Young Writers Society

He scanned the beach for some place to sit down. When he couldn't see any conveniently placed rocks or benches, he resigned himself to standing for the rest of the conversation. It wasn't like he was unused to staying on his feet for long periods of time.

"I was observing an experiment," he admitted. It was supposed to be a secret experiment, but he doubted telling Bo would be a serious problem. "There was a miniature black hole that went out of control when I was right next to it. I think all of the scientists were too far away to get caught in it, so I'm probably the only one who ended up here."

Bo blinked. That sounded like a sci-fi movie plot, except it was Nova's actual real life.

"Wait, a black hole? Like, a legit black hole? Did it - is it here or did it like, spoof away?"

Nova glanced back in the direction he had come from. It was hard to tell where exactly that direction was after the drive, but he didn't think it was too far away.

"It's still here," he confirmed. "At least, it was when I left it."

Bo's eyes followed Nova's glance. He didn't see any black hole of course, but a part of him had been expecting to. Logic, of course, reminded him that if there had been a black hole out in the open, it would probably be all over the news right now. People would already be arguing if it was a hoax or not, or some promotional stunt for a movie. Cameramen and Scifi nerds would probably be getting sucked into it as they spoke.

If he wasn't hearing about it, and people weren't going into a crazy panicked frenzy, then it had to be hidden.

At least, that was his hope.

Maybe no one was talking about it because anyone who got close enough got sucked in. That would make sense... but would also be scary.

Absolutely terrifying.

"Ah," he said, for a moment, forgetting words existed as he imagined some poor beach bum getting swallowed into space darkness.

"You think you could find it again?"

He gave Bo a small smile.

"I can," he confirmed. "I've been keeping track of where we've gone so I could find it again - it just might take a little bit of time to get there."

Bo didn't have to say he wanted to find the black hole for Nova to know what the question implied. Even when he was several years older and from a completely different reality, Bo was still an open book to him.

Bo looked out at the beach, then at Nova.

"Well, lead the way," he said. "We should check it out and make sure no one's found it besides us."

Nova did exactly that.

They made their way back into the bustling city, Bo following the directions that Nova gave him. Eventually, they made their way back to the city's outskirts. The black hole was still tucked behind a rock. No one nearby, it seemed, had even noticed it.

Nova let out a sigh of relief as they stopped near it.

The moment spotted the black hole his feet came to a complete stop, and his eyes were glued to it. This was one of those things that he'd seen so many versions of in movies and cartoons, but seeing a real one with his own eyes felt surreal beyond description.

It looked almost... underwhelming.

The swirling black void was circular, as predicted, but it was impossible to perceive how deep it was, or where it even led to. It looked like a looming darkness waited on the other side, and even though the circle was relatively small (compared to astronomically large ones in like, space or something - he didn't know) but it almost looked like it was growing. Slowly.

He swallowed.

"So uh, any idea how to get something like this uh, under control?"

Nova faltered.

...That was something he still hadn't figured out.

"I don't know anything about quantum mechanics," he admitted. "I just observe the people who experiment with things like this - and I think I'm the only one who came through it."

Even though he hadn't outright said it, he knew Bo would get the subtext. They were going to have to figure this out on their own.

Nova took another step closer to it, wanting to get a slightly more in depth look. He hoped it would jog some memory of a forgotten science class. Instead, all it did was give him a strange longing for home. Like he wanted to be anywhere but here, even though he honestly did like talking with this older, less modern version of Bo-

Wait.

That wasn't longing.

Nova's eyes widened in alarm as the familiar sensation finally clicked - he was getting dragged towards the black hole again! He scrambled to get away from it, but it only drew him closer.

Bo watched in horror as Nova's inching forward turned into getting dragged forward. Oh no. Oh dear.

There was no thought put into what he did next. Logically, in hindsight, Bo would soon realized that fighting against the pull of a black hole was nearly impossible considering they're like, some giant force of gravity and whatever else in space, but that didn't enter his mind when he reached out.

He grabbed Nova's shirt and yanked him back as hard as he could. Miraculously, that didn't work. He ended up ripping poor Nova's shirt, and Nova kept getting pulled in, staying on course for the swirling hole of death, and his lack of success was only met with the more terrible truth that he was also now in the black hole's grip. Grabbing onto the nearest plant did nothing. Bo just ripped a whole bush out of the ground. That was all that happened.

But no slowing down.

Bo watched as Nova was being pulled in again, closer, closer, too far from Bo's grasp to help or save. All he could do was watch as Nova disappeared into the darkness, helpless as it swallowed him up with ease. He knew that was the fate awaiting him in just a few short seconds, but there was no way to prepare himself for it when the darkness overtook him and everything that was familiar about California vanished before his eyes.

He didn't know why he didn't close them. His eyes, that was.

The darkness pulled away like a feathery curtain, and it took him a solid moment to realize where he was.

Beneath him was metal floors. A familiar smell. A familiar foreboding feeling of death.

Bo froze, staring into the dark hall with his fists clenched until they turned white - he didn't know if he'd always been clenching them since he showed up there or not, but he couldn't seem to let loose them.

He was on another wraith ship.

A wave of nausea washed over Bo and he leaned over hurled, barf splattering on the floor.

