Page 58 of The Lottery

A moment later, I feel the uncomfortable weightless sensation in my stomach. I was never a big roller coaster fan, and it’s much, much worse when you’re in an actual life-or-death free fall.

Marek places a hand on my head, leaning his face closer to mine so our cheeks rest together. “It is fine,” he says. “We are fine.”

The ball in my stomach makes it hard to take him at his word, but a moment later I hear a loud thunk and suddenly the dropping sensation disappears.

Just like that, it’s silent.

All I hear is Marek’s breath and my own heart pounding.

From the small screen above us, the captain’s voice speaks. “Cargo dropped, level two engines engaged.”

Marek rises to his feet and I slowly follow his lead, still waiting for another sudden shake to topple me over.

“How long until we reach landing coordinates?” Marek says into the screen.

“About twelve minutes,” the captain answers. “Make sure everyone gets strapped in, we’ll have a smooth ride over and then things will get exciting.”

Her word choice is perfectly wrong. I’m very hopeful she can get us through this so that she and I might become friends on Mars.

I pull my attention from the screen when Marek steps away from me and heads toward the center of the room. It’s only now I realize how much I needed the comfort of his presence throughout that whole ordeal. If he hadn’t been by my side, literally propping me up, I would have lost my shit a hundred times over.

The other passengers, some a little bruised and bloodied, slowly rise and look to Marek. He addresses them with a steady ease.

“Please move to your suites or work stations. When you arrive, Metis will guide you through landing protocol to ensure our safety.” He takes a beat, then adds, “We will land safely. You have my word.”

With that, he turns and heads toward the lift as the passengers follow.

My heart lurches into my gut as I watch him walk away.

I look around for Robert but don’t see him anywhere. Everyone is rushing down halls to lifts, planning their routes to their rooms.

I look back to Marek, leading the charge. My anxiety rises as the distance between us increases. Everyone’s staying calm-ish, but this scene definitely has stampede potential.

When he reaches the door that will take him to a lift, he turns, his eyes landing on mine as if he knows exactly where I’ve been standing the whole time.

He reaches his hand out for me.

I run across the room, dress in hand to keep from tripping. It’s like I’m moving in slow motion, gliding through the upheaval to my waiting prince.

He clasps my hand when I reach him and then helps me navigate through the crowd. We pack into the lift until I’m not sure the doors will close. We hold our collective breath, everyone waiting in silence, fearing the next disaster.

The doors close.

The lift moves.

The group exhales.

When we reach the next level and Marek leads me down the hall, I call out to him above the sound of the others charging toward their suites. “Don’t you have to be on the bridge?”

He shakes his head. “I have done my part. The rest is up to Elspeth.”

This brings such a wave of relief that I’m dizzy from it.

At the end of the hall, we reach suites one and two. Marek slows as he passes my room, and now we’ve reached the next impossible decision. Do we go where we’re supposed to be… or where we want to be?

He stops outside his suite, eyes on me. I don’t move as he lifts his hand to the palm reader on the wall and his door slides open.

I don’t move as he takes a small step into his entryway.

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