Page 1

Chapter 1

Lynn

“A re you sure about this, Lynnie?” Mom asked me as she added milk to her coffee and began stirring it.

“It’s the only way,” I replied emphatically. “I can study regular astronomy at a state school and take out loans, or I can apply for the scholarship while applying to the Exo-Astronomy course that the Mylos themselves are offering.”

“But there's a chance you’ll be matched to one of them,” she pointed out. She took a breath, exhaling slowly before continuing. “It’s not that I don’t think they are fine people. It’s just that you won’t have met your future husband beforehand.”

“That’s right, honey,” Daddy said. “They have you take that test, run your DNA sample, and if you’re matched, that’s it. They call the fella on down, and then you meet him. And it’s forever.”

“I want what you two have,” I told them both. “And you two moved in together the week after you met, then got married what, three months later?”

“Yeah, Dad,” my brother Sam said with a snort. “You and Mom are always all, ‘It was love at first sight’, and ‘As soon as I saw him I knew he was the one’.”

“And I’ll definitely know he’s the right one,” I added, “because he’ll be my scientifically proven perfect match. No nasty surprises, because if we weren’t perfect for each other, we’d not have been matched.”

Mom bit her lower lip, throwing a look at Daddy that said “bail me out here”.

He cleared his throat, looking and sounding resigned. “They’ve not had anyone ask to be separated.”

Mom threw him a look of betrayal.

“You’ll be so far away!” she wailed.

Sam rolled his eyes. “She’ll be in orbit, and it’s what? A two or three hour ride at most, free of charge, on one of their shuttles?”

“And when we do class trips to observe stars and planetary systems up close, it’ll almost be like I’m in Europe or something,” I reassured her. “Super fast to get back, as if I were riding on the QE2 instead of flying. And we’ll be able to talk using their comms.”

She sniffed. “You’d better. And if he treats you wrong, you better tell us.”

“I don’t care if he's a seven foot alien who thinks he's some kind of hot shit warrior,” Daddy declared. “I’ll make him regret ever upsetting my baby girl.”

This time, I rolled my eyes. “Thanks, but I’m not a little girl anymore. I’m an adult with an Associate’s Degree in Physics.”

“You’ll always be our baby,” Mama replied.

“Gee, what am I, chopped liver?” Sam muttered.

Daddy reached over and ruffled his hair. “You’re our star roller hockey player!” he announced proudly.

Sam snorted. “Yeah, okay. Not the same, but yeah.”

Mama turned her gaze to him with laser focus. “My last baby at home,” she said, and now Sam’s eyes widened comically as he realized the position he’d just put himself in. “You should come with me and Marietta to the plant nursery.”

“I’ve got practice,” Sam hurriedly said.

“I didn’t say when,” Mama replied archly. “And I’m positive your other sister would love to see you. You’re always out.” She glanced over at me. “You can come as well. One last outing with all my ducklings before another one swims away to make her own nest.”

God, my mother was terribly dramatic. That didn’t stop me from loving both her and the rest of my family like crazy, though.

“Sure. How about we stop at that cat cafe on the way home? I hear they make killer scones.”

Mama beamed at me. “That sounds wonderful! I’ll call Marietta and make the arrangements.”

Daddy watched as Mama hurried back towards their bedroom, her slippers making a soft slapping sound as she walked across the tiled floor. We all knew what she was going to do, sit down in front of her vanity and start unrolling the heated curlers she’d put in before starting breakfast, while she asked Siri to call our older sister Marietta. Then the two of them would have a chin wag while Mama teased, brushed, and sprayed her hair, then cleaned her face with her beloved Ponds cold cream, then moisturized with Oil of Olay, before starting on her makeup.

Mama was old school like that. She used what her own Mama used, and her mama before her. She kept buying Sam and me Noxema to use as we had ‘young skin that might get the breakouts’. It worked fine and I rather liked the tingly feeling, so I was fine with it. Apparently, you didn’t get to graduate to Ponds until you reached twenty-six, which Marietta was about to do. I happened to know that Mama already had both a Ponds and Oil of Olay gift set she got in an after Christmas clearance sale stashed for Marietta’s birthday.

Which was why Daddy waited until Mama was out of earshot to ask me what he really wanted to know.

“You aren’t going to take that test before Marietta’s birthday, are you?”

“No, Daddy. I’m going to go the day after the party.”

He nodded. “That sounds good. Marietta and your Mama will be out spending the gift cards your granny, aunts, and uncle sent. Are you telling her before they go?”

I shook my head no. “I figured it was best to confirm I was going to do it, which I’ve just done as she brought it up. Then go while she’s out having a good time shopping and looking at baby stuff with Marietta.”

He grunted, taking another slice of toast and buttering it. “You're probably right. Just, if you do happen to get matched, please have them call me on my cell. That way, we aren’t waiting for you to come home and then find out when you don’t.”

I stood up, leaning over to kiss him on his cheek.

“I will, Daddy. Either way, I’m planning to head straight on up if I can. I want to get used to life within the Fleet before classes start.

He nodded as he chewed. “Mmhmm.” he swallowed. “Sounds sensible. Always told you, get the lay of the land before moving forward.”

“Can I have your old telescope?” Sam asked me.

“No,” I said, looking at him askance.

“Not the one Granddaddy gave you. The other one.”

“You mean the one I look out from the backyard with?”

“Yeah. You’ll have something even better as a new one, so that’s your new old one.”

I laughed. “Yeah, okay. You can have that one. I’m taking the other one.”

“Your granddaddy would be so proud of you.”

I smiled. “Yeah, I think so too.”

He’d discovered a comet back when he worked at William Thaw. I hoped I made a mark like he did. Maybe even a planet! Or a moon, even. Thanks to the arrival of the Mylos and their new Exo Astronomy and Astrophysics course, the possibilities felt endless.