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Chapter Three

LACIE

The lights getting brighter in our room has me groaning.

Sleep didn’t come easy last night, and now I have a slight headache.

Running a weary hand over my face, I can’t miss the fact that my eyes are still swollen and tender from all the crying I did yesterday.

Swinging my legs over the side, I slide down the ladder heading toward the bathroom, only to walk in and realize I have no idea if we have any toothpaste, lotion, or anything.

“ Ugh , Destroyer , can you hear me?”

“ I can, Mistress , how may I be of service?”

“ Do we have any toothpaste?”

“ There are several bottles available for your use in these receptacles. SAGE was adamant that I be well stocked when it came to your everyday conveniences.”

Several drawers open from the wall, and I shake my head at the oddness of invisible spaces.

I lean forward, quickly pulling out my selections.

The moment I retrieve them, it retracts seamlessly back into the wall.

Walking to the sink, I stand here once again wondering how to turn the water on.

I know the shower thing doesn’t use water, but I didn’t think that applied to everything.

“ Ugh , Destroyer ? Can you show me how to activate this sink? I’ve run my hands over it and pushed every button I can see.”

“ Mistress Lacie , I understand your confusion. I will apply this knowledge to the holo pads for the others after we are done here. Do you see the rectangles on each side?”

“ Yes .”

The one on the right is hot, and the left is cold. The water on the ship will feel different from what you are accustomed to. In the future, I will share other ways to freshen your breath and maintain the health of your teeth.

“ Thank you.” I hit the rectangle, and yep, she’s right. The water comes out thicker, but refusing to let it bother me, I brush my teeth quickly and grimace at the taste when I rinse my mouth out. “ Yuck .” I swear the ship laughs at me.

I’m just sliding my jeans on when I hear a soft knock at the door. “ Come on in.”

“ I didn’t think it was possible, but I believe I feel rougher this morning than I did yesterday.”

“ Me too. I’m sure it’s gonna take us a couple of days before we start feeling like our old selves.”

“ If you can smell my bad breath all the way over there, I’m sorry, Lace , but my mouth tastes like roadkill.”

“ Here , let me show you how to turn the sink on and the magic drawers full of bottles. But I’ll warn ya now, the water tastes worse than roadkill.”

Quickly pulling my hair into a ponytail, I step out while Briar finishes getting ready.

Walking around our small room, I make my way over to what the Destroyer called a replicator.

Refusing to ask for help this time, I press one of the pictures on the front screen.

Seconds later, it beeps, and I’m shocked when the door slides open to reveal what appears to be a coffee cup sitting inside.

Grabbing the handle, I bring it up to my nose.

It smells like coffee, but not exactly. Sipping it slowly, I lean back against the counter.

It never dawned on me that the food, and lord knows what else, would be so different.

The thought of never having another hot fudge Sunday is almost too devastating.

Lost in my own thoughts, I jump when a voice suddenly sounds out around the room.

“ Attention all! Your rising sustenance is now available for consumption in the dining chamber.”

Briar strolls out of the bathroom, running her fingers through her long black hair. She’s beautiful but seems to have no clue. “ I hope you made a cup for me. I’m not much of a morning person, and I’m even worse without coffee.”

“ Briar , I’m not sure this is coffee; it’s similar, but lacks its usual kick. I normally prefer mine black, but this needs something. I’m sure if you want to add to it, there’s a way, but I don’t understand the symbols on the screen.”

“ Black ! Ughh … are you from the dark ages?”

“ Nah , but I’ve been drinking it this way with my Papaw since I was little, and I just got used to it, is all. I’ve tried all the fancy stuff but never acquired a taste for all the sugars.”

“ Damn girl, you are one tough cookie. Not sure my stomach could handle it straight, so until we can figure this dohickey out, I’ll skip mine for now. But I’m warning you, I may not be able to keep up this outstanding positive attitude without it.”

We are both laughing as we head for the door.

I follow Briar as she steps out into the crowded hallway because she knows where she’s going.

Just a few turns later, we enter a large cafeteria with a long buffet along its far wall.

As I get in line, I look around at the others in the room.

You’d think it would be noisy, but almost everybody seems to be keeping to themselves.

