OLIVER: We normally start with your name and age.

AMELIA: My name is Amelia, and I'm 4 Mars years old, 9 in Earth years.

OLIVER: What did your parents do?

AMELIA: My dad worked in Building 15, and my mom worked with your dad in Building 24.

OLIVER: Building 15 was steel production, right?

AMELIA: I think so.

OLIVER: Did you ever see your parents at work?

AMELIA: I went with my mom to her work sometimes.  It was pretty boring to watch, she was just sitting in front of a terminal typing, or sometimes dictating.  I think she was making reports for your dad, to send back to Earth.  I never watched my dad at work, which is too bad because it would probably be more useful now.  But, I never saw any of that.  I did get to see Sophie's parents at work in glass production in Building 11.  That was pretty interesting, but I'm not sure I could really do any of that.  But no, I never got to see my dad at work.

OLIVER: What's your first memories of the other kids?

AMELIA: I don't ever remember not knowing Sophie.  I remember meeting William when we moved to Building 27, and he was in the Common Area and was reading a book.  Sophie and I were there, and I think we were playing with toys, and pretending they were the three little pigs and the wolf, and William looked something up on his tablet about pigs.  Then he started telling us that pigs didn't have opposable thumbs so they couldn't make a house.  Like, that was the first thing he ever said to us, was that pigs didn't have opposable thumbs, so they couldn't be carpenters or bricklayers or whatever.  He's right, by the way, I asked my parents later and they laughed and said that was just in kids' stories.

I do also remember when we first saw Charlotte with her doll, but I remembered it that we introduced ourselves right away, which is different than how Charlotte remembered it.  But anyway, it was all in the Common Area of Building 27, we almost never went to each other's apartments, except for I would go to Sophie's.  But I almost never went to Charlotte or William's apartment.  I guess my parents and Sophie's parents were closer than most of the kids parents.

OLIVER: Is that why...

AMELIA: Why what?

OLIVER: Nothing, sorry, let's do another question.  Is there anything you would like to ask Earth?

AMELIA: My parents left for Earth because they thought I would be safe with Sophie's parents.  They thought they were coming back.  They didn't think they were abandoning me.

OLIVER: Right, right, that makes sense.  They were very close, so they trusted them.  Is there anything you would like to ask Earth?

AMELIA: My parents were good parents, or they tried to be, but my mom had a lot of trouble, and dad had to look after her a lot.  Sometimes he would send me to visit Sophie, when mom was having a bad time and he didn't want me to be there to see it.  I think sometimes she would hear voices saying things, and it was sometimes kind of weird to be around.  So I spent more time with Sophie's parents.  I think maybe that's part of why dad and mom went back to Earth, to see if there was someone on Earth who could help my mom.

If I could ask Earth anything, I would ask them if my mom and dad are ok, and maybe also if there's any way to make new soil that isn't so stinky.  I mean I know we need new soil but it really smells, at first.  Also, it would be good if they could tell us how to make bread.  I think you make it from a plant.

OLIVER: Yeah, it's called, wait I know it, it's called...'wheat'.  It's made from a plant called 'wheat'.

AMELIA: I don't know if we have the seeds, but Liam said there were a bunch more kinds of seeds in storage that we haven't planted yet.  I remember eating bread rolls when the new shipments would arrive from Earth, and they were nice.  Ask Earth how we make those, if we can.

OLIVER: Ok, I'll ask.

AMELIA: So, um, also...well...

OLIVER: What?  Was there something else?

AMELIA: No.

OLIVER: Were you wanting to ask something else?

AMELIA: Well...no.

OLIVER: ...

AMELIA: Are we going to, like, all just die here?  I mean I know everyone dies eventually, but are we all about to die here?  Sometimes it seems like maybe we might fix things and be able to stay alive, but then I think maybe I'm just kidding myself.  Do you think we're maybe going to live?