Page 13 of Seven Oars
“Crumbs?” Rosamma supplied. She’d already gathered that Phex’s Universal wasn’t too advanced.
“Yes, no crumbs. Understood?”
Only Anske had an issue with it.“What about crackers for a snack?”
Eze rolled her eyes heavenward as Phex leveled the full force of his impatience at Anske.“Not if you don’t want tobreatheyour crackers. Crumbs can also clog the instruments,” he added.“The cruiser will break, and we’ll all die.”
Anske shrank back.
Daphne began crying.
Dark-blue inner lids, matching the color of Phex’s nails, slid out to cover his shiny eyes right before he briefly closed them in utter vexation.
“You will rest behind the closed hatch in the back. There are straps.” He pointed to a small room, the only other compartment of the ship.“The hatch must stay unlocked—we need access to the lavatory. When awake, you can stay here, but the deck is off-limits. If I catch you around the controls, I’ll shackle you for the rest of the flight. Any questions?”
No one had any.
Phex seemed satisfied.“If you have concerns, send them through Rosamma.”
She got a small kick out of hearing him say her name.Ri-sa-na.He didn’t quite pronounce it right, but still.
Phex moved to the deck, his soldiers following.
The women sagged as much as it was possible to sag in zero gravity.
“What a jerk,” Fawn muttered.“All of them.”
Mara patted the distraught Daphne on the head.“Really, did he have to be so mean? Here, baby, here.”
“Soulless animals,” Anske concluded.“My work is cut out for me.”
Sassa looked at the hatch closing off the cramped“back” room.“At least, we’ll have some privacy.”
“Must sleep here, must eat that. Don’t care what your names are.” Alyesha mimicked Phex’s inflection and gathered her hair into a bun. She glanced at Rosamma.“Your brother sold us down the river.”
Rosamma lifted her chin.“He didn’t! This is all so unexpected.”
“How do you know?”
“He wouldn’t have left without me unless something drastic happened.”
“What happened?”
“I don’t know!”
“You never know anything,” Alyesha shot at her with disgust.
Rosamma flushed.“I’m not my brother.”
“I take it our pilots aren’t going to be our friends,” Gro chimed in.
Sassa worried her lip.“What if these aliens kidnap us?”
Fawn’s forehead wrinkled.“What for?”
“You know what for. They’re men. Men always think one way.”
Alyesha laughed.“I think we’re safe from that. Did you see how they look at us? We’re creatures to them. Organisms.”
