Off-Planet #teaserTuesday

A chime sounded in the shuttle. People hurried in. Seats that had been tilted were set upright. Luggage was stashed. Jadzia sighed and put her device away and glanced at Kolya and froze. Then she snatched something from the seat in front of her and put it in Kolya’s hand.

Airsick bag it said, with pictorial directions. Kolya gulped. Jadzia swore softly. Kolya thought about leaping past her, running for–the door was closing. A woman stood by it, a woman who had spoken to Jadzia, standing by the door as it closed so Kolya couldn’t get out. When it was closed she threw a lever and flipped a switch and the light above the door changed from red to green as she sat in a seat and buckled her seatbelt.

“Breathe,” Jadzia said softly. She’d seen him think about running, but she didn’t hit him, probably because he hadn’t tried. Kolya took a deep breath but the shuttle moved and his stomach lurched. His hand clamped on Jadzia’s wrist before he could stop it. She put her other hand on his clenched fingers. “Breathe,” she said again.

The shuttle jolted, rolling faster. Kolya closed his eyes and inhaled to keep a whimper of terror from getting out. Jadzia’s warm hand patted his cold fingers.

“That’s it. Just breathe.”

“I…I never–”

“Shit,” she said. “I’m s–will you breathe?”

Kolya exhaled, dragged in a breath. Kept his eyes closed as the shuttle jolted through a turn. He’d seen them on the vid, it was going up to its road, so it could–a tiny moan escaped him. Jadzia’s fingers squeezed his.

“I’ve done this fifty times,” she said. “It will be all right.”

He couldn’t explain, even if he dared. It wasn’t just the flying. It was everyone working with her, and the leaving his planet, and the shuttle, and losing everything he’d ever known and not knowing where he was going and not daring to ask because what could he do anyway. His abandoned little stash of money under the board in his room, and another in the tree outside the window and the washer boy next door who would sing to him for a chaste kiss, and bring him food when Givenni said he wasn’t skinny enough. Hans who could be nice and Givenni who sometimes petted him and bought him all his pretty clothes and how would he get work if all he had was baggy girl clothes? Master Hiram’s house still big and beautiful that he could see from his window though the master was gone and–and oh gods in their halls, what if Rafe wanted a girl-pet?

Kolya couldn’t open his eyes to see the directions but Jadzia’s fingers helped and he got the bag open in time. Jadzia made a disgusted noise, but her hand was warm on his back though Kolya was crying and couldn’t stop and–

“Jadzia, what are you doing to that poor girl?” someone asked. “We haven’t even taken off!”

“Nothing! She just–”

“Sing to her,” the voice advised.

“…sing?”

“Hush little baby don’t say a word,” the woman sang. “Momma’s gonna buy you a mockingbird…”

Emmie had sung that. In the back of Kolya’s mind as the rest was occupied trying to stop throwing up, Emmie sang along with the woman.

“…if that mockingbird don’t sing, momma’s gonna buy you a diamond ring...” only Emmie sang “master” instead. Kolya gasped and tried to breathe like Jadzia was telling him to and Emmie and the stranger kept singing. “…If that diamond ring turns brass, master’s gonna buy you a looking glass…”

Two more voices joined in the song. The shuttle stopped jolting. “If that looking glass gets broke, master’s gonna buy you a billy-goat.” Kolya hiccuped an apology before his stomach twisted again.

“Drink some water,” someone said over the lullaby. “Tiny sips.”

“If that billy-goat won’t pull, master’s gonna buy you a cart and bull.”

“Here,” Jadzia said. She held a bottle with a straw next to Kolya’s hand. Kolya gasped air then managed a sip of water. His stomach twisted, but he fought it and sipped again.

“If that cart and bull turn over, master’s gonna buy a dog named Rover.”

“That’s it,” Jadzia murmured. “Breathe.” Kolya sipped more water. “Tissue,” Jadzia said, laying one over his wrist.

“If that Rover-dog won’t bark, master’s gonna buy you a horse and cart.”

Kolya sipped water and closed his eyes before he closed the bag. Jadzia tried to take it and he hung on.

“There’s another,” she said, and Kolya let go. He wiped his face and blew his nose and sipped water, all still hunched over Jadzia’s lap, and the lullaby went on around him and her hand came back to pet up and down his spine.

“If that horse and cart fall down, you’re still the sweetest babe in town.”

“There you go,” the first woman said, leaning around the seat in front to smile at Kolya. “You’ll be all right, pretty girl.”

“Lots of people have a hard time, first time,” another voice said from behind. “Just take deep breaths and sip the water slow.”

“You’re a brave girl,” a woman across the aisle said. “All right now, eh?”

“And we’re here,” first singer said over the chime filling the cabin. She unbuckled her seatbelt and stood. Jadzia eased Kolya back into his own seat so she could do the same. Kolya didn’t turn to the window. He didn’t want to see. Instead he unbuckled his seat belt and pushed himself to his feet. Suddenly the shuttle spun around and went dark and his knees folded as Jadzia swore.