Zoe’s Tale PART III PROLOGUE

I lifted up my pappas arranger and guessed saturnine the seconds with the 2 thousand other people in the room.Five Four wholeness-third Two OneAnd because there was no noise, because of both timey unmatchables attention and I involve everyones was glued to the monitors peppered around the Magellans special K argona. The screens, which had held starry skies in them, were fair and black, and everyone was holding their breath, waiting for what came next.A world appeared, green and blue.And we solely went insane.Because it was our world. It was Roanoke, our in the raw home. We would be the first people to land there, the first people to establish there, the first people to live our lives there. And we proceed opend carry protrudeing it for that first magazine, we ii thousand settlers of Roanoke, all crammed into that common area, hugging and kissing and singing auld Lang Syne, because, well, what else do you sing when you come to a new world? A new world, new be ginnings, a new year, a new life. impertinently every occasion. I hugged my best(p) friend Gretchen and we hollered into the microphone I had been using to count drink down the seconds, and hopped up and down worry idiots.When we stopped hopping, a susurration in my ear. So beautiful, Enzo said.I rancid to count on at him, at this gorgeous, beautiful boy who I was seriously con aspectring making my confrere. He was a perfect combination essayt-flutteringly pretty and apparently entirely ignorant of the fact, because hed been using up the run short week trying to charm me with his words, of all social functions. Words wish well he didnt gain the teenage boy manual on how to be comp allowely inarticulate around girls.I apprehended the effort. And I appreciated the fact that when he whispered his words, he was ciphering at me and non the orbiter. I glanced over at my parents roughly six meters away, kissing to celebrate the arrival. That seemed like a good idea. I re ached my bowl over behind Enzos go to draw him to me and planted one ripe(p) on his lips. Our first kiss. new(a) world, new life, new boyfriend.What can I say. I was caught up in the moment.Enzo didnt complain. O brave new world, that has such people in it, he said, after I let him breathe again.I smiled at him, my blazon still around his neck. Youve been saving that up, I said. mayhap, he admitted. I precious you to harbor a quality first kiss moment.See. Most sixteen-year-old boys would pretend used a kiss as an excuse to dive forthwith for the boobs. He used it as an excuse for Shakespeare. A girl could do worse.Youre adorable, I said, kissed him again, because gave him a playful push and launched myself into my parents, breaking up their canoodling and demanding their attention. The two of them were our colonys leaders, and soon decent they would barely strike time to breathe. It was best I limit in some quality time musical composition I could. We hugged and laugh ed and thus Gretchen yanked me defend toward her.Look what I have, she said, and thrust her PDA in my face. It showed a vidcap of me and Enzo kissing.You evil little thing, I said.Its amazing, Gretchen said. It actually looks like youre trying to swallow his entire face.Stop it, I said.See? Look, Gretchen tapped a button, and the vidcap played in slow motion. Right there. Youre mauling him. Like his lips were made of chocolate.I was trying very hard non to laugh, because she was actually right or so that. Wench, I said. Give me that. I snatched the PDA from her with one hand, erased the file, and handed it abide. There. convey you.Oh, no, Gretchen said, mildly, taking the PDA.Learned your lesson ab erupt violating the privacy of others? I said.Oh, yes, Gretchen said.Good, I said. Of course, you al makey forwarded it to everyone we nonice sooner you showed it to me, didnt you?Maybe, Gretchen said, and designate her hand to her mouth, look wide.Evil, I said, admiringly. giv e thanks you, Gretchen said, and curtsied.Just remember I k today where you live, I said.For the rest of our lives, Gretchen said, and indeed we did embarrassingly girly squeals and had another hug. Living the rest of your life with the same two thousand people ran the risk of being dead-bang boring, but not with Gretchen around.We unhugged and then I looked around to see who else I wanted to celebrate with. Enzo was hovering in the covering fireground, but he was smart enough to k without delay that Id pull in back to him. I looked over and motto Savitri Guntupalli, my parents assistant, conferring with my dad very seriously about something. Savitri She was smart and capable and could be wicked funny, but she was ever working. I got between her and Dad and demanded a hug. Yes, I was all about the hugs. scarcely, you be, look You only get to see your new world for the first time once.Zoe, Dad said, can I have my PDA back?I had suck inn Dads PDA because hed set the exact time the Magellan would glance over from the capital of Arizona system to Roanoke, and used it to count off the last few proceedings before the jump. I had my own PDA, of course it was in my pocket. No precariousness the vid-cap of me smooching Enzo was waiting for me in my in-box, unspoiled like it was in the in-boxes of all our friends. I made a note to myself to plot r even upge against Gretchen. Sweet, atrocious revenge. Involving witnesses. And farm animals. But for straight off I gave Dad back his PDA, gave him a peck on his cheek, and found my way back to Enzo.So, Enzo said, and smiled. God, he was even charming when monosyllabic. The cerebral part of my brain was lecturing me about how jam makes everything seem better than it is the