Between the folds of space, stuffed deep beneath the cover of darkness, was a spaceship. It remained still, in the way a creature is when it senses some unseen danger lurking nearby. The shape of it was round, like an imperfect circle extending out, only to be halted by a giant glass dome at the end. It didn’t make a noise, which was logical considering that there was no air in space would allow sound to travel. But if you listened closely, you may have been able to hear something coming from inside.
Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.
A boy was sitting inside the glass dome, a tattered mesh of a coat sprawling out behind him like an old rug in need of a good cleaning. A faded and holey pair of sneakers were taping gently against the black metal floor, where the giant words ‘LAVENDER 1’ were written in bold text. Right now, he was situated right between the E and the N, with an odd-looking shopping bag in his lap. Several empty packages of clothes were scattered about around him, ripped up and torn apart like bodies on a battlefield.
He pursed his lips as he placed a pair of goggles on his face, confused as to why he couldn’t see anything through them. The eyepieces were larger than the boy’s hand, which provided ample space for his eyes. A gray strap reached around, clinging tightly to his head, and pressing down against the brown rat’s nest of his hair. He attempted pressing at the sides, searching for some activate switch to allow him to use them properly. But no matter where he touched, nothing happened.
A grunt escaped his lips as he ripped them off, like everything else in this ship, he just couldn’t understand how to make it work.
From behind him, one of two large doors slid open, and a girl in green stepped inside. “I don’t know about this.” She said, raising out her arms. “Does it suit me?”
The boy craned his neck to see his friend, giving her new attire a once over. “Yeah, it's…” He tried to find some words to articulate what he was feeling but then realized that he didn’t really have an opinion on it. “It’s… green?”
“Wow, thanks, I didn’t notice.” The girl was wearing a pair of casual green pants, tucked snuggly into the top of a pair of shiny boots. For a shirt, she only wore a white sleeveless thing, giving her the impression of a boxer ready to fight. However, on her outstretched arms, she wore a strange-looking coat. It was also green and very sporty, which seemed to be very on-brand for her. Oddly, the sleeves seemed to be a bit too long, covering both her hands completely. “Expert observation, Neil.”
“I wouldn’t know what looked good even if I took a class for it, Sophia. It’s all just a garbled mix of green and red to me.” Neil cried. “I guess the jacket is cool though, but be careful, it might be…”
“Dangerous?” Sophia frowned, rolling her eyes as she reached out, flinging the green cloth widely. “It’s just fabric, okay? I know we’ve been through a lot out here, but not everything is trying to kill us. Sometimes you just gotta let a coat be a coat.”
“Fine, but if that thing starts shooting lasers, I’m going to blame you.” Neil scoffed.
Sophia pursed her lips and plopped her arms down with a grunt. “I didn’t expect much from Tim’s haul. I’m surprised he managed to get us as much as he did from that shop.”
“It feels good to be in some new stuff though,” Neil admitted as he glanced down at a new set of clothes- an action that made him feel stranger than it should have. He had spent so long, trapped with the same old pair of everything, that seeing something else take their place was like watching a painting change color. Now, beneath his familiar grey coat, the boy was wearing a vest he had retrieved from one of the bags. Normally, a vest would indicate some sort of formality, but the weird navy-blue diamonds in awkward patterns only seemed to serve in making him look more unkempt. His off-colored pants reached down to just above his ankles, an awkward fit but he didn’t seem to mind.
“It suits you,” Sophia said, reading his mind.
“I can’t tell whether that’s supposed to be a compliment or an insult.”
“It can be both.” Strolling over, Sophia took a look at the goggles in his hands. “Did you figure out how they work yet?”
“No.” He huffed, his voice gravely and agitated.
“Have you tried….”
“Yes, I’ve tried everything!” His voice went strained as he snapped back, his face twitching a bit. “It’s not like it comes with an instruction manual!”
Something felt off, and Sophia's eyes narrowed. A benefit from being confined with a person for months on end is that, whether you want to or not, you start picking up on their mannerisms. She looked Neil up and down, trying to pick up on what could be bugging him. It seemed that being trapped without the sun hadn’t done much for his unhealthily pale complexion, which made the dark rings around his eyes stick out even more noticeable. A slight twitch in the corner of his cheek made her rock on her heels- what was this about?
