The Apollo Academy (12 page)

Zane obviously needed to do a better job of keeping his emotions in check; twice now someone had called him out about his feelings for Aurora.

“She heard
all
of that?” He folded his arms nonchalantly across his chest.

Kaylana returned his posture, crossing her arms, but also adding a cold stare. Maybe she was trying to look like him.
Did his eyes really look that cold?

She huffed. “Look, I get that dating Aurora would bring more attention to you just because of who she is, but you could at least be nice about it.”

Shit.
In his attempt to bottle up all of his unwanted and confusing feelings for Aurora, he’d spoken in frustration. In hindsight, he should have just told her that he was attracted to her, but he couldn’t date someone who garnered so much attention. He was certain Akemi already knew of his past, but Zane trusted him not to say anything.

Aurora wouldn’t understand his reasons for not wanting to date her because she didn’t understand the secrets he had to keep. And even if he didn’t have secrets, he wasn’t sure he knew how to genuinely care for someone.

It would be easier to just leave things as they were. But Zane already felt his mind racing ahead, trying to figure out where Aurora had run off to. As much as he wanted her to stay away from him, he couldn’t handle it if she hated him. He had to at least try to smooth things over with her.

He turned to walk away in the same direction Aurora had just fled, not even saying goodbye to Akemi or Kaylana.

ZANE

T
he wide towering doors of the Apollo Academy stood open, and Zane pushed his way through the crowd of people coming in and out of the building, trying to get out as quickly as possible. A few people turned and looked at him as he ran by, but most moved out of his way. He shut his eyes as he ran through the Academy doors, not wanting a repeat of his first day here.

Ms. Lovell had probably informed the guards of his status, but he wasn’t going to wait around and find out. Zane ran down the moving steps.

When he reached the sidewalk, Zane came to a stop, trying to figure out where Aurora had run off to. The Apollo Academy’s building loomed over his head and cast its long gray shadow over him, blocking the bright Florida sun. Zane gazed out at the school grounds and set off down a random trail.

Aurora could be anywhere: down one of the walkways, at the outdoor tennis courts, or anywhere around the abandoned launch sites. There was a lot of open property to sneak off to.

Zane stopped walking altogether and methodically narrowed down where Aurora would choose to go. He already knew there was nowhere inside the Academy’s walls that would give her freedom from prying eyes, so it made sense that she ran outside. Even the walkways would be scattered with random people, and with her passion for aviation he knew that her only option was an abandoned launch pad.
That’s it!

Zane slowly jogged in the direction of the Apollo 1 launch pad, a site that was marked as a historic monument and would remain untouched throughout the rest of time. The Apollo 1 launch pad had not been used since the disaster that occurred there almost two hundred years ago, when a horrific accident took place, taking the first human lives in the name of space exploration.

Zane remembered reading about the fatal mistakes that were made in the old shuttle’s design, mistakes that could have been avoided. It took three human lives, finally giving the NASA team motivation to investigate the shuttle’s poor design and the reason the fire started in the first place. The lethal design flaws were addressed, and the space program moved forward. The original shuttle hatch that would not open during the fire was redesigned, the use of one hundred percent oxygen ended, and emergency procedures were also changed. All for the better.

The launch pad came into sight, and sure enough he saw in the distance Aurora’s red and gold hair shining in the sun. She was sitting in the middle of the square launch pad, under the old concrete support blocks that originally held up the Saturn IB rockets attached to the historic shuttles.

The pad itself and the support beams were all that remained. Aurora’s head was pitched back, looking through the opening the beams created, at the sky above her. Zane could see some of the black and gray burn marks that had scarred the pad so long ago.

Zane slowed to a walk, trying to keep himself from running directly to Aurora. As much as he wanted to, he needed to get a grip. He walked over to the plaque and holographic image that were left in memory of the three astronauts. Images of Command Pilot Virgil Grissom, Senior Pilot Edward H. White and Pilot Roger B. Chaffee wearing bulky spacesuits flickered in and out. Now the pad and the monument were the only things left of their remains.

Zane read the fading memorial plaque, letting his fingers run over the monument.

In Memory Of Those Who Made The Ultimate Sacrifice

So Others Could Reach For The Stars

Ad Astra Per Aspera, A rough road leads to the stars.

