Charles strode through what he had been told was downtown in the small town of Amor, though there weren’t any buildings that were more than a couple of stories tall. It was refreshing. They looked older, but were built in an old adobe fashion, and Charles found himself drawn into each one, wanting to explore what it held. He had arrived just that morning, but he already knew that he was going to enjoy his week here.Too bad that woman—Bev, wasn’t it?—had just been on her way out. And she would be on the flight with Galactic Enterprises, judging by the symbol on the bus she had boarded. He had watched her from the elevator until the bus had departed, wishing he could be on it with her. The way she had stumbled through her apology was endearing, and it didn’t hurt that she was beautiful as well. The only drawback was that to a

Charles followed Julie through a maze of hallways as the rest of the group peeled off in another direction. A flash of Bev’s auburn hair taunted him as she turned a corner. She briefly glanced back at him, but averted her gaze when she saw him watching her. They’d done that a few times already.Why had she been doing an interview with that reporter? Julie had said that interviews were off limits until after their flight.After a quick physical exam, Charles followed Julie back to where the rest of the group was settling into their dorms. The men’s dorm held four bunk beds with an adjoining bathroom. The women’s dorm was situated further down the hall.“Take time to unpack and become acquai

Charles lay in bed, his arms under his head. Looking out the window, he could see nothing but the small lamps that lined the sidewalk around the garden. And the stars. So many stars. He thought he had a great view from his balcony in Connecticut, but it couldn’t match the one out here in the New Mexico desert. His mind raced with the day’s events. It had started just after he’d checked in at the motel and had been run over by Bev. It had ended with him watching her during dinner, but not having the courage to sit next to her. He had thought about asking if she’d like to play a game of pool before bed, but she’d disappeared with Katie again before he’d had the chance.It almost seemed like Bev was avoiding him.He didn’t have any reason to think

When Bev woke up, sunlight was streaming through the window, making her wince. Her head pounded and she doubted she’d slept more than a couple of hours.Katie and Cecelia were already up and dressed in their exercise clothes.When Katie noticed that Bev was awake, she said, “You better get up. We’re supposed to be at the gym in ten minutes for Tai Chi.”Bev groaned and shoved her pillow over her head. She didn’t think she’d make it out of bed, let alone through an exercise class.The pillow was whipped out of her hands, leaving Bev defenseless. She glared at Katie, who stood over her, the pillow swinging, taunting h

Brady nudged Charles’ arm as they left the locker room. “You nervous?”“About…the flight tomorrow?”“No, the centrifuge,” Brady said.“Should I be?” Charles wasn’t sure what the centrifuge was, but it was just another thing to get them used to the pressures of space travel. None of what they had been asked to do had been a big deal thus far.“No, you shouldn’t,” Cecelia said from where she leaned against the wall a few feet away. “He’s just trying to make everyone as nervous as he is.”