“What do you think happened?” Nikolai asked. About fifteen, he stood a few inches taller than me but was so lean, I must outweigh him by at least ten kilos, and I was pretty skinny myself. His black hair stuck up every which way from an infinite number of cowlicks.
“Maybe we should be asking why it happened, instead,” Colin said. “Doubt we’ll get an answer, though.”
“I’m going inside,” Malik said, squinting toward the silver hull. “See if I can salvage anything.”
“Good idea.” Riley limped underneath the ship and lowered himself onto the ground in the shade.
Kalani followed. Nestling beside him, she plopped her head on his shoulder.
“Wait here.” I nudged Joe and Mandy toward the shade. “I’m going inside with Malik.”
“I’ll keep an eye on things if you want.” Tiff took their hands and led them under the ship.
“I’m coming, too.” Trey caught up to Malik and me as we headed for the stairs. “Maybe I can get the computers working long enough to signal the colony. Find out why we crashed.” He shoved his long brown hair out of his eyes.
To enter the ship, we had to climb the crooked metal stairs we’d tumbled down when we escaped last night. Projecting from the right side of the hull, they hung at an angle, ending a few feet above the ground. We grabbed the rail and scrambled up them until we stood on the narrow platform at the top.
The sun baked us. Sweat trickled down my spine to pool at the low part of my back, sticking my durasuit to my flesh. I rolled up my pants to cool off. Taking advantage of our elevation, I leaned against the hull, hoping to see hovercraft in the distance, full of colonists gliding our way. But there was nothing out there except sand, more sand, and greenish-blue mountains with jagged peaks rising all the way to the clouds.
Malik followed my gaze. In the grooves around his eyes, I read the anxiety churning through my belly. My grip tightened on the rail. What if no one came for us? We could have crashed thousands of kilometers from the colony.
We could be all alone.
How would we survive? We had no food or water. My breath caught when I remembered washing Jay’s wound with one of my water pouches. I’d splashed the stuff around like we had an endless supply. Those few sips might mean survival for one of us. I’d have to be more careful from now on.
We peeked through the hatch into the gloomy interior, but couldn’t see much. It hadn’t been long since the fire burned itself out, because fumes weighted the air. An unpleasant scent of charred plastic and overdone meat drifted from the hull, stinging my sinuses. I coughed and gagged. Acid burned the back of my throat, but I swallowed it down, determined not to throw up again.
Trey couldn’t help it. He twisted and heaved over the platform edge, splattering the ground below. Malik’s eyes met mine, and a vein in his temple throbbed.
While darkness filled the inner chamber, my glolight picked out the remains of buckled, charred stasis units. Many had fallen into the storage compartment below when part of the floor gave way. The computer bank along the front wall had melted into something resembling wax left too long in the sun. I doubted Trey could make it functional again, which meant there might be no way to contact the colony unless their signal pinged our coms.
“I’m going in,” Malik said, gripping the side of the hatch. “If the fire didn’t reach the forward hold, I might find food or water. There were cases of it in there.” Sitting on the doorframe, he dangled his legs over the side. With a huff, he lowered himself onto what was left of the floor.
As soon as he put his weight on it, the metal gave way beneath him, releasing a cloud of jagged scraps. He gasped as he plunged downward, twisting.
Reaching forward, I snapped my fingers around his wrist. My heart burst, threatening to claw its way through my chest. My grip slipped on his wrist, and his panic-wide eyes met mine. I couldn’t let him fall.
I slapped my other hand over his wrist and shifted backward, whispering prayers while pulling him up.
His free hand latched onto the hatch. Feet scrambling, his torso swung back and forth, each sway dragging him down. He panted, and his fingers slid. Leaning inside the hull, I released one hand from his wrist and grabbed the back of his suit. With a grunt, I helped haul his body up onto the safety of the doorframe.
Releasing him, I pressed my forehead against his chest, my fist clenched over my heart to hold it inside. That had been way too close.
Once I regained control of my breathing, I leaned away. “Are you all right?” Copper tainted my mouth from where I’d bitten my lip. Bet his knees trembled like mine.
