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Chapter Two

LACIE

Followinga few others down a long hallway,Ifind the roomI’vebeen assigned.Openingthe door,Idiscover someone else already there. “Hi!Youmust be my new roommate?”

“Hello.I’mBriar…Ijust got here myself.Doyou prefer the top or the bottom bunk?”

“I’mLacie, and it’s great to meet you.Iwould’ve been here sooner, butIvolunteered to help with the other pods; however, they didn’t end up needing me.Wow, your hair is amazing!Weare like the sun and the moon in coloring.”

“Yeah, it looks like you’re right, butI’vealways heard blondes have all the fun.Iwas a little worried when they first told us we were gonna have to bunk with someone else, butIthink we’ll do just fine together.Itwill be nice to have someone closer to my age to talk to, none of that ‘when you get older, you’ll understand’ nonsense!”

Weboth stand in the middle of the room, looking around awkwardly. “Icouldn’t care less about which bed, to be honest.I’mjust happy to have woken up in one piece.Consideringhowwe got here, it makes all these other worries and concerns seem petty.”

“Soweird, isn’t it?It’slike we went to sleep one day and woke up here the next.EventhoughI’mstiff all over,I’mshocked by how wellIfeel.Especiallyif we were in those pods for as long as they said.Ifyou’re sure you don’t care,Iwould prefer the bottom bunk.Ican see my future self falling off that ladder every timeIhave to go pee at night.”

“Goahead,I’lljust throw my bag on the top for now.”

Shebends down to touch a blinking light under the bunk, and a set of drawers slides out. “Ooh, it looks like there are places under the beds for most of our stuff.You’relucky to have found your bag;Icouldn’t get the cabinets open on my pod.Oneof those talking robot things said it would retrieve it and bring it to me later.Itscared the hell out of me when it started talking like a person.Ihave a feeling that’s going to happen a lot, you know, the shock factor.”

“Inall honesty,Briar,IthinkIamin shock.Ifeel likeI’min a sci-fi movie or something.Andthe only reasonIhave my bag is becauseIhad it tucked between my feet.Therewere a few thingsIsimply didn’t want to be separated from.Whenhe dropped me off at the center,Papawinsisted thatInot let it out of my sight.Itpretty much contains allIhold dear, as depressing as that sounds.Iwas able to bring a few bags of clothes with me, but my pod was damaged too.So,I’mnot sure what made it and what didn’t.Wow, this place is a lot nicer thanI’dimagined it would be when they told us they didn’t expect to find all of us and that we’d have to share a room with someone else.Theyseemed so concerned,Ijust assumed it was going to be bad.”

“Ihaven’t had much time to look around, butIthink over there is a mini kitchen, and that door hopefully will lead to a bathroom.LordknowsI’min need of a bath;Ifeel sticky all over.”Briarhad no more said that than we both jumped when a voice suddenly surrounded us.

“Greetings,Mistresses.Letme take a moment to introduce myself.Iam the sentientAI, theDestroyer; the brain of the ship you now reside upon.Iam honored to have you on board.Mygoal at this time is to help you adjust as seamlessly as possible to your new surroundings.First,Ihave placed holo pads under the pillows on your sleeping platforms.Onceyou sign into that device, it is yours.Noone else can access it without your code and thumbprint.Ihave placed a few files on the opening screen to help explain how you were found and the events that have occurred since your launch fromEarth.Iwill warn you ahead of time that not all the images are pleasant or well-received.Ifyou believe these will be upsetting, you can skip the installed video.

Ifyou follow the lights on the floor,Iwill show you how to use the ionizer and waste disposal in the refreshing chamber.Onceyou are comfortable with their controls, we will head toward the replicator in the small sustenance area.Thisdevice is not programmed to provide you with your main sustenance.Thoselarger meals will be served in the dining chamber, but it is perfect for snacks and refreshments in between meals.

Oncewe get everyone settled in,Ihope to return the personal property that was sent along with you.Ina few rotations,Iwill open a screen on your holo pad for questions and any other concerns or needs you might have.CaptainEvOhas been forced to ration garment requests, but we are currently well stocked on everything else.Isuggest you take this downtime to educate yourselves about the new worlds, their habitats, and species thatwe are heading to.Afterall, knowledge is power, and all you need to know to feel comfortable in your new surroundings is available at your fingertips.Pleasedo not hesitate to shout out if you need me.”

Quickly, theDestroyershows us how to operate everything, and even thoughIwill miss a nice hot shower, that weird steam thing doesn’t seem bad.BriarandIwere both unpacking the few things that had been brought in when suddenly,Ifeel fatigued all over.Crawlingup onto the bunk,Ijust lay there looking up at the white ceiling in a daze.Whena buzzer sounds with an announcement for all of us to gather in the dining chamber,Ican’t seem to make myself move.

IknowIshould be reading some of the stuff on this pad, butBriar’sswollen eyes and the snifflesIcould hear while she lay beneath me on her bunk tell me allIreally need to know.Nothingon that device is good news.I’mhonestly shocked when she gets up since she seems so upset.