Neil looked away, feeling the looming inspection of his friend from over his shoulder. “Sorry, I guess I’m still on edge from all the… you know… stuff.”
“Did you sleep last night?” The response came, ignoring the explanation.
The boy sighed, looking up into his oh- so-observant friend’s eyes, not wanting to reply. Sophia’s cloudy tan face stared back, her curly auburn hair tied messily in a bun behind her, and a row of barely noticeable freckles dotting her brow. “I’m fine.”
Her neck practically rolled off her shoulders, “if one more person says that to me when they clearly aren’t, I’m going to kick them in the teeth.”
From behind the pair, a timid voice rang out. “Hello, sorry, I hope I’m not interrupting.” Stepping through the door, clearly struggling with some sort of yellow turtleneck sweater, was a blond figure. “I think there might be something wrong with this thing.”
For some reason, Neil’s mind immediately jumped to skin grafting. “Is it melding with your flesh?” He said way too quickly.
“No.” Came the comforting but expected response. “I don’t want to be critical, but I had assumed this would be more comfortable than it is. I’m used to my clothes itching, but there’s a rather unpleasant sensation rubbing just below my neck, and I have no clue as to why.”
Sophia strolled over, giving the situation a furrow inspection. After a brief pause, she clicked her tongue. “Timothy, you’re wearing it on backward.”
Realization lit up in the boy’s eyes, a smile spreading across his face. “Oh!” Quickly, he swirled the sweater around, and the difference was quite apparent. “That’s so much better, thank you!”
“Anytime.” She gave a sarcastic salute, but then the brief joy in her eye fade. “So, how was last night?”
“It was fine,” Timothy responded, absentmindedly straightening the fuzzy material. “How was yours?”
“Fine, fine.” Sophia pursed her lips, tilting her head as she observed her friend.
Timothy had always given her the impression that he might blow away if the wind was strong enough, being of average height but very lanky. He was also pale, although it was clear that at least he had the benefit of a little bit of sunlight from time to time. The way he moved made it feel that nothing seemed to fit him right, a statement that also included the limbs on his body. On his feet, his shoes seemed tight, like they were a few sizes too small for him, and the legs of his cargo pants were both somehow too long and short at the same time. But unlike Neil, who the girl had spent months and months with, she couldn’t get a clear read on him. Nothing in his expression told her the thing that she was looking for, and it felt like she was making a fool out of herself by staring.
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“Did anything…” Sophia stumbled with her words, trying hard to think of a way to say this without coming off as prying. “Did anything weird happen?”
“Yeah, did you hear the voice again?” Neil spoke up from the ground.
Sophia turned to him, shooting daggers with her eyes. “Neil, I was trying to bring that up more tactfully.”
He shrugged, “what’s the point in tiptoeing around it? I just spent the better half of yesterday accusing him of murder, the least I can do is be direct.”
The question seemed to stir something in Timothy, but his smile didn’t fade. “It’s alright, I know you must be wondering about that. But I haven’t heard it since we got back… maybe it’s gone now.”
“Sure, maybe.” She didn’t sound too convinced.
Feeling the need to remove herself from the situation, Sophia brushed against some of the machinery panels lining the glass dome all around the room. Bits of wire, loose levers, and nobs were all laid across them in seemingly random positions. For the hell of it, she flicked a switch, but of course, nothing happened. She pouted, Neil was right, these things should come with an instruction manual.
Timothy fiddled his thumbs, taking a good long look around the room, like how a fish observes a new bowl. “You know, I never really got the chance to enjoy this place when I first got here. We’ve had a little time, but with my head injury, the crash landing, and the kidnappings, I haven’t been able to appreciate it.”
The sentiment jostled something deep within Neil. Appreciate it? He thought, holding his tongue. You should be wanting to run from it.
“Well, we aren’t going anywhere soon, so you’ll get used to it,” Sophia said, idly turning some random nob. “Don’t worry, you’ll get bored of it very quickly.”
