Disclaimer: The Among Us universe belongs to InnerSloth LLC and PlayEveryWare. This is a work of fanfiction and is not intended for profit or copyright infringement. I do not own the rights to Among Us or its setting/universe.

It's fair to say the first couple days under Zale's new buddy system has its ups and downs. We all have mixed feelings about it. Despite his agreeing to let me go with someone he trusts, it seems Quill is less happy with the arrangements than he initially let on. I find myself running into him and Minka much more often than usual, much to Quill's delight and Minka's annoyance. It takes me a few days to realize he's memorized both my schedule and Del's and is following us on purpose. I also notice he's now packing heat. A small shotgun hangs from his belt, and I wonder if he knows how to use it. Guilt flashes through me every time I see it but it's gone immediately when I remember that weapons may be intended to protect, but more often than not all they do is harm.

More than once I discover Lenna sneaking off alone to nick some sugary snacks from the kitchen, only to be found moments later by a flushed, angry-looking Osiris berating her for giving him the slip once again.

"I don't like this dumb-ass policy any more than you, but I made a promise and signed multiple waivers before accepting this job," he growls, grabbing Lenna by the upper-arm and dragging her away back towards Security. "And I'll be damned if someone catches me disobeying my commander, no matter how ridiculous he is."

The only two people who actually seem to be thriving with this new system are Kenzo and Ebba. Of course, with Kenzo, Ebba doesn't have to mime everything and can speak freely the way she does. Likewise, Ebba is a whiz in the kitchen and it turns out Kenzo has a bit of a green thumb, so they strengthen each other and get their jobs done quickly and effectively as an unstoppable team.

As for me, things seem to be pretty much the same as usual. Nothing much has changed, apart from the fact that I barely see Dr. Barnett anymore and I'm on my feet cruising around the spaceship a lot more with Del by my side. He's over a head taller than me, so I certainly feel at ease and a lot safer just with his mere presence. The only issue is that he's not much of a talker, so I often find myself locked in an impenetrable silence that stretches on for hours at a time unless I puncture it with odd small-talk here and there. He doesn't mind answering my questions (not that I probe too deeply into his personal life), but he doesn't ever prolong the conversations. So I find myself counting my steps or inwardly naming the bones in my hands and feet as we walk to keep myself entertained.

The most excitement occurs when Del and I pass Medbay and a voice calls, "Sage! There you are." I turn and see Dr. Barnett beckoning me into the room, an eager look on his face, and I know something has finally happened to turn the tide in our favor. I hurry into Medbay, Del hot on my heels. I expect the doctor to wait for us but he moves faster than I've ever seen him move as he hustles to the back of the room where we keep all of the expensive microscopes. Based on the collection of petri dishes, slides, crumpled notebook pages, and plastic droppers strewn across the counter, I guess he was in the middle of studying something. He ushers me into the swivel chair and gestures for me to take a look into the microscope. He currently has a slide set up with a dark-looking smudge between the plastic pieces.

"What have you got here? What's going on?"

"Just take a look...you'll see," he says breathlessly. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, I adjust the eyepiece on the microscope and take a peek. At first there's nothing but black and I have to twist the lens for things to come into clearer focus. What I see is a familiar sight, yet something about it isn't right. I've seen blood under a microscope many times before. I recognize the dozens and dozens of little round platelet shapes shifting and swimming around, bumping into each other as they move like tiny cars in a traffic jam. But these blood cells aren't the pinkish-red of normal blood. They're a deep, grayish blue-black. It's baffling. I move the slide around, trying to find additional abnormalities, but everything else is consistent with regular blood cells.

"It's the sample of that suspicious substance you found near the air vent in Admin." Dr. Barnett is usually very calm but right now his face is alight with an excitement that seems difficult to control. This typically happens when he stumbles upon something exciting or has some sort of scientific breakthrough after months of dead ends. "What do you think, Sage? How would you classify this?"

"It's...blood." I'm not convinced. Neither is Dr. Barnett. "I mean, the cell structure suggests it's blood but...I've never seen blood this dark before. That's not normal - right?"

"No indeed You know what this means, don't you?"

I bite my lip, thinking. "Erm...the hemoglobin protein isn't reacting properly to the exposure of oxygen?"

"Very clearly. But there's a larger significance behind this discovery than malfunctioning blood cells."

The puzzle has me stumped. What kind of answer is he looking for? What does this discovery mean to him that I can't yet see? I'm about to guess again when Del speaks up.

"I'm not a certified medical professional, but if the sample you have really is blood, doesn't that mean it came from something living? It not red human blood, then that only leaves one explanation...whatever left this behind isn't human."

