Page 51 of Bound by Stars

Weslie

Six days to Mars

Our expressions must be mirrored because Reve’s staring at me like he’s seeing a ghost.

I can’t move. I can’t breathe. I can’t believe it. Reve. Here. Right in front of me. My heart restarts, and I throw my arms around him.

“Wes, you…you’re still on the ship.” Voice shaky, he pats my shoulder and then presses his face to my hair, breathing me in.

“You’re alive.” I pull back to see him. His perfect brown face is flushed and glistening with sweat even though it’s growing colder by the second. His chest heaves with heavy breaths. His heart pounds under my palm.

Running his thumbs over my cheeks, he wipes away the tears streaking my face. One side of his mouth curves up. He lets out a breathy laugh and whispers, “I didn’t even know you could cry, Wesi.”

His easy tone breaks me. I fall against his chest, and a soft sob tears through my throat.

I didn’t think I would ever see him again.

Touch him again. Hear his voice, his laugh.

My body melts, letting in everything I’ve been holding back.

I’m so tired of fighting. Of running. Of surviving.

So far from home. I feel the distance inside of me like a black hole threatening to suck me in and rip me apart.

And I’m so utterly terrified I’ll never make it back again.

“I’m sorry, Wes, but we’re running out of time.” Asha touches my shoulder.

I let my arms fall away, remembering they’re all still here, watching.

Jupiter smiles, but it doesn’t touch his eyes.

Skye steps out of the group and squeezes my hand. Her focus shifts to Reve. “Do you know the way to the bridge escape pods?”

Reve’s chest heaves. He frowns, fixing his eyes on someone behind me. He nods. “Follow me. We have to hurry.”

I track him as he sprints away, but my feet won’t move.

“You okay?” Jupiter strokes the back of my hand.

“I thought he was dead,” I say like it’s an apology.

He squeezes my fingers. “I know.”

“Let’s move, you two!” Skye yells as the others round a corner ahead of her.

The dark hallway to the bridge is lined with wide, circular windows. Outside, the space between the ship and Mars is dotted with escape pods all headed for the Mars International Space Station. Jupiter and I catch up, following the pack with Reve in the lead.

As we pass a row of viewing benches in front of the windows, I stop. An old woman with a fur wrap draped around her shoulders faces the view of the red planet, oblivious to the eight of us rushing past behind her.

I circle the bench. “Aquilla?”

Jupiter hurries back, gently tugging on the woman’s arm to help her stand. “Quilly, the ship isn’t going to make it. We have to go.”

She doesn’t stand, shooing him off with her wrinkly hands. “You better keep moving.”

“Please come with us.” Jupiter stops next to her.

“My dear boy, there’s no use wasting pod space on a woman my age.”

ILSA rolls up behind her. “My scan indicates that you are in adequate health for a human at the age of—”

“I’ll stop you there. A bit rude to reveal my secrets when I’m about to give up the ghost.” She turns to me. “I never did care for the unadulterated frankness of artificial intelligence.”

“You can’t just sit here and die.” Tears well up in Jupiter’s eyes.

Aquilla pats his knee, smiling sweetly. “I’ve had a whole life. Now, get out of here and find your own adventures.”

The ship shudders. Her bony fingers wrap around mine, squeezing before she releases me with a nod.

“We have to go, Jupe.” I pull him off the bench.

He stares back at her, his voice breaking. “Bye, Quilly.”

She smiles at him and winks.

Our friends are stopped ahead at the edge of a turn in the hall. Skye looks back, putting her hands up, signaling us to stop, and pressing a finger to her lips. Reve leans around the edge. Asha and Tar close behind him.

“How could we have lost track of them? There are only so many places they could be. It’s a ship!” a woman’s voice carries from the end of the hall.

“Mom,” Asha whispers.

“They could be on one of the escape pods. Most have left already,” Captain Nazari says.

“And you checked the entire ship? I’m not leaving without them.”

“We’re already over capacity. If we’re mobbed by passengers, we won’t make it off. They’re smart kids, Cyra.” There’s a quiver in Nazari’s calm voice.

