Various short works

Vacuum

A series of consecutive dings and rings occur

A woman's voice: Calling all recyclers to sector 4A, yvorium sulfide spill by the third auditorium

A man's voice: Have you got a date to the annual Mir Winter formal? Remember kids, you only get a few chances in life at an opportunity such as the  Winter formal! Don't miss out and remember to bring that special person!

Indistinguishable voice: Reminder to all Mirians that today is the last chance for turning in your forms to apply for systemic travel outside of the Mire region. Just head in at your sector's Department of Voyage Affairs and ask to apply for systemic travel.

    Maiya looked out at the sheer vastness of space next to her, admiring the beautiful variety of lights and colors performing for her. The lights shone through the large glass that separated the endless vaccuum and the residents on the Mirian Space Station. The ray reflected off the marble fountain in the middle of the enormous atrium and created an elegant white glow.

     Having sat upon on of the leather stools by the front fountain of the very large vestibule, she looks at one of the various flying digital clocks around the station. Half-daydreaming and half-noticing the time, she recalls her grandfather's complaints about digital clocks and how they "lazy the human eye". He specifically mentioned human, as he was sitting right next to his wife, a Qrotean; their eyes are 34 times stronger than that of a hawk's. She ponders the memory some more and says to herself, "wouldn't the brain be affected, not the eyes?" as she leans back and turns her eyes towards the high table in front of her. "Then again, I'm not surprised he thought that, he also apparently believes there's Chinese infantry ready to raid this place." She says this as she crosses her legs and arms, the sound of leather coarsely rubbing against itself, producing a scrunching sound.

    While the girl is shaking her head and questioning her grandfather, a young lady in white jeans, a loose black shirt, red flannel and fedora struts up to the girl sitting at the table. The girl in the fedora is significantly shorter than the one sitting. The girl in the leather jacket has yet to notice her, still lost in thought. 

    The girl in the fedora begins tapping her foot aggressively. She tilts her head to where the sitting girl is looking. What an odd fascination with clockwork this girl has. Her eyes turn back to the sitting girl. She edges closer and closer to the girl until her mouth is just inches away from her ear. She expels an extremely vocal "MAIYA" into the girls ear.

    The girl sitting down responds with a piercing scream that proceeds to echo through the vestibule. A boy sitting several meters away glances over. Having now assessed the origin of the scream, he remembers that he doesn't care and returns to his novel. After a brief moment of stillness the sitting girl smacks the standing girl who just erupted her eardrum. "God damn you!", she said as she smacked her. "What is wrong with you, seriously that was so annoying!"

    The other girl pouted while faking a crackly teary voice, "M-Maiya, how could you say that." The standing girl sniffed and looked away while covering her mouth. Evidently, this wasn't obvious to the sitting girl, as she proceeded to become highly anxious. She rose out of her chair, slightly hunched down to almost get level with the standing girl, her hands interlocked and her repetitive "I'm sorry!"

    The standing girl faked another sobbing noise, which just further worried the other. Oh my god I ruined it didn't I?  Please no, I didn't mean it at all. Shit, why did I say that in that tone? Will she forgive me? Laugh it off? Ignore me? Oh god but she's so fun, and great, and beautiful and and and agkk! She inched closer, lightly putting her now-shaking hands on the standing girl's shoulders. Her ears began to feel hot and her heart beat just slightly faster than normal. "Oh my god Feri please I'm sorry you know I didn't mean it that way," she said peering over her shoulder, only to find her doing her best to hold back her laugh. A clamor of jubilant giggling broke out as the standing girl backed up, her mouth wide open as she caused another uproar of sound in the vestibule.

    This time, the sitting girl actually expelled a slight wave of real tears, turning her face to hide it. The standing girl quickly took notice. Her eyes widened as she immediately embraced the girl from behind and wrapped her arms around the front of her. "C'mon Maiya, don't be like that, don't worry, it's ok." She turned her face towards her own, looked into the former-sitting girl's dark blue eyes shining and reflecting the glow of the various beams from space of moons and stars, gleaming through the extremely large glass being the only thing between them and the vacuum. The residue of her tears reside as very small traces along her sharp cheekbone, highly visible in the light. Neither of them can look away, both of there thoughts racing a million thoughts a second, but none of them coherent.

    She doesn't remember how long it was before it happened, but she did know it was one of the best things she had ever felt. The softness, the sweetness and the sensational texture of her lips were beyond describable by any word or definition imaginable. It felt like a repetitive burst of colors and emotion gently grazing the sensitive surfaces of her being, but as many as there are stars times better. This is the thought they both shared under the vastness of the vacuum with just a large glass panel being the only thing between them and it. As they drew back, their foreheads resting upon the other's, they knew that they were inexplicably and unequivocally in love with the other. A love more deep and never ending than the vacuum.

    The glass was the only thing between the vacuum and them.