Page 1 of Larz

Chapter

One

Hailee

The apartment felt emptier than it ever had with the walls stripped of their memories, leaving nothing but the echo of a life I once knew. My fingers brushed against the cold glass of a picture frame, the last item resting on the mantelpiece. It was us, the Jenkins clan, all toothy grins at my brother’s graduation — a snapshot of a past that seemed as distant as the stars I was about to sail towards.

“Guess it’s just you and me now,” I murmured to their smiling faces.

A silence settled over the room, heavy and absolute, like the last word in an argument you can’t win. I slid the photo into my backpack, zipping it shut with a resolute tug that felt like tying off a wound.

The spaceport buzzed with a frenetic energy that pulsed through its steel veins. I wove through clusters of travelers, their emotions raw and unguarded. A woman clutched her child’shand, her knuckles white; her eyes darted around like trapped birds. She whispered reassurances that sounded more like prayers.

“Momma, will there be stars where we’re going?” The child’s voice cut through the din.

“Stars brighter than you’ve ever seen,” she replied with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

A young couple stood locked in an embrace that spoke volumes of the see you soon lies lovers tell each other. Their hands gripped with desperate strength as if they could somehow transfer their essence to one another through touch alone.

“We’ll make it work,” he breathed into her hair.

“I know.” Her voice broke on the ascent of hope.

An old man sat alone, his gaze fixed on the departure board. Lines of loss and resilience etched his face. His eyes held stories that would remain untold. He caught my glance and offered a nod — an acknowledgment of our shared journey into uncertainty.

My steps carried me closer to my gate, to my leap into the unknown. The thrum of engines vibrated through the floor, setting my heart racing to match its rhythm. This was it — no turning back now. The threshold beckoned, and with one last look at the kaleidoscope of souls around me, I stepped forward.

The recruitment office loomed before me, a beacon of chrome and promise. Inside, the air buzzed with the electricity of opportunity. My heart pounded a syncopated rhythm as I approached the desk, where a man with a jaw like a granite cliff face regarded me with practiced indifference.

“I’m here to sign up,” I announced, my voice betraying none of the turmoil that wrestled within.

He raised an eyebrow as skepticism curved the arch. “For the Andromeda Initiative? You understand it’s a one-way trip?”

I met his gaze, unwavering. “That’s the plan.”

He shuffled some papers, looking for all the world like he was about to sell me a used car rather than a ticket to the stars. “It’s not for the faint-hearted. We’re talking about uncharted space, new worlds, real frontier stuff.”

A laugh escaped me before I could corral it. “Do I look faint-hearted to you?”

The corner of his mouth twitched, an almost smile. “No,” he conceded. “You look like you’re running from something.”

“Or maybe,” I countered, leaning forward, “I’m running towards something.”

His fingers drummed on the desk, a staccato that matched my heartbeat. “And what might that be?”

“Adventure. A fresh start. A life that doesn’t fit in neat little boxes.”

He leaned back in his chair, regarding me as one might a puzzle. “Alright then, Hailee Jenkins,” he said, reading my name off the form I’d filled out. “Tell me why you should be among the pioneers.”

My mind raced back to my family photo — to smiles frozen in time and love that couldn’t fill the void of loss. To an apartment that echoed with too many goodbyes.

“I’ve got nothing holding me back,” I said with more certainty than I felt. “And everything to gain.”

He nodded slowly and slid a datapad across the desk towards me. The screen glowed with terms and conditions, but all I saw was a door swinging wide open.

As my finger hovered over the accept button, he offered one last piece of advice.

“Out there,” he said, gesturing vaguely skyward, “it’s not just about surviving; it’s about living. Make sure you’re ready for both.”

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