Survivors

Sleep

I wake up and head for breakfast. Everyone looks tired.

"So I said, I said "Lunara, since when were you a cadet?"." Maggie yawns. "And she was the, uh, rainbow cadet. She fought with a radioactive rock."

"Wow." Wessa says. "In my dream then I made a really big cheesecake."

"How much sleep did you guys get?" I raise an eyebrow.

"Like, two sleep." Xavier answers.

"Go to bed right now!" I command. "All of you!"

"I don't wanna go to bed, though. Sleep is for the weak." Jade groans. "And I'm the weakest of them all..."

"Am I the only one who slept last night?" I ask.

"Probably." Maggie admits.

"Look, guys. Maybe you can just lie down in the lounge or something to see if you can go to sleep." I suggest

"No, that is too much sleep." Declines Wessa.

"Go." I point at the door. I go into the room and everyone lies down on the floor. They seem to be staying still uncomfortably. Perhaps because of the presence of other people. I plop down on a couch in boredom. That's when I hear it. Sniffling.

They are literally crying in their sleep.

"What's going on with them?" I ask.

"They're crying. Obviously." Regeit answers.

"Yeah, but why?"

"They're homesick." He sighs. "You're the only one who hasn't come to me and said it. Do you miss Earth?" I pause before answering.

"I should." I look down. "But I don't believe it yet. I didn't grow up with aliens as common knowledge."

"Maybe that's for the best." Regeit tells me. "The truth hurts."

"My mom used to say that." I fold my hands. "Mostly when I was lying. One time, I broke her grandma's teapot. She told me about a thing people used to do called kintsukuroi. You fix broken pottery with gold lacquer. The point is that it's more beautiful for being broken. She says that people are the same way, but you can only be whole again with the help of someone else."

"That's nice." Regeit says. "And I'm not just saying that because I don't know what to say. That's good advice."

"Uh, thanks, I guess." I shrug. "Do you think there's anything that could calm them down?" I look at the crying bodies on the floor.

"They keep asking for sedatives. But those are for more serious matters. I don't think I can help them." He answers. "I should probably sleep a bit, too. But I want to get the ship as far away from the Black Stars as I can."

"I can pilot for a while." I offer.

"It's different from yours. The ships are organized in a way that suits you. I don't want you getting too frustrated." He sighs. "Thanks for the offer, though."

"No problem-"

"Now go get some sleep. You have some dark circles yourself." He tells me, leaving the room.

I sigh and lay down on the floor. I don't see how they can be sleeping on this. Maybe that's the real reason they're crying. Because they're sleeping on a metal floor.

I get up and take off the couch cushions, placing them on the floor. They're not made of the slime bedding stuff. I don't know what they are made of, but it's more Earthlike. As soon as I lay on top of my improvised mattress, the cushions slip apart, causing my back to dip down between, touching the floor. I never thought the day would come when I glare at nothing. But here I am.