by Jamie Zakian
“No!” Joey squealed, lurching forward in her seat. “We got the golden letter in the mail. They knew us at check-in. It’s all legit.”
“All right.” Sabrina rose to her feet, opening the door. “You guys can go, but I’ll be keeping close tabs on you, all.”
Kami and Rai ran from the room as if the floor were on fire.
Joey slouched while walking toward the door. She stopped, glancing back at Sabrina. Her face twisted with bits of confusion and mounds of hurt before she walked away.
Jesse slowed his steps, eyeing the handheld. It just sat there on the desk, asking to be boosted. A pound echoed in his ears. He almost made like the Matsudas and mad-dashed from the room until he realized it was just his stupid heart beating.
“Captain Stone.” He strained to keep a blank expression, to hide his dishonorable intentions as he sat on the desk. “We’re not the bad guys here. I’m willing to cooperate, totally.”
“Thank you, Jesse. If you ever need to tell me something, my door’s always open.”
“Okay, Captain Stone.” Jesse slid off the desk, taking the handheld with him, and turned toward the door. A wide smile invaded his lips as he slipped the device into his pocket. He fought the urge to run, settling for a half-jog.
***
Rai pulled Kami down the hall, shoving two dudes from his way. “They’re gonna find out about us,” he whispered. His thumb jabbed the keypad on his door, and his clutch tightened on Kami’s wrist. After the door slid open, he yanked her inside, then hit the lock button.
“They’re not gonna find out.” Kami whacked his chest, then wrenched her arm free. “I’ll come up with something.”
She rubbed the spot where he manhandled her, frowning. Guilt ignited inside Rai like a swarm of radioactive gnats, which only added to his already boiling anger.
“You better do something. I actually like them, Kami.”
“I know. I like them too. Joey’s just so … And Jesse!”
Rai slumped behind the desk, opening his laptop. “I really want this to work now. As much as I hate to say it, you were right.” He knew Kami had a smug look plastered on her face, which was why he refused to look away from his screen. “And wipe that smirk off your face ‘cause Captain Know-it-All just put us on blast.”
“Relax. I’ll figure something out. I have to or else we’ll—”
“Don’t even go there.” Rai held out his hand, turning to glare. “Cause that’s not happening.”
Kami chuckled, pacing beside him. “We just need a good distraction, a diversion, the ol’ bait and switch.” She lifted her finger, mouth opening to speak, when a knock shook the door.
A yelp escaped her lungs, and she grabbed Rai’s arm. “Gross!” She shoved him away, then punched his shoulder. “Go get the door.”
“You get the door,” Rai barked, pushing Kami.
Kami slapped his chest, pushing back. “You get it.”
“No, you.”
They grumbled and griped, and a shoving match began once again.
***
Jesse rounded the corner, biting back a grin, when Joey snatched his collar.
“What took you so long?”
“Oh, nothing.” He pushed the stolen handheld deeper into his pocket, kept it covered in his hand, but it still felt like everyone they walked by could see it.
Joey strolled beside him down the hall. “That was ultra-bizarre, right?”
“Yeah! And that stuff about their parents—what’s that all about?”
“Kami never talks about her mom.” Joey lowered her gaze to the floor, yet she managed to dodge three people without a single missed step. “Now that I think about it, she doesn’t talk about anything personal.”
“Do you think they hacked us onto this flight?”
“That’s ridiculous. They don’t know us, or they didn’t know us then. Aw, you know what I’m saying.”
“Nah, you’re right. It is a little ridiculous.”
“You know what?” Joey waved her finger, stopping beside her hallway. “I betcha somebody backed out last minute and we were, like, the runner-ups.”
“That makes more sense. But still, those Matsudas are shady. They’re hiding something from us.”
“Agreed.” She stared at Jesse’s hallway, her foot tapping the floor. “I say we bust in there and confront them.”
“What?”
“Yeah! They scampered into your room. Let’s just go in there and find out what’s up.”
