Page 76 of Bound By Stars

“We have issued our demands to your leaders. They will comply, ending their reign on a planet they do not own.”

The crowd collectively shifts for the doors, sweeping us up into the chaos. Our hands lock together, and I pull myself through the panicked bodies between us.

“Hand the power back to those who inhabit Earth before theBoundlessarrives on Mars, or this ship will become an example of the power of the many over the elite few. Earth for Earthers!”

The room brightens. The blood red disappears, replaced with gold.

Demands for explanation roll through the frightened crowd.

“We are investig—” The captain’s words are drowned out by angry shouts and distressed cries. He signals to someone behind him.

The tide shifts back toward the stage, sweeping people under. Someone calls for help, but I can’t see them in the jumble of bodies.

The captain’s voice blasts over the speakers, ten times as loud as before. “Please, stay calm!”

Weslie and I both clap our hands over our ears.

Everyone around us holds their heads, shielding themselves from the thundering volume. The room goes silent.

All faces stare at the captain rubbing his hand over his forehead. “We’re aware of a small group of disgruntled Earthers who have sought to disrupt this historic voyage by spreading fear and chaos. We are looking into the issue, but I assure you there is no immediate threat.”

Whispers roll through the hushed crowd. I scan their faces, some suspicious, most relieved.

He’s lying. What about the paint-splattered elevator?

“Champagne?” A porter holds a tray next to me, and I shake my head.

They’re flooding the room, each with trays full of sparkling flutes, weaving into the crowd. Half the faces around us soften. Like the threat was imagined, breaking the protection of their perfect world for only a moment, but this small gesture brings back their reality enough to ignore it.

“We are working diligently to prevent any further disruptions, but until then I implore you to not give them the emotional reaction and attention they desire.” The captain winds his hand in a circle, motioning for the band to play, and steps off the stage.

A chorus of relieved breaths and uncertain murmurs fills the room.

Weslie stares at me, eyes wide. Her thoughts are written across her face as plainly as the letters in the hallway after the oxygen shut off.E.F.E.

The crowd expands, most collecting their discarded layers and heading for the exit, while others follow the captain, asking questions like they will get more thorough answers due to their status, but he waves them off.

“Well, that was unexpected.” My dad emerges from the crowd and takes a heaving breath laced with butter and citrus. There’s something guarded behind his expression. “At least it’s under control.”

“I’m going to walk Weslie to her room.” What if she’s a target? An Earther on the wrong side? I can’t let her go alone.

Dad presses his lips together and peers across the room at Mom, who’s got us locked in her stare as she puts her hand up. The captain stops on her command. He won’t dodge her like the others.

“Hurry,” he whispers, “straight home after.”

The light in the grand staircase dims incrementally as we climb, passing the clock. It’s close to midnight. The countdown has changed since we came down these steps together. Eight days shorter. Only ten days until we reach Mars and everything goes back to the way it’s supposed to be.

I’ll go back to lessons and meetings on my way to a life I don’t want, while Weslie follows life where it leads her. To the board presentation and anything that might come after. Maybe she’ll stay in Elysium. More likely, she’ll head back home where her friends and family and life are waiting for her. Where she can’t be mistaken for an Elysian or treated like a traitor.

My chest feels heavy. I pause mid-step, squeezing Weslie’s hand. What if I could go back, too? Leave behind position, birthright, and status. Walk outside. Breathe unfiltered air. She could show me her garden, the orchards behind her house.

Ice runs through my veins as the threat echoes in my mind again.Hand the power back…or this ship will become an example of the power of the many over the elite few.Is the captain lying? Minimizing the threat to avoid panic? Or is it really under control? Realization washes over me. Why all those passengers gave in so quickly. What would it change if the captain’s claims were false comfort? What could they do? What could I do to protect the people I love on this ship?

I tear my eyes away from the clock and back up at Weslie.

She stops, a step ahead, peering back over her shoulder. Her expression reflects the complicated storm of thoughts and emotions raging inside of me. Concern. Worry. Sadness. Helplessness. Our time cut short. The threat. The danger. The inevitability of this ending. Neither of us willing to say it out loud.

I tighten my grip on her hand, pulling her toward me.

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