another blank hallway. I swore it looked exactly like the last one. How’d these people not end up lost all the time?
Something scampered across the wall to my left. Grabbing my camera, I stopped, but the wall seemed as plain, gray and empty as before.
“Is everything all right?” Nematali asked.
A touch of unease centered in my chest. “Yeah, I guess I saw a shadow or something.”
Her eyes combed the walls and ceilings. Holy cow—there were no lights. The walls seemed to emit illumination of their own. I scanned the area. No shadows. Yet I’d seen something black move across the wall. I moved my arm up and down, unable to recreate the vision from any angle.
Shifting my weight, I cleared my throat. No big deal. It was my imagination, that’s all.
Nematali continued through the hall until we reached a narrow juncture. She ran her fingers through the liquefied panel to our left. “We have a few extra moments. There’s something I’d like to show you.” She stepped into the wall. The glassy surface closed around her, as if she’d never been there. Totally weird.
I wish I’d had a chance to ask questions. Like: if I followed her, did I have to hold my breath, and for how long? She wasn’t all that forthcoming with the info, but I wasn’t going to just stand in that hallway by myself waiting for her to come back, so I pressed the video record button, took a few deep breaths, and followed.
Instant arctic temperatures flooded me, as if I’d gone all polar bear club in November. Another step blasted me with heat. I opened my eyes, expecting to be wet, but I was just as dry as when I stepped on board.
Coolness abounds! I just had to get me some of that liquid metal stuff.
I blinked a few times as my eyes focused. Something like a silvery-black winding staircase rose stories above my head. A hint of pinky-orange glow coated the upper levels. Pinpricks of light scampered around, reminding me of shooting stars caught in a pinball machine.
“Wow.”
“I thought you’d like it,” Nematali said. “We shouldn’t be here, but this is one of our most beautiful places. I couldn’t help but share.”
“What is it?”
“The hub. The center of the ship, a nervous system of sorts for the vessel’s flowing systems.”
The lights stopped, flittered in place, and then scurried in the opposite direction. I pointed my camera straight up, hoping a fraction of what I saw would come out in the low lighting.
She gave me another tug. “Come. We have an appointment.”
8
The brilliant glow of the staircase pulsed above, the color fading from peach to pink and back again. And the lights fluttering in the distance … amazing. The sight almost topped the classroom full of little purple kids.
For the second time since stepping aboard the ship, I wanted to stay. I could have watched those lights for hours, just like chasing lightning bugs as a kid. Why did we always have somewhere else to go?
Moving farther down yet another unremarkable hallway, I adjusted the backpack on my shoulder. Funny, I had enough juice in that bag to power a city, and it weighed less than my textbooks. This technology stuff was awesome.
The walls morphed into a door before us. I’d never get tired of watching that.
“Are you enjoying your tour thus far?” Nematali asked, stepping through.
“Are you kidding?” My reflection stared back at me from the entryway. I grabbed my camera and took a mirror selfie. “This ship is amazing.”
I stepped into a small, circular chamber. The walls were a swirling gray, like everything else on this ship.
“If you could wait here for a moment, someone wants to see you.”
I lowered my camera. “Who?” But the walls had already swallowed her. I walked to where Nematali last stood, but no opening appeared. I ran my palm through the watery surface. My skin chilled. Flinching, I pulled my hand out and flexed my numb fingers
Why were the walls so cold?
The lights went out, and a piercing
Something scampered across the wall to my left. Grabbing my camera, I stopped, but the wall seemed as plain, gray and empty as before.
“Is everything all right?” Nematali asked.
A touch of unease centered in my chest. “Yeah, I guess I saw a shadow or something.”
Her eyes combed the walls and ceilings. Holy cow—there were no lights. The walls seemed to emit illumination of their own. I scanned the area. No shadows. Yet I’d seen something black move across the wall. I moved my arm up and down, unable to recreate the vision from any angle.
Shifting my weight, I cleared my throat. No big deal. It was my imagination, that’s all.
Nematali continued through the hall until we reached a narrow juncture. She ran her fingers through the liquefied panel to our left. “We have a few extra moments. There’s something I’d like to show you.” She stepped into the wall. The glassy surface closed around her, as if she’d never been there. Totally weird.
I wish I’d had a chance to ask questions. Like: if I followed her, did I have to hold my breath, and for how long? She wasn’t all that forthcoming with the info, but I wasn’t going to just stand in that hallway by myself waiting for her to come back, so I pressed the video record button, took a few deep breaths, and followed.
Instant arctic temperatures flooded me, as if I’d gone all polar bear club in November. Another step blasted me with heat. I opened my eyes, expecting to be wet, but I was just as dry as when I stepped on board.
Coolness abounds! I just had to get me some of that liquid metal stuff.
I blinked a few times as my eyes focused. Something like a silvery-black winding staircase rose stories above my head. A hint of pinky-orange glow coated the upper levels. Pinpricks of light scampered around, reminding me of shooting stars caught in a pinball machine.
“Wow.”
“I thought you’d like it,” Nematali said. “We shouldn’t be here, but this is one of our most beautiful places. I couldn’t help but share.”
“What is it?”
“The hub. The center of the ship, a nervous system of sorts for the vessel’s flowing systems.”
The lights stopped, flittered in place, and then scurried in the opposite direction. I pointed my camera straight up, hoping a fraction of what I saw would come out in the low lighting.
She gave me another tug. “Come. We have an appointment.”
8
The brilliant glow of the staircase pulsed above, the color fading from peach to pink and back again. And the lights fluttering in the distance … amazing. The sight almost topped the classroom full of little purple kids.
For the second time since stepping aboard the ship, I wanted to stay. I could have watched those lights for hours, just like chasing lightning bugs as a kid. Why did we always have somewhere else to go?
Moving farther down yet another unremarkable hallway, I adjusted the backpack on my shoulder. Funny, I had enough juice in that bag to power a city, and it weighed less than my textbooks. This technology stuff was awesome.
The walls morphed into a door before us. I’d never get tired of watching that.
“Are you enjoying your tour thus far?” Nematali asked, stepping through.
“Are you kidding?” My reflection stared back at me from the entryway. I grabbed my camera and took a mirror selfie. “This ship is amazing.”
I stepped into a small, circular chamber. The walls were a swirling gray, like everything else on this ship.
“If you could wait here for a moment, someone wants to see you.”
I lowered my camera. “Who?” But the walls had already swallowed her. I walked to where Nematali last stood, but no opening appeared. I ran my palm through the watery surface. My skin chilled. Flinching, I pulled my hand out and flexed my numb fingers
Why were the walls so cold?
The lights went out, and a piercing
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