Bev pulled into the parking lot in front of her office building. Her car was the only one there, but that wasn’t unusual. The sun was just barely beginning to rise and the New Mexican sky looked like it was exploding, an array of oranges and reds shooting from the skyline. Bev smiled and stepped out, taking a moment to appreciate the view.
She unlocked the front door and took the stairs up to her office. It was dark, with faint strips of light escaping through shades that were pulled over the windows. She walked over and raised the shade closest to her desk. That was the first thing she did every morning—let the light in.
The next thing was to listen to her messages. That was one of the reasons she liked to arrive before anyone else. She liked to make sure there were no unpl
Charles stared up at the night sky from the balcony off his bedroom, trying to clear his head. He always felt more at peace when he was outside. Maybe it had to do with his house being too big for one person. It was so much empty space that he felt claustrophobic, the silence pressing in on him from all sides. But all the other hedge fund managers said that if he wanted to be taken seriously, he needed to look the part. That meant the fancy car, expensive suits, and gigantic house that was nestled inside a gated community. Charles had drawn the line at hiring someone to cook for him. He was afraid that if he couldn’t even warm up his own burritos, he’d lose touch with reality—and himself.The email he had just received replayed in his mind. When he’d first heard of Galactic Enterprises, it had sounded like some rich person’s
Bev waited in front of her apartment building, bag in hand. She checked her watch for the fiftieth time. Katie wasn’t late, she reminded herself. Bev had just been so excited that she was packed and outside waiting half an hour early. Anxiety bubbled within her chest. After that first phone call with Julie, she hadn’t known what to feel. At first, Bev had been annoyed that Katie had entered her name into the drawing without telling her. Bev didn’t want her personal information floating around for anyone to use for their pleasure. Why take the risk of someone selling her email address when she had nearly zero percent chance of winning?But then it had sunk in. Bev Miller had won something. That never happened. And it wasn’t a day at the spa…it was a day in space. She wasn’t sure what to expect, hence the anxiety, but k
“Welcome,” the woman in blue said, a bright smile plastered on her face. “My name is Julie Farnsworth. I have spoken to most of you already, but I am the vice president of tourist relations at Galactic Enterprises.” She glanced around, as if mentally counting everyone. “Perfect, you’re all here. If you’ll follow me, we will begin the hour-long drive to the spaceport, where your adventure begins.”“I paid all that money to spend an hour on a bus?” Candi complained, not bothering to keep her voice down.Julie paused mid-step and turned back. “I don’t know of another way to get you to our facility, Miss Hobbs, but you are more than welcome to secure an alternative form of transportation.”
The bus pulled up in front of a large dome. It looked otherworldly, made of nothing but windows. When Bev stepped outside, she could see mechanics working in what must have been the hangar, a massive add-on to the main building. They were working on what looked like a cross between an airplane and a spacecraft. She wondered if that was what they’d be flying in. Her heart thudded. In three days, she’d be looking down on the earth. It was all so surreal, like she was watching a movie.“If you’ll follow me,” Julie said, “we need to get security badges for all of you. As you can imagine, we don’t let just anyone inside our facility.” She turned on her heels and walked at a brisk pace up the sidewalk. Bev quickened her pace to keep up, but she kept getting distracted by the beautifully manicured garden that surr
Charles strode through what he had been told was downtown in the small town of Amor, though there weren’t any buildings that were more than a couple of stories tall. It was refreshing. They looked older, but were built in an old adobe fashion, and Charles found himself drawn into each one, wanting to explore what it held. He had arrived just that morning, but he already knew that he was going to enjoy his week here.Too bad that woman—Bev, wasn’t it?—had just been on her way out. And she would be on the flight with Galactic Enterprises, judging by the symbol on the bus she had boarded. He had watched her from the elevator until the bus had departed, wishing he could be on it with her. The way she had stumbled through her apology was endearing, and it didn’t hurt that she was beautiful as well. The only drawback was that to a
The latecomer. It was Charles. From the hotel.Bev glanced at Katie. All these people who were staring, waiting for her to introduce herself, had paid their way to be there. Including him. She didn’t want to be seen as the freeloader who was only there because she won a drawing. If things had gone differently, it would have been someone else there in her place. Galactic Enterprises only cared that they received good publicity; they didn’t care who got it for them.Katie nudged her. “They’re waiting for you to introduce us,” she whispered.Bev started to stand up, then decided against it and sat back down. “I’m Bev and this is my friend Katie,” she said. “We’re
Charles followed Julie through a maze of hallways as the rest of the group peeled off in another direction. A flash of Bev’s auburn hair taunted him as she turned a corner. She briefly glanced back at him, but averted her gaze when she saw him watching her. They’d done that a few times already.Why had she been doing an interview with that reporter? Julie had said that interviews were off limits until after their flight.After a quick physical exam, Charles followed Julie back to where the rest of the group was settling into their dorms. The men’s dorm held four bunk beds with an adjoining bathroom. The women’s dorm was situated further down the hall.“Take time to unpack and become acquai
Bev kneeled over Charles on the hard gym floor. He seemed dazed, like he wasn’t sure where he was. She squeezed his nose with the bottom of her T-shirt to try to stop the bleeding.“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry,” Katie said, dropping next to Bev. When Charles didn’t respond, she turned to Bev. “You should have warned him about me. I don’t mean to get so competitive—it just happens—like an evil athlete takes over my body.”“I did warn him,” Bev said, but it hadn’t been enough, apparently. Katie’s spike had slammed right into his poor, unsuspecting face.A medic rushed up with a first aid kit and took over. He handed Bev a few antiseptic wipe