Chosen- Started.

Arcadia

We make our way to the nearest empty seats and with fumbling hands strap ourselves in. Vega is up front, not strapped in, explaining the effects of micro-meteoroids.

"...so if the walls didn't have proper shielding, they could punch right through them. And then the ship depressurizes, and everyone's blood boils..."

Boiling blood? That didn't sound good to me, and my hands start to shake again. I really don't like space travel. The ship vibrates and my eyes grow wide with fear.

"It's okay, I'm sure the ship is well shielded. They wouldn't let us travel if it wasn't safe," Stanley reassures me.

Another vibration rocks the ship, then another. I clench my armrests so tightly my knuckles are white. A huge jolt makes me let out a loud yelp. Stanley grips my hand tightly, trying to comfort me, but suddenly the ship is darting and zipping all over, causing us to painfully knock into each other and the wall. Everyone is screaming and shouting as they tumble into each other.

Periodically the ship vibrates now and again, between the sharp turns. I bury my head in Stanley's shoulder, muffling my screams and shielding my eyes from the chaos in the cabin.

Spoiler

Dang it! Sorry I haven't posted - I wasn't able to get to a computer since Friday morning!

Ree

Suddenly Ava laughed. I blinked, surprised. She wasn't mad? "It's fine," she said. "I needed to wake up, anyways." Relief swept through me. She wasn't calling me an idiot or anything. Suddenly she fell a little quieter. "I need to tell you something."

I should've known it. She'd probably figured out I liked her, and now she was just trying to make me feel better before she told me to leave her alone. I didn't blame her - I hadn't exactly been impressive. I'd been slashed open by an overgrown lizard and then failed to patch myself without her help, been beaten up by a kid half a foot smaller than me, and finally this little act. "Anything," I said to her, preparing myself for the worst.

"Um, well..." she looked lost for words for a moment. "I, um..." I could see a blush start to form. "I like you," she finally said.

The responses I'd been trying to prepare fell away, and for a moment all I could do was stare in shock. She... she liked me? She liked me!

I was still registering this when a voice came on. I hardly even heard what the chirpy voice was saying until I realized she was talking about asteroids and injuries, and I should probably be paying attention.

Vega started talking about small meteoroids, how if they get into the ship we'd depressurize and our blood would boil. It would? That sounded really... painful. I stared, half-terrified. She muttered something else, and then there was a jolt. She started yelling, but I wasn't listening anymore.

I reached for Ava to try and protect her, but we were separated as the ship started swerving all over the place. For a moment, everything was a swirl of colors and shapes and screaming. There was a jolt of pain as my head slammed into the wall, then my back, then-

I felt something grab my hand, and I was pulled into a seat. It was Ava! I fumbled with the seat belt, strapping it in. The turns became more frequent, and I felt Ava bump into me. Then I felt her grab my arm, squeezing it like a lifeline, and she buried her head into my shoulder.

I was frankly about to panic and cry or something I don't want to pretend I was being brave. But suddenly I had Ava there, and everything vanished beneath the overwhelming urge to protect her. I wrapped my free arm around her, holding her close, and tried not to vomit. My head pounded, my vision swirled, and the ship kept trying to throw my out of my chair, seat belt or not, but I focused all my being into holding Ava there, as close and tight as I could. If she was safe, then everything would be okay.

Alli
As the others wake up, I laugh at their startled expressions. It was absolutely hilarious when Vega and I unbuckled everyone's seat belt, considering how bored we were at the time.

"Hey guys. Watch this," says Vega. She then squirts a bit of purple juice from the juice box she's holding. She then swims through the air and gulps one of the floating balls out of the air. I smile and then go and grab an orange juice box for myself.

Before I can push my straw through the little foil hole, a voice booms over the intercom, warning us to strap down in preparation of travelling through an asteroid field. Vega stops and starts explaining about the possibilities of if we get hit and the ships shields aren't strong enough.

"... And then the ship depressurizes, and everyone's blood boils..." I shiver at her words and promptly dive towards the nearest seat. But of course, due to the gravity, it ends up being a more graceful, slow-motion twirl towards the seat.