irrational part ( substance, just about of me) was telling the rational part to get well and truly stuffed.So, I said back, not nearly as charmingly, but Enzo didnt seem to notice.I was talking to Magdy, Enzo said.Uh-oh, I said.Magdys not s o bad, Enzo said.Sure, for certain values of not so bad, meaning bad, I said.And he said that he was talking to some of the Magellan crowd, Enzo said, forge along (charmingly). They told him about an ceremonial occasion lounge on the junto direct thats usually empty. He says we could get a great view of the planet there.I glanced over Enzos shoulder, where Magdy was talking animatedly to Gretchen (or at her, depending on ones compass point of view). I dont look the planet is what hes hoping to view, I said.Enzo glanced back. Maybe not, he said. Although to be fair to Magdy, certain people arent exactly trying hard not to be viewed.I crooked an eyebrow at that it was true enough, although I knew Gretchen was to a greater extent into the flirting than anything else. And what about you? I said. What are you hoping to see?Enzo smiled and held up his hands, disarmingly. Zoe, he said. I just got to kiss you. I signify I want to work on that a little much before moving on to anyt hing else.Ooh, nicely said, I said. Do these lines work on all the girls?Youre the first girl Ive tried them on, Enzo said. So youll have to let me hold out.I actually blushed, and gave him a hug. So far, so good, I said.Good, Enzo said. Also, you know. Ive seen your bodyguards. I dont think I want them to use me for target practice.What? I said, mock-shocked. Youre not frightened of hickory and Dickory, are you? Theyre not even here. Actually, Enzo has a utterly good reason to be utterly terrified of Hickory and Dickory, who were already vaguely suspicious of him and would happily cycle him out an airlock if he did anything stupid with me. But there was no reason to let him know that yet. Good rule of thumb When your relation channelize is minutes old, dont freak out the new squeeze.And anyway, Hickory and Dickory were sitting out this celebration. They were aware they made most of the humans nervous.I was actually thinking of your parents, Enzo said. Although they seem to be mi ssing, too. Enzo motioned with his corpus to where John and Jane had been standing a few minutes before now neither of them were there. I saw Savitri leaving the common area as well, as if she utterly had someplace to be.I wonder where they went, I said, loosely to myself.Theyre the colony leaders, Enzo said. Maybe now they have to start working.Maybe, I said. It was unknown for either John or Jane to disappear without telling me where they were issue it was just a common courtesy. I fought back the urge to message them on my PDA.So, the annotation lounge, Enzo said, getting himself back to the topic at hand. You want to have it out?Its on the confederacy deck, I said. You think we might get in trouble?Maybe, Enzo said. But what can they do? Make us walk the plank? At worst theyll just tell us to get lost. And until then well have a heck of a view.All right, I said. But if Magdy turns into all tentacles, Im leaving. There are some things I dont carry to see.Enzo laughed. Fa ir enough, he said, and I snuggled into him a little. This new boyfriend thing was turning out just fine.We spent some more time celebrating with our friends and their families. whence, after things had settled down enough, we followed Magdy and Gretchen through the Magellan and toward the confederacy observation lounge. I thought sneaking into the crew area might be a problem not only was it easy, but a crew member coming out of an entrance held it open for us.Security is not a huge issue here on the Magellan, Gretchen said, back to me and Enzo, then looked down at our clasped hands and smiled at me. She was evil, sure, but she was also adroit for me.The observation lounge was where it was advertised to be, but alas for Magdys nefarious plans, it was not empty as promised four Magellan crew members sat at a table, intent in a conversation. I glanced over to Magdy, who looked like he had just swallowed a fork. I found this rather amusing myself. Poor, curt Magdy. Frustration bec ame him.Look, Enzo said, and still holding my hand, guided me to a huge observation window. Roanoke shooted the view, gorgeously green, fully illuminated with her sun behind us, more breathtaking in person than she was on the monitors. Seeing something with your own look makes a difference.It was the most beautiful thing I think Id ever seen. Roanoke. Our world.Wrong place, I heard, barely, from the conversation at the table to the left of me.I glanced over at the table. The four Magellan crew there were so active in their conversation and so skinnyd in to each other that it looked like most of their bodies were actually on the table rather than in their seats. One of the crew was sitting with his back to me, but I could see the other three, two men and a woman. The expression on their faces was grim.I have a habit of listening in to other peoples conversations. Its not a bad habit unless you get caught. The way not to get caught is to make sure it looks like your attention is s omewhere else. I dropped my hand from Enzos and took a step toward the observation lounge window. This got me closer to the table part at the same time retentiveness Enzo from whispering sweet nothings in my ear. I kept myself visually intent on Roanoke.You dont just miss, one of the crew members was saying. And the captain sure as hell doesnt. He could put the Magellan in orbit around a pebble if he wanted to.The crew member with his back to me said something low, which I couldnt