the ventilators in the ship.”
Luna coughed as if he tricked her. “No wonder my lungs hurt like hell.”
“That’s the cold, not the quality of air.” Brentwood spoke like a schoolteacher. “Our lungs are used to a regulated environment. We’re all going to have to make changes, even our bodies.”
He sounded like he mentioned a change of clothes instead of habitat. Gemme knew Brentwood had to maintain a calm demeanor, but she wanted to hear something else from his lips, some sort of complaint, something real to assure her she wasn’t the only one having trouble adapting.
Tech grumbled beside her, “I’ve got goose bumps where the lights don’t shine.”
“The heat will increase in a moment,” Brentwood explained. “The engine has to warm up.”
Gemme’s teeth chattered and she contemplated pushing against the hulk of Tech’s right side for warmth. Luna didn’t look cold at all. In fact, she still had the zipper down so low the light shone in places it shouldn’t. Maybe all that padding in front provided insulation?
One look at Tech convinced her against cuddling up. Luna would have a field day with more stuff to pick on her with, and she didn’t feel right about Brentwood seeing her close to another man.
Not like he was hers or she was his.
Gemme sighed, screaming at her inner thoughts to shut up and waited for heat to spread through the compartment. The Expedition grew smaller out of the corner of her visor, her one tie to everything that defined her. Without it, she navigated uncharted waters. No routine decided her life. Cast adrift on frozen tundra, Gemme wondered how much of her true self she’d discover and how many of her fears she’d confront.
She thought of all the people inside the hull: her parents, Ferris, and even Vira. These people counted on them to find the mineral deposit. Gemme closed her eyes and told herself to toughen up.
Hours passed and the frozen landscape blurred into monotony. Luna spoke in hushed tones with Brentwood, like a secret meeting of two close friends. No matter how much Gemme strained her ears to hear enough to join in the conversation, only stray tidbits wafted to the backseat.
Luna was smarter than she let on.
Frustration eating a hole in her stomach, Gemme munched on a soybean wafer from her backpack and dozed off with the crumbs still on her legs. Her head jerked when she fell forward too far. The side cushion of the seat provided a place to prop up her face without straining, but blocked out any chance of joining the conversation. First day on the job, and they’d already left her out. Giving up, Gemme closed her eyes and lost herself to exhaustion.
§
“Jenny, what are doing standing there like a scarecrow? Mikey’s coming to pick us up any minute.”
The woman standing before her stared through cloudy gray eyes like her own. Her nut-brown hair blew free in the wind, trailing to a white sundress and sandals with daisies painted between her toes. Golden swirls moved within the daisies and Gemme blinked until they disappeared.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Gemme studied the woman up and down. Maybe she had. “Who are you?”
She laughed, throwing back her head. “You’ve been doing too much work. It’s time to have some fun.” She grabbed Gemme’s hand, and Gemme stiffened at her touch.
The woman pulled her forward. “Honestly, why do I always have to drag you with us?”
“Where are we going?” Gemme struggled to keep up with her pace. The earth crushed underneath her bare feet, like she walked on crumbled bread. The sun’s rays seared her retinas, but the warmth it offered differed so much from…
“To the party, remember?”
“Where are my shoes?”
“They’re in Mikey’s pickup truck. You left them last night before skinny-dipping.”
“Before what?” Gemme’s foot caught on a branch and she pitched forward. The earth came up harder than she thought, knocking her jaw into her head. She bit her tongue,
Luna coughed as if he tricked her. “No wonder my lungs hurt like hell.”
“That’s the cold, not the quality of air.” Brentwood spoke like a schoolteacher. “Our lungs are used to a regulated environment. We’re all going to have to make changes, even our bodies.”
He sounded like he mentioned a change of clothes instead of habitat. Gemme knew Brentwood had to maintain a calm demeanor, but she wanted to hear something else from his lips, some sort of complaint, something real to assure her she wasn’t the only one having trouble adapting.
Tech grumbled beside her, “I’ve got goose bumps where the lights don’t shine.”
“The heat will increase in a moment,” Brentwood explained. “The engine has to warm up.”
Gemme’s teeth chattered and she contemplated pushing against the hulk of Tech’s right side for warmth. Luna didn’t look cold at all. In fact, she still had the zipper down so low the light shone in places it shouldn’t. Maybe all that padding in front provided insulation?
One look at Tech convinced her against cuddling up. Luna would have a field day with more stuff to pick on her with, and she didn’t feel right about Brentwood seeing her close to another man.
Not like he was hers or she was his.
Gemme sighed, screaming at her inner thoughts to shut up and waited for heat to spread through the compartment. The Expedition grew smaller out of the corner of her visor, her one tie to everything that defined her. Without it, she navigated uncharted waters. No routine decided her life. Cast adrift on frozen tundra, Gemme wondered how much of her true self she’d discover and how many of her fears she’d confront.
She thought of all the people inside the hull: her parents, Ferris, and even Vira. These people counted on them to find the mineral deposit. Gemme closed her eyes and told herself to toughen up.
Hours passed and the frozen landscape blurred into monotony. Luna spoke in hushed tones with Brentwood, like a secret meeting of two close friends. No matter how much Gemme strained her ears to hear enough to join in the conversation, only stray tidbits wafted to the backseat.
Luna was smarter than she let on.
Frustration eating a hole in her stomach, Gemme munched on a soybean wafer from her backpack and dozed off with the crumbs still on her legs. Her head jerked when she fell forward too far. The side cushion of the seat provided a place to prop up her face without straining, but blocked out any chance of joining the conversation. First day on the job, and they’d already left her out. Giving up, Gemme closed her eyes and lost herself to exhaustion.
§
“Jenny, what are doing standing there like a scarecrow? Mikey’s coming to pick us up any minute.”
The woman standing before her stared through cloudy gray eyes like her own. Her nut-brown hair blew free in the wind, trailing to a white sundress and sandals with daisies painted between her toes. Golden swirls moved within the daisies and Gemme blinked until they disappeared.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Gemme studied the woman up and down. Maybe she had. “Who are you?”
She laughed, throwing back her head. “You’ve been doing too much work. It’s time to have some fun.” She grabbed Gemme’s hand, and Gemme stiffened at her touch.
The woman pulled her forward. “Honestly, why do I always have to drag you with us?”
“Where are we going?” Gemme struggled to keep up with her pace. The earth crushed underneath her bare feet, like she walked on crumbled bread. The sun’s rays seared her retinas, but the warmth it offered differed so much from…
“To the party, remember?”
“Where are my shoes?”
“They’re in Mikey’s pickup truck. You left them last night before skinny-dipping.”
“Before what?” Gemme’s foot caught on a branch and she pitched forward. The earth came up harder than she thought, knocking her jaw into her head. She bit her tongue,
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