Radek: Dark Star Princes, #3

1 BRIA

I splash cold water on my face and concentrate on breathing.

Inhale. Exhale. Stay calm. Stay focused. It’s going to be okay.

Panic wells up inside me again.

How can it be okay? The ship’s about to crash! It must be!

I grip onto the faucet, panting. The restroom suddenly seems too bright, and too loud. My face looks pale and haunted in the mirror.

I’m hyperventilating. That’s all this is.

I swipe my bangs out of my eyes. The tips are wet from the face-splashing. Closing my eyes, I try really hard not to breathe so fast.

Are you all right?

The smooth voice from behind me makes me jump. A hand lands lightly on my shoulder. I look up and my eyes meet a dark, concerned pair in the mirror.

A polished-looking woman in her late twenties smiles back at me. She’s chic in expensive tailoring and perfect make-up. She’s a little young to look so groomed and… well, adult.

I look back at my own reflection. Smudged mascara, tie-dye tank top, and crumpled harem pants. The two of us couldn’t be more different. I can tell just by looking that this stranger is in control of her life. Me? I’m a mess.

Do you need medical attention? she asks again, in that soothing, authoritative voice. It’s oddly familiar too. I feel like I recognize her from somewhere, but I’m not sure where.

No, it’s fine. I mean, thank you. I’m good.

She hands me a paper towel, and I dab at the drips on my face, trying to scrub the streaks of eye makeup off my cheeks.

Are you afraid of flying? She hands me another paper towel. It’s a common fear.

I don’t know. I guess maybe a little? Pulling my scrunchy out, I shake out my tangled hair and then pull it up into a blob on the top of my head. You could hardly even call it a messy bun. It’s like a scribble, only in hair form. There’s something wrong with the ship. Right? That’s freaking me out a little.

We’ll be back on Earth soon I’m sure. Technical hitches do happen, but they’re usually fixed within minutes. Try not to worry. She squeezes my shoulder again and smiles. I fly a lot.

When people act like they totally know what they’re doing, it’s reassuring. I genuinely do feel a little better now she’s here.

Thanks, I say, with an embarrassed smile. I’m Bria, by the way.

Taja. She holds out her hand, and I shake it. Her manicure is perfect, of course. I don’t even want her to notice my peeling blue polish. It’s good to meet you, Bria. Are you flying alone today?

Oh no, I have a friend with me. We’re on a day trip.

The image of Coralie’s face flickers in my mind. She looked worried when I ran into the restroom. I’d been trying so hard to act like I thought everything was fine, for her benefit.

If Coralie had known how jittery I was inside, it would’ve bummed her out. She’s my dad’s star student. I know she only accepted the cruise ticket to help my dad out, and I don’t want her to regret coming here. It’s pathetic that my dad thought I needed a minder to come into space. But kind of sweet, too.

So I pretended it was no big deal to me when the weird stuff started. Only it was.

Taja adjusts her already immaculate braids in the mirror, and smiles back at me again. That’s great. She heads for the door and holds it open for me. I’m glad you have someone to travel home with.

Oh, thanks. Yeah, I guess my friend will be looking for me actually. I’d better get back to her.

Of course. You should. Taja stands back against the wall to let me leave first, still holding the door for me. She has perfect manners, as well as everything else. How does a person get their shit together like that? I wish I knew. Take care now, Bria, she calls after me.

You too, Taja, I say, as I stumble out into the main walkway.

But the walkway doesn’t look the way I remember it. In the ten minutes or so that I was in the restroom, things have changed.

When I came in here, there were crowds of people rushing around. Now the room is almost empty.

I don’t understand. Where did all the people go?

I look back at Taja, who hurries over until she’s standing right beside me. A furrow appears between her brows. She looks just as perplexed as me. That sends a shot of adrenaline through my system. If Ms. Calm is worried, then things just got serious.

What the hell just happened? I mutter. "Where is everybody?

Luckily only one of us is an indecisive person.

This way, Taja says, hurrying toward the door.

I follow her, grateful for the leadership.

Thoughts pile up in my head as we charge around the ship, looking for everyone else.

I used to think I functioned okay in a crisis. It was only later that I realized my parents cocooned me with so much love and care, I barely had to deal with anything until I got to college. Even now, my father still calls every day and sends me money. Up until last year, I’d never had a problem he couldn’t handle for me.

But that was before my ex. My hair-trigger, volatile ex.

After spending a year with him at college, I went from a happy-go-lucky girl to a woman so nervous, she flinches when someone nearby reaches in their pocket for loose change.

I wish I’d never met him. Only I did. And I can’t change that.

