Chapter 1
A lot think of Pluto as a useless dwarf planet. I think of it as home. My name is Mylli (Millie). The year is 2030, and I am one of the few thousand survivors of the apocalypse. What apocalypse, you ask? The apocalypse of 2019 pandemic. People lost their minds and raided every store, every house, heck, everything that had civilization. We had to leave Earth after most people went mad like that. Now, every planet in the Solar System is populated, except Earth of course, but most live here, Pluto.
I was born in 2018, and unfortunately, my parents were left behind. They went insane, as well as my sister. My new parents knew I was in trouble, and took me in as their own. At just 12 years old, it's hard living off of limited air and food. I have a growing body! My parents share most of their resources with me.
One day, I was going out early to buy more air for my family and I. When I got to the shop, I saw a small child with teary eyes against a corner. I knew my parents couldn't handle another kid, especially since this one is small, young, and more vulnerable. I thought about asking the child if he needed help, staring at him. He didn't look at me, yet I could tell he knew someone was there. I finally knew what to do. It was the right thing.. right? "Hey, are you okay? Are you lost?"
The kid burst out in tears and ran over to me, crying. "Mhm, I- I'm lost!"
"Don't worry! I'll help you!" I answered, rethinking my choice. We started to walk around the shop, looking for the little boy's mom or dad. We circled the shop for a while. Then I noticed we haven't been talking. I thought about some questions I could maybe ask Zyn. How old is this kid? Where did he come from? Was he in the apocalypse as well? What's his name? Should I ask him anything? "Hey," I finally said. "I never got your name. I'm Mylli."
"I- I'm Zyn." he answered, still sniffling. "I don't see my mom. I don't think she's h- here anymore. W- We can leave."
But I can't take care of you! If we leave, where would I take you?! I thought. We stopped walking for a couple of minutes and I asked Zyn all my other questions. He told me he was born here, on Pluto, so luckily, he didn't have to experience the apocalypse. He also told me he was born in 2023, so he's seven years old. After I knew more about him, that he had nowhere to go, no one to trust, or even money to buy more food or air, I knew that he could die. Alone. So, I made the right choice.
