Page 44 of Bound By Stars
“It’s fine. More players.” Tar waves them over, climbing down the hatch. “Stay.”
Asha rolls her eyes and follows him into the tunnel. Skye goes next, Curran after her.
Jupiter waves me in.
I take a deep breath, tap my fingers to my thumb, and step down onto the ladder.
Below, Skye pushes off the bottom rung, suspended in air.
“No way.” My words echo through the tunnel. I climb down faster. Near the bottom, the pull of artificial gravity releases me. My weight shifts, evenly distributed. My curls lift off my shoulders. I push myself down into a long, gray room covered in a grid of bars along the walls. Keeping hold of the ladder with one white-knuckled hand, I feel off balance, like I’m about to fall, even though there’s no gravity to force me in any particular direction.
Jupiter follows, lowering down beside me. His gold eyes are bright.
I test letting go, but my limbs flail like I’m in free fall. I reach out for an anchor point.
He takes my hand. “You’re not falling. Try to relax.”
Meridian calls down from above Hale, “Will you two get out of the way?”
“Yeah, I don’t want to miss out because of the newbie.” Hale frowns down from the tunnel.
Jupiter stares up at him. “You slammed full-on into a wall your first time, knocked yourself out, and we had to drag your ass all the way to the med bay. Be patient.”
My free arm windmills like I’m trying to catch myself again.
Jupiter’s expression and tone soften again. “Take it slow. You can hold onto me if—”
“I got it.” I shake my head and let go, drifting sideways and spinning in a slow circle. I might as well be crashing to the floor the way my stomach flips. Oh god, how do I stop?
I grab hold of the only thing still in reach.
Jupiter tugs my forearm away from his throat. “The floor isn’t going to hurt you unless you launch yourself at it.”
I suddenly realize I’m clinging to him like he’s the only thing keeping me from plummeting to my death. I untangle myself. “Don’t read into this. When we’re back in the lab, I’ll continue barely tolerating you.”
“Of course.” A smile tugs at the edge of his mouth.
My heart races and my stomach twists. My feet are only six feet from the floor, but it feels like a thousand. I stay completely still, afraid if I try to move, I’ll spin until I puke or smack into the wall.
Skye grabs a pipe and pushes herself along the ceiling above me. “First rule of weightlessness: slow, easy movements.”
Meridian does a somersault off the ladder, spinning past Hale.
In the center of the room, Tar floats with his hands behind his head and ankles crossed, framed by a view of space that’s the width and height of the entire end of the docking bay.
I bump into the wall and feel my momentum shift. It’s kind of like swimming, but with less resistance. Actually, no resistance. I push off, passing under Tar, and glide toward the window at the end of the long room.
Jupiter drifts along beside me. “You’re doing great.”
“How did you all even find this place?”
“Pilotless space barges deliver supplies during crossings. They were sent out ahead of us with extra food and stuff. The artificial gravity gets shut off for resupply, and since Asha and Tarak’s dad is the captain, they can figure out when we’re going to pass one.” Jupiter runs a hand along the wall to stop.
I catch myself, palms to the window. Outside, the giant disk-shaped vessel is docked.
Tar bumps the glass beside me. “This one arrived yesterday, and they finished unloading around lunch, so we have plenty of time.” He launches himself backward.
I push off into a slow roll. “I think I’m getting the hang of this.”
