The Gommos Drafts

Wake Up

"It's silly, no? When a rocket ship explodes, and everybody still wants to fly?" Prince, "Sign 'O' The Times"

I know I'm sane. But this is mad.

I'm a logical person. But what I saw is undisputable. I looked out the window expecting the dew-covered lawn of the home I've known forever. But I looked out the window and saw empty space. I don't remember what happened, but when I think back, I'm missing weeks. All I remember is going to bed in faded pajamas. I'm in a bodysuit now. What is going on?

I look around and realize I'm sleeping on a bunk. I scan the walls and determine that this is a pressured zone. I might as well be in space.

Wait. Am I in space?

After a little bit of laying on the bunk flat on my back and freaking out, unlike myself, I calm down and try to search the dull, clean room. I can hear faint voices. But there's only one place I could possibly get out, and I may not be able to. I look around again, looking under the bunk, and see my familiar navy blue suitcase. Looking inside, I notice a Swiss Army knife and a couple safety pins. I grab both and try to tinker with the lock. I think somebody notices that I'm trying to get out, and I hear beeps, possibly from a safety lock. Then the air pressure seems to slack, and the door opens to reveal a woman in a tight spacesuit. She looks me over, and tsks for a moment.

"They said you'd react badly to being caged. Trying to escape, I see. Hon, don't even try to escape. You know how immense and airless space is," she says in a motherly tone.

"Who the hell are you?" I ask defensively.

"Li," she says plainly as she looks down at her nails. I take a chance to look her over. Slick black hair halfway down her back, her salmon lips pursed. Her eyes are hazel, dark brown with green flecks. Her orange NASA spacesuit is one of those fabric ones that you see astronaut floating around in. It's tight around her hips and chest, and the pant legs are a little too long for her medium height. I notice she's only floating a little.

"Why are we not floating?" I ask her.

"We have a gravity simulator in these rooms only. We did it so the teens have a normal set-up. You're not trained astronauts. But I can turn off gravity if you want, slowly. The rest of the spacecraft is little gravity."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Teens?"

"You and two others are here. We wanted younger people. You don't remember this, I forget." I notice a hint of accent. She mutters something in an Asian language.

"I can explain later. Come with me."

She walks out of the room, looking back until I follow. We walk down a hallway into a room where a blond girl sits.

"I know this is stupid, but the wifi sucks," she says in a thick Russian accent. Her blond hair is pulled into a braid as she stares at her phone.

"This is Emilia, Catherine," Li says.

"You said there were several of us."

"It's me, you, and Mathis," Emilia says.

I sigh. I can't believe this is happening to me.