It was like being drawn slowly from the serene darkness, the way one
wakes up when they've been having a lovely dream and their subcon-
scions is struggling to hold them there, just a little while longer.
Then, with angry resignation, Kai was awake, his eyes wide-open
and staring up at unfamiliar slats.
The underside of a bunk bed.
Her rubbed his eyes thinking maybe he hadn't awoken entirely yet.
His chest was throbbing, and there was a nauseous twist in his
stomach.
He turned his head to the side and felt an ache in his neck.
Reaching up, he discovered a bandage taped beneath his hairline.
But his attention was already moving on, wandering around the
room.
There was a tiny desk and a utilitarian closet on the other side,
though the room was so small he almost could have touched them
from where he lay.
A dim light had been left on beside the door.
The walls were metal and the slightly scratchy blanket he lay on was
military brown.
Pulse speeding up, he reached for the bunk overheard to keep himself
from hitting his head as he swung his legs over the side, His feet landed
on the uncarpeted floor with a thunk and he was surprised to discover
he was wearing shoes.
Dress shoes.
And dress slacks.
And his wedding shirt and sash, now wrinkled and untucked.
Great stars.
The wedding.
Mouth suddenly dry, Kai lurched out of the bed and stumbled
toward the small window. He pressed his hands to either side.
His stomach dropped in unison with his jaw.
Great stars indeed.
He'd never seen so many in all his life, and never so bright.
It gave him a strange sensation of vertigo, like he should have
been looking up into the night sky, but the gravity was all wrong.
Where was the horizon to rent himself?
A cold sweat beaded on his forehead as he pressed his cheek to
the wall, trying to peer as far down as the small window would
let him, and then—Earth.
Kai shoved himself away from the wall. He nearly fell over,
but caught himself on the upper mattress of the bunk.
YOU ARE READING
Cress
Teen FictionTheir best hope lies with Cress, a girl trapped on a satellite since childhood who's only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she's being force to work for Queen Levana, and she...