It was fitting that this was where she would run when things became too much for her. The launch pad certainly gave him a better perspective on what was important in life. Even on his worst days, it still wasn’t nearly as bad as their last days had been.

After a few moments, he decided he couldn’t avoid the situation any longer and made his way to Aurora.

When he sat down next to her, she didn’t acknowledge him. They sat in silence until he couldn’t stand it anymore.

He whispered, “I’m sorry.” Had he ever uttered those words before?

Aurora finally looked at him and pierced him in place with her green eyes. They sparkled like emeralds as the tears that she would not allow to fall pooled in their depths. Zane had never seen her look more beautiful or strong. He wanted to reach out and pull her into his arms, but after what she overheard, he knew the gesture would not be wanted.

“You’re sorry? Why? Because I wasn’t supposed to hear all of that?” Her voice was unusually low.

Zane felt like he was torn in half, his heart and mind at odds. “What I said was . . . wrong.” He pushed a hand through his tangled hair.
Shit
, why did he have to be so drawn to her?

Aurora stared at his face and eyes, probably trying to gauge his thoughts, but he knew she would get nothing from them.

She whispered, “Is it Hailen?”

“I’m not interested in her.” Zane shook his head, confused as to where this conversation was going.

Aurora’s shoulders relaxed. “I don’t know what I thought about you, I guess. I felt such an instant connection to you that night at Beat. It felt like you saw me for, well, me.”

It was as if she knew he was hiding his feelings for her and yet gave him another chance to set things right.

“Can’t we at least be friends?” She scooted closer, her long hair brushing his arm.

Zane shivered. He tried to say no, but the word wouldn’t leave his mouth. Maybe if he kissed her, he’d finally be able to get her out of his system. That was all it could be, attraction.

Zane licked his lips and watched as Aurora’s eyes darkened. It looked like she wanted to look away, but Zane didn’t give her the chance. He leaned forward, until their faces were only inches apart.

When Aurora’s breath hitched, Zane closed the remaining distance between them, lightly touching his lips with hers. Slowly, Aurora parted her lips to meet his. And when her tongue lightly caressed his, Zane groaned.

Needing to be closer, Zane gently pushed Aurora to the ground, cradling her head as he did so. She made a surprised noise, but Zane kept his lips locked on hers. He couldn’t get over the softness of her skin, how her lips perfectly molded against his, and how her hair made a cocoon around them. It was the most beautiful moment Zane had ever experienced in his life.

When she pushed her hands through his hair, Zane lost all train of thought. He lightly placed his body over hers, loving the way she felt beneath him. He explored her neck, hungrily grazing kisses down her chest.

It was only when she started breathing harder, that Zane realized where things were going. If he didn’t stop now, he never would.

At some point his plan had backfired. Hooking up with her was only making him want her more. It took all his willpower to end it.

Zane sat up abruptly, putting his hands behind his back so he wouldn’t be tempted to touch her again. “We shouldn’t be doing this.”

Aurora slowly sat forward, digesting his words. She brushed her hands through her knotted hair. “You’re right. What was I thinking, kissing a guy who just insulted me not ten minutes earlier.” She stood up, but Zane stood with her, grabbing her wrist before she could stomp away.

“Shit.” Zane ran his free hand across his temple. “I’m sorry.
Again
. I just don’t know how to do this.”

“Do what?” Aurora challenged. “Hook up with a girl you obviously don’t think very highly of? What have I ever done to you?”

“Nothing,” Zane sighed. Man, he was making things worse. “I’m sorry. You don’t understand—”

“You can trust me,” Aurora quietly stated.

When he didn’t say anything, she looked back up at the sky, where a shuttle could be seen landing in the far distance, streaming white vortices trailing from behind, marring the hazy blue sky.

Could he trust her? He wanted to.

Zane shook his head, sending hair into his eyes. “We’re not good for each other. You wouldn’t talk to me anymore if I told you about my past.”

“Isn’t that up for me to decide? At least give me the chance,” Aurora muttered, looking down at her feet.

He knew he shouldn’t give her hope that anything good could happen between them, but he found himself agreeing anyway. “I’ll try, but I’m not sure I’ll be any good at being friends.”