Timothy pouted, “well, I’ll enjoy it will I can!”
Neil shifted in his spot, “you should be careful. This isn’t like a resort you know, it’s not a fun place. Half of this stuff could probably kill you if it worked right, but I’m sure you already knew that.”
Slowly, the three turned to the center of the room, as if told to do so by some unheard instruction. They all knew what was under the floor, and they were aware that all they had to do was throw a lever and it would appear, but it was like they wanted to pretend that wasn’t the case. The pilot’s seat, the thing that had gotten them all into this mess in the first place, was lurking beneath them. Even though it wasn’t seen, it surely was felt, like something big wading under the water.
Timothy reached up to his head, he could still feel the electricity pulsing through his body, and the cold metal grip of the pilot’s helmet.
“What are you guys looking at?” Asked a new voice.
Spinning around with a jolt, the group recognized the person as their friend Alex- which was a good thing, because if it had been anyone else, they wouldn’t have known what to do.
“Nothing.” Neil was quick to say, standing up like he was in attention.
Alex titled his head, “sure, very convincing.” Although he wasn’t buying it, he let the matter slide as he spun around on his heel. “Well, aren’t you going to tell me how good I look?”
Sophia rolled her eyes so hard they nearly tumbled out of her head.
It was noticeable how much Alex stood out from the rest of his friends. To put it bluntly, he looked like he was headed towards an important meeting, whilst the rest looked like they just got back from a bowling alley. A black business suit was fitting him perfectly, hints of red popping out from the fabric in the glint of the light. Somehow, he had managed to keep a pair of dress shoes clean enough to glisten- albeit barely. On top of his head, he had wild and fluffy black hair that bobbed a bit as he twirled. His skin was dark brown and smooth, and he had the kind of eyes that glistened with an inner spark. Around his neck was a sleek tie, which he straightened unconsciously as he waited for a response.
“Meh,” Sophia said, adding a shrug to rub salt in the wound.
Alex’s indignancy was apparent. “Keep that up and there’s going to be a mutiny soon, captain.”
Neil turned to Sophia for an explanation, but she only waved him off, “don’t worry about it.”
“That’s right, you should be more concerned with other matters, engineer Neil.”
“What are you talking about?” Asked the unwitting engineer.
Suddenly, Timothy was very excited, “I didn’t know that you liked engineering!”
“I don’t!” Neil cried, though quickly he bit his tongue. “Well, I do actually like fiddling with stuff, but I wouldn’t call that engineering. More like… tinkering I guess? But what the heck does that have to do with anything?”
The girl in green rubbed her face with all the enthusiasm of a drowning man finding more water. “I call us a crew one time…”
“And now you suffer the consequences.” Alex finished. “'The Lavender Crew,’ that’s our team name now, right? All in agreement say I!”
Timothy’s hand shot up like a lightning bolt. “I!”
Meanwhile, Neil and Sophia’s hands stayed firmly at their sides. “I feel like I missed something.” The boy admitted.
“Oh dear, I guess there’s a tie,” Timothy observed, his brow furrowing. “What does that mean?”
“It means we shut up about it.” Sophia was quick to add. “That’s final.”
“Well, if we’re not a crew, that means you’re not our captain,” Alex said, a false look of deep thought appearing on the canvas of his expression. “Which means you have no say over us. Naturally, if you agree, then that would settle things.”
She groaned, what was with people and playing these sorts of mind games? Why couldn’t they just arm wrestle to solve their disagreements, maybe then they’d shut up about it? “Why are you like this?”
The boy straightened his outfit, “I’m not saying it’s because you didn’t like my suit, but I’m willing to highly imply it.”
Pulling his coat together, Neil felt a flicker of something rise up in his chest. He looked at his friends, some smiling, some groaning, but it was like he couldn’t understand them anymore. What were they laughing about? Don’t they see where they are? “Can we drop this, please?” He spoke up, abruptly cutting off another jab from Sophia.
“Are you okay? Your face has gone pale, well… paler.” Timothy asked worriedly.
