An Imposter Among Us

13: The Day I Become Sus

Genesis (1st-person POV)

Admittedly I was a teensy bit surprised to find them in the room, the vent covered with a heavy-looking plastic box. My nerves knotted at the blood all over the floor, but It only incriminated the two of them even more than they already had.

"Explain yourselves," I said. "Or so help me I will toss you both out into space."

Elara prodded my shin with her cane. "But what about—?"

"Sh. I'm trying to intimidate them."

"We have to explain ourselves?" Calypso snapped. "How about you? You're completely innocent, right?"

"Uh, yeah, I am." Though the silence that followed prickled at my back.

"Genesis," Jericho said calmly, crossing his arms. "We have every reason to believe you're the killer."

"Now, hold on," Zaniah said from behind me. "'We'? You two have been at each other's throats this whole time, and suddenly you're BFFs? How do we know you haven't been putting on an act to steer us away from thinking you two were working together this whole time?"

"Very sus," Elara said with a nod.

We all turned to her. She kept nodding, though her brows furrowed when it became clear she had caused a silence.

"Sus? Short for 'suspicious'?"

I shook my head. "Okay, fine. You two are acting real sus, and to come at me with no grounds really speaks to that, you know!"

"Oh, we have grounds," Jericho said. "Calypso—"

"Cut the bull. We all know that's not her real name, and that your criminal record is not empty. I don't know how either of you snuck on this ship, but now I know neither of you ever belonged here. So say your good-byes now!"

They both blanched.

"You're—you're ejecting us?" Calypso—whoever she was—clenched her fists at her sides. "This is exactly what the killer would do."

"I'm not the killer! I'm the captain!"

Ceres scoffed. "I'm not so sure that disqualifies you anymore."

I wheeled on him. "And what have you been doing this whole time?"

"Don't turn the conversation away!" Calypso said, fuming. "You're the killer, Genesis. It's so obvious now."

My next words—whatever they were, I didn't really know—caught in my throat. Every part of me wanted to scream it at the top of lungs. I'm not the killer!

But it became clear that I was only hurting my case. My lungs seized with a fresh hard dose of dread.

Maybe I would be ejected. Under suspicion of murder, and sabotage. Being shoved down a trash chute in space was how the life of Captain Genesis Duri was going to end.

The big guys would get nothing but a big laugh out of that.

"I worked hard to get on this ship," I said, voice shaking with anger. Anger at everyone for being so stupid to not notice the stupidly obvious thing in front of them. "I tried fifty-five times to lead this cursed mission, so that I could actually get this thing to Polus, unlike everyone else. I planned. I prepared for success. But then you two sneak on, and now everything is compromised. Three are dead. More will die as long as you two are alive."

Jericho hardened. "It's not us."

"Oh, yeah. Keep saying that. Maybe we'll all suddenly start believing you."

"We're not the only ones in the hot seat, Genesis. And what happened to your little act with Stella? Aren't you going to give us the same treatment you gave her?"

"The mercy is over. Either I act definitively, or we all die."

Calypso stepped forward, holding a flask with a clear liquid. I had the sick feeling it wasn't water. "Then maybe we should do the same."

She thrust out her arm, and the mystery liquid splashed out. I stepped back and covered my face with my arm, but only a drop or two landed on me, pinpricks of stings immediately erupting on my wrist and shoulder.

Zaniah let out a choked gasp. From right in front of me.

I uncovered my eyes. She was bending down, her bare arm sizzling. Her brown skin burned a vibrant, nauseating red.

"What was that?" I demanded, boiling as much as her arm was.

"H-C-L," Calypso said, in disbelief. Clearly it was not her plan for Zaniah to jump in front of me and take the blow. I could hardly form words myself, but soon my shock turned into adrenaline. Ready to pay the killer back for what she just pulled.

Jericho held out his arm, a scalpel raised. "Don't take another step. We will do anything to defend ourselves."

I drew back my fist and prepared for launch. "Like that's been your objective this whole time."

"Stop!"

We all stopped, and turned to the source of the desperate cry. Elara.

"No more of this!" she shouted, thumping her cane against the floor. "No more! We're only hurting ourselves by fighting and burning and ejecting before anyone has a chance to explain themselves. We need to all sit down and talk this out, without anyone pulling knives. If we're all there, the killers won't make a move without completely outing themselves."

"Killers—?" Pollux asked.

I grimaced. Right. Four still didn't know. "There's two killers on this ship, both from the Conclave. Stella told me so."

Jericho and Calypso exchanged looks that resembled fear. I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes.

"Captain," Elara urged. "Please. We need this."

We all stood there, all eyes on me, except for Zaniah. Brave, stupid Zaniah, bent over, her face tightened in pain.

Elara was right. We would only get hurt by lashing out before we were a million times more sure we were defending ourselves against the killers.

And if the exchange was as civilized as she hoped, I would come out innocent.

"Fine. Let's do it in here, so Zaniah can wash the chemical off."

They all glanced at the crime scene and grimaced. I strode right inside and plopped on a clean gurney. "Who's up first?"