I just manage to grab the back of the seat as a violent shudder rocks through the ship. I begin to sit down as the shudders come more frequently. My seat-belt gives a satisfying click as I push the two sides together. I quickly adjust it then hold onto the armrests tightly.

The ship takes a sudden turn and I am thrown towards the wall in my seat. My grip tightens and screams and shouts fill the space. I watch as those who aren't strap down fly all over the place. Ava slams into one of the walls and I cringe. Looking down at my hands, I notice that my knuckles have gone white from gripping the seat so hard.

A few more people make it to the seats while I am thrown in all directions in mine. The back of my head aches where it painfully smashed against the back of my seat and my seat belt has cut into my skin. I notice a small trickle of blood floating off my left arm.

I can't help but chuckle at this as the lady over the intercom told us to push a button if any of us got injured - she had said it would release a first aid kit - but, the button is all the way at the back of the cabin; positioned so we'd have to leave our seats to reach it.

Eventually, the turns and jolts start to become less frequent and the stragglers manage to make it back to their seats. I close my eyes and rest my head back against the seat. I then take my hands off of the armrests and give my fingers a good but painful stretch and wriggle.

I briefly contemplate doing what Dharius is doing and reach for one of the sleeping pills. I quickly decide against it and bring my hands to my lap. I open my eyes again and examine the cabin. Everyone seems a little shaken, but I can see no major damages.

Suddenly, I laugh really hard. I've got no idea why, I just do. I laugh so hard that my sides begin to ache, so much that I almost don't notice the hysterical edge to it. I stop myself and pull out my juice box which has somehow managed to remain in my pocket the whole time. I poke the straw through the hole and take a drink, savoring the orange taste, while distracting myself from my slightly worrying reaction to the event.

As I finish off the last drop, I see Vega getting up from her seat. I follow suite and watch intently as she gets ready to say something. Though before the words can leave her mouth, the intercom cuts in with another announcement.

Ava

He wraps his arms around me and holds me close. It is very comforting. I realize I am not terrified with him here. The ship stops swerving out of control and calms down. I let of a sigh of relief, but do not pull away from Ree. I do not want to move until I have to.

The intercom on the plane begins to talk. “Sorry about all the commotion. We will be landing in two hours. You will have further instructions when landing.” She says.

Now I start to worry. What is going to happen to us, does Ree like me, are we going to fail, does Ree like me, am I going to get hurt and does Ree like me. He is in my every though. He has still not answered the question. Does that mean he does not like me. I sit up and turn to face him. “If you do not like me, you can just say so. I do not want to bother you if you don't.” I say.

Stanley


We are pitched into a roller coaster, the ship swerving and dipping wildly. People start shouting and flying all over the place. Personally, I can't help but enjoy this a bit; I've always loved roller coasters. Arcadia, whos face is literally white as a sheet and whos mouth is open in a silent scream, doesn't seem to be having as much fun. I see how hard she's gripping her seat, and I close a hand over hers. Surely she'll forgive me this time.

After a few minutes, the ship seems to be going at about seventy bajillion gazillion miles an hour. It's not a roller coaster anymore, it's a ship fighting for its life. Arcadia has me in a vice-like grip now, but I hardly notice for my own terror. The shuttle keeps abruptly jerking, causing the seatbelt to force all air out of my lungs. I close my eyes and pray, for the ship to not be pierced, for everyone to be safely in their seats, for this to end. Now I can only wait.

Finally it ends, the ship's careening gradually getting less intense until. Arcadia lets go of me and I shakily unbuckle myself to check for damage. Behind me, everyone is okay save for Leo, who has blood dripping out of his forhead in little red bubbles. Almost no one looks willing to leave their seatbelts, though Vega and Ree get up.

I push off my seat and float towards the cabinet. Leo will need something for his head, obviously.

The automated woman's voice cuts into the hubbub of voices. "Sorry for all the commotion. We will be landing in about two hours - you will have further instructions upon landing."

Two hours? I frown. That doesn't make any sense: We should be by Jupiter about now, and there is no way arkyle is merely two hours from Jupiter.
Upon reaching the cabinet, I see my banana handing in the air, half-peeled. Oh come on! The red button is flashing, illuminating the shadowy food tacked to the walls. It takes like four tries, but I manage to press it down hard enough. I first aid kit shoots out of... Somewhere and instantly tries to escape me.

