ⁿᵃᶦˡᵃʰ'ˢ ᵖᵒᵛ

‧₊˚✩ 🪐✩˚₊‧

"ARM'S UP. EYES AND MOUTH SHUT." Mom commanded as we positioned ourselves in the dark grey chamber for our decontamination

I peaked one eye open to watch the lights of the room beam a roaring red, before the chemicals aggressively hissed against my dusty clothes.

I went from smelling like burnt sulfur to smelling like bitter hospital.

I thought I was the only one who broke mom's direct order of not keeping my eyes and mouth open, until I heard Tyler burst out the meanest cough he's been holding back since the computer announced its countdown to open the airlock.

I snorted into laughter as he choked on the bitter chemicals, the doors sliding open to a long cream-tiled hallway with a window's view of the outside storm. We were multiple stories above ground now.

"Rápido por favor, We don't have much time left" Mom sped forward to get our attention away from the rhythmic tapping of the sand grains tapping on the large window. It was appalling to barely see anything other than the gusts of orange wind.

She hovered her wrist over a scanner that chimed as it publicly announced "Access accepted" and slid open more doors into an empty lounge — the one where we should have been using to do some breaking bread shit and celebrate our journey ahead, but I guess Earth had other plans.

Cameron rubbed the car ride's sleep out of his eyes as he pointed to the long table of untouched finger foods of all kinds just sitting on the table in the distance as he asked --

"Can we get something to eat? Possibly something that definitely isn't on the colony catalog?" He asked.

Mom stifled into laughter as her three children wasted zero time immediately after her nod in approval for us to race towards the buffet.

I stuffed a glutinous amount of chocolate mini cakes into my mouth. Tyler helped himself to the cold chicken samosas and Cameron grabbed as many colors of macarons his little hands could hold.

"Cosgroves! So glad you've finally made it!" an unfamiliar British accented voice shouted as he approached us. I nearly choked on the crème brûlée mini donut I now forced down my throat as I turned to look at him.

His hair matched the emptiness of his grey eyes behind those thick lenses. I tried to act as civil as possible as he let his hand out to shake mine.

"You three must be Nailah, Tyler, and Cameron!" he said. I forced a smile and awkward laughter with food still in my mouth, before sharing a quick look with Tyler, whose face I read to be utterly unimpressed that his precious mealtime was disturbed.

Mom told us he was an old work friend who wanted to assist us in getting ready to leave Earth's orbit in less than an hour — George, he said his name was. He knew nearly everything about us.

But that wasn't the most peculiar thing happening at that moment. It was more the fact that mom still had plenty of undisclosed errands to run at a time like this.

Including a husband to go find.

So to mom, George was like that last minute babysitter in her time of need. Our instructions were as clear as a day before the Christmas star hit: Get changed into our spacesuits, and be strapped in and cleared for launch where her and dad would finally join us to pilot the spaceship.

"Don't worry, sweets," Mom kissed all of us goodbye, smudging her red lipstick on our foreheads, "We'll make it."

"There isn't much time for any detours now. You three have to get changed." George asserted as we followed him to walk in the opposite direction that mom was walking in.

I got one last look of the back mom's straightened hair, somehow always in better shape than mine. I really don't know how she does it.

"Okay, but I really gotta go!" Cam blurted out, and I couldn't agree more.

THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME I'VE SEEN myself in a full mirror in a really long time. I took a comb out of my emergency essentials kit with pink and green flowers, to try and tame these frizzing up curls in the mix of my straightened hair.

I lightly smiled at the olive-green scrunchie around my wrist. It belonged to Nico, and now it's always with me. She called it her lucky scrunchie, but I call it a great stress reliever.

I noticed the dark circles under my eyes, and the chocolate cake crumbs staining my mouth. Rinsing my face with ice cold water, I think I was finally awake from that car-sleep now.

Cameron finally got out of his bathroom stall to join me by the marble counters. This was the only place we were able to get George off of us.

