ᶜᴼᴺᵀᴱᴺᵀ ᵂᴬᴿᴺᴵᴺᴳ — ᴿᴱᶜᴼᴹᴹᴱᴺᴰᴱᴰ ¹⁶⁺ ᵀʰⁱˢ ᶠⁱᶜᵗⁱᵒⁿᵃˡ ᵈⁱᵃʳʸ ᶜᵒⁿᵗᵃⁱⁿˢ ᵈᵃʳᵏ ʰᵘᵐᵒʳ, ʰᵒʳʳᵒʳ, ᵇᵒᵈʸ ʰᵒʳʳᵒʳ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵈⁱˢᵗᵘʳᵇⁱⁿᵍ ⁱᵐᵃᵍᵉʳʸ.

07/19/1980

Dear Diary,

It’s been over a week since the explosion, and yet the sky still looks like it’s stuck in a never-ending sunset. There’s this pastel-colored haze covering the blue sky all day long. It’s a little annoying because it makes it kind of hard for me and Jenny to sunbathe during our free time... But honestly, it’s really beautiful to look at.

Jenny and I are still waiting to get tested for radiation. There were around two thousand people at the resort the day of the explosion, counting both staff and guests. But I’m starting to think there’s no point anymore. I mean, if someone’s sick, you can tell. Like my manager. Remember how she had that light blue liquid dripping from her nose last week? Today she looked like she was struggling to talk, like she kept forgetting words. Or even how talking works. She still managed to yell at me, though, because I was chatting with Trevor during my shift.

He seems really worried, you know? He’s still waiting for his test too, but he’s obviously fine, so I don’t think he has anything to worry about. We spent a long time sitting by the pool with our feet in the water before the men in the yellow suits told us we weren't allowed to stay there anymore. You know the pool where Jenny fell in? Yeah, that one. They completely fenced it off. We both just stood there watching them surround the whole area with yellow caution tape. And not just that pool... They've closed almost all of them... This resort is huge. I think there are seven or eight pools in total.

And of course there are people refusing to get tested because they feel fine. Honestly, I kind of get it. There are also people who just don't want to stay here anymore after everything that's happened. It's been over a week now, and they still won't let any of us leave these walls...

Jennyfer, Trevor, and I have started having dinner together on one of the resort rooftops. We sneak food out of the buffet and watch the colorful streaks in the sky. They're even prettier at night. They almost look like the Northern Lights. Even Trevor admitted there's at least something nice about this whole disaster. Those evenings together. Sneaking into the movie area now that it's practically empty.  Jumping into the pool in the middle of the night while everyone else is asleep. The yellow caution tape definitely doesn't stop us...

We finally found out the name of the guy Jenny likes. Trevor told us. His name's Justin. Apparently he's really quiet, and Trevor said they've barely talked since the explosion.

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you something.

The staff who've already been tested got new work uniforms... Well, technically they're the same uniforms, but now they've printed all these safety warnings on them, and on the back there's a contamination percentage. So far everyone's numbers are really low. I've seen people anywhere between 4% and 15%. Jenny, Trevor, and I will probably be around the same. Maybe even lower.

One thing I still don't know is what happened to those guests with the weird pastel blotches on their skin. Apparently the people who were outside during the explosion had some pretty bad reactions within the first seventy-two hours... But Jenny was outside too, and she's perfectly fine. So... I don't know. That's why I still think people are worrying a lot more than they need to.

Anyway, I'm in bed now, like always when I write to you.

Jenny's arguing with Trevor about Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. We watched it last night. It was Jennyfer's first time seeing it. I'd already seen it when it came out in theaters back in May. I went with a guy who threw such a fit when the movie ended that I never called him again. Trevor had already seen it back in his hometown too. Anyway, the conversation is going something like this.

Jennyfer's standing up, I can hear her bare feet pacing across the carpet. Trevor keeps shifting around while sitting on my bed, making the mattress springs squeak. Why can't either of them stay still?

"I'm telling you, the story is incomplete!" Jenny insists.

Trevor doesn't seem willing to accept her point of view.

"That's the whole point! It's supposed to leave you wanting to see the sequel!"

"But I wanted to watch a movie! Not half of one!"

I'm on Trevor's side, but I've already given up trying to convince her. I'll let you know if she changes her mind.

That's all for today.

XOXOXO

Taffy