his legs were quite open as he was wearing a loose pair of shorts.
Riza held her hand up to her heart and sighed "You scared me there... Well, I woke up a while ago, but I heard Rez come out of his room so, had to make sure he didn't do anything" "I'm not that bad"
The man smiled and shook his head gently "Well, your mother is still asleep. No clue how she can with the amount of noise coming from the streets" he said, as he sat on a stool that was out of view of the kids "But I was thinking since you two aren't in school today, we would all go out and enjoy the day. Might be a bit busy, sure. But there'll be lots of stuff to do" he proposed, drumming his broad fingers across the counter, however his middle finger on his right hand was missing its tip due to a work accident.
Rez went into thought for a few moments, then he looked up to his father "Can we go to Titano-Chow's" A popular fast food place that was well known for its chicken.
"Hmm, perhaps, perhaps... Only if you behave, and if you clean your room before Flower wakes up" said their father, running his hand through his gray hair. Before he could say anything else, Rez was quietly and quickly making his way back to his room.
Riza smiled slightly before looking over to her dad, leaning against the arm of the couch "So don't you need to go to work?"
He shook his head "Nah, the roads are blocked, buses and trains are packed. No way I'd get there in time... Plus I got a message yesterday saying that work was off for today" he said with a grin. To which Riza gave an understanding nod and went back to watching the news.
Time flew past and before anyone had really woken up, it was twelve'o'clock. All four members of the family were up and sitting at the kitchen island, eating fried eggs, Martian sausages and bacon. Flower was their mother, and she was a beautiful blonde woman with long, slightly frizzy hair. Her face was slim and smooth, bar a few faint wrinkles under her ocean blue eyes and beside her nose. She had a slim figure, wide hips and a mature body, she was nothing short of stunning.
She looked over to the gray haired man and sipped her tea that she had beside her steamy plate of food and pecked his cheek "So have you talked to the kids about what we could do today, Cloude?" she asked, her voice motherly and gentle.
Cloude nodded as he put a full sausage in his mouth, only for him to flinch and clench his fists "Awrgh, mhgnm, hot, hot!" he spluttered out, coughing at the heat. He took a few minutes to chew and swallow, before taking a big drink of orange juice and exhaling "..Yeah, I talked to them about it. They're both happy to go out"
"Great! Eat up kids, then go get dressed. We'll have to make the most of our time since the streets are completely full of people"
Rez and Riza nodded and quickened their pace, eating their breakfast hastily. Rez even got the hiccups because he went too fast. But soon enough they finished and went to their rooms to get dressed.
Outside the window, the vast metropolis of Mons continued on past the horizon as the sun kept rising in the Martian sky and cast its warm glow down on the planet. As festivities continued, balloons rose into the air and music flowed in the wind. Soon the family of four would be down in the streets amongst the celebrations, and they would run into a person that would affect them for the rest of their lives.