“Why is everybody always asking me if I’m okay? I’m fine, alright! I can take care of myself, I’ve been doing it for months, haven’t I?” He turned away, his shoulders rising up like an alerted cat. “We’re not a crew, guys. We’re just a bunch of unlucky nobodies forced together in the middle of nowhere. I don’t know about you, but that isn’t exactly the type of thing I’d give a name to.”
An awkward silence fell for a moment, no one daring to say another word. Alex fiddled with his tie, twisting it around his fingers as he tried to think of the proper response. Crossing her arms, Sophia took a long stare at Neil- she was right, something was definitely up. But Timothy, apparently unaware of what was happening, spoke up first.
“Well, no matter what we call ourselves, I’m just glad that we’re together.” His sentiment was obnoxious but genuine. “So… what now? Do we try and head back to Earth?”
Somehow the deep lingering feeling of dread in the air got denser. It was hard for Sophia and Alex not to look at each other, the memory of old arguments replying in their ears. “Tim, you know how dangerous it is.” The boy put, though he knew how frugal his words were.
“I know, but how else are you guys going to get home?” He looked down at his feet. “I have to admit that I really love this view, but we can’t stay here forever, can we?”
“It’s not safe.” Sophia’s words were stern, though she felt she was standing on shaky ground.
“Neither is being out here.” Argued Alex. “If we stay here, who knows who else might show up? We got lucky that our first visitor was someone like Jenny, but I have a feeling that we won’t be as fortunate the second time around.”
“We’ve had this fight before.” The girl spat, throwing her hands in the air. “But this time it’s different. The last time Tim flew the Lavender, we were escaping a desperate situation. Now, we’re safe, and I don’t feel like putting his life in danger unless we absolutely have to.”
“So, we’ll just wait until we’re in danger, and then have him fly away?” He shook his head. “Soph, be reasonable.”
“You’ve seen what happens to him when he’s in that chair, Alex!” Sophia cried, pointing to where the object in question was burrowed under the floor. “Haven’t you heard the way it talks through him, the way it forces him to speak? It’s like he’s some fucked-up puppet, just doing whatever it tells him to do!”
“You act like the ship is a person.”
“Would that be so crazy?” The girl huffed.
“No, it isn’t like that,” Timothy spoke up, feeling rude for interrupting. “It feels… different.”
Neil cocked his head, “what do you mean?”
Timothy bit his lip, his arms reaching out into the same position that they would be if he was gripping the chair. “It’s not like following instructions when I’m in the seat, it’s like I already know what to do. My fingers just know where to go, and I don’t question it because I figure that’s just how it ought to be. It’s hazy too, like there’s this fog in my face that I can’t shake. It’s not a bad feeling, except when it shocks me. But it isn’t a good one either.”
Sophia shook her head, “I don’t like it.”
“What other option do we have?” Alex spoke up.
Thump!
The sound came from right next to the group, and they turned to see that it had been Neil’s stomping foot that had made the noise. “Guys, can we just stop!”
Alex felt the need to protest, “I’m only trying to…”
“I know, but please, just stop!” Neil’s coat was firmly around him now, like he was trying to fold himself inside it. “I don’t want to think about this right now.”
“It’s alright, I’m sure that I can…” Timothy started, but was haulted when his friend raised his hands.
“I know this is a conversation that we need to have, trust me, I know. But right now, after these past few days, I really need a break, man.” He covered his face, glimpses of his dark sullen eyes peeking through the cracks in his fingers. “Can we please have just one normal day? Just one? No space pirates, no alien popes or screaming planets, just a boring, everyday sort of a day? I know that sounds stupid- how could we do that in a place like this? But please, can we just try?”
The group looked at each other, only then noticing how tired everyone else looked. “I guess a day won’t hurt us,” Alex admitted.
Timothy nodded, “I think that would be fun.”
All eyes turned to Sophia, the maybe-captain. “I don’t see why not.”
Neil seemed relieved, “thanks.”
“So… what do we do then?” Timothy asked, looking around hopefully.
Alex snapped his fingers, “have you ever played ‘spin the bottle?’”