George was visibly upset that Cam was young enough to go into the woman's bathroom with me — somewhere he couldn't go. I guess he's that terrified of mom that he won't let her kids out of his sight.

He was like an overly passionate tour guide.

I tried not to go off on Cam for 'washing' his hands in barely five seconds, pulling my hair into the tight grip of my hand to tie it into a low bun, the deep sigh I let out echoing the whole bathroom.

I slid my scrunchie off my left wrist and placed it on the counter so I could use it after I checked on Cam.

My eyes trailed to the back of my little brother in the reflection. He was still, leaning on the corner wall as he looked up to the posters of science facts about Alpha Centauri's vegetation. Moving planets was a lot to ask for from a kid as young as he was.

"Cam, we gotta get going" I told him after checking the time on my comm. 7:37 pm. I looked back to where he stood, scoffing at his disregard of what I had just said, "Let's go, there's no time for snooping --"

"-- Shhh" he put his hand over my mouth, my eyebrows joining at his abrupt movement. My eyes trailed up to where he now pointed, my ears focusing in on whatever he was showing me.

It was hard not to wallow in guilt and pretend I couldn't hear the chaos outside our sheltered walls. The howling, slicing winds, the eerie emergency sirens wail, the chaos slowly consumed by the storm. Cam's little hand pressed against my mouth. 'Listen' He whispered with a lisp.

I was hearing muffled conversation with terms I couldn't decipher. It sounded like a really important meeting. But there was this one term I kept hearing: "EMF device" this and "EMF device" that.

"What the hell is even..." I trailed off, squinting my eyes in hopes of somehow hearing better.

Then, we both flinched at the raised voice of one of the people yelling --

"This is the future! The government system there needs this, they'll be on their knees thanking us for..."

That's when my face scrunched up in utter confusion. I made eye contact with Cam as his eyebrows raised.

And a wave of crushing anxiety graced me with its presence.

Yeah, maybe we do need to get out of here.

CURIOSITY WAS EATING ME UP INSIDE as I stared at the wide back of George walking in front of Cam and I.

I rolled my eyes at Tyler, who had just found a girl with a pulse to hit on — he was far ahead of us, closer to what looked like the entrance to the Jupiter's Bay.

But I was dying for some kind of lead on what I'd heard in the bathroom, so I cleared my throat and drew up the courage to ask: "Hey, George? Do you by any chance know about something they call an...EMF device? Is that some new technology for Alpha Centauri?"

I immediately regretted asking, because that meant I had to face George's spine-chilling grey eyes. They looked even emptier now as he robotically drew out, "It's not time yet, curious one. But when it is, you'll know it" he sounded colder as he continued, "It's the future of humanity."

His scent of coffee and tobacco nearly burned my nostrils to a crisp at his words.

I nearly cussed him out in frustration of the pile of shit he just said. What does that even mean?

But all I did was gulp my saliva down, and force a smile. His gaze clearly told me he didn't want any more questions.

The answer he gave me was so recited that it left this shiver down my back, and the only way to try and dismiss it was to grab hold of Cam's sweaty hand.

"Stay close." I whispered to him.

Tyler had a hop to his walk when he finally approached us, all flustered in his face. He joined me and Cam walking behind George, who occasionally looked back just in case we were to run off — something my body was aching to just do.

Tyler could tell I was uncomfortable, he mocked my blank expression while asking what was wrong — with a bop of his shoulder and deeply furrowing his bushy eyebrows.

"I don't trust him." I mouthed.

I expected Tyler's dismissal; he clicked his tongue at me as he whispered "He's just another one of mom's deadbeat work friends."

I had to give it to him, nearly all of mom's workmates looked like that — that dull skin, with eyes that lost their sparkle and eye bags that mark their sleep debt tracing to a decade back.

George held a dark gray crossbody bag that was now sliding over to his back. Amongst other enveloped files, there was one A4 glass slate that glowed with the words 'Classified' that stuck out of this bag.

I squinted at the glowing words beneath the warning above them, tilting my head to try and decipher each letter bouncing with George's walk. But my attempt was useless, and the void of curiosity only intensified from then on until --

"Dad! Look, guys it's dad!"

