Red Rock

Chapter 5 I Can't See (Part 2)

    Chapter5 I Can't See (Part 2) 

Daire dropped his bag and jacket in a claustrophobic room, officially claiming it as his own. He did not get much time to enjoy the experience of being in one of Akin's space stations before being led onboard a massive spacecraft on route to Mars. From his understanding it was a 'first come first serve' scenario in terms of finding a preferred room on the sector two level, which was as chaotic as it sounded from the thousands of people rushing on board. Daire jogged to the front of the ship once the sector two Surveyors were allowed on. Since the entrance was at the back of the spacecraft, Daire had little problem getting to the front, other than the exasperation which he suffered from the twenty minute journey.

"Hey there!" a friendly voice came from behind. Daire turned around almost stunned, he hadn't been confronted by another human since the train incident.

"Oh, Hey," Daire said as calmly as he could, excited that he had just met an attractive female.

"Made your way to the front, huh?" she asked as if it was a statement.

"Yeah, I like to avoid trouble for the most part," he replied, trying to retain eye contact without shifting his sight downward.

"For the most part?" she repeated sounding playful. "I guess it's that little bit of trouble that got us here." She smiled, "Name's Maria."

Daire watched Maria hold out her tatted sleeve for a handshake, "Daire," he said, returning the handshake and the smile.

"Well Daire, if you need anything I'll be next door. Or I guess more importantly, if I need anything I'll come to you." And with a wink she slowly backed her wide hips out of the door and out of sight.

Daire was left standing beside his single bed and closet mirror in wonderment, 'Was she just hitting on me?' he thought to himself with a smile. 'She definitely was!' With pride, Daire started to pack his things into small clunky drawers with pep in his step, excited about the future for the first time in what seemed like forever.

The residence contained twelve rooms, six on each side of the common room separated by two parallel hallways. The common room contained two tables, a small one for board games, and a larger one for dining, both accommodating their own pair of neatly set chairs. There was a small kitchen at the front of the common room with a water dispenser and a compost disposal, which swallowed all of the left over edible products and included the eating utensils. Although a mouthful of cutlery was in most cases too starchy and bitter for most occupancy, one could technically eat them with minimal side effects other than a bad taste in one's mouth. The ground up leftovers would then be stored and brought back to Earth as fertilizer. Everything was built for maximum efficiency.

The bedrooms filled up quickly after Daire finished unpacking. First came Marth, who was about a couple years older than Daire, hair reaching the bottom of his pale eyes and tight clothing that could rip at any moment. Marth showed little interest in Daire's acquaintance and started to gravitate closer to Maria who welcomed the attention. Marth was a smooth soul. He walked without a care in the world and carried himself like he was the only person that mattered. This bothered Daire. He watched as Marth and Maria smiled and laughed at each other's wit, getting physically closer with each funny story that passed.

The next person who claimed a bedroom was also a man, standing at about five feet nine inches tall. The scruffy and stalky tree stump introduced himself as Jacob Woods. Jacob also showed little interest in Daire's acquaintance, though Daire did not mind. He showed even less interest in Maria and Marth who were still getting too comfortable with each other.