"Oh no you don't!" I catch it right as a man's voice comes out of an unseen speaker.

"How is everything?" His voice sounds slightly nervous.

"We're all through," I grunt. "Leo has a mild head injury. He looks like he'll live."

"That's fine, that's fine," the voice says absently. "Any fissures in the ship? If there are, you'll need to take the sealant in the first aide kit and, well, seal them. It should be easy; the sealant dries on contact, so it won't float away."

"Yes sir." I look down at the first aide kit in my hands. What was it I wanted to ask? Oh, yeah. "How are we gonna arrive in two hours if we aren't even out of our solar system yet?"

"Ah, yes." The voice seems to perk up immediatly, like we're discussing his favorite baseball team. "A wormhole is located nearby. The ship knows how to find it."

"A wormhole? Those even exist?"

"They do, indeed." The voice pauses for a moment. "Dharius, is it?" He asks after a moment.

"It's Stanley."

"Oh, pardon me. You both have pretty intimidating voices, so I guess I mixed you up."

I don't know what to say to that. "... Thank you?"

"Anyways, Stanley, I need you to do two things for me."

"Yes, sir." I raise my hand up to salute, then remember that he can't actually see me.

"Obviously, someone needs to make sure no one was cut or hit with debris," He instructs me. "I need you to look around for cracks in the walls of the ship. The wormhole will be very hard on the walls, and I don't want to risk anything."

"Yes, sir," I say again.

"Third, I need you to make sure everyone is out of their seats. The wormhole is going to cause intense vibrations along the sides and seats of the ship. As long as you aren't touching the walls, you shouldn't feel a thing."

"Yes, sir." There is a clicking sound, and the voice goes dead.

I turn around to see Vega gripping the wall of the cabinet, looking skeptical.

"Can you see to Leo?" I ask her, opening the kit and taking out the sealant before everything else can fly out. She nods and takes the kit, swimming back to where Leo is sitting.

I take the sealant and start running my hands along the walls. Everything seems fine until I reach the window, which has a spiderweb of cracks surrounding it. I take a deep breath, holding the sealant right up to the first "Wound" lest it fly away. The creamy paste hardens on contact, just like what the man said. I continue along, filling the fissures while simultaniously admiring the massive orange Jupiter suspended right outside the shuttle.

Finished with my work, I turn to the others. Ava, Dharius, Leo (who's head is already bandaged), and Arcadia are still in their seats.

"Everyone needs to get up!" I bark. They stare at me. "That's what the man said. Just do it."

Reluctantly, they unbuckle, Ava unbuckling Dharius as he apparently took some sleeping pills. My banana passes by and I grab it, taking a triumphant bite. It's all bruised. Curse you, evil banana!

Arcadia comes up behind me, grabbing my shoulder to stop herself. "What's happening?"

"Wormhole." I look at her face, relieved to see that its color is returning. "You alright."

She half-smiles, but before she can say anything the walls start shivering and jupiter is whipped out of sight. We're in the wormhole.

Spoiler

Whoa, that is a monster post right there.

Arcadia

I immediately feel emvarassed for how tightly I gripped his arm. What was i thinking? I probably made him feel nervous and uncomfortable with my clinginess. He probably didn't have feelings for me at all anyways. I want to apologize for how abrasive I was, but before I can say anything, Stanley is talking to someone over the speakers and instructing Vega to get Leo cleaned up. I check myself for any cuts, but I'm just slightly bruised and very shaky.

"Everyone needs to get up!" Stanley insists. "That's what the man said. Just do it."

I unbuckle my seatbelt, paddling my way towards him at the front of the ship. He seems to be repairing a crack in the window. Gently by firmly I place a hand on his shoulder.

"What's happening?" I can't help asking.

"Wormhole," he says simply, turning to look at me. "You alright?"

I open my mouth to speak, but let out a small squeak as we zip forward suddenly, into the wormhole. It's pitch black and eerily silent, but there was the strangest sensation that we were moving, zooming faster than the speed of light.