He rubbed my shoulders with shaky fingers. “That was no fun.”
My snort of laughter came out more like a sob. “Let’s not do it again, huh?”
He gulped and nodded.
“Wow, Malik.” Trey wiped his mouth on his sleeve. He crawled toward us. “You okay?”
“Yeah, thanks to Lesha. But no way are we going inside.” He got to his feet. “Without a rope, we’ll fall into the subfloor. We can’t take the chance. One of us could be hurt.” He extended his hand, and I let him pull me to my wobbly feet.
I shivered and wrapped my arms around my waist, although it had to be hot enough in the sun to scorch skin in seconds.
Trey leaned inside the ship. “Crap. I really hoped I’d get some answers about the crash from the computers.”
“Your guess about what happened is as good as mine,” Malik said. “I’m no engineer.” He started down the stairs. “Let’s tell the others.”
We joined them in the shade underneath the hull. Joe and Mandy had stretched out beside Tiff, and it looked like they were asleep. Tiff stood when we appeared.
“Anything?” Tiff asked softly. Her gaze fell on the kids, and I was grateful all over again she was here with me. Joe loved her almost as much as me. She’d keep him safe when I couldn’t.
Riley lumbered to his feet and threaded his way between everyone until he stood directly in front of me and Malik. “What did you find?” He linked his arms across his chest and tapped his tred on the sand.
“We didn’t go in. It’s a mess in there,” Malik said.
“Totally,” Trey said. “The interior’s burned.”
“Food? Water?” Riley barked. “There were supplies in the forward hold. Did you look?”
Malik scratched his head. “It’s not safe. The floor collapsed when I stepped on it.”
“He almost fell,” I added.
Riley squinted up at the ship. “You can’t give up without really trying.”
Trey frowned at Riley. “You know, I think Malik did—”
“If you’re confident there’s something left inside that might be useful, you’re welcome to look around yourself,” Malik said.
“I’m injured.” Riley gestured to his leg and winced. “You don’t expect the wounded to handle this, do you?”
Malik took a deep breath and exhaled through tight lips. “Of course not.”
“What did you see from the top?” Tiff asked. “Is rescue on the way?”
I pointed east. “There’s nothing but mountains in that direction.”
“Which means we have at least a week of walking ahead of us,” Malik said. “If we can’t figure out where the colony is, we need to head to our only landmark.”
Riley stiffened. “We’re not going anywhere. We’ll wait at the ship like we’re supposed to.”
“Not for long,” Malik said. “Without supplies, we’ll starve.”
“The colony will send someone for us soon.” Riley leaned on Kalani, whose face reflected only cheerful strain. “Waiting with the ship is the usual protocol.”
“I’d like to think you’re right, but I’m losing my optimism,” Malik said.
A thin smile stretched Riley’s lips. “Then it’s fortunate you’re not in charge.”
“In charge?” Malik narrowed his gaze on Riley. “What do you mean by that?”
I blinked at Riley, worried about where this was
going.
“I’m Team Leader,” Riley said.
Colin sauntered over to flank Riley. “That’s right.”
“Of a different team.” Malik pinched his chin. “And that’s another thing. Last I knew, you were going to Stellar 3. How did you end up on our ship?”
Good question. Odd that they’d switched someone at the last minute.
“A change of plans. Vick and I got switched to Eris.” Riley directed his gaze at me before it slid to Tiff, who dragged her gaze from him and picked at her sleeve.
I frowned at Tiff. Why the weird exchange of looks?
“Hmm,” Malik said.
Riley’s face tightened, and anger replaced the grief that had filled his features. “A better question would be why you didn’t know about it. You being military and all. I thought you people kept track of things like that.”
Malik’s face darkened.
Riley shifted forward, crowding Malik’s space. Kalani and Colin moved with him, a mini-army. “Wasn't personnel part of your duties? Shouldn’t you have known about the switch?”
“Yep.” Steel infused Malik’s voice.
Uneasy about the direction this conversation was taking, I moved closer to Malik.
