Page 53 of Between Earth and Eternity
Of course I’m not. I am nothing but a pain in his ass, and if that’s the case, then I intend to make it as uncomfortable as I can for him.
“Then back off. Now.” I seethe, and to my surprise, he actually takes a step back, just enough for me to barely get by him. I try to make my move, but he puts out his arm, blocking me.
“I won’t be able to step in every time you decide to have a temper tantrum. This is your last warning, Skyler. Stay out of trouble. Please?” It’s the please that catches me off guard.
“Fine.”
He drops his arm, and I don’t waste a second slipping past him. I don’t look back as I walk as quickly as possible to the tube. I’m drunk on adrenaline, taking a few deep breaths to calm the thumping of my heart, using the railing in the car to steady me. I start to come down from the high when I reach the suite. My temper runs hot, but it soon begins to feel like being dunked into ice water, the shock clears my mind out of the smoke of fury.
“What did you just do?” I splash cold water on my face, hoping to overcome the nausea that has started to creep up my throat.
I may have signed my death sentence, but at least I went down kicking and screaming.
SIX WEEKS LATER
—
“Work assignments vary based on location. One option are the mining outposts, such as the one on the moon, Sega. Many of these sites have become long-term settlements designed to provide goodswell into the future. Roles at these locations include architects and foundational crews.”
Official statement from Mannox Industries, February 2126
Despite wishing I could fight it, I’ve done as Vallen asked. I’ve stayed out of trouble. Even when it felt like a twisting dagger in my gut to do so. For now, I believe it to be for the best. Hopefully my father was right to trust me to make a good call—in this case, when to stand down.
I didn’t leave the suite for a few days following the disastrous dinner, waiting for an arrest, or anything, to happen, but it never did. Ori told me later that when Vallen returned to the dinner, he said something along the lines of “had too much to drink.” Lovely. I’m the deranged Lottery winner who gets drunk off a single glass of champagne.
Checking in on Romy has been a valid excuse to venture out of the suite. I’ve taken her out for ice cream, and we scavenged up some board games to play. Ori has joined us a couple of times, and Romy enjoys the attention from “cool grown ups like us.” I’m still waiting to feel like a real adult, but at least Romy thinks so.
An age gap doesn’t matter in girlhood at the end of the day. Although it’s been years, I miss my old friend Sarah for that reason alone. I had the privilege when I was Romy’s age to have someone like Elliot, even when Sarah, Markus, and Ben left; someone who knew me at my most awkward and stuck by me. I miss Elliot a little more each day, like every second is a drop inthe ocean of how much missing I’ve endured. Most days I don’t have it in me to look through the photo album from my mother, it is too painful to see the faces of the people I love knowing that they are unreachable.
My attempts to lie low have also given me plenty of time to create new playlists on my StarComm. My running soundtracks are solid, getting closer to the original lists the more I recall, but I know I’m still missing so much. I can’t keep notes somewhere or snoop around without arousing suspicion. At least it’s better than nothing.
Today brings something new from the normal monotony of propelling through endless space: everyone aboard is anxiously preparing for the ship to dock at an outpost station. Eden wasn’t the only discovery on the numerous exploration missions—many dwarf planets and moons are a wealth of natural resources to be mined and cultivated. Mannox established a community on the moon, Sega, several years ago.
The moon draws nearer as I watch from my bedroom. According to Runa, we will be here for a total of four hours, stocking up on goods and conducting routine checks of Zenith. All standard protocol, she assured me. And a “chance for a change of scenery.”
Sega doesn’t have a docking port big enough for Zenith, so if passengers have a desire to cross over to the moon, they must adorn space suits and take non-pressurized shuttles to the surface of Sega before reaching the cover of the air dome that surrounds the city. To no one’s surprise, I will not be joining the spectacle.
That is, until about five minutes ago, when Ori informed me that neither Laz nor Payson will be going due to a stomach bug.
Illness is taken seriously on Zenith. Passengers are asked to quarantine once symptoms manifest until they get an all clear from the medical staff.
The moon’s sphere continues to expand with every second, like an eyeball slowly opening. I glare at my suit, now laid out on my bed. The design is simple and sleek, dark navy with gray stitching. One might say it looks like a standard flight suit at first glance, but upon further inspection, the features like the air tank and highly sophisticated helmet suggest otherwise.
“Sky, can you help me with this?” Ori calls from her bedroom. She tries to zip up the back of her suit, but her arms can’t quite reach.
“I got you.” I zip it and help her with the clasp at the neck.
“You know you don’t have to come. I don’t mind going by myself.”
I would stay behind, but the thought of her out there on her own doesn’t sit well with me. She won’t really be alone, but without Laz or Payson, I feel protective of her, even if it seems silly.
“It will be an adventure. I’ll be fine,” I say monotonically.
“You don’t have to prove that you’re brave. Standing up to Alister, Slade, and Vallen Mannox?” She shakes her head. “Now that was brave.”
“That didn’t make me brave. That made me stupid.”
Ori bursts out in laughter, and I’m a little offended she doesn’t deny it, but I can’t fight back the humor of it all. It’s the truth, plain and simple.
