7 Talk Above Gunshots

Asher had warned them finding the proper software would take a while, and instead of poking around the ship more they went back to the Tree Camp.

"I think we should do some more training. I mean, what if someone actually does show up?" Cain asked.

"Good point," Asher said. "It's likely the lake kids will try and poke their heads in our business."

"Maybe some bb guns would scare them off. I heard they think they're too high class!" Adah remarked.

Adah climbed a tree with a green string tied around the base and tossed down two bb shotguns and ammo. Cain caught all of that, except for the ammo, which slammed against his face with a thunk.

"Cain, are you okay?" Adah shouted as she slid down the trunk, plastic gloves preventing her from attaining splinters.

"Yes, I'm good," Cain wheezed, using the bb-pellets like it was an icepack.

"Cause you don't look too good," Adah said, loading up a bb pistol she'd tucked into the backpack she was wearing.

"Thank you for the compliment," Cain sarcastically replied as they walked towards the shooting range.

To the left of camp (from the perspective of entering through the main trail) was the range. Cardboard, wooden, and plastic pieces hung from rope, swaying slightly in the breeze. Occasionally, they'd have to replace parts of it, and during bad weather they typically had to trash all of it. But since all of it was re-used materials - milk jugs, cardboard boxes, and pieces of junk they found by the lake.

All of them took a different "asile" - an area of 5 feet which was theirs to shoot, or rather theirs to shoot if any of them could shoot well.

All of their least favorite parts were loading the bbs in. You had to put them into the type they had one by one, and apply a lot of pressure too. It didn't help that bbs were slippery, and sweat also was. When they were finally finished loading the guns, they all had indents on their fingers.

Cain was the first to fire. Three shots at the top of a milk carton, which then swung around every single time it was hit.

"Cain, have you ever thought about what you want to do after high school?" Adah asked.

"Go into the military and get an engineering degree. You have no idea how much you can get paid for engineering. After that, keep being in the military and do engineering with them," Cain said.

"Wow, you've got the whole system figured out," Asher remarked. "I used to want to do stem cell research, but engineering for NASA is more in my interest now. So, I guess we can maybe be roommates in college."

No one was surprised Asher was aiming for NASA. The world was his oyster - he knew Spanish along with (obviously) English, and was starting to learn Latin and Mandarin. He took an ACT in sixth grade and got college level scores.

"I thought you'd want to be a game developer," Adah teased.

"No, that wouldn't improve anything about the human condition," Asher said in a high-and-mighty tone that made sure everyone knew his ego was higher than someone dumpster diving outside of walmart.

"I'm going to be a vet," Miriam declared, walking up and leaning on a cardboard box Adah was using to steady her bb gun. No one was surprised, the redheaded girl helped Adah out at the animal rehabilitation clinic multiple times, and sometimes it seemed like Adah's mom had adopted another child when they talked about animals.

"No shit, sherlock," Cain chuckled. "What about you, Adah?"

"I'm not sure yet," Adah admitted.

"That's okay. We still have four years," Miriam said.

Adah closed her eyes. "But I feel like we don't. We are expected to take a track and stick to it. I chose law, and I feel like soon I'll be defined by it." She chuckled. "I do not want to be a lawyer."

"Well, you could be a judge or a cop or -" Cain was cut off by Adah.

"All of those are uptight jobs, except for cops who just wave guns around," Adah said.

Cain nodded. "You're right about that one."

"Society tells me if you don't get higher education you end up flipping burgers," Adah said.

"Society is wrong. Flipping burgers should be just as respectable as any other job," Cain hissed.

"Yeah, but by that I mean in poverty. I don't want to end up on the streets. I don't want to do drugs in uni either," Adah replied, slamming her hand against the cardboard box, creating a giant crease in it.

"Have you ever thought about trade school? I think you'd really like welding," PJ called from her perch in the trees. She didn't like the whole idea of uni either - sororities and bro-orities did not appeal to her.

"I've never thought of that," Adah said.

"Apparently you can make big bucks off of it," PJ added.

"See? There are more options, Adah," Cain replied.

"I just feel like one day all of this will be behind us," Adah sighed.

"Alien spaceships don't just disappear, Adah. I have a feeling this will be with us for the rest of our lives," Asher darkly stated.

"What do you mean by that?" Miriam asked.

"Maybe the aliens realize a ship is missing. Maybe someone stumbles upon it. Either way, we aren't going to ever leave this place truly," Asher said.

"Alright, nice prophecy. What are you going to do next, read my fortune?" Adah laughed.

"No, take me seriously. Because skeletons in the closet always have a way of being revived…"