"Do you want me to stay?" Karyn asked.
"Actually, I think I might want some alone time ... if you don't mind."
"Not at all. But if you change your mind and want some company, you know where to find me."
Jon smiled and nodded, then Karyn left.
He sat down in his chair and sighed. Why did he have to have such a crappy life? Was he just unlucky or was there some way to get out of all this and he just couldn't see it?
He almost wished he was born in a different century. Maybe the 20th or even the 21st? Sure, life wasn't a pleasure cruise back then, but it seemed better than this. If it weren't for the New Ones just showing up, then maybe life wouldn't be so hard, though. Everyone saw it was a momentous day. Hooray, there is alien life out there. Yeah, well, if people would have known that existence would be like this just a few decades later, maybe they wouldn't have been so excited.
Jon sighed again. Sometimes he almost wished the New Ones never came to this planet, despite their need for help.
Not really thinking, Jon reached for the stone and clutched it in his hand. He supposed he just needed to hold something.