“Hey, you gonna go eat?”

“Nah, go ahead,Idon’t really feel like peopling.That’snot like me either.Normally,I’mvery outgoing and prefer being with others more than being alone, but my mind is all over the place right now.I’msimply lying here trying to talk myself into looking at the holo pad.IknowIneed to know as much asIcan about what happened and what’s to come, but untilIsee it for myself,Ican deny it.Papawalways told me not to put myself in situationsIdidn’t have a way out of, and boy doIfeel likeI’min one now.”

“That’salmost funny … it seems we’re complete opposites,Lacie.Itend to hate crowds and prefer staying home with a book.Myfriends always teased me thatIwas going to become an oldcat lady whenIgot older, andIprobably would’ve ifIweren’t allergic to the little beasts.Goahead and rest, we’ll have plenty of time to get to know each other and meet everyone else.”

Iturn to my side, watching asBriarwalks out the door.Herlong black hair flows around her hips as she looks both ways before stepping into the hallway.Suddenly, the room seems quieter with her gone.Damn,Idon’t thinkI’veever felt this alone.Istare at the dark screen of the holo pad lying beside me as my mind flips back to the momentIopened my eyes here, only to findQwinstanding over me.Atthe time, it was a relief.Thatis, until the doors opened, andtheywalked in.IthoughtI’dprepared myself, but knowing there are aliens out there and seeing them in all their glory is slightly different.Talkabout an eye-opening experience; this entire day sure has proven how wrong and ignorant we are as a species.

AfterQwinhelped me out of the pod,Ijust stood there in a daze, staring at them, my mind not truly believing what it was seeing.Imean, the one in the middle looked like he had been split right down the middle, with two completely different things living in one huge body.Theone they introduced to us as the captain was so dark purple that he could easily blend into a shadow, and you would never see him.Now, the yellow one looked like someone had outlined him like you would a picture with a crayon, only with scales instead; his hair was amazing.

Onething no one could miss was that they were all very male.Theyellow one was slightly smaller than the others, but there was no overlooking the muscles rippling under the tight shirt he wore.Atthis point,I’mrunning out of colors in my head to label thoseI’vealready seen.Ipassed a bronze guy in the hallway on the way here who was so beautifulIalmost tripped over my own feet.Hewalked past all of us as if we were invisible.Andifthey’re all so brightly colored,Ican understand why we wouldn’t even stand out to them.

SinceBriarleft,I’veread everything on the opening screen except the info markedEarth.Hesitating,Iopen that app.Itgives me two options:Ican skip the intro that starts when we were found, orIcan watch the actual day of our launch.Myheart jumps into my throat no matter how many timesItry to recallPapaw’swords.Thenit’s like he’s suddenly standing right next to me.‘RipthatBand-Aidoff girly, and let the grief run its course.Thenpick yourself up and start your life.Promiseme you will live for me and the others.’Theloss of never seeing him again has left my mind blank.

Idon’t remember touching the pad, but my eyes are glued to the screen when it starts.Aftera while,Isimply lay it down becauseIcan no longer see it through the tears in my eyes.Asthey crammed me into what felt like a coffin,Iknew they were doing their best to prepare me for the real possibility of what we would face upon awakening, butIam … was in complete denial.Myheart knows the truth.EverythingI’veever known, loved, or dreamed of has been erased, reduced to nothing but particles floating in space.Now, only a few of us are left, andIknow some would say that we’re the lucky ones, but at this moment,Idon’t believe that at all.Ifeel misplaced, thrust into a situation my mind can’t grasp.

Whenthe rumors of a planet-destroying storm were announced, our world seemed to collapse in on itself.Allthe preparations, conversations, and disasters happening everywhere made it hard for me to comprehend the final results.Ifelt powerless when my parents left me, powerless whenPapawput me on that bus, my face glued to the window asIleft him standing in the rain, and it feels likeIstill am.

Papawtold me to look at it all like this: ‘Justpretend you’ve gotten a new job and are leaving the area to rebuild your life somewhere else.Inmy day, most of the girlsIgrew up with moved halfway across the country with their husbands; this is no different.Thisis just one of many new adventures you will get to experience, and few are going to be blessed enough to receive.’

“I’mtrying,Papaw.IpromisedIwouldn’t cry, butIcan’t seem to stop these tears.”

Whenthe door suddenly slides open,Iwipe my face on my sleeve.Briarenters carrying a plate.Shecrawls up the ladder, andIscoot over so that she can sit down next to me.Herbright blue eyes are a stark contrast to her pale skin and solid black hair.

“Here,Ithought you might be hungry.Everyonein line was quiet, and there were lots of swollen red eyes and tear-streaked faces.Iknew this was going to be hard, but hell,Ireckon in the back of my mind,Ithought that all the preparation to leave was going to be for nothing.Thewarnings and things would all be proven wrong beforeIever had to get in that pod.”