Cameron's yell snapped me out of my spiraling trance as he pulled his hand from my grip and sprinted forward to the bald policeman I call my father, and I was more than grateful to see his smile under that dark fluffy moustache.

Tyler and I soon followed, running across the vast hall to jump on dad and hug him tight, and get him off his balance in the mix. I pulled from the hug as I breathed out that dark cloud terrorising my thoughts. I was safe now.

"Thanks for the completely over-the-top yet necessary escorts to get us here safely, and all," Ty rubbed his forehead, the ends of his lips creasing into a smile. Dad let out a laugh that echoed the expanse of the whole floor. 

"Thanks for broadcasting every police code to Earth's satellite," Dad grinned.

"What?" We all blurted out. 

"Whaaat? Look, a bird!" Our heads shot to where he pointed, seeing empty office deskspaces. Dad snickered. "Made ya look! Okay, in all seriousness, I need you three on your best behavior. I seriously can't afford any bullshit right now. Sorry, Cam." He whispered in his serious voice.

"Got it. No bullshit." I gave him a confident smile. 

"Easy peasy." Cam rested his hands on his hips.

"Copy," Ty's eyes disappeared as he grinned.

Dad narrowed his eyes at us all. Before shaking his head as he reached for the side of his belt.

"Here," dad handed us each our assigned wearable communication gadgets, "These are stuck on you all day everyday, got it?" he ordered, as we adjusted them onto our wrists.

"About time, I was beginning to think we were just gonna develop some mind reading-telepathy power to communicate" Tyler announced. I really hope he was kidding about that.

"Tyler wh--..." it was obviously news to dad about Tyler's new hair situation — or his lack thereof, but all dad could do was laugh and call him his twin.

"Cool! Walkie talkies!" Cam was smiling from ear to ear as I helped get his wrist device on, but I furrowed my eyebrows at the size of the screen — it was ridiculously larger than his tiny hand.

"Uhh, dad?" I got his attention. I chuckled at his jump in embarrassment as he unclipped his tightly strapped wrist device off — that actually belonged to his youngest son.

"I was wondering why this one fit so small" he laughed as we swapped the gadgets.

"Yeah, you're unbelievable" I muttered as I stood up as Cam and Ty and I laughed hard at our dad.

But my smile slowly faded to a sulk at dad waving at George who awkwardly lurked in the distance. Of course dad knew George, of course he didn't get the heebie-jeebies whenever his eyes pierced through his.

They had their lengthy catch up session, making jokes and laughing at them. It twisted me up inside. But I guess it wasn't only that I didn't like this George, but also that we were about to board our one-way-ticket ride to a planet about 26 trillion light years away from here, in less than half an hour.

"Attention all Colonists: Please proceed to your assigned Jupiter pods. Automatic launch will commence in T-minus 19 minutes."

"Dad, we should really get changed before mom shows up and murders us." Tyler awkwardly invaded their conversation.

Dad agreed on both the changing and potential murder — rightfully so.

But as we were on our way to the grand entrance of the Jupiter's bay, dad's comm began obnoxiously beeping.

"...Looks like we can't be here long, Mandatory meeting" he said to George, giving us that serious nod of his. I raised my eyebrow as I made eye contact with Ty. What sense did it make having a meeting at a time like this? Zero.

Dad gave Tyler and Cameron brief hugs goodbye, but as he turned to my stunned expression, he dug for something in his pocket of his many treasures.

His palm finally opened to a tiny blue chip — a data chip. He dropped it into my palm, his hands squeezing my hand shut as he whispered "Keep this safe for me, okay?" winking as I stammered.

My lips parted as I watched dad and George rushing away and departing from us, yet again. I furrowed my eyebrows down to the little chip, as Tyler yelled --

"Hey-- What about the fact that we're leaving this place in less than 20 minutes?"

"WHICH GENIUS DECIDED TO LAND these Jupiter's at random order?" I blurted out. I even lost track of how long we've been running through this blindingly white hallway, watching as other Colonists found their Jupiters with ease.

