Never in a million years would I have thought my biological father would've had a chance at still being alive. Of course, it's a long shot. The Fortuna wasn't built to sustain a crew for over twenty years, but like Will, I have hope. Finding Grant Kelly could be the closure I need. Finding him could be the answer to everything.
Penny knocks on the doorframe of my bunk room. Before I say anything, she invites herself in and sits on my bed next to me. She takes the picture of Mom and Grant on their first date out of my hand.
I've been staring at it for the last ten minutes. Mom looks so young in it, like how I imagine Penny would look in ten years. And Grant looks like, well, what he looks like in every other picture I've ever seen.
Penny sets the picture on the shelf behind us and hands me a different polaroid from her pocket.
It's the picture Mom took of me, Will, and Penny on Christmas back on the water planet. Penny is giving Will bunny ears and, in return, he's giving her a sassy side eye. My arms are wrapped tightly around Penny's waist, as she is planting a kiss on my cheek.
"I'm not gonna pretend I know what you're feeling right now because I don't," Penny starts, both of us looking at the polaroid, "and I'm not trying to stop you from feeling it either. But this is your family now." She points at the picture. "The three of us. Right now, we're what matters, Judy. Us and the rest of the kids on this Jupiter. Dad made you captain of this ship to make sure we all get to Alpha Centauri safely. No one else can do that. Not me, not Will, not the robot, and not Grant Kelly."
"I just need time, Penny." I sigh.
"Well, we don't have a lot of it," she stands up from the bed, "the oxygen levels are already down to sixty percent."
"T-that can't be right."
"Are you questioning Mom's engineering?" Penny says sarcastically. "How dare you!"
"Penny, this is serious!" I stand up too.
"I know, Judy! So get off your ass and act like it!" She struts out of the room and towards the cockpit.