One thing I notice quickly is that the majority of us are around the same age: in our mid-twenties to early thirties. There can’t be more than a handful older than that. When someone bumps into me, before I can fall, a hand grabs me.

“ Sorry about that, I seem to be tripping over my own feet this morning. I’m Eric , what’s your name?”

“ Oh , I’m fine. I should have been paying more attention. I’m Lacie , it’s nice to meet you.”

He motions for me to continue as the line begins to move in front of me.

Briar glances back at me, then at the guy standing way too close behind me, and frowns.

She hands me a tray, and suddenly she has switched places with me in line, stepping between me and Eric .

I see him step back to talk to another guy behind him, but his eyes keep catching mine.

Once his attention returns to the other guy behind him, she leans toward me to whisper.

“ That guy creeps me out. His roaming eyes have been on every skirt in this room since we walked in.”

“ He seemed nice enough.”

“ Just watch yourself Lace , because even though our scenery has changed doesn’t mean we have. You have to stay vigilant, and don’t trust anyone until they prove themselves worthy. Guys like him are predators looking for easy prey.”

Frowning , I select a few items that look familiar, placing them on my plate before following Briar to an empty table.

Nibbling , I sample each dish, but nothing tastes right, though it’s not horrible either.

Papaw would have grimaced right before saying, ‘it’s not great but it’ll make a turd.

’ I jerk when a voice echoes through the room.

“ Attention all! Shortly , a rare comet will appear on our port side, so if any of you would like to witness this phenomenon, please head to the fourth floor for the best view.”

“ Dammit , that scares the hell out of me every time.” Briar picks up our empty plates, placing them in an opening on the wall. “ Ok , one of us is going to have to figure out how to cook in this dive. Everything so far has tasted like cardboard to me.”

“ I have a feeling that late night trips to Taco Bell are going to become a fond memory. You wanna go see what’s around us?”

“ Why not? It’s not like we have anything else better to do.”

I notice several of us are heading toward what they call lifts.

While waiting for the next one, I feel a presence behind me again.

Glancing back, I see Eric with a huge smile on his face.

It’s not that he isn’t nice-looking; he’s just almost too perfectly groomed.

He gives off vibes of being overly absorbed in himself and thinks everyone else should be as well.

“ You two heading up to see the comet?”

“ Nope , just standing here for shits and giggles,” Briar says before I can respond. I have no idea what he’s done to her, but there’s no missing her extreme dislike of him.

“ Ugh , do you guys know each other?”

They both shake their heads no, but I don’t believe it. You don’t just instantly act like that toward a stranger.

The lift doors opening saves me from having to respond either way, and thankfully, it becomes so crowded that Eric is pushed away from us.

Stepping off the lift, I gasp at the sight in front of us.

It looks like we could simply walk off the deck and into space itself.

Hesitantly , I move with the crowd as they spread out; this is a first for most of us.

It feels as if I’m in a live planetarium, motionless while the world turns.

I hear someone say, “ Wow , would you look at all those colors?” Suddenly , chairs form right out of the floor, just before the Destroyer announces, “ Please have a seat and enjoy the show the heavens are putting on for your enjoyment this rising.”

I’ve become so engulfed in the sights before me that I haven’t been paying any attention to who is around until a large hand grabs mine, pulling me down. Bouncing in my seat, I snatch my hand away and move over as far as I can.

“ Sorry , I was afraid you were going to fall if you stepped back.” Eric seems sincere, but now there’s just something about him that makes me uncomfortable.

“ Thanks , I’m just overly jumpy it seems.” Turning away from him, I look around for Briar , but she appears to have vanished within the crowd.

Suddenly , the sky brightens and a huge fireball streaks past us, a long glittering tail trailing behind it.

If you blinked, you would’ve almost missed it, as it’s already out of sight.

Several people clap, while others rise from their seats, heading back to the lift.

I notice that the moment I get up, so does Eric , but at least he doesn’t follow me through the room as I search for Briar . I find her leaning against the wall, looking down through the clear glass that separates us from the vastness of space.

“ Hey , I lost ya.”

“ I kept you in sight. I could tell tall and creepy was determined to talk to you.”

“ He’s probably just trying to make some friends.”