Another voice chimes in. “Sir, the ship’s mechanical systems are malfunctioning, and the starboard wing just blew. We’re out of time.”

My lungs tighten. Starboard wing. Of a level or the entire ship? No. We wouldn’t be alive if it were the entire right side of the ship.

I pull Asha and Tar back and whisper, “Maybe you should go.”

Tar shakes his head, his gaze flicking to Curran. “We can’t leave you all here.”

“Less of us means we need to find less pod space.” Jupiter nods.

“You’ll give us a better chance,” Skye adds.

ILSA matches our hushed volume. “Calculating probability of survival—”

“Not now, ILSA.” Every one of us knows the odds are against us. It’s laced into our voices. Lining our expressions. But we can’t give up. Not yet.

Asha takes my hand. “You could all come with us.”

I shake my head. She’s forgetting that the rest of us were supposed to die in the corridor. That, to her father, I’m a criminal. “You heard them. They’re already at capacity.”

She plants her feet and crosses her arms. “I’m not going to leave you stranded. You’re my best friend, Weslie. That’s not how best friends work.”

“You won’t leave me stranded.” I take both her hands in mine. “When we all make it to Mars, you’re going to give me a tour of the whole city and force me into more ridiculous dresses and catch me up on all the gossip and tell me when I’m being a stubborn idiot. Now, please, go.”

“But we could—”

“Dad!” I call out in my best Asha impression.

“Who’s there?” more than one voice demands.

Meeting Asha’s terrified stare, I grab her in a hug. “Better move or you’ll give us all away.”

Curran shoves Tar out in the open.

Asha releases me. She reaches out to squeeze Skye’s hand before reluctantly following. Tears trail down her face as she glances back one last time.

“Thank the universe,” Cyra cries. “Get in!”

“Where’s your friend? The Earther girl.” Nazari sounds more concerned than angry, like he’s looking for another child rather than a prisoner.

“Haven’t seen her since class,” Tar says.

“All right.” He releases a heavy breath. “Everyone in. We have to go.”

With a gentle groan and the suction sound of the pod door sealing, the ship goes quiet aside from the far-off chorus of creaking and rumbling.

Next to me, Curran sniffles and shifts in place, his jacket sleeve grazing my arm.

A creeping chill crawls over my skin and twists my stomach. I step away, rubbing the spot like I can brush off the sickness and rage that floods my system.

He meets my glare, averting his eyes and scanning the rest of our stranded group. “What now?”

“We keep looking for a way off the ship. Like we told them.” Skye offers me a forced smile like she’s telling me I did the right thing and hugs her rib cage. Her breath hangs in the air.

The ship is getting colder. Too cold. Most of the heating systems must have shut down. The longer we stand still, the more unbearable it feels. Like ice seeping into my skin. Skye’s right. Our only choice is to keep moving.

We all turn to Reve, standing a few feet away. Separate from the group.

His stare is locked on Curran. The rage in his eyes mirrors mine, almost as though he knows what happened in the bridge. Like he knows he tried to kill me.

Reve shakes it off, raking a hand through his hair. “There are some spares off the portside maintenance bay. If it’s still there. And if they’re operational and no one has taken them. This way.”

The service level is freezing and empty. No more porters hurrying through the halls. The flashing red emergency lights are the only thing to break up the darkness. Without the alarm, the level feels dead. I can hardly feel my feet and fight the shivering building inside me.

At the head of the group, Reve clicks on a flashlight. A white puff of his breath swirls in the glow.

I reach back for Jupiter’s hand in the dark. His fingers are as icy as mine.

Reve waves us into the maintenance bay, sprinting into the dark.

He outruns the lights as they switch on in sections down the long gray room until they catch him at the end, illuminated in front of three escape pod docks.

He ducks into the first pod, switching on the controls and life support system as we all catch up, but it comes on only long enough to flicker the lights twice and die with a low moan.

The second has already departed, so I hurry to the third, powering it up. The machine hums to life.

I grip the door, backing halfway out and taking in the tiny two-seat interior. There can’t be enough air in here for one person, let alone five. The thought slips between my lips. “It’s too small.”