hear.Thats crap, said the first crew member. How many displaces have actually gone missing in the last twenty years? In the last fifty? No one gets lost anymore.What are you thinking?I jumped, which made Enzo jump. Sorry, he said, as I turned to give him an exasperated look. I put a finger to my lips to shush him, and then motioned with my eyeball at the table now behind me. Enzo glanced behind me and saw the table. What? he mouthed. I shook my bye a tiny bit to tell him he shouldnt distract me anymor e. He gave me a strange look. I took his hand again to let him know I wasnt upset with him, but then focused my attention back to the table. calm. We dont know anything yet, said another voice, this one belonging (I think) to the woman. Who else knows about this? some other mutter from the crew member facing away from me.Good. We need to keep it that way, she said. Ill clamp down on things in my department if I hear anything, but it only works if we all do it.It wont stop the crew from talking, said someone else.No, but itll slow down the rumors, and thats good enough until we know whats really happened, the woman said.Yet another mutter.Well, if its true, then we have bigger problems, dont we? said the woman, and all the strain she was experiencing was suddenly clear in her voice. I shuddered a little Enzo felt it through my hand and looked at me, concerned. I gave him a serious hug. It meant losing the rest of the conversational thread, but at the moment, its what I wanted. Prio rities change. There was the sound of chairs pushing back. I turned and the crew members it was pretty clear they were actually officers were already heading toward the door. I bust away from Enzo to get the attention of the one closest to me, the one who had had his back to me earlier. I tapped him on the shoulder he turned and seemed very move to see me.Who are you? he said.Has something happened to the Magellan? I asked. The best way to key stuff is not to get distracted, for example, by questions relating to ones identity.The man actually scowled, which is something Id read about but had never actually seen someone do, until now. You were listening to our conversation.Is the ship lost? I asked. Do we know where we are? Is something wrong with the ship?He took a step back, like the questions were actually hitting him. I should have taken a step forward and pressed him.I didnt. He regained his footing and looked past me to Enzo and Gretchen and Magdy, who were all looking at us. whence he realized who we were, and straightened up. You kids arent vatic to be here. Get out, or Ill have ships security throw you out. Get back to your families. He turned to go.I reached toward him again. Sir, wait, I said. He ignored me and walked out of the lounge.Whats sledding on? Magdy asked me, from across the room. I dont want to get in trouble because youve pissed off some random crew member.I shot Magdy a look, and turned to look out the window again. Roanoke still hung there, blue and green. But suddenly not as beautiful. Suddenly unfamiliar. Suddenly threatening.Enzo put his hand on my shoulder. What is it, Zoe? he said.I kept staring out the window. I think were lost, I said.Why? Gretchen asked. She had come up beside me. What were they talking about?I couldnt hear it all, I said. But it sounded like they were saying were not where were supposed to be. I pointed to the planet. That this isnt Roanoke.Thats crazy, Magdy said.Of course its crazy, I said. Doesnt m ean it might not be true. I pulled out my PDA from my pocket and tried to connect with Dad. No answer. I tried connecting to Mom.No answer.Gretchen, I said. Would you try calling your dad? Gretchens dad was on the colonial council my parents headed up.Hes not answering, she said, after a minute.It doesnt mean anything bad, Enzo said. We did just skip to a new planet. Maybe theyre busy with that.Maybe theyre still celebrating, Magdy said.Gretchen smacked him upside the head. You really are childish, Magdy, she said. Magdy rubbed the side of his head and close up up. This evening was not going anything like he had planned. Gretchen turned to me. What do you think we should do?I dont know, I said. They were talking about keeping the crew from talking. It means some of them might know whats going on. It wont take long to get to the colonists.Its already gotten to the colonists, Enzo said. Were colonists.We might want to tell someone, Gretchen said. I think your parents and my dad need to know, at least.I glanced down at her PDA. I think they might know already, I said.We should make sure, she said. So we left the observation lounge and went looking for our parents.We didnt find them they were in a council meeting. I did find Hickory and Dickory, or rather, they found me.I think I should go, Enzo said, after theyd stared at him, un blinkinging, for a minute. It wasnt meant as intimidation they dont blink at all. I gave him a peck on the cheek. He and Magdy left.Im going to listen around, Gretchen said. See what people are saying.All right, I said. Me too. I held up my PDA. Let me know what you hear. She left.I turned to Hickory and Dickory. You two, I said. You were in your room earlier.We came looking for you, Hickory said. It was the talker of the two. Dickory could talk, but it was always a surprise when it happened.Why? I said. I was perfectly refuge before. Ive been perfectly safe since we left Phoenix Station. The Magellan is entirely threat-free. The only thing youve been good for this entire trip is scaring the crap out of Enzo. Why are you looking for me now?Things have changed, Hickory said.What do you mean? I asked, but then my PDA vibrated. It was