Tomorrow's Gone (#Wattys2015)

Chapter 9: Daunting Encounter

*Unedited*

"What now?" asked Diana as we stared at the elevator doors.

"Let's go find Joel and Diego," said Angela, briskly turning around and marching off. After staring after her for a moment, we were quick to follow.

We walked down the halls, our shoes clicking against the metal floor. We turned to the hall Daniel was originally in but our attempts at finding my father and Joel were futile. We couldn't find their rooms.

We decided to go look in the lounge. About five minutes of navigating the halls, we arrived at the lounge and were relieved to find the men there. They stood up from the couch when they saw us.

"Where are the boys?" Joel asked.

Angela bit her lip. "Daniel went to... explore the ship. We still haven't heard anything from Antony," she said worriedly.

Joel frowned, rubbing the stubble on his jaw thoughtfully. "That's ludicrous! He should've waited for us to accompany him!" he exclaimed after a moment.

Angela took his large hand in her smaller one. "He made us promise to wait for him here, Joel. I think it's for the best, because if you both go looking for him, you might get him caught," she argued.

Joel clenched his jaw but held fast to her hand. "Okay. I guess all that's left to do now is wait and see what happens," he agreed gruffly.

They began heading toward the couch. I, however, stayed back. "Mom?" I began.

My mother turned around and stared at me inquisitively. "Yes, Zoe?" she inquired expectantly.

I fiddled with my hands. "Can I wait for Daniel out in the hall?" I asked softly.

My mom sighed exasperatedly. "Alright, but you better not go look for him," she warned, her voice dropping an octave.

I nodded vehemently and exited the room. I stood obediently beside the door, anxiously looking around for any sign of Daniel. After five minutes of waiting, I decided to sit down with my back against the wall. Pulling my knees to my chest, I rested my head on them and closed my eyes, listening to the melodic thrumming of the powerful engine and breathing in the antiseptic smell.

"... Yes, Cosmo, I understand. I just don't see why the situation is absolutely dire enough that we have to house those pests in our ship," a delicate woman's voice was saying from the end of the hall.

I snapped my eyes open and turned to find the source of the irritated voice. Cosmo and a considerably shorter lady sauntered towards me, although I could tell the lady had yet to see me.

This lady had shoulder-length glossy black hair that was ram-rod straight. Her skin was a luminous pale, her full rosy lips in contrast with it. She wore a loose silky black dress with studded black sandals. Cosmo stood beside her, clad in a black sleeveless shirt and loose black trousers. That is when I realized how much he looked like the lady that stood beside him. She must have been the queen.

Her dark eyes sought something out and instantly found me. She scowled. I scrambled to my feet, self-consciously smoothing down my messy hair and averting my eyes from them.

"Look what we have here. One of them. Do not avert your eyes, girl. That is a sign of disrespect," the lady said, her voice laced with dismay.

I immediately looked up to see that they both now stood before me. Cosmo looked sheepish as his mother gave me a once-over, disgust clear in her sharp, delicate features.