The kids stood in a single-file line, like kindergartners preparing to walk to lunch. Everyone was fully suited, helmets securely fastened. Peyton examined their heights, trying to guess who was who. God, she wasn't ready to see them.

  They hadn't spotted her yet, standing in the corridor between their housing deck and the capsule. She was struggling to control her breathing.

  Each student carried an orange rucksack. Peyton's had been packed for her. She'd added personal items on top of whatever they'd placed inside. After a quick debate, she'd decided on her laptop, a spiral notebook for journaling, framed pictures of her family, and one of just her and Bryant. She couldn't remember the last time she'd emailed Bryant. He still didn't know about the voices.

  She could see the kids had a second bag propped against their feet. Had she missed something in the landing manual? Obviously, she was allowed a second bag. But what else did she need? Little of anything she valued six months ago mattered. Landing safely mattered. Being rid of the voice mattered. What the kids thought about her mattered. Peyton took a deep breath and began walking toward the group.

  Lilly saw her first and jabbed the person to her left. Within seconds, they'd all turned to look, regardless of a senior crew member reminding them to stay in line and face forward. Peyton drew closer, her eyes welling up.

  "So, they said I'm only half crazy," she managed, dropping her rucksack and giving them a double thumbs up.

  "Fucking fantastic," Sloan said, grabbing her bag and moving to the front of the line.

  "What happened?" Presley asked." We were so worried!"

  Peyton had contemplated a million ways to explain her behavior yesterday, but hadn't wholeheartedly committed to any of them. It's now or never, she thought, the truth spilling from her mouth.

  "I've been hearing voices for a while now, and I guess last night, I just hit my limit."

  Mia shifted in her spacesuit and glanced back at Sloan, who was well out of earshot.

  "What do you mean you're hearing voices?" Alex asked.

  "It's just one voice, not multiple voices," Peyton explained."It says don't land, or you'll regret it. Things like that. It's super negative. Sometimes it's terrifying."

  "Are you sure you're not dreaming?" Mary Jane asked. "I'm having dreams about people dying."

  "No, I'm awake when it happens. Some days, it's a constant stream of negative thoughts, and on other days, it's a mix of threats and nonsensical noise that fades in and out. General Stone thinks it's just built-up stress. He said the trip might affect each of us differently."

  "I can move things with my mind," Trevor said.

  Mia swallowed so hard it was audible. Several kids turned to face her.

  "Stop with the bullshit already," Max said as Kai put himself between the two boys. "That never happened. Quit messing with us."

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  "Alright, Max, think what you want. Trust me, I wish it were a joke."

  Trevor stood motionless, facing Peyton, ignoring everyone else. Edward walked over to stand beside him in alliance.

  "I saw the manual move," Edward said, "Several of us did. Are you sure you used your mind to do that?"

  Trevor nodded. Max folded his arms.

  "Yeah. I used my thoughts and attention somehow. I can't explain it."

  "Make my rucksack float," Camden said.

  "Please don't," Mia pleaded, her eyes meeting Trevor's.

  Peyton shifted. Her legs felt funny, and her skin was beginning to itch again. The voice in her head was whispering, but it was too quiet for her to hear. Sloan had entered the capsule, and they were calling for the next student. They couldn't afford this right now. Landing required every bit of their energy and focus. She had to take control.

  "I believe you, Trevor," Peyton said.

  Lilly huffed and turned to walk towards the capsule, followed by Alex and Max.

  "I know we need to decide what it all means, Trevor, but right now I have to prioritize the team. Let's get down to Mars, and I promise we'll talk more. I won't leave you to deal with this on your own. I promise."

  Everyone looked at Ms. Lawrence, dumbfounded. Mary Jane took off her helmet.

  "I'm not going," she said.

  Mia reached to take Mary Jane's hand, but she pulled away. "I'm not doing any of this anymore. None of the contracts we signed state that we have to leave the ship. You guys can do whatever you want, but I don't feel safe."

  "But no one will be on the ship," Presley said. "They have to power it down."

  "Not all the way," Mary Jane said. They have to keep the equipment at a steady temperature. Plus, anything solar-powered will work. I can eat rations."

  "You can't stay here!" Presley screamed hysterically.

  "She's not," Mia replied forcefully.

  "No one's staying," Peyton said. "It's not an option. You're scared. None of this feels right. But it's normal. Our minds are trying to make sense of something overwhelming. There's no way to mentally prepare for what we're about to do. But people have done it. And all those people made it. You're strong, Mary Jane. I'll help you."

  ?"Put the helmet back on," Edward said.

  "Why? I can breathe fine without it right now," Mary Jane replied.

  "Because it's part of the pre-landing protocol," Camden said. "You'll need it if something does go wrong.

  And there it was. The possibility that, despite vengeful voices and magic-laden manuals, technology might fail them before anything supernatural had a chance. Something could go wrong. The thought was sobering, and one by one the kids turned to get back in line, having lost the energy to entertain anything other than surviving. Peyton was the last to enter the capsule. She took her seat in the rear and began visualizing the landing so she could talk the kids through it.

  Mar's atmosphere was incredibly thin. They'd need to decrease their speed substantially the closer they got to the surface, which meant astronomical G-forces right from the start. The kids who passed out would be lucky.

  Once the spaceship changed velocity, Mars' gravity would take over and divert their path downward at speeds capable of incinerating them. At that point, General Stone would oversee the physics of landing, which involved generating an ideal speed in the face of fiery friction. Red Rock had perfected that speed. If the technology worked, landing on Mars was no more dangerous than walking to the mailbox. But that was the thing with technology- it could glitch.

  "How are we feeling?" Peyton asked, hoping to create an open dialogue.

  "Like I could punch someone in the face," Sloan said.

  "Like I have to use the bathroom," Lilly said.

  "Like I could land this thing myself," Camden said enthusiastically.

  "Let me out if he's operating anything other than a seatbelt," Edward said. "A syringe of Potassium Chloride would be kinder."

  "Pretty random, Edward. Potassium Chloride?" Alex asked.

  "It's what they use on death row."

  "Got it," Alex said.

  "Can we talk about something else?" Presley shouted over the roar of the spaceship.

  "Who thinks we'll see aliens?" Camden bellowed.

  Peyton sighed, realizing not much had changed since she'd slammed her head against the table like a psycho. Alien encounters, although fascinating, were unlikely to occur. But she didn't need to respond because soon, Camden would shut himself up. He was one of the kids who passed out.