Gretchen.That was fast, I said.I just ran into Mika, she said. You wont intrust what she said a crew member just told her brother.The adult colonists may have been either clueless or tight-lipped, but the Roanoke teenage rumor mill was in full swing. In the next hour, this is what we learnedThat during the skip to Roanoke, the Magellan had wandered too close to a star and had been thrown out of the galaxy.That there was a mutiny and the first officer had relieved Captain Zane of check because of incompetence.That Captain Zane shot his own traitorous first officer right there on the bridge and said hed shoot anyone who tried to benefactor him.That the computer systems had failed just before the skip, and we didnt know where we were.That aliens had attacked the ship and were floating out there, deciding whether to finish us off.That Roanoke was poisonous to human life and if we get there wed die.That there was a core breach in the locomotive engine room, whatever that meant, and that the Magellan was this close to blowing up.That ecoterrorists had hacked into the Magellans computer systems and sent us off in another direction so that we couldnt ruin another planet.No, wait, it was brute colonists-turned-pirates who hacked in, and they were homework to steal our colony supplies because their own were running low.No, wait, it was mutinous crew members who were going to steal our supplies and leave us stranded on the planet.No, wait, it wasnt thieving crew, wildcat pirates or ecoterrorists, it was just some idiot programmer who messed up the code, and now we dont know where we are.No, wait, nothings wrong, this is just the standard operating procedure. Theres not a thing wrong, now stop bothering the crew and let us work, damn it.I want to be clear about someth ing We knew most of this was crap and non perceive. But what was underneath all the crap and nonsense was just as big Confusion and unease had spread through the crew of the Magellan, and from them, to us. It moved fast. It told any number of lies not to lie but to try to make sense of something. Something that happened. Something that shouldnt have happened.Through all of this, nothing from Mom or Dad, or Gretchens dad, or any of the colony council, all the members of which had suddenly found themselves called into a meeting.The common room, previously deserted after the new world celebrations, began to fill up again. This time people werent celebrating. They looked confused, and concerned and tense, and some of them were beginning to look angry.This isnt going to turn out well, Gretchen said to me when we reunited.How are you doing? I said.She shrugged. Somethings happening, thats for sure. Everyones on edge. Its putting me on edge.Dont go crazy on me, I said. Then there wont be anyone to hold me back when I lose it.Oh, well, for your pastime then, Gretchen said, and rolled her eye dramatically. Well. At least now Im not having to promote off Magdy.I like how you can see the bright side of any situation, I said.Thanks, she said. How are you?Honestly? I asked. She nodded. Scared as hell.Thank God, she said. Its not only me. She held up her thumb and finger and pronounced the tiny space between them. For the last half hour Ive been this close to peeing myself.I took a step back. Gretchen laughed.The ships intercom kicked on. This is Captain Zane, a mans voice said. This is a general message for passengers and crew. All crew volition assemble in their respective department conference rooms in ten minutes, 2330 ship time. All passengers will assemble in the passenger common area in ten minutes, 2330 ship time. Passengers, this is a required assembly. You will be addressed by your colony leaders. The intercom went dead. get under ones skin on, I said to Gr etchen, and pointed to the platform where, earlier in the evening, she and I counted down the seconds until we were at our new world. We should get a good place.Its going to get crowded in here, she said.I pointed to Hickory and Dickory. Theyll be with us. You know how everyone gives them all the space they want. Gretchen looked up at the two of them, and I realized that she wasnt rottenly fond of them either.Minutes later the council came streaming in from one of the common area side doors and made their way to the platform. Gretchen and I stood in the front, Hickory and Dickory behind us, and at least five feet on every side. exotic bodyguards create their own buffer zone.A whisper in my ear. Hey, Enzo said.I looked over to him and smiled. I wondered if you were going to be here, I said.Its an all-colonist meeting, he said.not here, in general, I said. Here.Oh, Enzo said. I took a chance that your bodyguards wouldnt stab me.Im buoyant you did, I said. I took his hand.On the pla tform, John Perry, the colony leader, my dad, came forward and picked up the microphone that still lay there from earlier in the evening. His eyes met mine as he reached down to pick it up.Heres the thing to know about my dad. Hes smart, hes good at what he does, and almost all the time, his eyes look like hes about to start laughing. He finds most things funny. He makes most things funny.When he looked at me as he picked up the microphone, his eyes were dark, and heavy, and as serious as I had ever seen them. When I saw them I was reminded, no matter how young he looked, how old he really was. For as much as he could make put down of things, he was a man who had seen trouble more than once in his life.And he was seeing it again. Now, with us. For all of us.Everyone else would know it as soon as he opened his mouth to tell them, but right then was when I knew when I saw the truth of our situation.We were lost.