Page 6 of Galactic Sentinels: Vol. 1
“I hadn’t noticed,” I finally reply, shrugging as I take a sip of the steaming tea.
“I’m not surprised,” she says with a teasing smile. “You’re too busy making eyes at Rayan.”
I feel my cheeks flush instantly. Rayan is Mourad’s son—eighteen, handsome, and always polite.
“No,” I protest quickly. “I’m not making eyes at him!”
“Well, maybe it’s the other way around,” she says, grinning. “And I wouldn’t blame him. He’s super cute and sweet. And let’s not forget—he’s the administrator’s son.”
“Who cares about that? I don’t have time for boys anyway.”
Prianka’s beautiful face tightens with frustration. She looks at me for a moment, then gently places her hand on mine.
“You know you don’t have to take care of me all the time, right? You’re allowed to take a little time for yourself. You already do so much.”
“It’s my job to take care of you.”
“No, Ileana, it’s not. Don’t get me wrong—I’m incredibly grateful for everything you do. I mean it. Whether it’s helping me shower, washing my hair, or bringing me what I need when I’m stuck in this wheelchair... you’re amazing. But you’re my little sister. I should be the one looking after you, not the other way around.”
“Prianka, what if I were the one who was sick? Wouldn’t you do the same for me?”
“You know I would. But ever since Dad died, you’ve been carrying so much—helping me, helping Mom—and you never take a break. You’re old enough to have a little fun, Ileana.”
“You’re so right! I’m glad you agree,” I say with a mischievous grin. “That’s why I’ll be picking the next movie for our daily screenings. You’ve been forcing your romantic comedies on me for years just because you’re the eldest. But now that you’ve admitted I’m old enough to have fun, it’s my turn to choose!”
She snorts inelegantly before replying, “It’s only natural that, as your older sister, I should be concerned about the quality of what you watch.”
“But like you just said, I deserve to have fun too. And I don’t exactly have a blast watching all those cheesy Bollywood movies you make us sit through every day!”
I get up and grab our empty cups, tossing them into the compactor. Then I walk over to the control panel and activate the wall screen across from our bunks for our daily after-school session.
Now that we’ve wrapped up our study session, it’s officially chill time.
“Gimme the tablet. I’ll find something you’ll like too!” she says, already reaching for the prized device.
“Nope!” I shoot back with a grin. “It’s my turn now.”
“Fine,” she sighs, “but just this once.”
“In your dreams! I’ve got years of cinematic dictatorship to make up for!”
She raises an eyebrow. “What if we take turns—one day each?”
I just shake my head with a big smile, scrolling through the Confederation’s massive media archive. It’s got every musical, book, and movie ever recorded. Basically, endless options. And sure, I’ve let Prianka rule the screen until now, but a little rebellion never hurt anyone.
“Seventy-five percent me, twenty-five you?” she tries again.
“Not a chance.”
“Fifty-fifty?”
“Deal!” I say, grinning. “But today’s mine!” I tap the screen and startWorld War Z.
She gasps. “Seriously? A zombie movie? That’s so dumb. Zombies aren’t even real!”
“Oh, right—becauseSinghamis totally realistic?” I tease.
She frowns. I’ve just poked fun at her favorite movie—a classic over-the-top Indian action flick from the early 2000s, full of gravity-defying stunts. But what she really loves about those films is how they capture Earth before it was nearly wiped out. They’re like time capsules, snapshots of a world that barely exists anymore. That’s part of why I usually let her pick.
