Page 108 of Bound By Stars
Curran blocks my way, his tight expression unfocused, his chest heaving with short breaths, and his fist clenched around the medallion that always hangs around his neck. Hand clasped so tight, his knuckles are colorless.
I sigh, grabbing his shoulders. “Hey, it’s not over yet. We can still get out of here.”
His eyes are wide and wet. The tendons in his neck taut like he’s straining to hold himself together.
“I promise.” I nod and run up the steps. Maybe if I can identify the exact zone where the emergency door is blocking first class from getting off the ship, I can bypass the permissions and force it open. The ship’s holomap is still displayed in Navigation. I swipe away the top level. And pull the corridor near the arboretum wide, so it enlarges.
Letting out a shaky breath, Curran holds himself up against the opposite side of the holomap table. “You know, when I found out about you, I thought it was a good thing.”
About me and Jupiter? I glance at him through the miniaturized ship hovering in the space between us. “I don’t really think it’s the right time for the best friend ‘I’ll kill you if you hurt him’ speech. Let’s get everyone to Mars and then you can threaten my life.”
He rakes his hands through his dark curls. “If you had just stayed hidden for a few more years, everything would be set, and you wouldn’t be such a problem.”
I don’t have time for riddles, either. I circle the table and hurry past him to get a better look at the digital markings. Zone 5L. I pull the map again, zooming in on the door. It stretches to almost the size of my palm, but when I try to make it larger, it blurs and snaps back down to its max size. Dammit. The numbers on the door are tiny. I squint to make them out. 6-7-8-4-0-2-1.
His voice drops so low and deep I can barely hear his words. “I tried to handle this in a cleaner way, but I guess I have no choice but to get my hands dirty.”
“I’m sorry, Curran. I have no idea what you’re talking about.” 6-7-8-4-0-2-1. 6-7-8-4-0-2-1. I mouth the sequence on repeat and cross the mezzanine to the top of the stairs.
“I can’t let you make it to Mars.”
I freeze mid-stride, every nerve in my body aware of him standing right behind me.
“Curran—”
“You’ll ruin everything.”
Pain radiates through my head. My vision goes dark.
I’m hiding in the hallway of my house on Earth, my small arms wrapped around scraped knees. The familiar homey smell of dust and hot metal mixes with the nutty, earthy scent of chicory.
I peek around the corner at the silhouettes in the dim light around our dining room table, not yet transformed into my mom’s worktop.
Dad pours dark liquid into two mugs in front of my mom, who holds up a flyer with three large letters printed across it:E.F.E.He puts the kettle down and sits.
“I just heard them out. This group is making a lot of sense. Aren’t you tired of being treated like a second-class human on your own planet?”
She cocks her head and raises her eyebrows.
“It’s your home planet now.” He takes her hand. “They want to change it. Split the worlds. Make it fair for everyone. What if we could change things? So by the time Wes has grown up, the planets bargain with each other instead of one ruling over the other. Think of her.”
“I am thinking of Wes, Sam. This”—she holds up the flyer again, tapping the paper with her index finger—“is dangerous. She needs both of us and if you get wrapped up in this, you might not come back.”
“I have to try.”
“Have you considered what happens if they catch you? Lock you up? Find me?” She takes her mug to the kitchen sink, splashing the steamy liquid into the basin and propping herself up on the edge. “Or worse…” She turns to face him. The lamp light shimmers in her eyes. “They could make you disappear. They can do that, you know. That’s how they deal with problems there. Lock them away or launch them out of an airlock. Out of sight. Forgotten.”
He takes her hands. “And if I stay compliant? What kind of person does that make me?”
A loud rumble shakes the floor under me. I blink my eyes open to a gray ceiling. My parents and our dark kitchen are gone.
Curran stares down at me. “You Earthers are such pests. I think I’ve managed to get rid of you, but you just keep surviving.”
“What’s your problem?” I hold my head as a sharp pain cuts through my skull.
“The airlock was my mistake. I should have paid more attention. I wouldn’t have been able to forgive myself if I’d killed Jupiter.” He circles me, shaking his head.
My hand is wet. Blood. I’m bleeding. I roll to my side and try to push up off the floor. Pain splits through my head again, but the pieces are coming together. “The O2shutdown…”
