Exodus by Toasha Jiordano

Author:Toasha Jiordano [Jiordano, Toasha]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-12-22T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

But nature sometimes, sometimes thought

And whoso it befall

Is richer than could be revealed

By mortal numeral

- Emily Dickinson

//Right now I see stars. Even in daylight, they were out. Now they're bright. And blue. I don't remember blue stars at home. Do you?//

The pain is too intense to say more than //Uh uh.//

//There are lights in the sky, too. Swirls of pale green and orange. If I watch them long enough, they look like they're dancing. You would love it,Syn.//

//The lights move? That's amazing.// I manage to respond between hurls. The cold tile on my cheek is relaxing. //Can you see the Sun? Or a sun? Wow, you may be in a different galaxy.// The words fly through my mind before I can catch them.

A long moment passes in silence I'm just about to ask if he's still there or apologize when I get a //Gee, thanks.//

//Sorry, thinking out loud.//

//It's fine. I've been thinking the same thing. I tried to watch where the sun rises and sets. Yes there is a sun. At least, I think it is. What's the one where — Red Dwarf — yeah.//

//That's not good, Howie.// I push myself up from the floor. A new intense wave of nausea hits me, but I need to do something. This isn't good at all.

//What?//

//A Red Dwarf is a dying star. You can't stay there.//

//I don't plan on it. But I’d still have millions of years if this sun decided to fritz out on me.// He's getting that ‘you think you're smarter than me’ tone; the one that turns to real anger when I point out it's ‘smarter than I.’

Never can stop myself.

//Wasn't I supposed to be tucking you in or something?// Howie asks. Leave it to him to get all sweet and remind me that he's the one stranded on a planet in Stone knows what galaxy, but still thinking about me.

I smile hard enough for it to broadcast to him; a peace offering. //I'm just worried about you. But yes, I want to see what you see. Get me out of this disgusting bathroom.//

//Um… I'm not gonna ask. Anyway, I think the Homing Beacon is broken on this thing. Wouldn't let me access it. But there is a distress signal. Any surviving pods from my ship should be able to sync with me… if… they're in range.//

On the same planet. That's what he's not saying. If he landed on the right planet, just in the wrong place. I try to shield him from the next image that pops into my head; during the meld, the memory of us hurtling toward the red one, and not the icy blue frozen terrain of Gliese.

//I know.// Howie whispers through our link. //I know, but I can't be the only one. Someone has to be searching for survivors.//

//What about transmitting? Did you try that?//

//I didn't exactly have time to make friends, you know before the whole explosion thing. Besides, I doubt there were others on the ship with chips.//

//You'd be surprised.// I respond, now thinking about my hologram tour through the bowels of human trials.

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