“Is it safe?” Curran peers inside.

“Safer than this ship.” Skye passes him, touching my arm as she squeezes by me. “It’ll be tight, but we can make it work.”

Pressing my back against the doorway, I ball my trembling hands into fists. Skye’s right. We’re out of options.

ILSA rolls past me, connecting to the pod’s controls. “This vessel is fully operational.”

Skye sits in one of the two seats and scoots to the side to make room for sharing. She smiles at me and pats the spot next to her. “That’s enough assurance for me. Everyone in.”

I force out my breath and roll my shoulders. We have a way out. We’re going to make it. I lean out the door, waving to Reve and Jupiter. “Let’s go, boys.”

Reve marches to a storage wall, throwing open drawers. Metal bits clank with each pull until he finds what he’s searching for, slamming the last one closed. He approaches Curran from behind, grabbing his hands, pinning them behind his back, and fastening a zip tie around his wrists.

“What the hell are you doing?” Jupiter grabs Reve’s arm, but he shoves him to the floor.

“He stays.” Reve pushes Curran away from the pod.

Jupiter scrambles to his feet.

I step between them, putting my hand up for him to stop.

Reve meets my eyes. He knows Curran wanted me dead. I don’t know how, but he knows. “ILSA, break the ties. We’re not leaving anyone to die.”

Glaring at Reve, Jupiter helps Curran into the pod.

Reve turns to me. “But he—”

I shake my head, and his mouth snaps shut. “Let’s go. All of us.”

He makes a sound in his throat. “These are spares, Wes. Only built for two passengers.”

“We’ll make it work.”

Reve frowns. “Not with ILSA. We won’t fit.”

All of us plus ILSA make six.

“ILSA, exit the pod,” I command, my voice cracking.

She obeys. “His calculation is correct. My added weight could make the vessel too unstable for docking.”

My eyes sting, and I squeeze them shut. I can rebuild ILSA. I can’t rebuild Reve. But leaving her behind still feels like sending a friend to their death.

“You still have a better chance without me and…I owe you that.” He brushes my hair away from my face, forcing a smile, and then takes a step back. “I’m so sorry, Wes.”

“What…you don’t owe me…” I follow his movement, shaking my head. There’s no time for this. “Get in the pod, Reve!”

“Get out of here before it’s too late.” His voice is calm, his eyes soft. With one last lopsided smile, he turns and runs.

I launch for him, but Jupiter catches me, squeezing both arms around me tight as I fight against him.

“Damn it, Reve,” I shout after him.

The ship rattles around us.

“We have to go.” Jupiter pulls me back toward the pod.

“Wait,” I plead.

He releases me, standing in the pod’s doorway, searching my eyes.

“Get in, Jupe.” Curran takes a seat.

“What’s the holdup? Let’s move.” Skye leans forward to see around Jupiter, holding the harness and waiting for someone to latch in with her.

I pull him into a hug, staring at her over his shoulder and making my silent plea.

“I know it’s tight, but it’ll be okay. It’s just for a little while.” He pets my hair, trying to ease my fear.

Skye narrows her eyes and shakes her head.

Please , I mouth, squeezing Jupiter’s shoulders tighter.

Skye closes her eyes, letting go of the belt in her hand and rising.

I pull away. “I can’t just leave him.”

“Then we both stay.”

He’s still looking at me like I’m the center of the universe, the way he did hovering over me on my bed. It feels so long ago, but it’s only been hours since we were interrupted. His unfinished declaration replays in my mind. I think I’m falling in —

“Jupiter,” I whisper, “I’m falling, too.”

I grip the front of his shirt, pressing my lips to his before I shove him back.

Skye catches him, pulling him into the pod as I hit the release control. The door seals and the pod disembarks.

I step up to the window as they drift away from the ship.

“No!” Jupiter’s mouth forms the word lost in the vacuum of space between us. His perfect face, twisted with pain as he wrestles against Skye and Curran’s grip, tears me in half.

Throwing them off, he presses his hands to the glass. His eyes meet mine, one last time.