“Perhaps you were too busy with other activities?” Riley glanced my way before his scowl disappeared. He grinned, although his eyes thrust daggers. "No reason to make a big deal about it, though. Like Colin said, we need to work together here. Our duties were clear on Earth. I'm Team Leader, trained to be part of the administrative staff at the colony, and you're…well, you're military, trained to do military things. Like protect us.” He grunted. “Speaking of which, I’ll expect more from you in the future.”
Malik winced. His head lifted, and he planted his feet in the sand. “The colonists are in charge.”
“They’re not here at the moment.” Riley blinked. “Oh. I get it. You think you deserve the honor? You’re what, sixteen?” His chest expanded. “I’m the oldest here next to Jay, and Jay’s not capable of taking charge at the moment.”
“I’m nineteen.” Malik’s deep voice drew my gaze. “As you said, military.” He fingered something on his hip. A laser pistol. I hoped he’d brought plenty of charges.
“I’m twenty-three,” Riley stared down his nose at Malik. “Guess that puts me in control until the colonists arrive.”
The thought of Riley being in control of anything—let alone us—dropped my heart to the ground.
“We don’t need to pick a leader right now,” Malik said, and my attention shot to him. “With command in place at the colony…” His eyes flickered toward the desert. “You’ll be superfluous.”
“I’ll be…?” Riley shook his head. “Tell you what. If it makes you feel better, we’ll ask Jay.” He limped over to where the man was lying in the shade and patted his arm until he roused. “Hey. Wake up a sec.”
Jay groaned.
Joe and Mandy woke up, and Joe’s gaze met mine. He got up, and he and Mandy came over to stand with me. My brother must have felt the tension in the air, because he remained half-behind me, and his hand sought mine. I squeezed it and wanted to stoop down to reassure him, but needed to deal with this first.
“Jay, Jay?” Riley said, shaking him. “You’re the oldest here. Care to weigh in on who should be in command until the colonists arrive?”
Jay twitched. “All gone. Horrible.”
“Poor guy.” Riley rubbed Jay’s shoulder, then touched his forehead as if assessing temperature. He shook his head and straightened, striding back to stand in front of Malik.
No limp.
“Wait a minute.” I turned to face the others, my arms spreading wide. “We should vote.”
Joe nodded. Even at eight, he was a big believer in fairness. We’d talked together about all our decisions since Mom died.
“Why vote?” Riley asked.
I lifted my chin. “Because you’re not a dictator.”
“Yeah,” Joe said. He snarled at Riley like my small, personal guard dog, but I didn’t want him stuck in the middle of this. How could I keep him away from the tension swirling through the air? My shoulders drooped when I realized there was no way. We were stuck here—together—until Dad and the colonists arrived.
“Dictator?” Colin said. “Now, come on.” He stared toward me.
Riley held his friend back. He grinned, flashing his perfectly aligned teeth. The smile didn’t spread further than his lips. His sapphire gaze scanned the group, a shark in a pool of minnows. “Lesha’s absolutely right. We should vote.”
Colin patted Riley’s back. “You got my vote already, dude.”
Riley’s focus dropped on Malik. “To make this a true democracy,” he shot a glare my way, “I’ll need an opponent.” He looked around. “No one else is stepping up, Malik, so you’re on deck.”
Malik gave Riley a tight nod.
“All those in favor of me as the leader, raise your hand,” Riley said.
“Me.” Kalani lifted hers, her eyes gleaming.
No surprise there. Felicia, Piper and Nikolai added their confirmation. The teenage girls fawned over Riley like his fan club, but fifteen-year-old Nikolai should have been too smart to fall for Riley’s slick charm.
Riley turned to Tiff, eyebrows lifting. Tiff’s gaze met mine before darting sideways.
Hold on. What was going on here? While Tiff had pushed Riley on me a few times, she’d never given any indication he was different from all the other guys she’d tried to fix me up with. Her features paled, and her fists clenched at her sides before one arm rose.
My lungs stalled. While I hadn’t had a chance to tell her about Riley yet, she had to see though his slick exterior.
We knew everything about each other. Or, so I’d thought. For the first time, a fissure widened in our friendship, leaving me teetering onto the edge.
Trey frowned at Tiff but lifted his arm when she elbowed his ribs.