Aurora nodded. “Okay, well, let’s try just hanging out.” They sat back down together, but this time further apart. The sky moved from a brilliant blue to a rusty twilight. Aurora didn’t pester him with questions or try to get him to open up. She sat there perfectly comfortable, happy even, in silence.

An explosive boom shook the ground, disturbing their quiet reverie. Vibrations traveled up his leg, causing them to tremble. Zane glanced around, bewildered. Aurora stood up and tilted her head back, looking up at the sky, her face marred in shock.

Zane looked up.

Black smoke streaked the sky. An Apollo Alliance shuttle on approach for landing was on fire and looked more like a streaking meteor on an impact course with Earth. Its entire left wing was consumed in orange flames, causing black smoke to trail behind. The shuttle twisted at an odd angle before it finally righted itself on a semi-controlled path to the SpacePort. Zane didn’t take his eyes off the landing shuttle.

“What happened?” he asked when the shuttle finally landed. He heard sirens in the distance.

“It looked like something shot it.” Aurora grabbed his arm. “Pull up the Grid.”

Zane nodded, at a loss for words, as he selected the Grid on his techiwatch. While it loaded to the local news station, he watched Aurora. Her face was pale as she twisted her hands together.

A female reporter’s voice pulled him from his thoughts.

“This is Veronica Harley with Broadcast 5 News, live from our station in downtown Orlando. We are just receiving reports that an Apollo Alliance shuttle has been hit by an explosive device as it was landing. The shuttle was returning from the moon, carrying six astronauts and a cargo hold of precious metals. It appears the shuttle has landed safely.”

Veronica glared off camera, as if something else caught her attention. There was a moment of complete silence, but she quickly recovered from whatever was happening off screen.

“I’m being told we have a man identifying himself as a member of TerraUnited on the line, the organization now famous for its increasingly violent protests against human interference in space. Hello, sir. Can you please tell us what you know?”

A gruff, male voice replied, “Yes, the Apollo Alliance must be stopped. This is our opening salvo against this destructive organization.”

“Are you saying TerraUnited is responsible for the shuttle catching fire?”

“We will not be swayed,” he vehemently stated.

“How were you able to attack the shuttle?”

The man laughed. “We have a wide variety of weapons.”

“And how were these weapons acquired?”

The man ignored her. “The human race has become an infectious disease that is now spreading to worlds beyond our own. How can they possibly think that drilling on the moon would not adversely affect the symbiotic and delicate relationship between planet and satellite? The Apollo Alliance simply does not know the harm it is causing. What’s next? Once we have consumed all the resources on the moon, do we move on to the next planet, the next solar system? When does it stop?”

Zane heard the caller hang up and watched as Veronica Harley tried to recover the newsfeed.

“It appears that TerraUnited may have evolved from a group of people with a legitimate concern to a more fanatic, hostile one.” She looked down, as if looking at notes.

“Recent polls suggest that the Apollo Alliance’s popularity is growing, likely attributed to returning payloads of minerals which seem to be making a difference. These materials are used in junction with our diminishing fossil fuels for energy.”

“We
need
the Helium-3. Why can’t people understand that?” Aurora held Zane’s arm in a death grip, and all of the blood had drained from her face. “Do you think they’ll be okay?”

“Who? The astronauts?” Zane asked, trying to keep up.

“Yeah.” She looked back up to the sky. “They were on fire.”

Zane didn’t know what to do; he had never comforted anyone in his life. He patted her hand and tried to make a joke. “TerraUnited? More like TerraRists—” He stopped when he realized how stupid that sounded and tried again. “I’m sure they’re okay; the news chick said so. We don’t have anything to worry about.”

Aurora took both of his hands in hers and turned her body into his, but her face remained facing the sky above. He bent forward to better hear her whispered words.

“Lord, guard and guide the men who fly

Through the great spaces in the sky,

Be with them always in the air, in dark’ning storms or sunlight fair.

O, Hear us when we lift our prayer, for those in peril in the air.”

Zane slowly wiped the tear that fell down Aurora’s cheek as she repeated the old navy aviation hymn, her skin soft and warm under his touch. Every time this girl spoke, she shocked him to the core. He’d do anything to deserve her, but was afraid even his best wouldn’t be enough.