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Stillness.

The room is turned sideways, and we hang from our seats precariously. But we’re alive. Alive.

Through it all, Marek never let go of my hand.

Captain Millard comes back on comm, her voice tired, but bright. “Welcome to Mars.”

18

MAREK

“I think the most important thing is to create a self-sustaining city on Mars. That’s, I think, the critical thing for maximizing the life of humanity; how long will our civilization last.”

–Elon Musk

* * *

Welcome to Mars.

We made it.

My grip on Azalea’s hand never wavered, but now that we are here, I must release her so that I can get us out of this contraption and onto solid ground.

I hold my harness down for three seconds until the lock releases, then swing down to stand on the floor—or in this case, the wall to my bathroom. I am now face-to-face with Azalea, even though her head is sideways, her hair dangling down as if frozen in a wind-blown still photo. I should release her from the harness immediately, but... I must kiss her first.

She smiles against my mouth, her breath soft on my skin as she whispers, “You did it.”

“We did it,” I say. “It took many of us. All of us, really.”

She nods, then closes her eyes. A tear leaks out, and I reach over to brush it off her cheek with my thumb, then I release her harness and pull her into my arms before lowering her feet so she can stand. “Are you injured?” I do not think this is what ails her, but her safety is my most pressing concern.

She shakes her head. “I’m fine. Just…”

Her voice tapers off and I nod in understanding. “It is a lot to absorb.”

She laughs suddenly, more tears streaming down her cheeks. “That’s the understatement of the year. So what now? We just gonna… let everyone hang around for a while?” She gestures to the harnessed seats we just climbed down from, and I chuckle at her pun.

“The longer they ‘hang around’, the more time we have together,” I say, only partially in jest.

She rolls her eyes, but her cheeks pinken and the corner of her lips curve into a brief smile.

I want to always be the one making her smile, I realize. The truth of that hits me in the chest, knocking the air out of me.

Her kindness and passion for life shines through her eyes like a lighthouse in a storm, and I want to bask in that glow forever. I have never felt at home anywhere, but with her, I realize she is my home.

Captain Millard’s voice crackles through the PA. “Everyone hold on tight for a minute, I’m going to get this thing right.”

It is not entirely clear what she means, but I immediately do as instructed and grab hold of Azalea’s harness, pulling our faces close as I secure myself.

The ship starts to tremble as the engines fire. There is nothing more than shaking for a few seconds, then the entire shuttle lurches forward before crashing back to the ground, now right-side up. The inertia pulls my feet off the ground, but I keep a firm grip on the harness with my hands, my eyes never straying from Azalea’s, until the ship settles.

“As you were,” the captain says casually.

Azalea exhales, then laughs, though it is breathy and short-lived. “I suppose, all things considered, that wasn’t so bad for my first landing on Mars.”

She is always the silver lining, and I adore that about her. I nod, dropping one more quick kiss to her ever-tantalizing mouth before helping her out of her seat.

Now we must really get to work.