I roll my eyes. The pod won’t even fly at this point, much less break the atmosphere.
I turn to Lilly. “Do you want me to go with you?”
She shakes her head. “Nah. I’ll be fine. I’m taking the rover so I should be back soon.”
I want to insist, but I know my best friend. She has obviously had a stressful week since we crashed. According to the emergency protocol, her job as head of the Botany Department on the colony ships makes her our leader because no senior Bridge Crew officers were on our escape pod. Lilly complained to me just last night that she wanted, more than anything, some alone time to decompress. I think this little excursion will allow her the space she needs.
Each colony ship was equipped with several pods, capable of carrying sixty people each. I don’t know how many pods escaped the ships after the pirates attacked. In all the chaos, our pod only launched a little less than half-full and I shudder to think of how many crew members may have been left behind.
We’re hopeful that we’ll link up with another escape pod out here but there’s no way to tell where the others landed. The pod’s computer is fried beyond repair, which is why I can’t help but feel frustrated that John is still wasting time trying to make the damn thing fly.
“Shouldn’t you at least take someone with you in case you run into trouble?” Talia asks.
Lilly pats the blaster on her hip. “I’m taking this with me. Besides, we’ve been here almost a week and haven’t seen any predators or threats.”
I haven’t slept more than a few hours at a time since we crashed. My mind keeps replaying the nightmare of Thomas’s death. So I’m too tired to argue that Talia’s right; Lilly should probably take someone with her. My best friend is too stubborn to let me convince her of that.
Anna approaches, having overheard most of our conversation. She places her hands on her hips. “You shouldn’t go alone. Take someone with you.”
Lilly gestures toward the canyon. “But it’s not that far. I’ll be fine.”
Anna shakes her head. “It’s probably much farther than you think it is. It’s hard to gauge distance when the whole desert looks the same.”
They argue back and forth for a bit, but as expected, Lilly wins out. A part of me is glad. As the one to make all the decisions, Lilly is under a lot of pressure and deserves a break.
We’re not supposed to be here. We were supposed to find a planet with plentiful water and vegetation. But like it or not, this desert wasteland is now our home.
Argument won, Lilly hugs each of us in turn then she starts for the rover. She spins at the last second to flash me a grin. “Save me the spaghetti food pack for dinner, all right?”
I laugh and roll my eyes. I’m happy to grant her that because she’s the only one who likes the spaghetti anyway. “I will,” I promise. “Be careful.”
I watch her drive into the desert, my gaze tracking the rover until it disappears from view.
Lilly has been missing for two days now. A sandstorm passed through the camp after she left, forcing us to huddle in the escape pod for shelter. For the millionth time, I curse this planet, wishing our colony ship had taken us to a habitable world, not some barren rock in the far reaches of the universe.
I shouldn’t have let Lilly leave on her own, but she insisted. I just hope she was able to stay safe in the rover during the storm.
John thinks we should assume she’s dead, but I can’t do that. If she had died, surely, I would have known.
After all, I knew the moment my mother died. I felt her pass before I heard the news. The doctors reassured me multiple times that her death was quick and painless, but I never told anyone that I already knew. Only Lilliana knows my secret; she’s the only one who would believe me.
No one believes me now when I tell them I know Lilliana’s not dead. She can’t be. Every instinct inside me screams she's still alive. And I’m not giving up until I find her.
Perhaps that’s why I’m feeling eager behind the wheel of my rover and speeding like a madman across the red dunes. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice John’s annoyed look. He’s the one who insisted on accompanying me, but he’s done nothing but complain ever since we set out.
As soon as we crest the next dune, my heart soars. A bright light in the distance—the silver glint of the metal frame of Lilly’s rover—reflects like a shining beacon beneath the blazing sun. When we reach the light, I find the vehicle half-buried under the sand.
I practically leap out of our rover and begin digging with my bare hands, eager to find my friend. The fine, powdery red grains impede my progress. With each handful I rake away, another mound shifts and sand fills the gap again.
John eyes me, his hands on his hips and a hint of irritation in his gaze.
Frustrated, I jerk my head toward him. “Are you going to just stand there? Or are you going to help me?”
With a heavy sigh, he drops to his knees at my side and reluctantly starts digging.
Sweat beads across my brow as I dig furiously, hoping that Lilliana is still alive inside her rover.
She has to be. I can’t bear the thought of finding her
