Mia had woken up and fallen back asleep several times. Her throat was dry, and swallowing hurt. She'd blacked out, and although the spaceship was still, it continued to feel unsafe. Why was Stone keeping them here? The capsule was extremely hot.

  Ms. Lawrence kept repeating that they'd landed safely, but there were no next steps via the intercom.

  Mia squinted at the sunlight painted across her fingers, slivers of yellow streaming through a portal above her. What would direct sunlight feel like on her skin? It had been so long she'd forgotten.

  "M6 Cadets," General Stone announced. "Welcome to Mars. We made it!"

  Someone started to cry, and Mia heard Ms. Lawrence try to comfort them. Trevor sat motionless. She let her hand wander over his leg and then up his chest until he turned to face her.

  "You okay?" she asked.

  "Yeah, you?"

  "I will be once they let us out. I need to tell mom I'm okay."

  "The whole world knows we're okay."

  "Yeah, I know. I just promised her. Why are we still in here? It's crazy hot."

  But, before Trevor could respond, General Stone drowned out any chance of being heard.

  "We've been stationary on the surface of Mars for over three hours. The spaceship has finally cooled enough for us to disembark. According to protocol, we'll use ladders to move to the ground. The senior crew is retrieving your personal bags, but you'll climb down with your rucksack. Please make sure it's secure before you descend. Your gloves and boots contain magnetic fibers. This helps with grip, but falling is a real danger. Maintain a minimum of seven rungs between you and each crew member. Count aloud if necessary to maintain the spacing. Your bodies are disoriented and will be adjusting to the effects of gravity. Leaving the capsule is the most dangerous thing you'll do today. Follow all commands explicitly and ask for help if you need it."

  "Let's go," Trevor said, standing and extending a hand to Mia.

  Mia took Trevor's hand and stood. The blood in her head drained instantly, making her feel faint. She searched for Sloan, who remained seated, everyone around her clamoring to get to their rucksacks. Mia waved, and Sloan flashed a thumbs-up in return.

  "We have to be ready as soon as they open the capsule. I'm assigning each of you a number. I'll go first. Presley, you're number two. Follow behind me. Remember, keep seven rungs between us in case someone slips," said Peyton.

  "I'll go last," Sloan said. "I'm not in the mood to catch any of you."

  "Camden goes last. His seat is farthest from the ladder, so he goes last. Everything we do is procedural, Sloan. To the letter."

  Sloan grunted, and Peyton turned backward to begin her descent down the ladder.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  "You'd better hope you don't slip," Sloan said to Camden.

  "Why? You can't handle all this juice?" Camden asked, swinging his rear end in a circle.

  "Just don't talk to me," Sloan said. "Ever!"

  And then no one spoke for a very long time, as one by one, they descended a long metal ladder from the ship to the ground. They moved slowly and unsteadily, weighed down by their rucksacks. Peyton, having gone first, modeled a textbook descent. She called up to the students as they climbed down, reminding them to go slowly. At one point, Mia made Trevor keep everyone above him still because her hands were shaking so badly.

  Still, eventually, all eleven kids made it to the ground, where senior crew members greeted them and offered hydration via a port in their helmets. They'd practiced this at space camp, but most had forgotten how to attach the hose. Commander Mitchell walked each student through the setup while General Stone took the opportunity to shake their hands.

  "What's next?" Alex asked him. "I don't see a base?"

  "The base is several miles from here. We can't have a spaceship blowing up and destroying the Hub if landing goes badly. Someone will pick us up soon."

  "Don't hold back, General Sone," Alex said. "Good to know our deaths wouldn't slow things down here."

  "Try to take the emotion out of it, son. Everything we do is a calculated risk."

  "I guess those are Martian mountains?" Mary Jane asked, changing the subject.

  "More like rolling hills," Rocky said. "Reminds me of the Ozarks back home. They get bigger the farther you go north."

  Mia turned to look at the hill in front of her. It was sandy and jagged. How had it formed? Tectonic plates and sixth-grade science were all she could muster. Mars had its own geological history. One that humans could only guess at. Had it ever supported life? She knew better than to ask that question. Now wasn't the time. They were alive. That was all she needed to know. But then she saw something move on the hill. It was Camden. He was climbing.

  "Is that Camden?" Mia asked, her voice in disbelief.

  "Yup, that's Camden," Alex said. "Sir, I think we have a problem."

  But before Alex could finish, Rocky's voice ripped through the Martian atmosphere.

  "Camden, stand down," he cried, reaching for his flare gun.

  The bright spark of a flare exploded above everyone, including Edward, who was already running after Camden. Now, two kids were actively defying orders. General Stone's body language conveyed a need for absolute silence. Mia watched the unthinkable unfold.

  Camden, who saw the flare, stopped briefly to observe his pursuer. Martian gravity was helping Edward close the gap between them.

  "I'm just headed to the top, Edward. I'll come right back down."

  Sandy rocks tumbled away from each spot Camden placed his foot. The hill looked steep and challenging to climb. However, Edward wasn't struggling. He was actually gaining on Camden with unimaginable speed. Kai called out to them frantically. Ms. Lawrence moved to put her arm around him.

  "I told you he's a fucking idiot," Sloan said.

  "This is precisely the type of thing that gets people killed, "General Stone said.

  "God dammit," Mary Jane whispered, backing away from the group.

  "Mary Jane, come back," Lilly said. "We have to stay together."

  Then suddenly, Camden seemed to change his mind, turning to face Edward, his hands raised in surrender. But Edward didn't seem to care. His body propelled forward rapidly until he towered over Camden.

  "Dude. I'm coming down," Camden said.

  But Edward didn't listen. He grabbed Camden's body and slammed it hard into the red dirt. Everyone gasped, and then Camden didn't get up.

  "Oh Jesus," Alex said. "He fucking crushed him."

  Everyone waited for Camden to move, but nothing happened. Edward, now crouched beside him, pushed on his body like a cat toying with a dead mouse. The base of Camden's helmet was warm and red.

  Edward began screaming and glancing down the mountain for assistance. General Stone watched, his arms outstretched, a signal for no one to move.

  Two rovers were on the way to pick them up, but Commander Mitchell radioed for a third.

  "One of the cadets appears to be injured," she spoke into the transponder when asked why she was requesting a medic rover.