Starstream Academy (The Navigators Book 1)

by Alexandria Smith

  “Got it!” Lollipop said before Gypsy slipped from the room. I sighed and looked to Lollipop, who gave me a gentle smile before taking Gypsy’s former seat. “Calm down boss, tell me what happened,” she said. I nodded then stopped, my head pounding slightly from the movement. Lollipop chuckled before grabbing my head and I flinched slightly before relaxed a bit when her fingers began to massage my temple. “Better?” she asked gently. I hummed and she chuckled, continuing her ministrations while I began to talk.

  I retold her everything I remembered and some of the fuzzier things before trailing off since her massage was making me tired. I was a few second from falling sleep, but I heard the door open and moved back, looking up to watch as Gypsy walked in with an old man. He looked familiar and it took a moment before I realized it was the old man from the diner. He looked somber, but he gave me a small smile when I waved at him. “Is Silver okay?” I asked.

  “She’s made of tougher stuff. I’m surprised the young waitress from a small diner became such an important person,” he joked. I gave him a humorless smile before looking away.

  “Yeah. Small world,” I grumbled before placing a hand to my head.

  “Is your head hurting?” he asked. I looked to him and nodded slightly, stopping and grimacing when it throbbed again. “You’ll be feeling a little pain for a short while. You Navigators are unusual people,” he said, walking over and pulling out a flashlight. He shone it in both of my eyes before looking to me seriously. “The Chaotic almost broke your skull open, but you were lucky enough to hold him off as long as you did. It was just a long crack. It’s almost healed unusually enough. We had to cut your hair down to work with the gash on your head,” he said. I blinked before moving to get up before Gypsy grabbed my arm.

  “Calm down. You look fine,” she said in a soothing voice. I huffed a bit before looking to the man, who gave me a humor filled smile.

  “You look fine Miss Jones. It seems that Navigators have an accelerated healing factor when it comes to their heads…..who knew?” he said with a bright look on his face. I nodded, reaching up with my left hand and whining slightly when I touched the shorter hair on my head. It was going to take forever to grow back!

  I pouted slightly while the man checked me over and nodded, smoothly removing the IV and covering the cut it left. “You can move around Miss Jones, but try not to do anything too exciting. Your head is still healing,” he said. I nodded slowly before slipping from the bed and frowning.

  “Can we go see Silver?” I asked. He nodded and tossed us a cheerful smile before heading out of the room. I took a few hesitant steps before relaxing when no dizzy spells assaulted me. I marched over to the only mirror in the room and looked at hit, frowning deeper as I touched my hair. The left side was shaved down dangerously close to my head and part of it was bound tightly while the other side of my hair was cut short. I think one of the nurses took pity on me. It didn’t look that bad and I fiddled with it before glaring at Lollipop when she appeared in the mirror.

  “I never took you for someone who was super worried about looks,” she teased. I rolled my eyes before turning and tossing her a flat look before heading over to Gypsy.

  “I’m not one for looks, but I really liked having long hair,” I said with a pout before looking up at Gypsy. I was tired and didn’t feel like walking, most of my energy sapped when I panicked earlier. “Carry me?” I asked as pathetically as possible. Her eyes widened before she scooped me up and looked to Lollipop in concern.

  “Maybe she should go back to sleep?” she said, cradling me to her chest.

  “She’s just being a baby,” Lollipop said while rolling her eyes. I stuck my tongue out at her before relaxing against Gypsy’s chest and sighing softly.

  “Can we go see Silver now?” I asked. Gypsy headed out of the room and I relaxed further, thinking about Hector and where he had escaped too. I shook the notion from my head and focused on the long hallway we were heading down, raising an eyebrow when I saw Gabrielle.

  She looked worried and sick, her hands tugging her robes to the side as she walked. She sighed before shaking her head and looking up, her eyes widening before she ran over and pulling me from Gypsy’s arms. Gypsy growled, but she was ignored as Gabrielle looked me over in worry.

  “Are you alright?” she asked nervously. I nodded then grimaced, which made her look even more nervous. “You should be resting,” she scolded.

