[ WP ] You were born on a colonizing spacecraft on your way to a distant star . You are the middle generation of history ; born to late to have seen Earth , and to early to live to see your destination .

The commons area was bustling with excitement at the start of lunch. Everyone was excited to have a break from their daily tasks. Looking around, I found some of my friends happily chatting with the older adults on board. We often ate with them to hear stories about earth. Before it was destroyed. My friends and I never lived on the planet, but it sure sounded beautiful. Better than the thick, gray walls of this ship. 
 
 Most Older Ones avoid talking about The Attack. Not the human race's finest hour. They found out the hard way there was other life in this universe, and countless others. Everyone lost a loved one. Everyone. Mostly, we hear stories about different places, cultures, events. All happier times. Happier times I've never had, but will always long for. I think I'm most disappointed I'll never experience a blue sky or my bare feet in green grass. 
 
 We have a hologram room where they take salvaged pictures and display them so it looks like we're there, but it's not the same. They all say everything looks better in person. The worst part is, we're not even the generation that'll help colonize the new world. That'll be a job for my kids and grandkids. My purpose seems so unsure. 
 
 I'm not even sure I want to join my friends. All to just listen to heart breaking stories? We're going to be a lost generation, we'll just live in this limbo of a ship and rot without any real experiences. Sighing I sit at the end of the table, my friends say hi and I'm greeted by Maurice, who stops his story to tell me: 
 
 `` Hey, Benny! I'm just telling them about the time I went to visit one of the pyramids in Egypt. You remember those?'' 
 
 `` Yes,'' I reply, hiding my dissatisfaction with just stories. We're all required to learn about Earth so we can teach it to our kids and so the memory will always be there. 
 
 Why learn when you'll never be able to experience it? Renee looks over at me with a sympathetic smile. She can tell how I feel. I love her, and wish I could have been there to show her the world we had, or even the one we will have. I only half heartedly listen to Maurice's story. By now, I feel they can all feel something is off. 
 
 Liza, another of the older ones leans over and says, `` Ben, if something is wrong, please tell us... we're all in this together.'' 
 
 `` I'm sorry,'' I say and abruptly stand, then quicky walk away, tears pricking at my eyes. Sometimes it's just too hard to bear. A soft hand grabs mine. Renee. I know it's her. Turning, to face her, my tears are slowly running down my cheeks. Her eyes look just as broken as my heart. 
 
 `` I know it's hard,'' she whispers, wrapping me in a warm hug, `` but we're facing this together. And we'll be okay. Because we need to be here. So we can make sure our race will have a bright future.'' 
 
 Crying, all I can do is hug her tightly. We're in this together.
