Page 26 of Alien on the Moon

Elena let her stay in suspense for a bit before bursting out laughing. “The look on your face!”

Sofia’s expression fell, though Elena couldn’t tell if it was from relief or disappointment at the lack of dangerous environmental features. “There are no spontaneous quicksand holes. Are there?”

Snickering, Elena shook her head. “Nah, I’m just fucking with you.”

“Then let’s get a move on,” Zaraq said. “I’ve always wanted to try a low-gravity backflip.”

“You’re in luck, because the further from the terraformed land we go, the weaker the gravity. It’s like a trampoline park.”

“A what?” Zaraq asked, confused.

Sofia took his hand. “Trust me, babe. You’ll love it.”

Elena led them to the area least affected by the terraforming. She hadn’t yet figured out why gravity was weaker in this area, but it was on her list of mysteries to solve.

They bounced for a couple of hours, all the while catching up on each other’s lives. Sofia and Zaraq had been exploring some nearby exo-planets and hunting down legends on Thryal.

Life seemed to be a nonstop adventure for her sister. Elena was happy for her but knew that it would be an exhausting life for her. She wasn’t suited for an existence of spontaneity like Sofia, nor was she suited for the diplomacy and manners of royalty like Carmen. For a time, she thought she’d be married to her work, but now that she’d met Rylan…

“So,” Sofia said as they made their way back to the base for lunch. “That cute head scientist. What was his name? Ryan?”

“Rylan.” Elena rolled her eyes. She knew this was coming, but she had hoped her sisters would be kind enough to refrain from interrogating her about her love life in the middle of her very important work.

“Right.” She smirked. “Are you guys experimenting on each other—if you catch my drift—or is it just extreme sexual tension right now?”

Elena’s cheeks burned. “Did you have to say it like that?”

“It’s my sisterly duty to phrase things in the most embarrassing way possible. Right, Zaraq?”

Her partner stepped back. “I’m not getting in the middle of this.”

“Smart man,” Elena said. Well, there was no way Sofia or Carmen would let this go now. She might as well fess up. “Rylan and I are together, but I don’t know if we’ll stay that way. After the mission—”

Sofia playfully elbowed her. “He’ll sweep you off your feet and to another lab for some more sweet, sweet nerd love.”

“You’re the worst.”

Sofia winked. “I know.”

After removing their envirosuits and getting cleaned up, they headed to the cafeteria to meet up with Carmen, Arccoo, andRylan. The trio sat at a quiet corner table. After grabbing their food, Elena, Sofia, and Zaraq joined them.

Sofia slapped the lunch tray on the table. “So, you’re dating my sister.”

Rylan’s emerald eyes widened as he glanced between Sofia and Elena. The latter shrugged and shook her head in resignation. “I warned you,” Elena said.

“How long have you been together?” Carmen asked. Elena knew not to look to her for any protection from the onslaught of humiliation to come. Her oldest sister was just as bad as—if not worse than—Sofia.

“A couple of months,” Rylan replied carefully. The next several questions came rapid fire from both older sisters.

“What’s her favorite color?”

“What food texture does she hate?”

“What does she like to do when she isn’t in the lab?”

“What makes her feel better when she’s sick?”

“What’s her favorite snack?”

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