"What were you saying?" he asks.

"I'm sorry for being so abrasive back there... I was just really scared," I say sheepishly.

"Oh. Well there's no need to apologize," he smiles and shrugs. "I didn't mind in the least bit. I'm here if you're ever scared."

I blush, uncertain what to say back. "Oh.... Thanks. I appreciate it."

Ree

After what could have been a year or a minute, the horrible jerking and tumbling stopped, and a voice came on apologizing and telling us we'd get further instruction upon landing. Ava didn't let go, though, and neither did I. It felt good to have her there in my arms.

For a moment, she was silent. Then she said, "If you do not like me, you can just say so. I do not want to bother you if you don't."

I blinked, surprised, and pulled away a little, gently gripping her shoulders and looking into her eyes - I could see the worry there. She was actually worried?

"How could you ever think I wouldn't like you?" I asked softly, smiling a little to show her I meant what I said. "Of course I do!" Then I pulled her close again, in a hug. I don't know why, it just felt like the right thing to do at the time. And having her close felt so right and warm and good.

Suddenly I heard Stanley calling out. "Everyone needs to get up!" he demanded. I turned to look at him. "That's what the man said. Just do it." The man. Of course, that explained everything, the random man who wasn't here. But I figured Stanley couldn't still be loopy on the medicine, so I unbuckled and helped Ava with her seat.

It wasn't until then that I noticed Dharius sitting next to her, asleep. How the heck was he asleep? He mast have taken a pill, I realized. Asleep of not, for some reason the thought of him next to Ava all that time was alarming. I just gave him a look, though, and pushed off - gently this time - to float above my seat.

Then it occurred to me that he couldn't get out of his seat if he was asleep. I was sorely tempted to leave him in it - he deserved it - but I didn't know if that would end with him dead, so I unbuckled him and let him float free. I didn't like the guy, but I didn't want to end the day with anyone's death on my shoulders.

Suddenly, everything went pitch black. There was no wind, no nothing, but there was still somehow a feeling of moving. I didn't know what direction I felt like I was moving in - it felt like every direction. Up, down, left, right - it was disconcerting, and I grabbed Ava's hand to convince myself that I wasn't gone.

Ava

He likes me. Thank goodness. He holds me close and does not let go. I do not want to move at all. Then Stanley tells us to move. I sigh as Ree gets up. He helps my with mine and we float up.

Black is all I see. It is pitch black on the plane and all you hear is the people on the plane breathing in and out. Some one grabs my hand. I can tell it is Ree's. He pulls me closer to him and puts his arm around me. I smile and twine my hand with his.

Dharius

When I wake up, the same woman's voice is heard, telling us about an incoming asteroid belt. Vega explains there's not really a big problem with that.

"So what are they worried about?", I demand.

Then she explains something about blood boiling and stuff, but I don't really pay attention. I take the pills again and fall asleep.



A sudden shake wakes me up. The ship is moving up and down, apparently being hit by asteroids. I get out of my seat, since the belt is hurting my stomach and try to use my feet to avoid being crashed to the walls. Everyone is screaming, but I just grunt, why do they exaggerate?

Then Ava slams onto me. I, for a quick moment, feel her soft and warm skin... it feels nice... What the heck Dharius? I shake my head in an attempt to get those thoughts away and help Ava get in her seat. I buckle her up and nod when she thanks me.

When I get to my sit again, I decide to sleep again so that the trip seems shorter, so I take the pills once more. While my few wounds start to heal, I see the blonde guy is holding Ava in her arms... That girly dude, Ree. Before sleeping, I listen to an announcement telling us we're two hours away from Arkyle. At the back of the ship, Stanley is talking with a speaker and telling us something, but my eyes start to close...

Just a heads up, I won't be able to post for about a week go ahead and use Arcadia however you need her and I'll pick up when I get back

Spoiler

Aww, have fun wherever you're going.

Stanley


Arcadia looks at the ground, then back up at me. "Sorry about being so rough with you in the asteroid belt. I was just kind of panicking."

I smile; what a silly think for her to feel bad about! "It's no problem," I say. "... I'm always here for you if you're upset."

