Trial 017 - 2019 Wattys Sci-Fi Winner

Chapter 3

"Call if there's anything wrong," Mom said. "And don't forget I want you both back in time for dinner."

I shook my head, grabbing my empty drawstring backpack as I stepped out of the car.

"I'm only heading to Peter's school. Not like someone's going to jump me on my way there."

"Alright, but I still want you home in time for dinner."

"Bye, mom," I stressed, waving as I backed away.

"Have a safe flight!" Mom called out her window. I stopped at the doors and waved as she drove off. Then, I shouldered my empty bag and entered the station.

The inside of the terminal was very bland, no different than any other shuttle port I'd seen. The floor was made of ceramic tile laid in a diamond pattern, and portable grilled dividers split up the waiting line into a long and winding curve, though nobody stood in line at the moment. The roof was shaped like an elongated dome, with doric columns positioned in wide intervals to support the vaulted ceiling.

I jogged down the waiting line, hopping over the last few dividers when I got tired of running.

The security guard at the scanner raised an eyebrow at me.

"What's the matter, woke up late?" he asked. "The regular shuttle for commuter students left hours ago."

"I'm not a commuter student," I said, holding up my travel documents. "Just visiting."

He nodded, taking the pass from me. The scanner beeped once and he handed it back, motioning for me to put my bag on the conveyor belt. I complied and stepped through the body scanner.

"Your bag is empty?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Yeah," I said, shrugging. "Not really much to carry."

"Alright then. You have a nice day."
I nodded, shouldering my pack and stepping into the waiting area. It was a relatively simple room with long benches with black cushions, and a single potted plant in the corner. Nothing particularly fancy. Several sliding double doors on the far wall of the room opened directly into the shuttle docked there.

Since the next shuttle was leaving in a few minutes, I made a beeline for the nearest loading dock. Surprisingly, there were no stewards around to guide me to a dock, and when I stepped onto the shuttle, none appeared to guide me to my seat either.

"Huh," I muttered to myself. I'd forgotten this was just a school shuttle.

It was depressingly empty, with most of the seats vacant. A group of men and women were clustered near the back, wearing badges around their necks. Press passes. Probably Media Moguls sent to cover some student's research project. I took a seat as far away from them as possible, and since it didn't seem to matter where I sat, I opted for a window seat.

For now, the view outside was the inside of the shuttle bay, so I settled into my seat and took out my mobile.

On shuttle. Mom at work, I sent.

A few moments later, my mobile vibrated. Peter had attached a digital file to a message, and when I opened it, I found a map of the school campus, with a line drawn in blue leading to what looked like the physical science department. I blinked in surprise; the school must be huge. There were tram lines running all over, and lots of green space seemed wedged between each department.

My mobile vibrated again.

Today wasn't a half day.

I winced. I left early.