Page 26 of Bound By Stars

Tucking his hands into his pockets, he smiles, eyes crinkling at the edges. “I’d like that.”

Through the rest of sublevel three, along nearly identical stark white halls, I can hardly pay attention. My mind scrambles for something,anything, to say.

Reve points out the different service rooms toward the back of the ship, stopping to greet other porters and workers finishing or starting their shifts.

That’s a cool computer setup.

Don’t be such a nerd, Weslie.

So what exactly do they keep in the supply closet?

Stop.

I stay a step behind him, rolling my shoulders, trying to shrug off the awkwardness.

In another featureless hall, he leads me past narrow doors marked with ascending painted numbers. I almost manage an actual word when he opens a door to a set of bunks with hardly enough space to walk between. But when he points out his disheveled bed at the top right, nothing intelligible makes it past my lips.

On sublevel two, he leads me to the mezzanine around the dimly lit community room. The bass of electronic music pulses under my feet. I lean over the railing that circles the round opening in the center of the room. Below a crowd of people dance, while the others sit around tightly packed tables that line the perimeter, laughing and sloshing their drinks.

Reve rests his elbows on the railing next to me. His arm grazes mine and sends a chill up my neck, blooming across my chest and shoulders. “You’ve been abnormally quiet. Have you forgotten how to talk to normal people after hanging out with all those boring elites, or are you just fascinated into silence by my grand tour?”

“Maybe a little of both.”

“Well, unfortunately, that’s it. Not much to see down here. The rest of sublevel two and one are just pods and more crew quarters. And I can’t take you below that without risking my job. But it’s just cargo holds, more docking stations, and machinery down there. Definitely not as exciting as first class.”

I chew on my lip, scanning the room like I can find some excuse to stay. I’m not ready to be alone in my room again. And then it hits me. I tug on the back of his shirt and nod for him to follow. “My turn then.”

On our way up, he points out the first of two escape pod bays. One on each second-class floor. I mentally calculate the number of pods compared to first class. There have to be twice as many people down here. At least.

I peer over the railing, down the dark center of the stairwell. I can’t see the bottom. Like it goes on forever. “How many levels does the ship have?”

He brushes past me, climbing the next set of stairs. “Well, there’s the top level, where you and your fancy friends live.”

I glare back as he glances over his shoulder.

“Then, there’s the first-class entertainment level below that.”

Emerging on the lower first-class floor feels almost as strange as it did five days ago when I didn’t know if I were staying on the ship or being kicked off it. There’s less noise behind the dining room doors, but still, no one is around to notice us or ask questions. The hall feels wider, and the ceiling seems higher. Compared to the sublevels, the space is excessive. The molding, tile, carved dining room doors. Overkill. They made it bigger and better up here in every way. Just because they could.

Reve lowers his voice. “Under this, you have sublevel one through three. All second class and crew. And then two cargo levels below that. I think that makes seven all together. It’s a huge ship.”

“No kidding.”

Halfway up the grand staircase, Reve stops next to the clock.

I pause mid-step. “You coming?”

“Not sure I should go all the way up.” He chews at his lower lip.

I shrug. “I’m pretty good at avoiding people up here.”

“As long as you’re watching out for me, Fleet.” He meets me at the top of the stairs and slides his fingers through mine.

A bit lightheaded, I lead him through the maze of hallways toward the back of the ship, near the escape pod bay. “It’s pretty abandoned back here most of the time.”

Halfway around the curved walkway, Reve releases my hand, gesturing wildly. “And then this passenger today, god, she practically held me hostage for the entire afternoon…” The more annoyed he gets, the more aggressive his motions become. “…and then it was too bright again. I must have reset her lighting fifty times only to end up back where we started.”

“These people.” I shake my head, staring out at distant stars through one of the thin windows.

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