Satellite (Cress POV, The Lunar Chronicles)

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Breathe, Cress, breathe.

I can't say I love my job. I hack very well, I know this much and Mistress is pleased with me so far.

It's been a year since I've been on this satellite. Been a year since I've spent every day living with the food and water and other supplies Mistress gives me. But I'm not happy.

I still keep wondering where everyone else is. Are they even alive? Have they been living in their own stations? Do they even know I've been here for twelve whole months?

Mistress is due to arrive. She will give me a few weeks' supply of food and water. And of course, the regular blood samples.

I know it's time when the metal doors slam open suddenly that she's here. I hear the metallic voice of the computer system chant- 'Head Thaumaturage Sybil Mira, approaching from podship 5349'

"Hello, Crescent. I have some things for you to use in these next few weeks till I arrive again. The Queen has been saying how well you've been doing. I, of course, am very proud."

"I am honored, Mistress. I love my work!"

"That's the spirit, young one." Behind Mistress' black hair, I saw two heavily armed guards dressed in a red uniform (Red is the Queen's favorite color), and a boy of about my age dress in a regular tshirt dyed a bright blue. I could tell that he was desperately trying to hide behind the guards leg, but the guard was forcibly pulling his leg away from him. I could only assume that the guard must be his father and the boy was sent with him to train for his inherited position as a palace guard too.

I think Mistress said she was going to begin the process of retrieving my blood from my right arm, but I was a bit lost for I was still looking at the boy. His blond hair reached up to his eyes, hardly allowing me to see the top half of his face. He must be a bit shy, or very unwilling to come here. I should make him feel better. And then I suddenly realized my mistake of not paying attention to when Mistress said 'one, two, three' because I was not ready for the sudden pain of the needle piercing through my arm.

"There you go, Cress." She said. "I must stay for a while. I have a few things to check in the mechanism myself, for the purpose of the security."

"Mistress, you need not worry about the security! I'm a hacker. If I would not have the palace information safer than anyone else, who will?"

"I believe you, but I am under the Queen's orders, you see." And with that she went away from where I sat.

I got up from my chair and I found myself looking to the doors again. One guard was still in the same position, having not moved an inch. The blonde-haired boy was still trying to hide himself while his father was trying to force him to stand still as well.

I stepped towards them and offered my hand towards the boy. I felt sympathetic towards him, because I find myself to be shy as well.

"Hey, my name's Cress. Are you in palace guard training right now."

His father answered instead. "Yes he is, ma'am."

"D'you mind if I show him around? He seems a bit bored, don't you think? Of course, I wouldn't want to disrupt his training, but it's just for a little while."

The boy looked up at me, and then towards his father.

"Please?" I asked him.

"Fine. Make it quick. We may leave soon."

"Yessir!" I exclaimed, thanking the stars in my mind.

"Hi," the boy stepped up. Now I could see his face. His eyes were blue-grey. His skin is very pale, he almost blends in with the color of the satellites empty inside wall. He looks very tall for his age, and I could tell at this moment that he felt uncomfortable due to it. I wasn't very satisfied with my height either, I am just the opposite though- abnormally short for my age.

"You live here?" He asked, with a concerned look on his face.

"Yeah, for about a year now."

"All by yourself?"

I nod to agree.

"Don't you, you know, have friends?"

"Not really. Why are you asking?"

"Doesn't it get..."

"What?"

"-lonely?" He completed, after a short, but kind of awkward pause.

"Well...yeah, I guess it does, but I'm used to it."

"I'm sorry." He said, frowning.

I got a bit confused. "Why are you sorry? What do you mean?"

"It's so fun with friends. And that's something that you can only enjoy when you're little. When you get older, you can only worry about your career. When I'll be a royal guard, I won't be able to hang out with those same friends, you know. But I realized how lucky I am. You didn't even get to choose. You have a job already."

At this point, it hit me. I never really had friends. Stars, if it weren't for my good vocabulary, I wouldn't even know what 'friends' meant.

But I didn't reply. I continued to show him around and explain what I did for a living.

I love my job, and I like being here. Even though I have trouble admitting it to myself, I know I'm lonely. I'll never have friends.

"It's time to leave."

I was a bit sad, of course, I quite enjoyed talking to the boy. He was kind.

"Bye! Wait, hey, what's your name?" He turned around, facing me, eagerly waiting for a reply.

"Crescent...but please call me Cress."

"I'm Jacin."

Jacin. Maybe he will be my friend.

Note: Sybil is like a mother figure to Cress at this point of her life as she's the only person she's ever interacted with and she has yet to see how things work outside her little satellite station. Cress adores her as a mother in this time period.

I read the series a few months back, and I may have forgotten many details of the Lunar technology and stuff, please don't judge me. You're welcome to give me any suggestions to improve :)

Thanks for reading! I'll try to post a new chapter as soon as I can!