Jesse eyed his closed door. He could handle a cagey roommate for the next few days. His sister, however, that was a different story. She’d never stop until her curiosity was satisfied, and he’d never get any sleep.
“Okay.” He headed toward his room, looking back to make sure Joey was following. “We’ll just be firm.”
“Yeah, demand answers.”
“Right.” Jesse placed his finger on the keypad, the light blinking red. “Rai locked me out.”
A grumble carried Joey forward, and she banged on the door. “I know you’re in there.” Her pounds fell under a loud clunk, which echoed from the vents above. “What was that?”
Jesse looked up and the ceiling blurred, spiraling toward him. Fire tore through his insides, roiling, digging, ripping at his gut. He cupped his stomach and doubled over, only to see the floor drifting away from his feet.
Chapter Ten
Once the kids scampered off, and Sabrina’s bedroom door clicked shut, Reyes crept from the corner. His gaze stuck to Sabrina, who stared at the wall. Small lines of worry creased her smooth skin. It really shouldn’t, but it bothered him to see her distraught.
He grabbed the back of a chair and slid it close. As he sat, their knees touched, and she didn’t pull away. “What are you thinking?” he asked, straining to keep his hands off her leg.
“That girl, Joey, it was definitely her on the loudspeaker. But, there’s no way she’s smart enough to defuse a multilayered explosive. She’s from G-Sector. Nobody in her family ever went to any type of school, but those other two. Rai Matsuda. He’s been a thorn in my side for years.”
“You know, I’m from G-Sector. We don’t go to school because we can’t afford the tuition.”
Sabrina leaned back, eyes wide. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”
“Don’t sweat it.” He flashed a grin. It would take much more than that from an A-Sector to faze him. “What were you saying about the Matsuda boy? I know he’s a priority passenger, but I’ve never heard of him. Who’s his parents?”
“Oh, um.” Sabrina shifted in her chair. “That’s classified information.” She looked away, adjusting her already snug vest. “But … I guess that doesn’t really matter anymore because of the solar flare. Hey, wait a minute.” She turned her stare to Reyes, and her eyes did that squinty thing. Not good. It meant someone was about to have their ass handed to them, and he was the only other person in the room.
“How’d you get this job without a degree?”
“What do you mean ‘solar flare’?” Reyes followed Sabrina’s evasive stare, right to an empty desktop. “And where’s my handheld?”
Sabrina looked at the desk, gasped, then jumped to her feet. “Jesse! He played me.” A grind and a pop thundered through the vents, and she actually flinched. “What was that?”
Vertigo came quick, washing over Reyes in waves. He gripped his forehead to combat the blur that would arrive at any moment. His body swayed, a force helping him from his chair. “Ah, hell,” he groaned, clutching onto the edge of the desk. “Grab ahold of something.”
***
Jesse’s shoulder slid up the wall. The air became thick, carrying his feet from the ground, and he reached for Joey. Their fingertips grazed before her back hit the ceiling. “Joey,” he called out, pushing against the weight of space.
“What’s happening?” Joey flailed her arms, blowing at the locks of hair that drifted in front of her face.
“H
old on. I’ll get you,” Jesse thrust his arms to his side, and his body propelled toward Joey. It wasn’t until midlaunch he realized, there was no stopping. He crashed into Joey but held tight.
They twirled, suspended midair, then bounced off a wall.
“Now this is what I thought space would be like,” Joey said through a chuckle as they floated weightless down the hall.
“This is cool, but I don’t think it’s right.” With one arm firmly draped around Joey, he kicked off a doorframe, and they sailed back toward his room.
He braced for impact when the door slid open, and Kami poked her head out from the top of the threshold.
“Hey, guys,” Kami said, her lips bunched into a half-smile.
“No brakes,” Jesse shouted, pulling Joey closer as they barreled through the doorway.
“My laptop,” Rai yelled, kicking his feet and reaching for his whirling computer.