I never told anyone what being with him was like. Not my friends. Definitely not my parents. And I’ve never gotten over it. My GPA suffered, and so did my social life.

When my parents find out I’ve been spending my allowance on extra tutoring to keep my grades up, they’re going to be so disappointed.

The embarrassing thing is that really I’m so lucky. Compared with someone like Coralie who always had to fight for everything? I’m rolling in clover. It was my own fault I screwed it all up. I chose the wrong guy, and he made my life hell.

He still does. Even though he’s not around me any more. The fear never goes away.

I was Daddy’s girl. But I know nobody should have everything handed to them on a plate.

Maybe that’s why I fell for my nightmare ex. Maybe that’s why I always feel so guilty about everything. Maybe that’s why I’m terrified I can’t live up to my parents’ view of me.

I’m a dreamy Pisces, living in my imagination. It’s the only way I know how to cope.

But one thing I do know for sure. I’ll never allow myself to care about a guy again. They’re bad news.

I catch another glimpse of myself reflected back off a shiny ad panel on the wall. I look like a scarecrow. Awesome.

Taja peers through the glass windows in a set of double doors. I see people in here. It’s a little dark though. She shrugs and pushes the doors open. We both walk through them.

We’re in a cafeteria, I think. This place wasn’t open when we first boarded the ship. Maybe they were planning to serve us dinner here later.

Small groups of people stand around, talking in excited but hushed voices. The tables and chairs have been messed up a little, with a few chairs on their backs or sides, and the tables pushed out of alignment.

I look at Taja for a clue about what to do next. She shakes her head and shrugs. Do you see your friend in here?

I scan the groups of people, trying to pick out Coralie’s bright red hair. She’s tiny though. I might not spot her in a crowd. I’m not sure. Let me take a quick walk around the room.

We look around. People part to let us through, looking wide-eyed and shocked.

Something’s not right, Taja says, stopping to look around.

Her words are like a knife in my gut. Like what? I whisper, feeling my lip tremble. What do you think’s happening?

She steps into a circle of chattering people. Excuse me? What’s going on here? Do you know?

Only almighty God himself knows that, ma’am. A white-haired lady pulls her cardigan tighter around herself. They went that way. She points to the exit on the other side of the cafeteria.

Who did?

The aliens. They went that way. Over there. With the girls.

Taja glances at me, then back to the lady. Aliens?

A guy with a white mustache and a walking cane cuts in. I don’t even want to know what they’re going to do with them. Awful. Just awful.

Taja steps back now, hands on hips. Her jaw is set.

I’m quivering and trying hard not to hyperventilate again.

We should find a member of the ship’s crew and get some updates, she says. Then we can keep all the passengers informed. Gossip will spread otherwise, and that won’t help anybody. There must be an emergency contingency plan. So we need to find that and communicate it to everyone.

Do we? Okay, sure. I trot glumly behind Taja, because the alternative is hunting for Coralie on my own, and I’m too scared of the word I just heard to do that.

Aliens.

Aliens. On our ship.

Why were there aliens on our ship? Have they left now What did the white-haired lady mean when she said they went with the girls?

Taja points to another door at the side of the cafeteria, marked Staff Only. Let’s try in here, she says, picking up the pace. We’re jogging now.

The door is locked. She shakes the handle for a moment, before giving up. There must be another way into the staff areas. There are always a lot of people working on cruise ships. She leads me down the edge of the room to the other doors.

That’s where they said the aliens went, I burble. My voice sounds wobbly and high-pitched, like a kids’ cartoon character.

If they’re aliens, they’re probably just Dark Star patrol officers. They look tall and impressive, but they’re no threat to us. Perhaps they’re looking for someone on board the ship.

I swallow. It doesn’t bother you that Dark Star cops can just jump on our ship any time?

She gives me a knowing look. It happens more often than you’d think. They run the United Galaxies, remember. They do what they want. But they don’t cause any trouble.

I almost stop breathing as she opens the doors where the lady said the aliens went through. But there’s nothing on the other side. It’s just an empty space, with a few easy chairs and couches surrounded by storage closets. Maybe it’s some kind of staff hangout room.

Where are the kitchen staff? Where are all the waiters? Taja bustles around, checking in closets as though she thinks they might be hiding in there. Or maybe she thinks they could be concealed doors? I have absolutely no idea.

We freeze when we hear screaming from the next room.

Taja grabs my wrist and pulls me into one of the large walk-in closets. She closes the doors behind us.

It’s pitch black in here. I pull out my phone and switch it on just to get a little light from the screen.

Turn that off, she whispers. We’re hiding.

I shove it back in my pocket, hating the darkness. "What are we hiding from?"

She