Chapter Text
Finally! Alternian break has began and you don’t have to deal with the idiocy of the people in that god forsaken hell education building in the blistering heat for a bit.
Break is always like a breath of fresh air at the start—but after approximately three weeks of sitting on your ass doing jack, it gets a little repetitive. Especially because despite being away from the bumbling bulge brains in your school, you have to talk with just about eleven of them who are disappointingly your friends.
They are all doing some shitty exchange program thing to assimilate trolls to “heuman” culture for when the condesce inevitably takes over that planet to make it miserable the same way she did to yours. That likely won’t happen in your generation, but they want a student of at least each caste going off into the distant lands of “earf”.
It just so happens that your friend group has one of each, as well as you with your putrid mutant blood. But that doesn’t count as a caste.
Feferi’s guardian just so happens to be the aforementioned condesce, so of COURSE she had to suggest your whole little squad.
You aren’t going. No way in any layer of hell are you doing this bullfuckery! You would be risking your life and everything you have worked your ass off trying to hide by being surrounded by the government who is trying to kill off the people like you. Only an idiot would agree to something like-
KANKRI: Karkat! Pack y9ur 6ags.
KARKAT: WHAT?
KANKRI: Father says y9u are g9ing 9n a trip t9 earth.
KARKAT: WHAT.
—
So. There you were, standing right next to those who would easily cull you without a second thought, about to be launched off of the planet with eleven other kids onto some blue and green planet with a bunch of pale mammalians.
This is it. This is officially the end of Karkat Vantas. You are without a doubt, dying today.
Everyone is talking amongst themselves but you just cannot bring yourself to be social with the impending sense of doom you feel throughout your whole body. You feel sick, as if you are going to vomit. The room is spinning and you are hyperventilating. Before you pass out, someone puts their hand on your shoulder and it snaps you back into reality, allowing you to escape from your thoughts for a minute or two.
SOLLUX: hey kk. you dont look two good.
KARKAT: NO FUCKING SHIT, SOLLUX. I DIDN’T ASK TO BE HERE RIGHT NOW.
SOLLUX: well excu2e me for briingiing all my wiillpower twogether two attempt at giiviing a 2hiit. ii gue22 iill go 2crew off now—
KARKAT: NO— WAIT!
You grab his arm before he can walk off. Why do you always have to be such a fuck up?
KARKAT: NO. I'M JUST ALL…
You try to gather your words and give a reason why you are stressed, but you can't just let your friends know that you're a disgusting mutant. What would they think? They'd probably never speak to you again. Or they would tell the drones right now and you would be killed on the spot. Maybe they'd kill you themselves. Maybe they’d kill themselves. Whatever they may do, you can't just fucking tell them right now!
Luckily, you hear the ding on the loudspeakers that imply that you will be getting in your seats, and being shot off of your planet like a dart at the speed of light. Whoopie!
That was the human sarcasm that Feferi was telling you about. She seems the most enthusiastic about all this, because she's been blabbering your hear ducts off about it for months. Good for her.
LOUDSPEAKER: Every6ne get 1n y6ur seats. L1ft 6ff will beg1n shortly.
SOLLUX: whatever. tell me when we land on earth ii gue22. 2ee you later.
KARKAT: YEAH. OKAY.
Sollux walks off. You see him get into his pod, and everyone else does the same. You take that as your cue to get in yours.
You listen to the speakers and do what it says to the best of your abilities. Though, it's a tad bit hard to focus when you're thinking about the possibility of them opening the door and killing you right here, right now, in front of all your friends.
You manage to do everything correct without any interruptions. As you sit there and wait for Tavros to get some help because he is having trouble, your palms get tinted red with sweat. You pray to troll Will Smith that everything is going to be fine. The longer you sit in silence, the more the atmosphere thickens. Only the faint metal clinking of wheelchair accommodations is heard distantly.
Finally, you hear something. The familiar ding of the loudspeakers.
LOUDSPEAKER: Lift 6ff w1ll be happening within the next few sec6nds. Brace yourselves. The countdown w1ll begin now.
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9
This is it. If this countdown continues on and you get launched, you would have made it.
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Is this really happening? Are you surviving?
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Don’t get too cocky! Endless possibilities can happen in two seconds!
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1
And with that, everyone is sent out to earth. Alternia is a place of the past, now. At least for a little less than half a sweep. The main point of danger is over. You decide to sleep until you approach the planet. Last night you sat awake in your recuperacoon thinking about the horrors of a few minutes ago. You turn your head to the side, resting on the seat, and drift off.