Peyton looked around her tiny room, trying to imagine being here for fifty more weeks. What would they do with Camden's body if he died? He wasn't getting worse, but he wasn't improving either. Surely, they wouldn't bury him here. She should have run after Edward to stop him. Now, it was too late.

  She'd decided to tell Bryant everything, hoping it would bring some relief. Deep inside, she knew it probably wouldn't. He'd add to her panic. She was stronger than him, more capable, really. It made her sad. They were a mismatch. When she returned home, he would have either moved on or remained unaware that she needed more than he could give her. What part of this confession would Red Rock filter out? Likely, all of it.

  Dear Bryant,

  I hope you've had a good day. A lot is going on here. Camden is in a coma. I'm unsure what the family knows, so please keep this private. It was an accident. The day we landed, he left the group to explore, and one of the other boys went after him. It got physical, and long story short, Camden ended up on the ground. From what I understand, he sustained a traumatic brain injury. The coma is supposed to combat additional swelling.

  I've literally failed at everything they've asked me to do. I wasn't even able to help the kids get ready to land because the day before, I had a mental breakdown, over hearing voices in my head. Initially, they diagnosed it as stress, but today General Stone told me that radiation levels on Mars are so high that they induce supernatural phenomena in humans, and somehow, my body being in proximity to the planet resulted in telepathy. It's insane, I know.

  It turns out, the student involved in the altercation with Camden thinks he's developed superhuman strength. He had no idea he was hurting Camden until he saw the blood on his helmet. And another kid, Trevor, believes he has telekinesis. General Stone apparently knew about the superpowers. Astronauts from other missions developed them as well. Supposedly, they're temporary. I assume they'll disappear once we're no longer exposed to radiation, but still, WTF! We can sue them for this, right?

  I'm so far over my head right now. I can barely eat or sleep, and have no one to talk to about any of this. I can't tell the kids how scared I am. I've already let them down in so many ways. General Stone behaves as if everything that's happening is routine. I promise, nothing about my time here is routine. They outright lied to us about what it's like to live on Mars. Every one of these kids is going to morph into some Marvel hero. What am I supposed to do with them?

  There's a physician here, Commander Mitchell, who's helped me. She's currently treating Camden, so I see her every day when I visit him. I'm considering confiding in her, but I'm afraid she'll rat me out to General Stone. Other than her and email, I'm entirely alone. How could I have wanted to come here? You were right. This was a horrible mistake. Do you think Camden's family will press charges against me if he doesn't make it?

  Peyton surveyed her laptop screen through tears. Her stomach hurt all the time now. Nothing was going the way she'd envisioned it. The voice was right. They shouldn't be here.

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  Then suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and Peyton straightened immediately, wiping her messy face in a sweatshirt.

  "Ms. Lawrence?" Kai said through the door."Are you there?"

  "Hey, Kai. Come in. I was getting ready to say goodnight to everyone."

  "Why are you crying?" he asked, taking in Peyton's puffy face.

  Peyton stammered, thinking of what to say. The kids didn't need any additional worries.

  "I miss my boyfriend. I was emailing him, and I guess I just got in my feelings."

  Kai studied Peyton as if unconvinced.

  "I miss my girlfriend, too."

  "You have a girlfriend back home then?" Peyton asked, forcing herself to smile.

  "Yeah, hard to believe, right?"

  "Not at all," Peyton said, realizing Kai's insecurities ran deeper than academics.

  "I need to ask you a question," he said. But if it's not a good time, I can come back later."

  "It's absolutely a good time. Sit down and let's talk."

  Kai took a seat in Peyton's tiny room and stared at the floor. His shiny dark hair spiked out in all directions as if he'd just been in a car with the windows down.

  "What do you want to talk about?"

  "I want to leave, Ms. Lawrence. I can't say that to the others, but I need to say it to somebody. I'm terrified."

  "I know Kai. What happened to Camden was unexpected. I'm having a hard time, too. I think he'll be okay. It's just going to take time."

  The words pounded in Peyton's head, followed by guilt, then shame over how ill-prepared she was to help these kids.

  "What about superpowers? Are we all going to get them?"

  "I'm not sure, Kai. But, my guess is yes. I have telepathy. The voice I hear in my head is actually someone's voice. I also want you to know I had no idea about the superpowers before we arrived.

  Kai said nothing, which made Peyton feel like he thought she was lying.

  "Whose mind are you reading?" asked Kai.

  "I have no idea. That's weird, right?"

  Kai didn't answer Peyton. Instead, his mahogany eyes scanned her bedroom as if looking for proof of her telepathy.

  "What about Rebecca Timberland? They're saying she was our age when she came here."

  "She was."

  "Did you know about that before we landed?"

  "Yes."

  Kai furrowed his eyebrows as if Peyton's response incriminated her.

  "Is there any way I can request to go home early?" Kai asked, his voice breaking.

  "No, I'm afraid that's not possible, although I understand why you'd want to."

  Kai sat quietly for a while and then stood.

  "Why can't we see Camden?"

  Peyton paused for a moment. She wondered the same thing. Initially, she'd thought it was for the best. Camden's face had been fairly black-and-blue those first few days. But now, knowing what she did about Mars, it was more likely they were keeping the kids away from Camden to control the narrative about what was happening to their bodies. Less to filter out of their communication back home, she thought, disgusted.

  "I think seeing Camden would make you very sad," Peyton said. "And maybe even more afraid."

  Kai nodded somberly.

  "Thanks for listening."

  "Of course, Kai. Please come anytime. Tell the others, too. Being here is much harder than I thought. We all need someone to talk to."

  He nodded and then exited Peyton's room, which felt smaller and more desperate than before. Peyton grabbed her laptop and smashed it into the bed sheets, a soundless act of defiance against Red Rock. If Camden died, she'd never get over it. Edward would never get over it. Presley would absolutely never get over it.

  Peyton retrieved the laptop and glanced at Bryant's email. She wrapped up the last few lines, signed it—Love, Peyton—and hit send. The email was instantly logged into a server and scanned for data breaches. The email contained 17 pieces of sensitive information. Peyton's email was then uploaded to a new folder, where AI magically replaced words and sentences until there was no sensitive information left. Seventeen minutes later, a ping was heard 140 million miles from where Peyton sat, wondering what Bryant would think of her having telepathy.