Page 35 of Swipe Right for Stardust

“We should be more careful,” he said, his voice husky. “That was too close.”

I swallowed hard, trying to regain my composure. “Yeah, you’re right. Thanks for the save.”

As we prepared for our next jump, I wondered what might have happened if we’d been truly alone.

“Ready?” Zarnak asked, offering his hand.

I took it, pushing aside my distracting thoughts. “Ready. Let’s do this.”

We leapt from rock to rock, the reduced gravity making each bound feel like flying. My nerves raced with exhilaration and fear as we navigated the floating debris field. Chunks of rock and twisted metal hovered all around us, creating a three-dimensional maze.

“This way!” I called to Zarnak, spotting a narrow gap between two larger boulders. I squeezed through first, my smaller frame giving me an advantage. “Watch your head!”

Zarnak followed, ducking low to avoid scraping his head. “Good eye,” he said as he emerged.

I grinned, a competitive spark igniting within me. “Race you to that spinning asteroid?” I challenged, pointing to a slowly rotating rock about fifty meters away.

Zarnak’s eyes lit up. “You’re on.”

We took off, bounding from debris to debris. I used my agility to slip through tight spaces, while Zarnak’s longer limbs gave him an edge on the larger jumps. We were neck and neck as we approached the finish line.

With a final push, I launched myself towards the asteroid, my fingers brushing its surface a split second before Zarnak’s.

“Ha! I win!” I cheered, doing a little victory dance that sent me floating away from the rock.

Zarnak’s laughter rang out, a carefree sound I’d rarely heard from him. I liked it. He reached out and pulled me back to the asteroid’s surface.

“Well done,” he said, his hand lingering on my arm. “Your resourcefulness never ceases to amaze me.”

My cheeks heated at his praise. “Thanks. You’re not so bad yourself, for a big guy.”

We continued through the debris field, our playful competition spurring us on. I reveled in Zarnak’s unguarded moments of joy, storing away each laugh and smile like precious treasures.

As we progressed, the terrain began to change. The debris thinned out, replaced by empty space that shimmered with an odd, oily quality.

“I think we’re entering some kind of gravity flux zone,” Zarnak warned. “Be prepared for sudden changes.”

No sooner had he spoken than I felt a violent shift. My stomach lurched as if I was on a roller coaster, plummeting one second and soaring the next. Nausea washed over me in waves.

“Zarnak,” I gasped, fighting to keep my breakfast down. “This is... intense.”

He reached out, gripping my hand firmly. “Focus on me,” he said. “We’ll get through this together.”

I clung to him, using his steady presence as an anchor. As the gravity continued to fluctuate wildly, we developed a system of nonverbal cues to navigate. A squeeze of the hand meant “brace for change,” while a tug in a certain direction indicated which way to move.

Slowly, we made progress through the flux zone. My stomach began to settle as I adapted to the unpredictable environment. Just as I was starting to feel confident again, I spotted movement in the distance.

“Look,” I hissed, pointing. “It’s Rachel and Tarnox!”

Sure enough, our rivals were visible about a hundred meters ahead, struggling through the gravity shifts.

My competitive spirit flared. “We can catch them,” I said, preparing to push harder.

Zarnak put a hand on my shoulder. “Careful,” he cautioned. “We don’t want to take unnecessary risks.”

I nodded, acknowledging his point, but I couldn’t help the surge of determination that coursed through me. We picked up our pace, working in tandem to navigate the treacherous terrain.

As we closed the gap on Rachel and Tarnox, a stray thought crossed my mind. “I hope Jake and Silla are okay,” I murmured. “This terrain is pretty dangerous.”

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