  “I wanted to check on my teammate,” I said. She frowned before sighing deeply and nodding, looking to Gypsy and scowling at her then Lollipop.

  “I’ll accompany you,” she said. I nodded in a quick jerk of my head before looking to Gypsy, who scooped me up again. She huffed softly before shuffling forward and grumbling, Lollipop following with her own grumbles. The walk was awkward; Gabrielle continued to fret over me while Gypsy and Lollipop soon became annoyed with her attitude.

  We eventually got to Silver’s room and inside, watching as two male androids ran around. I raised an eyebrow before looking to Silver, who was giggling and taking about lunch. The mention of food made my stomach growl and Gabrielle excused herself to get me something to eat. Gypsy and Lollipop relaxed and I slipped from Gypsy’s arms, walking over and smiling at Silver.

  “Hey,” I said, taking the free seat at her side. Her head snapped towards me and her eyes lit up before she sat up fully.

  “Rosie! I’m so glad you’re okay!” she said in joy before moving forward a bit and wincing.

  “Hey don’t move,” I scolded lightly, gently pushing her back to her bed. She gave me a tired smile before frowning deeply and looking at me with troubled eyes.

  “You were seriously hurt. He almost killed you several times,” she said. I heard Gypsy and Lollipop suck in a quick breathe, but shook my head and gently grabbed her hand.

  “You were missing half of your torso. I’m alright,” I said. She laughed humorlessly before shaking her head.

  “I wasn’t in any real danger…” she began before I gently grabbed her hand and shook my head.

  “Silver. You’re just as alive as the rest of us. You could have died,” I said simply. She gave me a smile before squeezing my hand slightly and leaning back.

  “Yeah well I’m alright now. Papa managed to fix me up. I’m just…. “tender” right now,” she said with a shrug then grimace.

  “I think we’re both a little tender,” I grumbled, rubbing my wrapped head. She grinned a bit before cocking her head to the side and beaming.

  “I like how it looks,” she said with a grin. I chuckled and shook my head before looking to the door when it opened and Gabrielle walked in with a tray of food, the old man from earlier following. “Papa!” Silver squealed in delight, the older man laughing before heading over.

  “Hello sweetie,” he said before placing a tray on her lap. She began to eat while Gabrielle placed my food on my lap and moved back a bit. I too began to eat, but also began to think about Hector and the green person I had seen before. The person wasn’t exactly there, but Hector had been able to see her too so that as something. I shook the thought from my head before looking up when the door to the room opened and Headmaster Rockefeller walked in.

  “Rose Mary! You’re awake,” he said with a large smile on his face. I returned the look before finishing my food and rubbing my head slightly.

  “Yeah. Are you okay sir?” I asked. He nodded before a serious look appeared on his face and he looked to Gabrielle.

  “The council and myself is concerned for your safety, we’ve all been discussing the proper course of action and have decided that you are no longer safe here,” he said. I frowned deeply before thinking and slowly shaking my head.

  “I would like to think that I would be safer near you,” I said lightly before watching as he gave me a mildly annoyed tinted smile.

  “I would have thought so too, but it seems that Hector has lost a bit of sense since the last time I saw him. Your safety is all of our priorities so we will be moving you to Planet E
lysian. Chaotic Navigator Heather is there along with the twins. The four of us will keep you safe,” He said before rolling his shoulders and looking to Gabrielle.

  She seemed more interested in me so he rolled his eyes before heading out of the room and I rubbed my jaw in thought. We were going to be heading to Planet Elysian, but it made me wary. Was leaving the school safer than staying? I didn’t think so.

  It didn’t take long for us to be transferred to a ship and I tried to relax as the crew rushed about, but it was a useless endeavor. I sighed before slipping low in my seat and watching as the others spoke quietly about everything. We were currently all gathered in the ships main cockpit like area, different ASC officers milling about.

  Headmaster Rockefeller was speaking to Madam Matron while Silver’s father and Gabrielle were speaking about something in the corner. I was feeling more tired than before and briefly wondered if we really should be moving so fast. I shrugged off the feeling before yawning tiredly and looking to the side at Gypsy. She was in the middle of fiddling around with some kind of pen while Leatre was knitting?

