Things seemed to be going well. Becky was a really friendly person and Brad seemed quite nice too, and I was sure that if I got to know the cook, she'd turn out to be just as friendly as the rest of them: no one on the ship seemed mean or anything.

It surprised me a bit when I snapped at Brad when he asked me what I was doing here - I'd never been much of the snapping type. But I guess I'd taken his question the wrong way: I confess that perhaps I'm a little insecure. I don't know what I was about to tell him when the ship began to shake. Suddenly I was terrified. Imagining us trapped in space - in vast, endless, unmapped space - made my stomach feel like it was falling in the most unpleasant manner. Somehow I got into my cabin and clung to the bed which was attached to the floor. I thought about things that didn't scare me until my breathing had calmed and the vague possibility of a panic attack had left.

I thought about the mysterious captain. Had something maybe happened to her? I hoped it was a simple mistake she had made that would easily be rectified rather than a problem with the ship that might be impossible to fix. Oh dear, I was getting too close to thoughts of being trapped in the middle of infinity again. I closed my eyes and began to sing - a random song from the late twentieth or early twenty-first century: 'Thank You' by Dido.

A knock on the door interrupted me. I opened my eyes, stopped singing and sat up, noticing that the ship had stopped shaking.

"Hello?" I called.

"Hey, Sorrell, it's Brad. We think it's okay now. Everyone's gathering in the room with the comfy armchairs - where we played Monopoly. Hopefully we'll get to the bottom of what's happened."

I wasn't at all sure that I wanted to know what had happened but I rose to my feet and walked steadily to the door. I opened it and murmured, "Thank you."

"Are you okay?" Brad asked.

"I guess," I said quietly, not quite meeting his gaze.

"Come on - let's go," he said warmly, holding out a hand, perhaps sensing my worry.

Shyly I took it and he led me to the room where the others were sitting - all bar the captain - and we sat down beside each other on a couple of beanbags.

"I'm sure it's going to be okay," he assured me.

I nodded silently and waited for the meeting to begin.

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Author guidance for This exercise

Closed collab between jamm, Tianna, mollie1994, TheHazelOne, VictoriaGlass

Name: Lucy Bailey
Age: 34
Job on Ship : Captain
Background: An experienced navigator and captain, Lucy is confident and skilled. She gained a full academic Scholarship to Piper University ( one of the most prestigious) , to study space science and engineering. Graduated top of her class, she has a passion for adventure and is a bit of a perfectionist.
TheHazelOne


Name: Sorrell Browning
Age: 21
Job on Ship: interpreter
background: grew up perhaps a little sheltered, is very idealistic. Lived in a village in the countryside and adores nature. Would like to make friends but is quite shy. Often sits on her own and talks to herself, not really making sense.
looks: brown hair, brown eyes, tall, fair skin, slender.
Other: She often walks gracefully but is unaware of this, as well as the beautiful sound of her voice.
Tianna

Name: Becky Shepard
Age: 24
Job on Ship: Mechanic
Background: Becky grew up in the city with her father, having lost her mother at an early age. She spent a lot of the time working in her father's garage, which is where she picked up her passion for mechanics and engineering.
mollie1994

Name: Brad Manning
Age: 19
Job on Ship: Director of Recreation (in control of all entertainment facilities)
Background: After training in a small college, Brad got a lucky break when he got his job almost straight away. Slightly camp and loud, he likes a good party and has a flirtatious side. He isn't a terribly brave man and can run away from any threat, as he learned to do growing up, so he often acts in his own interest.
jamm

Roxanne Masters
Age: 16
Job on ship: Cook
Background: Roxanne is the youngest member aboard the ship. From age seven, she was taught by her father to cook and continues her passion for food as she approaches her seventeenth birthday. Her mother died from cancer when she was four. Roxanne is loud, rambunctious and tends to ramble alot.
Looks: Short choppy black hair, green eyes and freckles. She is short and thin.
Other: Roxanne sings like an angel but is unaware she is so good.
VictoriaGlass

updated Jun 26 '11 by jamm