Of course ours had to be at the very end of this place.

"...Jupiter 27...Jupiter 40...Jupiter 15..." Cam did us a favor by reading out the grey numbers on the doors we ran past. My eyes finally lit up as he jumped and yelled, "Ju -- Jupiter 3! We're here! We're here!"

"Access Accepted." the computer voice announced after Tyler waved his wrist over its sensor.

The bulkhead swooshed open for us to go through yet another process of decontamination.

After the lights beamed from dark red to light orange, the knots in my stomach began to twist and tighten up further. The computer's countdown did nothing for my anxiety.

"Here goes" Tyler mumbled, and the airlock doors finally steered and swooshed open into the spacecrafts entrance.

"Woah" we all said in unison in view of the slick design of our Jupiter 3 — our sanctuary, and new home.

The motion sensors in the lights detected our arrival, the lights beaming on with each new section we entered in the round hallways.

We scattered around the spacecraft to peep our heads through each room with doorways with grey-brown padded finishes. I stopped at the bedroom labeled '14' and instinctively yelled --

"Dibs on this room!" Satisfied at the frustrated grunts I heard in the distance. I spotted the loose luggage we had earlier that had been placed in the hub of our spaceship.

"I call this room!" I heard Cam shout after me on the other side of the Jupiter.

"Cam, that's clearly a bed for two" I heard Tyler tell him, laughing by myself in my new room as I heard Cam blurt out--

"--It's ridiculous how insufferable you get when you're jealous, Tyler. Seriously."

WE IMPATIENTLY WAITED NOW, in hopes that in any second from now, mom and dad would be back before this spaceship starts to liftoff and blast us into orbit and out of their reach.

We were seated around the hub's circular table. Tyler and Cam played Crazy Eights with their pre-supplied deck of cards. I stared off into the distance, in view of the closed off airlock doors.

We still haven't heard anything from mom or dad yet, and it had been eating me up inside. I fiddled with my helmet rolling on the table, trying to adjust to the weight of my spacesuit.

"Attention all Colonists: Please proceed to your assigned Jupiter pods. Automatic launch will commence in T-minus 7 minutes."

My head tingled with lightheadedness at that agitating voice counting down our scheduled catapult into an immeasurable world of darkness.

And the tiny data chip hiding in the fold of my strawberry-themed socks did not make my peace of mind any better.

I breathed shakily, still convincing myself that my parents would make it in time. I was hoping for a miracle that they were just a minute away. But time was running out, and fast.

I pulled the itchy gloves off of my cold hands to tie my hair into a bun, after realising I had completely forgotten to do so earlier. Feeling my wrist for the scrunchie — that wasn't there.

Shit.

"Shit shit shit. Sorry, Cam. Shit!" I felt my limbs shake more aggressively as I quickly stood up to recall where I might've left the lucky scrunchie; the buildings bathroom, "This cannot be happening" I whined

"What?" Tyler and Cam asked in unison

"Nico's scrunchie! I left it in that stupid bathroom!" I cried. And was utterly discouraged at Tyler's blank stare, this time he just left to my own madness as I paced around the hub.

And at that, I flinched at the sudden vibration of my comm strapped to my left forearm, a voice coming out from it — from all of ours.

It only took a second to realise it was mom over the comm radio. But her voice was breaking up, they must've been so far from us that it almost exceeded the range.

And clearly not in shape to sprint all the way up here in the next 6 minutes.

Oh, we are in shit.

"Mom? This is Nailah to mom, do you copy?" I called for her, but only got static in return. I repeated the call out, as Tyler attempted to call anyone who might've known her whereabouts.

Both our attempts were unsuccessful.

But then, through screeching breaks of piercing static, I tried to make out what I was hearing. Mom sounded alarmed, maybe even furious.

She wasn't talking to us, in fact, this radio switch might've been an accident. I leaned forward and brought my arm up to my ear to hear the faint conversation.

