Mike Stellar (10 page)

“Larc!” Mrs. Halebopp’s voice rumbled back toward us and I shot a ha-ha-you’re-in-trouble look at Larc.

“I’m disappointed in you. Screaming down the hallway is inappropriate—
and
not very mature, is it? One-hour detention for you, too.”

For the first time Larc’s smile faded.

“Ha-ha,” I said. “Now your dad is going to be crazy mad, too.” But I didn’t sing it.

Larc was sullen until we reached the cafeteria door. Then she brightened.

“You save us a table and I’ll go get the food.”

“B-but—” I stammered. Before I could explain that I wanted to be alone, she had disappeared into the lunch line.

Not feeling up for a fight, I decided not to go chasing after her. I settled into a hard plastic chair and crossed my legs, resting my foot on the edge of the table. I thought about the conversation I’d just had with Stinky. I was going to have to snap into action. I needed to practice some of the latest hacking techniques, not to mention investigate the so-called personal homework
station in my room. I wondered if it was a stand-alone computer system or if it was networked or what. I was going to have to dust off my research skills, too.

I buried my face in my hands. What I really needed to do was concentrate on my presentation and just ignore all this other stuff. Then I laughed to myself. Yeah, right.

“What are you laughing about?” Larc dropped a tray of food onto the table. “Dig in.”

I reached for a cheeseburger. Larc was looking at me expectantly.

“Uh, cheers,” I said, holding my burger up to smack with hers. She took the other burger off the tray and plopped it down in front of her. She did not return my cheers.

I shrugged. “Whatever.”

Larc stared at me from across the table. Her arms were folded in front of her and she peered at me like I was a monkey at the zoo.

“What?” I asked.

“You’re a very interesting person, Mike Stellar.”

I shrugged again. The cheeseburger really was pretty good. And she had brought me some fries, too.

“I on’t oh how shoo ansher at,” I said with my mouth full. I was starting to feel a little uncomfortable.

“I think you like my company but don’t want to admit it.”

I didn’t say anything.

“I think I intrigue you.” She said “intreeeeeg” and raised her eyebrows at me.

“Who said anything about you intreeeeeging me?” I retorted, my face flushing. “Maybe I just feel sorry for you because everyone else thinks you’re a freak.”

Larc wasn’t fazed. “Maybe you like me because I’m more of a freak than you.”

I snatched up my burger and stood as if I was going to stomp off to another table. But there weren’t any other tables to go to, so I sat back down in a huff.

“Maybe you like me because I’m the only person who likes you.” Larc was talking softly now, unperturbed, leaning her face toward me.

I crossed my arms angrily. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Tell me why people whisper when you walk down the hall, Mike.”

“Like you don’t already know,” I muttered, feeling my appetite drain away.

“I
don’t
know. I told you, I was homeschooled.”

I looked at her incredulously. “You mean to tell me you don’t know anything about the
Spirit?
About my parents? Do you have
eyeballs?
Do you have
ears?
Did you not see the black ribbons on all of the trees for like six months? Did you not hear the church bells every time there was a memorial service?” I was breaking into a sweat.

“Uh-uh. What happened?”

I took a sip from the water pouch she’d brought me with my lunch. “I’m just giving you the short version, okay? I don’t really like to talk about it.”

“Fine,” she said, looking very serious for once.

I took another sip of my drink and lowered my voice. “Almost two years ago, during the first Mars mission, there was some kind of miscalculation with the thickness of the ship’s metal hull. The hull has to be a certain thickness to make it safely through a Fold. But when the
Spirit
went through the Mars Fold, it never came out the other side. The scientists at the Project said the hull probably crumbled and the ship just disintegrated. Kablooey. The pressure indicators and magnetic indicators on the ship were shooting back crazy numbers right before the Project lost contact. That’s where the disintegration idea comes from.”

I fiddled with my drink and thought about ending the conversation, but something made me keep talking. It actually felt kind of good.

“I’ve always secretly hoped that the ship made it through the Fold just fine,” I continued. “Maybe their radios were just messed up from the Fold. I asked my mom about that once and she said there’s like a two percent chance of me being right. But still. Two percent—at least it’s something. Better than I did on my last astrophysics test.”

Larc laughed softly and said, “I can help you with astrophysics if you want.”

I shook my head.

“So why did this tragedy make people hate you?”

“During the investigation it came out that my mom was in charge of the group who calculated the thickness of the
Spirit’s
hull. And both Mom and Dad had specifically requested not to be members of the flying crew on the mission.”

Larc’s white eyebrows furrowed.

“It looked like my parents had been part of a plan to ruin the mission. And the public cried for a trial, but there never was one.”

“Why not?”

“Because they had nothing to do with it!” I said sharply. “They
weren’t guilty!
How
could
they have been? They’re my
parents!”
Some kids from the next table turned and looked at us.

“But what about the calculations? What about the request to stay on Earth?”

I started to answer her, but a loud ping sounded in the room and everyone started gathering their things. Larc and I stayed in our seats until Mrs. Halebopp came by.

“Don’t dally now, children. We have an afternoon of research ahead of us.”

I scowled and stood up. Mrs. H lumbered away.

Larc shook her head. “Don’t mind her. Her bark is worse than her bite.”

“She’s bitten you?” I asked, only half joking. “I hope you had your rabies shot.”

Larc looked down at my tray as I scooped it off the table. “You didn’t finish your burger.”