  I blinked a few times before shaking my head and looking to Eagalia, who was reading a thick looking book. Lollipop and Silver were talking and the two male androids were hovering around behind Silver. She looked chipper and I blinked a few times to keep awake before leaning against Gypsy and mumbling. “Ubouku?’ Gypsy grumbled out before shifting around in her seat and gently hugging me close. “Are you okay?” she asked lowly.

  “I’m tired and I think this is a bad idea. We just fought him only a few hours ago, a day at the most, and now were going to head out?” I said nervously. Her hand rubbed my side, but I didn’t relax, my mind going through several worst case scenarios. He could kill us during takeoff, he could be on the ship right now, he could be waiting for us in space and so much more. My head was beginning to hurt so I rubbed it and forced my thoughts away.

  “I know you have reservations, but we’re all in a tight spot. The school is not safe. Not by a long run. At least on Planet Elysian we have some kind of chance,” she said in a mildly soothing voice. I sighed before nodding slowly and swallowing nervously. Her words didn’t really help, but the closeness helped.

  “Attention! We’re going to be taking off!” Mrs. Hill called from the pilot’s seat. I winced before strapping myself in and nervously tapping on my knee, my leg bouncing in place.

  “Are you alright?” Gypsy asked. I nodded and tried to relax as the ship violently shook and we left Planet Denia. I felt the tension drain from my body when the ship stopped violently shaking and leaned my head back. I closed my eyes and settled in to what I hoped was a peaceful ride.

  Chapter 18

  Flight of the Survivors

  My chest hurt and I groaned softly while struggling to open my eyes. It was a process of slowly inching my eyelids up, but eventually my eyes opened and I looked around. I heard some kind of wild life and frowned in confusion before trying to push myself to my feet. I hissed in pain and grabbed my left arm before looking to it. It was bent in an odd angle and I quickly looked away before grabbing at the strap that kept me bound to my seat.

  I looked around and found I was in some kind of forest near the remains of a starship. I frowned in confusion before the last several hours came rushing back. I quickly pulled myself free before pulling my arm close and looking around. “Hello!” I yelled, cursing lightly when no one answered. I shuffled through the wreckage and looked around, covering my lower mouth when I found some dead officers. “Please don’t let my team be dead,” I whispered.

  We had been three hours away from Planet Elysian when Hector struck. Although we managed to get into Planet Elysian’s gravitational pull, he shot our ship down. I lost consciousness before the crash, but now I didn’t know what was happening. I swallowed before shaking my head and shuffling through the wreckage. I saw the body of one of Silver’s brothers and headed over, kneeling at the golden android’s side.

  He was mostly destroyed and I shook my head before noticing some kind of card coming out of his head. I pulled it out then shoved it into my pocket before slowly standing. Looking around, I shuffled through the wreckage again before stopping when I heard something. It sounded like my name. I quieted, listening for the sound before grinning when I realized it was my name. “Hello!” I called out.

  “Rosie?!” I heard Lollipop yell. I grinned and headed to the tree line, grimacing when I jostled my arm. I sped up before stumbling to a stop when I heard a yell of anger. It sounded like Gypsy. I quickly ran through the trees before stopping and relaxing when I found Gypsy was looking around while Lollipop attempted to clean her face. Silver was seated on another piece of the destroyed ship and holding something and sniffling.

  I quickly moved out from the trees and they looked up, Gypsy moving to stand. Lollipop growled and stabbed her shoulder with her fingers, causing Gypsy to growl. “Hold still! Rosie! Come over here!” she yelled. I quickly walked over and grimaced when I found that Gypsy had a deep gash on the bridge of her nose.

  “How bad is it?” she joked before whining slightly as Lollipop dabbed at the wound.

  “It doesn’t look so bad, but it’s probably going to scar,” I said weakly. She frowned, but I shook my head and patted her shoulder. “I think it’ll suit you,” I teased. She gave me a small grin before whining louder when Lollipop dabbed at her wound again.

