Chapter 6

                                                                     Kaya

Everything was so unfamiliar. The bed was too soft, and the bedroom felt so strange from what I was used to, so I just lay there in the dark, thinking about what had happened to my porcelain cats. I really missed them, along with everything else I’d left behind, but at least I wasn’t alone, I tried to tell myself.

My family must have realised I was gone by now. Were they worried? Probably not, at least not beyond the inconvenience my escape would have caused them. Would it have been different if I weren’t like this? I sighed and sat up. I knew it was pointless to think like that, but knowing it and being able to stop it were two different things.

At least those thoughts were familiar, and I knew where they led. They felt safer than my thoughts about Gerda and... about friendship. Maybe my supposed clear definition of friendship hadn’t been correct after all, and I had done something wrong without realising it. Like the bath…

I sighed. It wouldn’t help to think about it, and being tired and restless was the worst, so I might as well go up and try to distract my overloaded mind with something. I turned on the lights, swung my legs over the bed and got up. I hesitated for a moment before opening the door, glancing down at my oversized t-shirt with the ship's logo on the back. Gerda was probably sleeping, but the thought of her seeing me in this sent a shockwave through my brain and brought back all the thoughts I didn't feel ready to think about… Just in case she was awake, I wrapped myself in a blanket before leaving my room.

The ship was quiet, and only the subtle vibration under my feet gave me a clue that we were actually flying. The lights were dimmed, and a strange uneasiness filled my chest as I walked through unfamiliar corridors. I would get used to it, I tried to tell myself as I entered the bridge.

I sat down, cross-legged, on one of those seats, and it took me a few attempts before I managed to turn off the lights. A myriad of bright stars filled my view, and I watched them with fascination. I wondered what lay on the other side…

                                                                    Gerda

I didn’t know how long I had slept. The ship's clock displayed only Shifts, Watches, and Universal Space Time, and I didn't bother to convert them into something my brain could make sense of. There was no alarm or any flashing light on the small clock on the wall, so I assumed everything was okay, and we were still on our way somewhere.

I only hoped this ‘somewhere’ wouldn’t suck as much as the shithole we’d left, but that was a worry for later. I had spent all my stock of pilot’s luck yesterday, so I didn’t plan to touch the controls unless I absolutely needed to, let alone change our course.

I got up, and not having anything else to wear, I put on my ridiculous Youth Explorer’s uniform, or rather the parts of it I considered comfortable enough or strictly necessary. So I ended up leaving my room in just a half-buttoned shirt and a pair of dark blue trousers and then made my way to the canteen, or whatever they called it on ships like these, to get some food and, preferably, a coffee. Doing anything on an empty stomach sucked.

I chose the first item from the breakfast menu and tapped the auto-cook displayed on the screen. Food was food, and the fact that it included coffee was good enough for me, so when a plate appeared in the slot in the wall, I picked it up and sat down at one of the tables.

Kaya was nowhere to be seen, but that was good, I guess. I could just relax and enjoy my time. I had never really had vacations before, since I’d spent all school breaks participating in the events organised by the Youth Explorers. Not because I really wanted to, but because it was a better alternative than being at home.

Once I’d finished the food, I pushed the plate aside and stared out into the room. What now? Despite my initial desire for some quiet time alone, I found myself getting up, and I began to wander through the ship looking for Kaya. Just in case she needed me, I told myself.

I found her sleeping in the pilot seat in the cockpit. She looked kinda cute wrapped in a blanket, her long blonde hair partly covering her face. At least as cute as a girl can be to another girl. I shook my head and sat down on the other seat to check the ship's systems, just in case something had gone wrong. But everything seemed okay, at least according to my knowledge.

We still had a few days in hyperspace before I needed to worry about the other leg of our journey. It really depended on whether her family reported the ship as stolen. We hoped they wouldn’t, considering how it would affect their reputation if their daughter became a wanted criminal and the revelations the press would dig up during the court case. But with bastards like them, you could never be sure, so just in case, I began to check all the worlds that, for weird and random reasons, weren't part of the Union, so we could run there if we needed to.

Kaya wanted to see her mum, but honestly, I had my doubts. There was a reason someone gave you up for adoption, so to suddenly appear on their doorstep didn't sound like a great idea. Of course, I’d never shared my thoughts with her. When we were preparing, brutal truths like that could make her reconsider our plan, and I really wanted to get out of that shithole, but now… I sighed and glanced at her sleeping. Now I just had no idea how to tell it to her…