“Neither did you,” I said, pointing at her burger. It didn’t even have one bite taken out of it. “Maybe you should get a doggie bag.”

“I’m not hungry. And I don’t have a dog.”

“Ha-ha,” I said as I dumped the food into the de-atomizer.

“What?”

We filed out of the cafeteria behind the rest of the class, with Mrs. Halebopp shooing us out the door.

“You’re sure your parents aren’t guilty?” Larc whispered to me.

“Of course I’m sure,” I said through clenched teeth. But to be honest, I wasn’t really sure about anything anymore.

I headed out
of the cafeteria and told Larc I had to go to the bathroom. Instead of going to the bathroom, though, I slithered my way back to the tiny hallway that led to the escape pod. I darted around corners and hid behind benches, afraid that someone would spot me outside class. When I finally got to the hallway, I was shocked to find it completely closed. The bench was gone and now there was a door—with no doorknob—and a glowing keypad.

Hmmmm.

This put a wrench into my “find out everything I can as quickly as I can” plan. For a second I thought about randomly banging on the keypad, but that didn’t seem like a good idea. Maybe I could hack it. I stepped closer and examined the device until I heard quick
footsteps coming up behind me. I darted away from the doorway and crouched behind a nearby bench. It was a terrible hiding place but it was as good as I could do.

Breathing hard, I concentrated on willing myself to become invisible. Mr. Shugabert walked past me and stopped in front of the keypad. What was an executive assistant doing in front of a secret hallway? He paused for a second and I thought,
Oh, man, I’m toast!
But then I heard a rustle and some quick beeps. I barely stuck my head out from behind the bench and I saw Mr. Shugabert slipping a handheld into his pocket as the hallway door whooshed open and he walked into the narrow passageway. The door whooshed shut behind him and I stood up.

Well, that was that. I steadied myself and started toward class. No need to hack the keypad; I just needed to get my hands on Sugar Bear’s spankin’ cool handheld. And figure out what on earth he was up to.

Before I got two feet closer to the classroom door, I felt my peapod shake in my pocket.

Stinky was breathless. He didn’t even let me finish answering. He shouted, “Nita isn’t with your gram!”

“What?”

“She’s not there, Mike. I ducked out of class and called your gram as soon as I found her number. She was totally freaked. She’s been trying to contact your parents since the shuttle took off. The Project shipped
Nita’s clothes and stuff to your gram’s house but that was it. Nita never showed up.”

“Whoa, whoa. Slow down,” I said, sinking onto a bench. “What do you mean Gram’s been trying to contact my parents? There’s an emergency contact number that relatives are given.”

“Dude, the number doesn’t work. It’s bogus. Your gram says she’s getting an ‘all circuits busy’ message.”

“What?”

“She’s filed a missing persons report on Nita. She said that she was going to file a report on the whole family if she couldn’t contact you guys on the ship. I told her I had talked to you and I think that made her feel a little better.”

“I don’t understand why she can’t contact the ship. Hasn’t she talked to anyone at the Project?”

“Of course she has, Mike,” Stinky said impatiently, “but she says they’re not being very helpful. She had to threaten them with police action before they finally gave in and let her speak to some lady in charge.”

I stared at the hologram of the solar system circling above my head. “Well, we have to find Nita,” I said, more to myself than to Stinky.

“Duh,” Stinky said. “Your gram has the whole police department behind her.”

“I know, I know,” I said impatiently, “but
we
should try to find her, too. Maybe she just ran away. Maybe
this has something to do with the Hubble stuff she was talking about before….”

My brain was whirling and the only thing I could think of to tell Stink about was Mr. Shugabert and the keypad.

“Well, be careful, whatever you do,” Stinky said. “You don’t want this Sugar Bear guy to—”

“Hey, Stinky,” I interrupted. Something about his voice had just changed. “Talk again.”

“What do you mean?”

“Say anything.”

“Anything.”

“Your voice is coming in clearer than it was before.”

“Hunh.” Stinky sounded clearer but not impressed.

“I mean, you sound like you’re right around the corner instead of …” I turned and looked up at the front of the lobby, through the giant front window.

Stinky had started describing his plan to call the Project himself when I interrupted him.

“The ship is moving.”

“What do you mean moving?”

“It’s traveling through space. The stars are all streaking by, and the Earth is …” I was puzzled. “The Earth is getting
closer.”

“It’s way too early for you guys to be on the move,” Stinky said.

“I know. Mom said there’s at least two weeks of
work just getting supplies off of SpacePort and onto the ship. Plus, we need another week to power up the plasma-propulsion units.” I stood up from the bench and paced back and forth. “It doesn’t make any sense. Why would we be on the move so early?”

I stopped pacing and looked at the little timer on my peapod. “Listen. I’m sorry, but I really have to go. I’ve been away from class so long now Mrs. H is going to give me detention for a week.”

“Well, I’m gonna go call your gram back.”

“Let her know I’m telling Mom and Dad about Nita—and that we’re all fine on the ship.”

“Hey, Mike?”

“Yeah?”

“You know they’re—we’re—going to find Nita, right?”

“Yeah. I know.”

“Okay, man. Bye.”

“Bye.”

I sprinted back to class, but when I got to the door, I thought,
This is stupid. Nita is lost back on Earth and Gram is freaking out.
I didn’t care about getting a million detentions. I needed to go find Mom and Dad.