Altogether, that made nine votes for Riley.
“And who votes for Malik?” Riley asked.
I raised my hand.
Riley frowned.
Four votes, including Malik, me, and Joe and Mandy.
“Glad that’s settled.” Riley’s chest swelled. “As for you, Malik,” he spread his arm wide, “You can play guard.”
Malik’s eyebrows rose. He shifted his weight to the side and linked his arms across his chest. “Guard, huh? You think you need one?”
He did.
“You’ve done a crappy job at it so far,” Riley said. “I get it. We’re under considerable stress.” His gaze took in those nodding around him. “But we can’t all be slackers.”
Malik’s breath hissed.
Before he said anything that might make things worse, I gripped his arm and shook my head. Although it made me cringe to do it, I turned my back on Riley and leaned near Malik. “The colonists will be here soon, and it’ll no longer matter. Let’s not split the group.”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to prevent.” Malik grunted and shook his head. “I don’t like this.”
“Me neither.” How could I? With Riley in charge, I’d have to guard my back twenty-four-seven.
Riley turned and started back to where he’d been sitting.
Colin grabbed his arm. “Wait, wait, wait. Not so fast, dude. Let me help you.”
Kalani took the other side, and they led him to a soft spot in the sand. Colin gave Riley his pack to prop his leg on. Once settled like a king on his throne, Riley waved his arm toward Malik. “How about finding something to eat?”
Malik sighed. “We need to inventory what we’ve got.”
Riley’s eyes met mine before he smiled and pulled Kalani down beside him. “Get to it.”
Like me, other survivors had grabbed their bags before escaping the ship. Malik sorted through our limited supplies.
I caught Tiff’s eye and gestured with my head, indicating I wanted to talk with her alone. I’d fill her in on the real Riley, which would change her mi
nd about him. She grimaced and took a step backward.
Mandy came over and nestled into my side. She tucked her hand into mine and squeezed.
Lifting my eyebrows, I mouthed to Tiff, “We’ve got to talk.”
Mandy squeezed my hand tighter.
“What’s up, honey?” I glanced down at her.
Her blue durasuit was scorched in places, but she didn’t appear to have any burns, thankfully. Sand stuck to one side of her face, and I brushed it off. When I finished, she raised her arm, pointing to the bottom of the ship.
Oh, that’s right. Will had died in there. She probably couldn’t stop thinking about the horror we’d escaped from. She also could be worried about what would happen at the colony and who would take care of her. Talking to Tiff could wait. I stooped down. Taking Mandy’s hands in mine, I stared into her dark eyes. “I’ve been thinking about this. If you want, you can live with my dad, Joe, and me at the colony.”
She smiled sadly, but shook her head and yanked my hand. After pulling me toward the front of the ship, she pointed again.
What did she want? Or, what did she want me to see?
Ahh. “The access panel?” In one of my classes, we went through the general layout of the ship. The outer door beneath the ship’s nose had a hatch that led to the forward compartment. While we couldn’t get to any remaining supplies from the stasis chamber, we might be able to reach them from the underside. “Hey, Malik. Come here.”
When his gaze followed my arm, a grin split his face. “Smart thinking.”
I stroked her long hair. “We can thank Mandy.” Her lips rose in a frail smile. “You’re the smart one here, aren’t you?”
Her half-smile widened. She didn’t say a thing, and I realized she hadn’t spoken since we’d crashed. Mute from choice or stress. I couldn’t say I blamed her. I’d make time to talk with her later today and see if there was professional help for her available at the colony.
But for now, we needed to look for supplies. I nudged her toward my brother. “Go wait with Joe, okay?” After she left, I joined Malik underneath. Sealed up tight, it might be harder to break into the ship than Fort Knox. “How do we get inside?”
He pulled himself up onto the ship’s sole black wheel, his arm muscles tightening his sleeves. “All I need to do is enter the code.” Holding onto the wheel support, he stretched toward the numbered keypad. His fingers flew across the surface. “And voila.” His arm swept out. Nothing.
Phoenix Arise: YA Sci-fi Thriller (From the Ashes Book 1) Page 9