“By all means, save the tech,” Kami said, grabbing Jesse’s ankle just in time to stop his head from bashing into a chair that floated by.
Kami let go, and they bobbed to a hover. Jesse looked at Joey, loosening his grip. “Are you good?”
“Yeah.”
Slowly, and almost against his will, he released his sister. For seconds that felt like hours, he fought gravity to reach the wall. His arms sprawled out. Squeaks erupted from beneath his fingertips as he searched for some way to steady himself. Grunts and huffs drew his stare to the middle of the room. There was Rai, practically swimming through the air. It would have been hilarious if the computer wasn’t about to smash against an incoming lamp.
“Don’t let it break.”
“I’m freakin’ trying,” Rai said through clenched teeth, sweat dripping from his chin.
Joey kicked off the floor, coasting across the room. She snatched the laptop, waving to Rai as she breezed by. Her side rebounded off the wall, and she dodged an alarm clock. “Got it,” she said, coasting back past Rai.
“Hey! Get back here with that.”
With one hand, and a mountain of grace, Joey landed snug in a corner.
“You’re pretty good at that.” Kami tumbled forward, perching beside Joey.
Rai thrashed his body from side to side. His silky hair flowed around his red face, his body caught in the middle of the room.
“No. You have to relax,” Joey called out. “Wave your arms. Don’t wiggle.”
Jesse floated closer to Kami’s side. “Don’t you wanna help your brother?” he whispered.
“This is way too funny to stop.” Kami snickered.
“Just pull me,” Rai grumbled, whacking at the toothbrushes and clothes that lingered around his face.
“You gotta reach,” Joey said, stretching out. She clasped onto Rai’s fingers and tugged.
Rai flew forward, seizing Kami by the shoulders. He clung to Kami’s neck, gasping for breath.
“Ew,” Kami shrilled. “Get off.” She pushed Rai, and he soared backward.
“Kami!” Rai shouted, arm outstretched.
Joey glided her fingers along Rai’s arm until their hands met. She yanked, and Rai collided against her chest. Their noses touched, a gasp flew from her lips, and she pulled back.
“I’m sorry.” Rai gripped Joey by the waist. His hand slid up her side, then along her arm, and Jesse almost decked the guy.
“I really need” —Rai wrapped his fingers around the computer, still caught in Joey’s grasp— “this.”
“Oh!” Joey released the computer, drifting back.
“I mean, thank you,” Rai flashed a smile and opened the laptop’s lid. “I just have to get back into the camera feed.” He swung one arm, trying to remain upright while cradling the equipment in his other hand. “How am I supposed to do this like this?”
“You could get under the desk,” Joey said. “It’s bolted to the floor.”
Rai looked at the small cramped space, cringed, and then shrugged. “I guess that’ll work.” He kicked his feet, going nowhere fast, and let out a huff. His face twisted in shame, and he glanced at Joey. “Can you help me get over there?”
Joey snickered, more of a snort, then grabbed Rai by the arm.
***
Reyes crashed into Sabrina’s locker, pulling his feet from the air to the floor.
“You know what this means, right?” Sabrina clutched the edge of the desk, swatting a chair from her face.
“I think so.” Reyes flung open the locker door, silver cases floating past his head.
“He’s in the engine room.” Sabrina sprung from the desk, bouncing off the door. “I’m gonna get him.”
“That’s what I thought,” Reyes muttered. “Wait!”
“I have to move.” She hit the keypad, looking back to hurl Reyes an impatient glare as the door slid open. “Without gravity, I can shoot down the elevator shaft and—”
“Sabrina!” He pulled a pair of clunky metal boots from the locker. “I have gravity waders.” With a press of a button, the soles slammed to the floor.
That broke her glower, and she kicked off the wall, coasting back toward him. “Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about.”
She crashed against his chest, and instinct drew his arms around her. He should’ve let go, but desire kept his hands fixed to her body. When lips grazed the side of his neck, shivers erupted beneath his skin.
“Thanks.”
