To The Moon And Back

Chapter Nine

"Hey, are you guys ready?" Selene asked as she bounced through the door, determined to raise the morale of the group as much as she could after their disagreement earlier. She'd had time to think while Scott and John had been talking to the pilot, enough that she had softened a little towards her companions. She knew what it was like to feel so strongly about something that nothing else mattered, something that would make all reason fly out of the window. Could she really blame them when they had been promised the same thing she had, a trip to the Moon for a peaceful protest? She too had felt the crushing disappointment when she had realised that they would have to give up on their mission and go back to the drawing board, not to mention the fear and worry that had come from their situation. That was bound to make tempers flare and nerves fray and, since they all had no choice but to fly back together, she reasoned they might as well make the best of it. They were going to travel in a Thunderbird after all, how many people could say that?

"Hang on, where are the other guys?" Scott asked, appearing behind her and doing a quick head count over her shoulder.

"Sorry?" What did he mean where were the others? Selene scanned the room, seeing only the girls huddled around one end of the table. "Where are Cosmo and Atlas? Are they in the loo?"

Meadow and Sage glanced up and shrugged in answer but Rain, sweet Rain, kept her head lowered, eyes glued to the tabletop, instantly arousing their suspicions.

"I'll check the bathroom," John said, hurrying towards the door.

"Okay wise guys, what gives?" Scott demanded to know, his tone losing all warmth. "Where are those two fellas at?"

Still no one answered. Sage and Meadow continued to have a whispered conversation while Rain repeatedly laced and unlaced her fingers in her lap.

"There nobody in there," John reported as he returned. "I checked the kitchen too but I can't find them."

"Well we have to," Scott said. "They can't have gotten far there was a guard outside."

Her friends knew something, they must do. Selene had seen them like this before when they had come up with yet another crazy scheme they knew she would disapprove of. At this point, she wasn't sure they even possessed a sensible side, but still, she had to try. "Come on, guys, help us out here," she pleaded. "You can either tell us what you know or get in more trouble."

Maybe it was the way she said it. Maybe it was the fact that she even asked at all, but something inside Meadow snapped. She held up her hand, stopping Sage mid-sentence, demanding her silence before she turned her attention to Selene, looking her up and down like one would a particularly disgusting bug.

"Since when were you part of an 'us' with them?" she sneered, shooting a glare towards Scott and John before levelling it at Selene, her eyes narrowing nastily. "You're supposed to be one of us, you're supposed to be our friend."

Was that what it was all about? Some kind of ridiculous jealousy kick? Like she wasn't allowed to be friends with anyone but them? Not that she was even friends with their rescuers, she just respected them, was incredibly grateful, and thought they were genuine nice guys.

"I am your friend," Selene started, trying hard to keep her voice even and not let even a hint of the exasperation she felt at the pettiness of the situation creep in. "And that means, as your friend, it's my responsibility to tell you when you're being silly and to try to stop you from doing anything else that could be stupid or dangerous. And right now these guys are doing their best to help us and all you're doing is being ungrateful, uncooperative and making it harder on them."