The Habit of Crystals (Open Novella Contest)

Thirteen

There was no one on board to greet Jade when she entered, thankfully. She stood in a closed compartment, a shut door to the side and nothing but metal surrounding her. Ophinvi and Runokvo were nowhere in sight, but there wasn't much to explore. The entrance remained open, the ramp still extended. Maybe those two were the only ones here, and manually controlled the ship.

Regardless, Jade was not here to snoop around and risk getting caught. This was just her ride to their destination, which she hoped would lead her to someone reputable to speak with. This was incredibly stupid and dangerous, but she was already here and ready to go. No turning back now.

Well, technically...

But then the ramp receded, and the thrum of the engine vibrated the floor. The exit out of the ship closed with a smooth slide.

And then Jade was alone, a yellow light above her illuminated the small room that she had trapped herself within.

Her nerves shot, all of her decisions leading up to this the worst one yet.

With a jolt, Jade fell into the wall as the ship began to move. She felt the familiar shift in gravity, like a plane taking off. There was nothing for her to cling to or sit on, not in here at least. They were in the air now, so maybe she could chance opening the compartment and finding a more suitable place to settle in.

No, that was needlessly risky.

Jade slid down the wall and pushed herself into the corner, using the two walls as a support to lean into as the ship continued its ascent. The angle of the floor didn't flatten for a few minutes, longer than she remembered it taking on a flight.

Was she going into space?

Oh no she was going into space.

Jade clasped her hands over her mouth to stifle her hyperventilating before it could begin. No, no this was fine. She knew this would happen. What else could she expect from stowing away on an alien spaceship? Of course it would connect with a main ship in space. Where else would it go?

Or maybe there wasn't a master ship. Maybe the zircon leaders weren't even here. Didn't they have a planet to run of their own? Who could Jade even contact that would fix this?

What if she didn't get to go home?

She hadn't been thinking, and that was the problem. That led to this, an unknown scenario with too many possibilities that mostly left her stranded or killed.

It always works out in the movies. It always works out.

Just keep telling yourself that.

She closed her eyes, legs pulled into her crouched form in the corner of an alien spaceship heading who knows where.

Then the interior door opened, which she had been leaning on. She fell to the side, looking up at the other side of the door. Runokvo's wide-shouldered form stood over her, a tight frown telling her all she needed to know about how welcome she was.

"What are you doing here?" A simple question, but Runokvo's fast signing revealed their frustration.

Jade pulled herself to her feet, glad that the ship had leveled out enough that standing wasn't too difficult. "I..."

Runokvo grabbed Jade by the arm, tugging her further into the ship with enough force to make her trip over her own feet. She managed to not fall, partly due to the tight grip on her forearm. They led her through a narrow corridor that curved through the ship, passing shut doors that Jade wanted to take a moment to marvel at, but they didn't stop until they reached the cockpit.