"...Jeopardise the safety of my children, or anyone on Alpha Centauri for that matter..." she hissed, "...I can't approve of this...It was strictly theoretical..." before it went to static.

I gasped at the sound of her yelling "Don't...George you --"

Static.

I trembled at the horror of what I'd just heard. My heart tore apart at Cameron's worried whine muffling as Ty pulled him in for a hug.

My eyes slowly trailed up to meet Tyler's panicked ones, fighting every urge in me to yell 'I told you so'.

George was the one keeping my parents behind. Keeping us all behind. Why? I really didn't have the time to find out. I just wanted to leave this place now, once and for all.

Tyler sat idly. He didn't know what to do, but I did.

I punched the button to the door behind me, and it swooshed open for Tyler to watch me enter the cockpit.

I marched to the center of the room and lifted my heels to reach the ceiling's control panel. Pressing three buttons, then pulling down a lever.

"What the hell are you doing, Nal?" Tyler was now in the cockpit with me, Cameron hiding behind his long legs. His jaw clenched as I frowned at him, Pressing two buttons on the main console.

The lights of the cockpit died down, and the machines whirring came to a stop. The emergency lights of the cockpit came on soon after as --

"Nailah! What's gotten into you?!" I flinched at Tyler's outburst, but still scooted past him to storm through the round corridor.

"I'm going to find mom and dad" I stated. Just saying it out loud brought me the uneasy finality I really didn't have time for, "I can track them — their locators are still working" I told as I turned on my comm to the locating feature.

I felt my brother hover behind me as I rushed over to the airlock. He began saying just anything to get me to stay.

"They told us they'd make it" Tyler's face scrunched as his voice heightened in pitch.

"They also told us Santa Claus was real, Ty" I pursed my lips

"He's not?!" I heard Cam yell in the distance, stammering in guilt as Ty and I both dismissed my life changing newsflash.

Punching the button to open the airlock, the commotion outside was a lot more overwhelming. People were scared, and the dust storm outside has never been this intense.

I turned my back over to the screen-sensor, waving my inner wrist over it before the grand doors slid open after the decontamination room.

But as I was about to leave, I felt two steady hands grab me by my shoulders. Tyler twisted me 180 degrees to face him. It was only then that I realised the crushing weight of responsibility I now held.

The mission I was to accomplish.

I spotted Cam approaching behind him, with my helmet in his hand. My widened gaze drew back to my older brother's deep brown eyes bouncing on mine. I stood idly as my breathing hardened at the nerves rushing through me.

His gaze scared me half to death, it was as if he was trying to remember the last details of my face before never seeing me again.

And at that, he pulled me into a suffocating hug. It had caught me so off guard that I didn't wrap my arms around him back until at least 4 seconds.

As we knelt down for Cameron to join our heartfelt, bittersweet farewell, our spacesuits knocking against one another's, I couldn't shake off the feeling that we weren't gonna leave this place the way everyone else would — so at the very least, I prayed we'd leave together.

"Attention all Colonists: Please proceed to your assigned Jupiter pods. Automatic launch will commence in T-minus 5 minutes."

Cam pulled away from our hug, his puppy eyed gaze turning my way with so much promise. I grabbed hold of his little hand as he asked me, "...If you're not back here in the next 5 minutes, then --"

"-- You'll know what to do" I gave him a quick smile, turning to Tyler whose eyes were still so unsure.

Finally standing back up as I grabbed hold of my helmet, reading the name to the back left of it printed 'COSGROVE'.

Is this what it meant to be a Cosgrove? Following into the footsteps of my parents' rather bold impulsive choices was the last thing I imagined myself doing.

"Hey. Don't worry about me," I began, resting my helmet under my arm as I lightly smiled at my two brothers.

And daring to finish with the manifestation and blind faith put into the next four words I was to draw out, I told them:

"...I can make it."

translations

Rápido por favor - Hurry up please

author's note

YALL WE ARE IN IT FR

STRAP IN FOR THE LAST TWO CHAPTERS OF ACT 1 FR

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NAILAH TO THE RESCUEEE

dedications

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