Why do we have to BE in the breakout room?" Mia asked. "I know I'm smarter than Max."

  "And way less humble," Mary Jane said, kicking stones across the crater.

  "Edward's the one who's planning it, so it should be good," Presley said. "Plus, we haven't done anything fun since we got here."

  "Filling up vials with dirt is fun. Reading slides of the mud cakes we make with the dirt is fun," Mary Jane said.

  There was never anything cool under the coverslips they prepared. Mars was apparently a really boring planet minus the superpowers induced by the sun's pelting radiation.

  "I'm curious what they'll come up with," Presley said cheerfully.

  Lilly had announced the idea of a breakout room at breakfast. For the most part, the news did not go over well.

  "Hard pass," had been Sloan's response, followed by Trevor leaving his breakfast to exit the galley.

  "I do wonder why she chose them over us," Presley said, watching Mia, who was troubleshooting the robotic arm of a rover parked at the crater. Today, they were searching for metal.

  "Why does Ms.Lawrence do anything she does? I keep telling you guys she's odd."

  "I like her," Presley said. "She gives good advice."

  Mia didn't say anything. Ms. Lawrence had made things worse between her and Trevor. They'd broken up less than twenty-four hours ago. The breakup had been messy and not Trevor's idea. Mia couldn't stomach the love triangle anymore, though Sloan was far from their only issue. Although the entire M6 crew developed superpowers, and everyone accepted they were temporary and agreed to behave responsibly, Trevor remained increasingly paranoid. He'd stopped using telekinesis altogether, hiding in his room to escape the reality of their situation. Mia had tried to be supportive, but being around him had become such a burden. She'd come to terms with the idea of being a healer. Surely he could choose not to move things with his mind. No one really cared. And when would they ever be able to do these things again? Mary Jane embraced her telepathy, and because of it, no one had to get up to hunt down the TV remote when she was in the rec room.

  In comparison, Sloan was way less work. She wanted a physical relationship, but that was an easy tradeoff. What else were they supposed to do with all their free time? And Sloan supported her emotionally. The reality of being here was that each day might be their last. The hub and pod were both full of oxygen, which was an awesome technology. It meant they could ditch the spacesuits and helmets and wear regular clothes a lot of the time. But the balance of oxygen and nitrogen was precarious. If the percentages varied even slightly, either structure could explode. These were the things that should bother Ms. Lawrence. Not Mia's love life.

  But when Peyton found out about the breakup, she decided it was essential to discuss it to ensure the mission's safety. Trevor had admitted to knowing about Mia and Sloan's relationship, which had embarrassed Mia. And instead of stepping out of the room to give them privacy, Peyton took it upon herself to point out that Red Rock forbade all non-platonic relationships for this very reason. It was imperative that the problems between Mia and Trevor not impact the crew. She even brought up bisexuality as being an acceptable choice back on Earth, but not in outer space. Mia wanted to crawl into a hole. Trevor had barely looked at her since their lecture. How would he act tonight, she wondered?

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  "If eight of us are working to break out tonight, I bet we'll figure out the clues quickly."

  "Sloan said she's not playing."

  "She'll play," Presley said. "What else is she going to do, watch TV all day and all night?"

  "God, she's always watching iCarly. It's so sad," Mary Jane said.

  "She misses Michael. They watched it together. It's debilitating for her to be away from him," said Mia, defensively.

  "We all miss our family," Mary Jane said.

  "Edward is kind of a genius," Presley said, changing the subject. "If this turns out fun, we should make one for them."

  "How fun is anything that involves Alex?"

  All three girls made a face, and then Presley laughed.

  "I need you guys to help me. I want to try to break the ice with Trevor tonight. He's a good person. I don't want to lose the friendship."

  "You regretting the breakup?"

  "No, I'm happy we broke up. But for the most part, Trevor was good to me. I owe him for helping me get through space camp. We got close. I want to fix it."

  "Girls, wrap it up," a voice cut in over their transponder. "Ms. Lawrence wants you at the rec center by 7:15 pm for the game," said a senior crew member who'd been sitting in a rover parked a few hundred feet away babysitting them.

  Mia powered down the robotic arm, its probe full of dirt that would have to wait to be analyzed. Speechless, the girls began walking towards the rover.

  "We're almost done, ladies. Let's give the break-out room a try. I know it's not McDonald's French fries or Netflix, but it's something from home," Presley said.

  "Agreed," said Mia. "God knows we can do this 30 more days."

  Everyone else was already in the galley when they arrived. Kai, Camden, and Trevor were stuffing their faces while Alex and Sloan stood silently in line. Edward, Max, Lilly, and Ms. Lawrence were sitting together, talking, presumably about the breakout room. They'd likely already eaten. Mia knew Presley would sit with Camden, while she and Mary Jane would have to endure Alex, who would naturally sit with Sloan, once they were served.

  Mia watched as Ms. Lawrence made her way to the front of the galley. She glanced at Edward, holding up two fingers and then five. Then Peyton nodded and cleared her throat.

  "Please finish dinner in the next twenty-five minutes. Those participating in the breakout room will need to meet in the rec center by 7:15 pm. Mary Jane has agreed to be your captain. She'll speak for the group. Do you have any questions?"

  "Do we have to participate?" Sloan yelled out.

  "Participation is not mandatory. If you would rather attend next month's launch debrief with senior flight crew, that's an option. Stone will provide me with a list of attendees. "

  The students let out moans coupled with Camden's laughter.

  "It's not the worst way to spend an evening," Kai said. "It's either this or UNO again."

  A few kids rose to throw away their trays. Mary Jane found Edward and stood close to him, her face pink and blotchy.

  "You ready for this?" he said.

  "I don't have a choice," she said, stoically.

  "Edward, we need to go," Peyton said. "Lilly and Max are on their way."

  "I'm ready," he said, squeezing Mary Jane's hand and turning to address Peyton.

  "We have three minutes to get to Rover 476. It's parked behind pod A. Stone is in the meeting now."

  "What if they ask for a clue she has no response for?" Peyton asked.

  "We practiced that. Mary Jane will modify the question into something that requires a yes or no answer."

  "Surely, that won't work every time," Peyon said, looking worriedly at Mary Jane.

  "I made some recordings that suggest they're asking pointless questions. Trust me- Alex's ego won't let us down. We have 25 recorded responses, including one that says we can't hear them. Mary Jane is a smart girl. She'll make it work."

  And then they left, Peyton clutching at her heart as if it physically hurt. Mary Jane, watching them go.

  "So far, so good," Edward said, sliding into the driver's seat of Rover 476, the hub disappearing in his rear view. "Lilly and Max should be there soon."

  "I hope they bailed on us," Peyton said softly. "I'm sure I can't protect any of you from what we're getting ready to find."

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