NAOMI
MY CREWMATES ARE WILD WITH EXCITEMENT AS AIR FORCE One descends toward the Gulf of Mexico, where we will launch from sea to space. They whoop and cheer; they pose for selfies with the president and ask the Europa Mission flight director traveling with us a million and one questions. But not me. I spend the first half of the flight with my eyes closed, my head bent against my knees, trying to block out the noise and pretend none of this is happening. But now I look up, staring at Beckett Wolfe in hushed conversation with his uncle as my thoughts swirl together. I watch as President Wolfe murmurs something in Beckett’s ear and Beckett nods, a strange expression crossing his face. And then the president rises to his feet, moving toward his private cabin at the front of the plane, while Beckett crosses the aisle back to his seat opposite me. He catches me staring.
“What are you looking at?” he scoffs.
“You told Dr. Takumi what you saw that night, didn’t you?” I say slowly, as the pieces fall into place. “You told him a lot of things. That’s what he meant when he said you proved yourself invaluable. You took Leo’s spot by being a spy.”
Beckett laughs, but it’s a false, hollow sound. And as I meet his gaze, I know my hunch is right.
“You’ll pay for it.”
His eyes narrow into slits.
“Oh, really? Are you actually dumb enough to threaten me, right here on my uncle’s plane?”
“Sorry to disappoint, but I’m not afraid of your uncle,” I retort.
He leans forward, his hot breath on my cheek.
“You should be. Dr. Takumi put me in charge.”
“What?” I can’t have heard that right.
“It’s true. He told me and my family today.” Beckett wraps his hands behind his head, a smug look on his face. And then his smile distorts into a sneer. “So don’t even think about threatening me again. As soon as we reach space, you’ll be answering to me.”
For once in my life, I am without a comeback.
Air Force One touches down to a massive crowd at South Texas Spaceport, a swarm of bodies large enough to swallow the throng we just left in Houston. I can see the SpaceInc Jupiter rocket waiting on the launchpad above the Gulf of Mexico, its thousands of tons gleaming in the sunlight while its vapor rises in preparation for liftoff. As I stare at the rocket, it seems impossible that we’ll soon be strapped inside. This is insane.
Moments after the wheels hit the ground, we are ushered from Air Force One into the astronaut crew quarters, a hangar near the runway, where a flurry of NASA officials help us into our blue space suits built for liftoff and landing. But I’m barely conscious of the action around me, my legs aching to run to where I know my family waits.
Finally, once we’re suited up, the flight director and security guards escort us to the VIP area, reserved for President Wolfe and the Final Six families. I whip my head around wildly, searching for them, until I hear—
“Naomi!”
Sam’s voice shouts above the din. I break into a sprint, tears blurring my vision as I run toward my family. I don’t care that two guards are right behind me, that the whole world is watching our reunion turned good-bye—all I see are my brother, my parents. They hold out their arms to me, and I fly straight into them, the four of us colliding in a tangle of hugs, kisses, and tears.
“I’m sorry,” I cry onto Sam’s shoulder. “I was supposed to come back for you. It was supposed to be us against the world, for life, and now—”
Sam interrupts, holding me by the shoulders. “It is us against the world, Sis. You’re going out to find us a better one.” His voice cracks with emotion, but he forces a smile. “I told you before, you were born for this. And I’ll be okay.”
“We are so proud of you, azizam.” Dad wraps me in a tight hug, and tears spill from his eyes as he touches my space suit. “We’ll talk every day, okay? Email, video-chatting, whatever you can do—we’ll be there.”
Only my mother is silent, staring at me with a broken look on her face. She tries to smile, but a sob escapes instead.
“I love you, my sweet girl,” she whispers, kissing my forehead.
“I love you all so much. And I realize now, more than ever, how lucky I was—am—to have you.” I take a deep breath. “I’ll never forget it.”
A roar bursts from the crowd, and I turn to see a giant countdown clock lighting up.
“T-minus ten minutes!” a voice booms.
I cling tighter to my family as I wonder how it’s possible for my heart to break so many times in a single day. One of the guards steps forward, placing a firm hand on my back.
“It’s time to get into the launch vehicle, Naomi.”
This is it. I shake my head. How is it possible I’m already out of time?
I hug my parents and Sam once more, and before our last good-bye, I blurt out, “The other finalist, the one I was standing next to on TV—his name is Leo Danieli, and he doesn’t have any family left. Will you find him for me? Maybe—maybe you guys can be there for each other. He . . . he means the world to me.”
“We’ll find him,” Mom says. “Promise.”
I try to smile in thanks.
“Go fly, Sis,” Sam says in my ear. “We’ll be watching you, cheering you on every day from Earth.”
“My body might be up there, but my heart will always be here.” I reach out my hand, and my parents and brother cover it with their own. “So I won’t say good-bye. I have to believe I’ll see you again.”
“T-minus seven!” the booming voice echoes, and now two guards are wrenching me away from my family, ushering me in line with the two robots and the rest of the six.
I can hear my heart’s loud thumping inside my space suit as we make the slow march into the rocket ship. Cyb supervises us as we strap into our acceleration seats and lie down flat, just like in the virtual reality simulation. I turn my face against the leather seat, as I did with Leo before we kissed . . . but it’s not his face beside me anymore. A fist tightens around my heart.
The countdown echoes inside our spacecraft, and it doesn’t matter how terrified I am—the clock keeps ticking. “T-minus six . . . T-minus five . . .”
The ground beneath us rumbles violently, and all six of us grip the sides of our seats in fear. Through the porthole window, I spot fish leaping out of the sea, the sky lighting up a fiery shade. I hear Cyb yell, “All clear for liftoff!”
The force of gravity presses down against me as the cabin rattles; the engines ignite. Just when I think I can’t stand this feeling any longer, that my whole body is going to explode and disintegrate right here—we break loose. The air whooshes from my lungs as we fly.
And we soar, up past the sky.