Alpha Centauri

Twenty-Two - Raev

 The girl thrashes around in my arms as I try to restrain her. "Dammit, we have to go back! They're gonna be killed!"

I finally let go of her. She throws herself at the door and pounds on it, still shrieking. I hate to watch her. I want to go back, but returning could kill them all.

My ship zooms into the twilight sky.

Nathan switches the ship to automatic control and walks over to where the girl is slamming her fists against the door, screaming and sobbing. He kneels and rests his hand on her shoulder.

"Jaden, stop," he says. He grabs her wrist before she can break her hand trying to get out of the ship.

Jaden quiets and looks at him through her tears.

"I didn't want to leave, but we couldn't rescue them. The Scriosians would have killed us if we stayed any longer. There was nothing we could do. I'm really sorry."

Jaden says nothing. She leans against the door and sinks to the floor. She buries her face in her arms.

Nathan gently touches her hand and returns to his seat to collect his own thoughts.

I sit on the lower bunk bed and stare at Jaden. I want to go and comfort her, take her hand and tell her it'll be okay.

But maybe that would be lying to her.  I know these tears aren't just for her brother--the grief over her mother has resurfaced.

I study Jaden, trying to figure her out—her ratty, oversized sweatshirt, her blue-and-gold eyes, and the scars on her cheek. At first glance, Jaden Everett looks like a normal girl. But she's been through shit no girl should have to go through.

"Hey," Jaden says, the first thing she's said in a while. "You don't happen to have some sort of shower here, do you?"

I direct her to the next room. After a few moments of hearing her mumble about how the hell the damn thing works, he hears the hiss of the water spraying. I listen to her climb in and start singing a punk-pop song off pitch.

Even if Jaden is a terrible singer, I love every minute of it. No one from Scrios could create something so magical and amazing. I start to sing along, having heard the song on Earth somewhere, quietly at first. I creep over to the door of the washroom and sit on the floor by the door.

Jaden sings another verse or two, unaware of the crappy duet she's singing in. Jaden chokes out half of another line before she gasps, crying.

I listen to her cry, and I realize the tears rolling down my face. The hiss of the shower stops, but I don't move. A few moments later, the door slides open. Jaden shuffles out, wiping her eyes and nose with the sleeve of her sweatshirt. She looks at me.

"Why the hell are you crying?" she asks, looking down, trying to hide her own tears.

I swipe a tear away from my face. "I just realized how terrible I am at singing."

Jaden cracks the slightest of smiles. "So that's who was singing." She flops down on the bottom bunk. "How do you know that song?"

"I heard it on Earth, and I guess it just stuck in my head. Why were you singing it, kid?"

Jaden draws a shaky breath and clamps her small hands together. She rubs her hands. "Julian and I listened to a lot of punk-pop and stuff like that. "21 Guns" was one of our favorites." She hangs her head.

I cautiously sit beside her. She doesn't seem to be aware of me sitting there. I saw how she reacted when she saw that I was with Nathan. I want to prove to her that I'm not one of them. I start to put an arm around her, but hesitate, and return it to my side.

"You know what?" Jaden says, her voice shedding its remorse. "I'm being stupid. Crying isn't going to bring Julian back."

She stands and marches over to the front of the ship. "Nathan," Jaden says, her words full of new confidence. "I'm ready to go to Crenala."