Page 45 of Bound By Stars

On my fifth rotation, I realize my mistake. I’m barreling longways through the room. Nothing to grab hold of until I hit the roll-up door at least fifty feet away. Trying to spot, I pick a point on the wall and crane my neck. All I can do is wait it out, while Meridian and Hale snicker behind me. Rule two: know where you’re going.

Darting past, Jupiter anchors himself and reaches out to catch my hand. “Careful.”

I crash into him, knocking him into the wall so we’re face to face. Puffs of white breath mingle in the air between us. “Sorry.”

Jupiter’s expression is patient and sweet and close. Too close.

I push off his chest, drifting across the much shorter width of the room.

He shoves off the wall to follow. “It’s okay. There’s a learning curve, but you’re getting it.” He’s so much nicer than me. There’s no way I wouldn’t tease him mercilessly if the roles were reversed.

“If everyone’s got their space legs, can we start the game?” Curran calls from the end of the hall, tucking a silver medallion floating from the chain around his neck into his jacket.

“Game?” I grab a bar and launch myself toward the group gathered in front of the window.

Skye sails past the giant number14painted across the long wall. “It’s like a soccer and handball hybrid. Soccer rules, except you can only pass with your hands and you have to hit the wall instead of the inside of a goal.”

Asha pulls out a multicolored ball the size of an egg, squishing the soft toy between her index finger and thumb. She leaves the ball hovering in the center of the hall and pushes herself back. “Alphabetical teams!”

Last or first? I don’t know any of their last names.

Shit. I’m drifting away, slowly, but I can’t stop it.

Anchored to the roof, Jupiter catches me with his injured hand, wincing as he pulls me back to the group. “It’s easy. The roll-up door and the window on either end are the goals. The space between one and four is midfield.” He nods for me to grab hold of the bar above my head and points at the giant characters on the opposite wall. “Just catch, pass, and try not to run into anyone. Got it?”

Sounds simple enough. “Careful with your drawing hand. ILSA will be annoyed if you mess up her work.”

The edge of his mouth twitches upward. The gold around his pupils is more brilliant than I remembered, like burning stars.

“My team will take the hatch side.” Asha launches herself to the other end of the room where Hale is holding onto the bottom of the ladder.

“Wouldn’t want to annoy ILSA.” Jupiter follows Curran after them.

A,C,H, andJ. First names. Which means…

Meridian glides along the ceiling to join Skye, Tar, and me.

I deflate. Maybe this isn’t going to be all that simple after all.

“Skye, you take point,” Tar instructs, sending her to the center of the hall. “Wes, you’re left. Meridian, right. I’ll hang back and play defense.” He keeps his hand flat on the window, holding himself in place, and the rest of us push off.

“It has to be passed at least three times before hitting the wall for a point. No collisions. I don’t want to drag anyone to the med bay this time,” Asha calls from the other end.

Skye positions herself across from Curran, the ball floating midway between them.

“Everyone ready?” Tar yells.

Jupiter moves into position ahead of me on the other side of the hall. Did he choose to pair up against me or was that Asha’s call?

“Let’s play!” Asha shouts.

On her word, Curran and Skye shove away from the ceiling. Curran moves comically slow, while Skye is moving too fast, but she manages to grab the ball and grab his ankle to both slow herself and spin him off course.

She tosses the ball back to Meridian, who’s drifting in the middle of the hall with Tar behind her, ready to catch it if she misses. She lets go of the bar above her, snatches the blur of rainbow colors out of the air, and twirls in slow motion, releasing it, shockingly—in my direction.

I climb along the wall, spinning, ready to catch the ball.

Before it reaches me, Hale crosses the room, cutting off Meridian’s pass and rotating to throw to Jupiter.

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