Bubble

Chapter 14

Two days later, I lay back on the soft grass in the park I had discovered on my first day in Eos. It was the first time I had seen the actual park, instead of just the path, and it was even more beautiful than I could have ever imagined, with vibrant flowers and plants surrounding a clearing of bright green grass. A few trees were spaced out in the clearing, but they were spread out enough to allow the area to bask in the warm sunlight. It was my lunch break from the science labs, and I was taking the time to relax and make shapes out of the clouds. The park was completely deserted, hidden in the foliage near the middle of the colony, and in the silence my eyes began to flutter closed; the previous night's events had left me exhausted.

"Find anything interesting up there?" a voice asked, and I sat up startled to see Will standing in front of me. I hadn't even heard him walk up, and I probably looked like a paranoid idiot. "Sorry if I scared you. Mind if I join you?" he asked, gesturing to the grass beside me.

My cheeks tinged pink. "Sure, take a seat."

He lowered himself down and leaned back, staring at the sky. I reclined again, but turned my head towards him and watched as his eyes roamed the fluffy clouds overhead. I wrestled back and forth with myself about whether I should say something, but before I could blurt out something stupid, Will spoke up.

"The sky here still manages to amaze me. You'd think I'd be used to it by now, but it's just so different from earth," he said, his eyes meeting mine. I drew in a sharp breath and could feel my face turn hot, embarrassed that he had caught me staring at him.

I smiled. "I know. I can't stop staring at it. It's so odd to see color up there."

"Have you watched a sunset yet?"

I furrowed my brows. "The sunset?"

"Yeah. It turns the sky all sorts of beautiful colors--pinks and oranges and purples. It's unreal." His eyes shone in the sunlight like a mirror, reflecting the clouds above and creating a miniature sky across the expanse of his blue eyes.

"I'll have to watch it tonight."

"The best view is from the guard towers. I'd sneak you up there if I could." He smiled and I chuckled. Silence washed over us again as we continued to watch the sky.

"Are you okay after the other night?" Will asked, breaking the quiet a few miutes later.

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine," I said dissmissively. "My dad only has a few scratches, and the rest of us were scared half to death, but everyone is alright."

"Good, those Carnos can be pretty lethal," he said running a hand through his hair. He let out a small chuckle after a moment. "You seem to be running into a lot of fun creatures lately--giant centipedes, Carnotiles. What's next? A three-foot tall spider?"

My eyes widened. "You have those here?"

Will laughed. "No, not that I know of, thank god!"

"Okay, good. I would not have been able to sleep tonight." I stifled a laugh.

I turned my gaze back to the sky, but I felt Will's eyes linger on me, and my already red cheeks turned a darker shade of crimson. I bit my lip to keep from smiling--I always smiled when I was uncomfortable, which usually just worsened the situation. The boy sitting next to me was making me buzz with electricity and my overactive brain seemed to go numb in his presence. I was caught between never knowing what to say around him, and finding it easy to talk whenever he started a conversation. He made me nervous and relaxed at the same time. Maybe it was just because I wasn't used to being social--it was so out of my area of expertise, and comfort zone for that matter. I felt like I owed him something just for talking to me.

"Um, thanks, by the way, for helping out the other night and offering to stay," I said softly, turning back to match his gaze. "And also for just being so nice to me. It's a breath of fresh air."

"Your welcome." He grinned. "And I don't know who couldn't be nice to you."

I smiled, feeling both awkward and flattered from his compliment. "You'd be surprised," I mumbled.

Will rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. Who wouldn't like you?"

"Uh, just about everyone back on earth. Most people didn't even bother to talk to me, so the fact that you have mutple times is kind of baffling." Especially since he was amazingly gorgeous, but I didn't tell him that.

Will lay there looking at me for a moment, his brows furrowed. It was only a couple of seconds before he said something, but it felt like an eternity.

"Well, that just doesn't make any sense. You're nice, and brilliant, and beautiful."

Beautiful? He thought I was beautiful?! I couldn't keep my mouth from hanging open. I struggled to find something to say. "I..uh..um..." I cleared my throat. "I guess I was just too different for everyone there."

He searched my eyes. "It's okay to be different here."

I gave a small chuckle. "Yeah, I've noticed. I guess it might be easier to fit in."

His eyes twinkled and a smile played at the corner of his lips. "Emma, you won't just fit in here--you'll belong."

A grin crept up onto may face. "I really hope so." I had a feeling he'd be right; I'd even begun to feel that way even though I'd only been there a few days. Between my internship at the labs, talking with Leah, and meeting Will, life in Eos was already better than life on earth.

Will glanced down at his watch and sighed. "My break is almost over, I have to go. This was fun though, we should do it again."

"Yeah, that would be nice," I said, a goofy grin plastered on my face.

"Do have the same lunch hour tomorrow? I could meet you here again?"

I nodded. "Sure."

"Well I'll see you tomorrow then. Have a great day, Miss Scott," he winked, then waved before turning on his heel and walking out of the park.

"Goodbye, Mister Reynolds."