The wraith shifted in the darkness.

He hadn't been on this ship for too long, but he knew that it was nearly identical to all of the others. Wraiths didn't pride themselves on creativity; they prided themselves on a successful cull. As long as they were able to easily capture humans to use as a food source, they were satisfied. There was no reason to change what had worked for a millennia.

Still, he had to figure out where to go.

Images of people suspended in animation in tubes full of indeterminable liquid flickered throughout his mind. Balling his hands into fists, he banished the memories to the same corner of his mind he had banished his growing sense of inescapable hunger. He would be able to feed, soon. He just had to wait a little longer.

There had been a plan, back before he found himself hiding in the darkness. The plan had been a good plan, but he had forgotten to plan for what to do if the prisoners he was searching for had already escaped the ship. Now he was wandering, aimless, in an attempt to find a subtle way out. There was strength in numbers - and he was only one person. It would be stupid to try fighting everyone he came across.

He heard a noise from around the corner.

He straightened.

The noise was...familiar. It took him a moment to place it, but when he did he felt a strange sense of relief wash over him. Someone had just retched, presumably all over the ship's pristine floor.

The wraith gave a smile.

Wraiths, after all, didn't barf.

Glancing down the hallway and seeing that no one was coming, the wraith emerged from his hiding spot. It only took a few minutes before he reached his destination.

He turned the corner.

He found himself staring at a man. A man he should have theoretically recognized, but his brain was too strained to accept that someone who was supposed to be dead was actually alive. It was only when he saw another wraith enter the hallway from the other side that it clicked.

He didn't have a chance for a tearful reunion. The other wraith was calling for reinforcements. He was being bombarded by telepathic signals his body wanted to obey - but he would fight them.

He darted down the hallway, grabbed the man's by the wrist, and yelled, "Come on!" before starting to run towards the other end of the hallway. His brain was already scrambling to find the best escape route - and the fastest way to get back to the dart he had taken here earlier.

Bo wasn't sure what to do with the wave of oncoming panic that hit him when not one, but two wraiths spotted him in the hall. And then one ran up to him and started dragging him.

You know when life gets to a point where sometimes things are always just so weird that you're like: this might as well happen? Bo had seen a black hole. He'd been pulled into it, only moments ago. Now he was somehow on a real wraith ship, in his real body, with no Kartiel around, and no Boris, Codix, Nadira, or Aegeas. Just him, and some wraith pulling him through the halls in what looked like just as much panic as he was feeling.

Bo didn't have time to wipe his mouth, but he was pretty sure some barf was on his chin. He could feel it.

Bo ran with the wraith and looked back at the scrambling wraiths behind them. They were making some distance.

Was this wraith trying to save him, or kill him for themselves?

Bo supposed he'd have to find out, but he'd much rather take on one wraith than a dozen.

That said, he was on a wraith ship. If this wraith wasn't trying to help him in some way, Bo was pretty sure his chances of getting out of this alive were slim to none. He forgot to text Kartiel - or hell, anybody - before he spontaneously went on this misadventure, and he was probably going to pay for it. Bo wasn't sure the reality of that had sunk in yet. He was still preoccupied with the wraith holding his hand. Wrist. At least he wasn't being held by their feeding organ.

They turned down another hallway, narrowing avoiding a slew of wraiths coming down one perpendicular to it. They were almost at the hangar they kept the darts in. If they ran fast enough, they'd be able to get there before anyone else could.

Someone must have put the pieces together and guessed that the only place they'd possibly go was the hangar, but it was too late by then. They went skidding into the hangar. And even though wraith darts were only supposed to have space for one person in the front, he didn't have the time to use the beam that would turned his surprise guest into a collection of easily carry-able particles.

Besides, the dart he had come in had some extra space in the back. It would be cramped and uncomfortable, but it was something.

The wraith dragged him inside, pushing him towards the back of the ship as it closed. Someone had stupidly left the hangar open; he would gratefully take advantage of that. The door to dart shut, and the dart shoot out into the cold expanse of space. He didn't have a destination in mind - he just picked a random one, hoping that it would bring the little dart someone far away from the hive ship.

Bo didn't really have time to process what was happening, but before he knew it, he was on a really small, cramped little ship with a wraith who was flying it away from the wraith ship.

There was a moment of silent tension that hung in the air.

Then he farted.

Oh god.

"I am so sorry," came out before any logical thought could take place. There was no escaping the smell. Not like this.

The wraith faltered.

Nowhere in his escape plan had he imagined a situation like this, but he desperately wished someone had been smart enough to put ventilation in wraith darts.

"It's alright-" he said, only to get cut off by a hive ship suddenly appearing in front of them. He could see little dots at its side. They must have been sending out other darts to capture the two of them.

He groaned, eyed the control screen before him, and decided to play a gamble he wouldn't have normally made if he wasn't so sure the only way this encounter could end was in death.

Their dart hopped a little through space.

It was just a tiny warp. But it was an unpredictable one that the other wraiths couldn't have possibly guessed, so he knew they were safe-

At least, they were safe until he realized they had warped into the atmosphere of a planet.

And that the dart wasn't prepared to suddenly adjust to the differences between the vacuum of space and the gravity of a planet.

A second later, the dart when crashing to the ground below.