Chapter Four (Jake and Kimiko)

[Akirapryde]

"I hardly traveled before I left home with my aunt," Kimiko said as she looked out through the window. She continued to tidy up her Hijab while she continued to speak, "the only other time I traveled from New Earth was when my father took all of us to Mecca on Terra for Ramadan."

She turned around and leaned up against the glass window. "I remember the stories my father told of when he was a kid. How his father used to take him and his brothers to Mecca. They would travel from their home in Tunisia through the dessert to Mecca. He spoke of how much that trip meant to him as a kid. I am had my brothers been there, I am sure they would have loved it. But somehow I felt like it wasn't for me.

"My father and I spoke on the last night. Everyone had gone to sleep. He and I set by the camp fire just talking. He told me how special I was to him. By this time I already realized that my father was sad that I didn't share his love for military things. Still it did make me feel good that he said I was still special to him."

She took in a deep breath and added, my brothers traveled a lot more than I did. She smiled, "I have seen only three worlds. Terra, Luthian and my home of New Earth."

She turned back to the window and the large world that appeared beyond the window, "I love seeing other worlds. But New Earth will always be my home. And I have been gone too long as it is."