Page 11 of When Eden Falls

“This! I can’t keep up with you at the moment. You’re either being a reckless risktaker or you’re waltzing around in a brooding stupor. Which, I’d like to mention, is badly covered up with your aggressive orders. It doesn’t help the crew when you start blaming them for everything.”

I was expecting a brash comment in his defence, but instead Rooke pushed his head back and sighed deeply. “I’m sorry. I want to get this mission over and done with so we can go home.”

“Pardon, what was that?” Tilting my head playfully, I slowly walked toward him.

“I want to go home.”

“No, not that bit. The other bit.” I smirked, teasing him. “The bit about you’re…you’re sorry?”

Rooke pointed at me. “Look, Eden, shush.”

I knocked his finger away and smiled. “You never apologise.”

Now he was trying to refrain from grinning. “Yes, I do. Just, not often.”

“You mean never.”

He finally chuckled. “Okay, Eden, I get it. I’m a terrible person.”

“No, you’re not.” I stopped in front of him, smiling up at his handsome face. “Only a stubborn one.” He scowled. “But I’m pleased Rooke the commander is back in the room. I don’t like the brooding version of you.”

“Hmm.” He pushed away from the wall and walked to the desk, where the frozen image of Captain Lewison was stilldisplayed on the monitor. He switched the screen off and said, “Until we are off this planet, be prepared for the brooding version to reappear.” Rooke sat on the edge of his desk. His pensive expression had returned. “What do you suggest we do about the situation?”

“What choice do we have? We spend the night here, take it in turns to monitor activity outside, and hope for the best.”

“I guess that’s all we can do,” he grumbled.

C h a p t e rF i v e

Rooke stood in the analysing room informing the rest of the crew of the situation. I watched their faces transform to looks of trepidation as they processed the information Rooke spoke of.

“Captain Lewison didn’t provide any information on what these creatures look like, so stay vigilant. Oz and Sym have left enough weapons in here to defend a small town.”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” mumbled Oz, who stood with his arms crossed, towering over Kobe’s desk of screens and keyboards. Even Kobe, who was renowned for his nonchalance, held an aspect of fear in his eyes.

“This is going to be a long night,” groaned Zamya from across the room. Her frown, fuelled by anxiety, had deepened since this morning. She didn’t look impressed.

“The myth must be true, then,” cocooned in Sym’s arms, Cora spoke timidly. She was shivering. Her frightened body looked tiny against Sym’s muscular form, a complete contrast to his concerned facial expression set like stone.

“We don’t know if any of this is connected,” Rooke said. “Once we leave tomorrow, we’ll stay in orbit for a few days, see if we can pick up any activity to confirm the theory.”

“Cora and I will take the first shift,” I said, meeting her eyes. She nodded in agreement.

“Okay, good.” Rooke hovered next to me. “Me and Zam will take the second. Oz, Sym, Kobe, you take the third. Hopefully nightfall isn’t much longer than ten hours.”

Voices echoed their agreement and the room cleared. Rooke gently caught my elbow. His dark green eyes sank into mine, emphasising his instruction. “Make sure you wake me if there’s any sign of trouble.”

“I will. Try and sleep, Rooke. You look knackered.”

The gentle smile he gave me didn’t reach his eyes. I recognised it as his usual look of appreciation when he wasn’t in the mood to voice it. I watched him head towards the captain’s study, clearly intending to sleep there tonight.

Cora appeared holding a mountain of books. If research was her way of coping with the pressure, I was happy to sit and listen to her ramble. I doubted anyone else would tolerate it, especially Zamya.

We took a seat next to each other at the comms desk, in front of the monitoring screens. There were six screens in total, all surveying the circumference of the ship. Two cameras were positioned on each side, with another one at each end. Our surroundings were dark. Only the glow of the crescent moon illuminated the area outside. The waves seemed choppier than before, but they were undeniably withdrawing.

An hour passed and I returned from the kitchen with two cups of Eonian tea. I only drank this when Oz wasn’t around, otherwise he would chastise me for drinking his enemy’s beverage. But I loved this tea. It had a citrusy flavour that didn’t leave my mouth dry. Its smell reminded me of my late grandma and her cottage in the Torlan valley, which bordered onto the Eonian tea fields.

This was the longest I’d ever been away from home. I could understand why Rooke was so adamant to get back. It had taken us five months to get here. It was going to take at least that to return, if not longer, which currently felt like a lifetime.