  “Be glad I found that stupid first aid kit!” she snapped before placing a thick piece of gauze on her face and beginning to bind it. I looked to Silver and walked over, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. She looked up at me with watery eyes and showed me a thin bronze colored card.

  “My big brother almost got destroyed,” she said weakly. I frowned and reached into my pocket before pulling out a gold version of the card and watching as she gasped. “No…..no no,” she whispered while taking the card and whimpering. I felt bad for her and looked to Gypsy and Lollipop, who were still taking care of the gash on Gypsy’s face. Lollipop finished after a moment before looking to me and frowning deeply.

  “Crap. Your arms broken huh?” she said, walking over and gently grabbing the limb. I hissed in pain and tried to recoil, but she kept a firm grip on my wrist. “Sit down. We have to set this,” she said. I swallowed nervously before taking a seat next to Gypsy. Lollipop moved over to a large first aid kit before looking to Silver and sighing softly. “Silver I know you’re going through some stuff, but we need you over here,” Lollipop yelled. I looked over and Silver slowly put the two cards away before coming over while rubbing her eyes.

  “What do you need me to do?” she asked. Lollipop looked to me then Gypsy and motioned for Gypsy to open her legs.

  “Rosie. I don’t trust that you’re going to stay still. Sit between Gypsy’s legs and Gypsy keep her still,” she said. I reluctantly moved to my feet and moved between Gypsy’s legs before sitting. Gypsy wrapped her arms around me and Lollipop looked to Silver before jerking her head towards my arm. “Alright. Gypsy keep her still and Silver help me with this. Don’t use too much force or you’re going to break her arm worse,” she cautioned. I stiffened as they moved my arm before biting into my lip a bit. “Okay on three,” she said.

  I felt my body stiffen up even more and she mumbled once, twice, then three times, but nothing happened. I frowned in confusion and looked to her, crying out when she took that moment to set it. I almost jerked away, but Gypsy kept a firm grip on me and I gritted my teeth in agony. Lollipop quickly set it before grabbing two pieces of wood and placing them against my arm.

  She quickly bound them with a bandage before fashioning a sling and fitting my arm into it. I grunted slightly before leaning back and trying to breathe deeply. That had hurt more than I wanted to admit and I relaxed back against Gypsy. She mumbled softly into my hair before releasing me and I slumped against her. After taking a moment to calm down, I reluctantly stood and looked up, frowning when I found nothing in the sky. “Should we stay here?” I said, looking at th
e others. Silver and Gypsy nodded, but Lollipop shook her head and began to pack up.

  “That crazy man attacked us and eventually he’s going to come looking for us. I don’t want to be killed by him,” she said. I swallowed and looked up again before looking to a large tree.

  “Silver, can you quickly scale the tree to see if you can find some more wreckage?” I asked. She quickly rubbed her eyes before nodding and beginning to climb one of the towering trees to my right. I rubbed my arm in pain before looking around warily and listening to the noise around me. I heard the rustling of the trees, the wind gently blowing and quiet chirping before Silver suddenly landed in front of me.

  “There’s smoke in the distance and I think a flare is being sent out or something,” she said in excitement. I grinned a bit and she pointed to the left of us, grabbing my right arm and tugging me forward. I chuckled and stumbled after her, listening to Gypsy and Lollipop follow us. “I hope Papa can fix my brothers,” Silver mumbled as we marched through the forest. I wanted to say something, but I realized that something was off. It took a moment, but then dread set in.

  The forest was completely silent. I looked to Lollipop and Gypsy, who were now looking around with anxiousness on their face. “Guys? Why are we quiet?” Silver said softly. I looked to her before my eyes widened when I noticed something just up ahead of her. I was about to move back, but the mass shot forward and knocked Silver to the side before slamming into me, knocking me to the ground. I quickly looked down and began struggling when I saw its face.

  It was large and thickly muscled, with leathery skin and no hair. It had no eyes and my own widened when its sharp teethed mouth leaned near my face. The two slits on its face blew out air into my face before it tossed its head back and screeched into the sky. The black wings on its back began to flap and I screamed while struggling worse. “Get it off!” I yelled and kicked as it began to lift up.