Her throaty whisper forced his clutch to grow tighter. “You’re not going alone.”
The softness, which had lasted only seconds, drained from her body, and she leaned back. “I need you to check-in with the bridge, assemble your security team, and meet me on the engineering deck.” She snatched the boots, pushed off his chest, and perched beside the door.
“I could’ve done all that with my handheld.” Reyes pulled another pair of boots from the locker and slipped his feet inside.
“I’ll get it back after I deal with this.”
He fastened the straps and hit the power button. Now firmly fixed to the floor, he glanced up only to find Sabrina gone. “Crazy woman,” he muttered.
Caught in a wobble, he careened toward the open door. The sway of his body took him into a stagger. He fell forward, gripping the doorway and stopping a face-plant to the floor.
“Tricky,” he mumbled, taking baby steps. His feet remained steady, but his body swayed in every direction. He took a step, then another. To walk in these heavy boots, fighting against space, reminded him of wading through the ash fields back home in an anti-radiation suit. The remains of old cities blown to dust, where he scavenged for steel with his brothers to trade for flight school tuition, had been his playground as a child. His thoughts trailed off once he stepped into the hall. Children zoomed down the passage, laughing and kicking off the ceiling. “This is chaos,” he said.
“Mr. Reyes!” Chuck called out, drifting by. “I can’t find my father.”
Reyes grabbed Chuck by the arm, helping the boy get his feet, at least angled toward the floor. “I’m on my way to the bridge now.”
“I just talked to Natalia.” Chuck pulled a handheld from his pocket. “She said he left an hour ago to get cleaned up, but I was in our room with Lena, and he never came there.”
Reyes scanned the bodies floating around him. While a major pain, the situation was far from life threatening. “This is a diversion.”
“What?” Chuck squinted, his stare glued to Reyes.
“Nothing. Hey, Chuck, can I use your handheld for a second?”
Chapter Eleven
Kami glanced over her shoulder. Jesse seemed to have his usual cool glare, and he hadn’t moved away from her. Maybe she got lucky. This cursed shuttle and its faulty equipment had awesome timing. This was just the type of distraction she needed to sidetrack him.
When Jesse turned toward her, she darted her gaze away. After a minute of looking at nothing on the wall, she glanced back at Jesse. Damn, he was still staring.
Jesse le
aned close to Kami, and she jumped when his shoulder rubbed against hers.
“Did you do this?” His hushed voice tickled her skin and stung her feelings.
“Excuse me?” she pretty much yelled, lurching back. Her side hit the wall, and Joey floated over. “You guys think we did this?”
“What?” Joey said, hurling Jesse a sharp glare.
Rai poked his head out from beneath the desk, eyes and hands still focused on his laptop. “Not cool.”
“I don’t think that’s what Jesse meant. He was just joking.” Joey whacked Jesse on the arm, nodding. “Tell her you were just joking.”
Kami looked at Jesse, who stared holes through her. She didn’t do this, but she was hiding something. Could he see the guilt on her face? Just in case, she lowered her gaze.
“Well, you should come look at this before you go accusing anyone,” Rai called out from beneath the desk.
The pushing began as everyone crowded in front of the small opening.
“Let them see,” Rai said, shoving Kami away from the image of a thrash gravity simulator.
Her arms crossed as she sailed backward across the room. She crashed into a corner, dug her heels down, and held herself in place by the elbows.
Joey pushed away from the desk, her hand landing on Kami’s shoulder. “Jesse likes to tease, that’s all. Besides, I know you didn’t do it. Unless you magically snuck off during our interrogation and smashed a bunch of machines to bits.”
“I’m going down there,” Jesse said, coasting over the desk.
“Then I’m going with you,” Kami said, bobbing in place. “I know exactly where the gravity unit is.”
Jesse crashed against the keypad, gripping the edge of the door. “Awesome,” he said, holding out his hand. “Let’s go.”
That was unexpected. Usually people just shoved her in a corner. Before Jesse could change his mind, she leaped across the room.