Fly Me to the Moon

Chapter 3

Meanwhile on Merritt Island in Florida, there lived Jaeden Borden. An 18 year old prodigy and daughter of a former famous scientist in Rocket Science, Helga Borden. With the dark blonde hair she shared with her mom, she had jade green eyes that contrasted to her reddish brown freckles on her cheeks. Jae stood with pride and was popular in her field as her mother was in her living. As time was approaching for the recruitment for astronauts from all around the United States, Jae was stuck on a decision. 

“Jae, what’s your decision?” A short hispanic lady spoke as she sat with Jae over tea at a local cafe.

“I-I don’t know,” Jae said as she sipped on her tea. 

The lady had long black hair that was down and straight, dark brown eyes, and she wore a dark red dress with a billowy skirt, a matching capulet hat and red pumps.

“You don’t have much time left, sweetie,” the latina said, “if you don’t decide soon, the opportunity is gonna slip away. And You’re going to regret it.”

“I know, Stella, but I don’t know if I want to take in my mom’s footsteps,” Jae said, “but everyone wants me to be just like her. Not like me. Yeah, I am a prodigy and have all of the knowledge of my mother. But what if I want to use my smarts in other fields?”

“Like astronomy?” Stella said sarcastically, “You always stay in one place, always in a comfortable space. And while you have the opportunity to go to Outer Space, you don’t venture outwards. The more you hold back, the more you will have regret.” 

“Leave Jae-Jae alone,” a waitress walked to the middle of their table as she poured them some more tea, “she can choose what she does or what she doesn't do. It isn’t our job to decide or our call of what she does. We should just respect her decision and be happy that she’s happy. Why don’t you join that silly space recruitment?”

“I am, Hilda,” Stella said with her chin straight up to the waitress, “as if I would miss out on something like this.”

The waitress was an average sized girl with deep purplish black hair and light blue eyes. She wore a black dress with a white apron as she held a teapot and the bill for the two ladies.

“So who’s paying today?” Hilda asked. 

Jae took out some money and sat it on the bill with a tip as she stood up, “I’m sorry but I need some time to think.”

She left hastily and began down the sidewalk to the building she lived in. Her apartment was a block from the cafe they were at that was named “Cathey’s Coffee and Tea”. Beside was a bookstore, a pizzeria, and a convenience store at the corner circling around and connected to a dry cleaners on the walk around. The apartment building was called the Loft. It was a set of studio apartments that was owned by the wealthy and artistic as there was a mural on the side of the building from the local artists and graffiti from vandals protesting against the spending on space travel. 

Jae walked up the brick stairway to the door in which she unlocked with her key. She went to the rickety silver elevator and pressed the button to go up to the 4th floor, her flat. Before the doors could close, Sam Harris walked swiftly into the elevator and pressed the fifth floor button. 

“Hey, Jae,” Sam smiled at her, “how’s it going?”

“I haven’t decided what I’m going to do, but I may just take the recruitment class just because,” Jae confessed.

“You can decide if you want your spot on the mission,” Sam said, “no pressure or judgment either way.”

Jae smiled at her before exiting the elevator when it reached her flat. She walked inside her house, took her shoes off and read a book.