Miss Arcadia blushes. "Thanks," she murmurs.

Boy, am I smooth! I push that thought away instantly. Arcadia's just a friend, of course. There's no need to impress her.

The walls and seats begin to buzz, vibrating like message recliners on steroids. I brush my finger against the window, and it sends a jarring pain up my arm.

"No wonder they don't want us in our seats," I mutter, trying to rub feeling back into my arm.

The lights wink out, and the shuttle grows eerily quiet. For a few moments, all that can be heard is the sound of breathing.

"This is awkward," Allie's voice rings through the darkness. Everyone laughs, somewhat nervously.

"What should we do now?" Vega calls out. "This is boring."

"It is indeed," Leo agrees.

I try to think of something.

"Let's play truth or dare!" Allie says. I can hear the evil grin in her voice.

"No way," I snort. "That's a girl's game."

"Well, we don't exactly have a lot of options." Vega retorts.

I do a few flips in the air, but nothing comes to mind. Maybe the wormhole will end soon.

"I'm thinking of a number..." Arcadia begins.

Ava interrupts. "Five!" Everyone laughs.

"I've got a game," I suggest. "I'll give five dollars to whoever can find me a
granola bar."

Arcadia, wherever the heck she is, pokes me in the arm. "Is food all you think about?"

"Yes!"

Thanks I'm going on a cruise to Mexico, so it should be awesome

Arcadia

"Is food all you ever think about?" I can't help but laugh, poking him in the arm.

Stanley doesn't even hesitate. "Yes!"

I giggle and hum to myself, excited to be nearing Arkyle.

"Do you constantly have songs stuck in your head?" Ava teases, grabbing her head in mock pain. "Most of your thoughts are about music."

Most. The rest were, of course, about Stanley. And I knew she knew.

I laughed a little nervously. "Yeah, I guess I sing too much to think about anything else. I'll go find you a granola bar, Stanley."

I float away quickly, a little embarrassed. I fly over to the cupboard. Nothing left but a banana and an energy bar that got
Stuck in the hole in the vacuum seal. I pry out the energy bar and make my way back.

Everyone's chatting quietly. I sneak up behind Stanley and dangle the energy bar in front of him.

"Where's my five dollars?" I whisper.

"Awesome!" he says, reaching for it, but I pull it away teasingly.

"Payment first!" I tell him.

"I don't really have five dollars though," he shrugs.

"Well, you're going to have to pay me another way." I float away on my back.

He shifts into his fox form and paddles after me, slightly faster than a person. I shift into my cat form and kick my little legs hard.

"You'll... never... catch me!" I think to him with some effort. I feel a sudden pull on my tail and I gracefully spin into him, slowly tumbling through the air.

He ends up over me and he snatches the energy bar from my teeth. "I win," he thinks.

I shape back to my human self. "No fair! I demand some kind of payment," I say, pretending to be angry.

Taylor

We all start to laugh and play random games. “I'm thinking of a number.” Vega begins.

“Five.” I say. Everyone laughs. I whisper into Ree's ear. “Does that mean it is not five?” I ask.

He laughs. “I have no idea.” he says.

We float there in each others arms and listen to everyone talk, laugh and hum. “Is music all you can think about?” I ask Arcadia. I know she is thinking about Stanley. I put my hand on my head and mock pain.

"Yeah, I guess I sing too much to think about anything else. I'll go find you a granola bar, Stanley." She says. I cannot help but laugh and pull closer to Ree.

Spoiler

Summer, that's awesome! You're welcome here in Mexico... Hope you have fun

Dharius

I wake up while we're still in the wormhole. Why did the pills' effect lasted so little?After sleeping thrice, I finally decide to stay awake. At my side, Ava is hugging Ree, and a weird emotion of hatred runs through my veins? Was that me being jealous?

When and a fox and a cat -Stanley and Arcadia, it seems- pass swimming in front of me, a voice comes to life inside the spaceship.

"Ladies and gentlemen," it says, "we are getting out of the wormhole right now."

Just afterwards, I watch through the window tons of stars and a little bluish sphere kilometers ahead. Arkyle?