Kyra was unbelievably excited for the first day of her last year in high school. She hadn't seen some of her friends all summer and that was mainly due to summer school and the fact that her space suit wasn't working well. It was truly a bummer because her friends went on a trip to see the Valles Marineris, the largest canyon on the planet. But she would just have to wait until next summer, as she planned on taking a gap year to travel to Earth.

She's heard such amazing things about Earth, and she couldn't wait to experience something other than the dusty barren wasteland that she called her home.

Glancing at the clock, she realized she didn't have much time to be daydreaming about her vacation. She jogged to the kitchen, grabbed a bite of toast and kissed her mother goodbye, and then stuffed herself into her newly fixed spacesuit, covering her carefully planned outfit.

Once she locked the inner door and the outer door, she walked to her rover and slung her backpack in the backseat. It wasn't the most glamorous jeep around, but a rover was a rover.

Once she reached the high school, she took in the familiar sight. The freshmen students were curiously looking around and the seniors like her were sauntering on campus like they owned the place. She filed in to one of the many doors with a group of students so they could seal off the air and then she proceeded to find her assigned locker.

Just as she was finished hanging up her spacesuit in her locker, she nearly jumped when someone came out of nowhere and said, "Hey Kyra!"

Recovering, Kyra laughed. "What's up, Danny?"

"It's been so long, we totally missed you! How are ya?" said the boy with hair almost as fiery as the ground.

She slammed her locker shut and they walked down the hallway together. "I'm good! I'm disappointed I couldn't go on the trip with you. How was it?" she asked, although she'd seen their many photos on social media.

"It was unbelievable! We only had time to explore the west part of Noctis Labyrinthus, and it was incredibly huge. You have to check it out one day."

"I definitely want to. Hey, who's your homeroom teacher?"

"Ms. Sauncer. I can't wait to hear her nag us about bringing our emergency oxygen in that nasally voice of hers," Danny grimaced and rolled his eyes. "You?"

With dread weighing her voice Kyra responded, "I have her too."

He laughed and gave her a high five. "Ey! We can suffer together!"

_____

Shout out to NASA for the research!

June 24th Prompt:

Write about a place you've never been before. It can be another country, another city, a park, anywhere you can think of. Write it based on pictures, research, and how you believe it to be.