Reality settles like a ton of bricks in my stomach. Dr. Barnett nods somberly. I jackknife to my feet, sending the spindly chair spinning and squeaking. I stare at Dr. Barnett, formulating my next words very carefully. "Are you sure about this? Because if there's any possibility that you're wrong we need to know. This isn't something we can tell the rest of the crew on suspicions and half-baked theories. We need proof."

"That may not be something we can provide right now. We can't definitively prove that aliens exist any more than we can prove they are stowaways on this ship. But this isn't something we can keep a secret, either. This is a major breakthrough - one that could very possibly shed light on the mysterious and gruesome deaths of Warrick and O'Connell. It could also better inform us how to defend ourselves, now that we know we're facing something foreign and likely much more dangerous than a regular human. Commander Zale already knows. We need to inform the rest of the crew as soon as possible."

The last thing I want to do is deliver this news to an already panic-stricken crew, but I know Dr. Barnett is right. Before, all we could do was guess. Now, with this new discovery, we can eliminate every human on board from suspicion. My relief is strong but short-lived. If it's not anyone we know, then it can only mean we're being stalked by something far more sinister - something we know next to nothing about.

"Ebba was right," I say suddenly, the realization hitting me like a punch to the gut. "She brought up the idea of extraterrestrial life forms before, but we all laughed at her." All at once, like a switch being flicked, I go from dubious to determined - inexplicably, I want to tell as many people as possible, as fast as possible. "Where is the commander, anyway?" I ask, just now noticing the lack of Zale's golden hair and signature smolder. "Aren't you two supposed to be sticking together?"

"He's using the restroom," Dr. Barnett says mildly. "I did offer to stand by the door to stay faithful to the buddy system, but he has a, ah...shy bladder, as he put it. He's using the facility in the back so he isn't far -"

Right on cue we hear the sound of flushing and the rush of water as Zale clatters around inside the small water closet normally reserved for patients. The door clicks open and he steps out, striding forward with his usual cocky confidence. "Ah, thanks for waiting, Doctor. I feel much better - like a new man! Oh good, Sage and Del are here. I assume the doctor filled you in on our enlightening discovery?"

"Every thrilling detail," I nod, still trying to banish the image of Zale's shy bladder from my mind. "I assume you'd like to call an emergency meeting?"

"You assume correctly, sweetheart. Whatever beast we're dealing with, it made a huge and careless mistake leaving some of its bodily fluid behind - we've practically cracked this case wide open!"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, sir," Dr. Barnett says respectfully. "We may have some of its blood but that doesn't mean we know everything about it - even more importantly, blood samples don't tell us how to defend against or defeat such an entity. I suggest delivering this information with care - be sensitive to how people may react."

"Right you are - very smart. I'll make sure to keep things calm and professional."

Five minutes later, Del and I sit on the plastic bench of a Cafeteria table, waiting patiently for Commander Zale's announcement over the PA system. When his voice crackles to life, it's loud and grating.

"Attention all crewmates - report to the Cafeteria immediately! Once again, all crewmates report to the Cafeteria - this is an order! I can give those now, so I expect everyone to cooperate. Cafeteria - NOW."

The intercom clicks off and I glance sideways at Del, unable to resist the smile from spreading across my face. "So much for calm and professional."

He shakes his head, running a hand through his hair in exasperation, but I notice a small grin. We sit in an amused silence for a minute or so before we hear the thundering sounds of footsteps echoing from the hallway. Loud, scared, urgent voices reach our ears. Lenna and Osiris are the first to arrive, Quill and Minka on their heels. Both Osiris and Minka have hands on the weapons at their waists and Lenna and Quill are two shades paler than normal. The quick shuffling of Ebba's feet announces her presence and the booming voice of Kenzo barks, "Who died this time? Where is everyone? I'm serious - ZALE!"

"Calm yourself, please, Kenzo - you're making everyone nervous," Zale says, looking nervous indeed. I find the scene quite entertaining, though I suppose if I didn't know what was happening I would be just as nervous. "No one has died. The doctor and I have an announcement to make that we think everyone needs to hear, so find your seats and get ready for some excellent news!"

I'm not sure excellent is the word I would use to describe the discovery of alien blood, but his words have a greater impact on the crew than I anticipated. Shoulders slump in relief and heavy exhales echo in the cavernous space. Some people even manage a smile and when Quill slides onto the bench next to me he loops an arm around my shoulder and gives me a side-squeeze.

"Finally, some good news," he chuckles. A large black grease stain streaks across the front of his space uniform and I wriggle free from his grasp, checking for stains on my person. "I had to leave a particularly stubborn coolant leakage in one of the engines, but I'm sure this will be worth it - if nothing else, Minka is happy to get out of the engine rooms..."

Del and I say nothing. I have no clever retort to give my brother, which he notices right away. I feel his eyes burning holes into the side of my head but I can't look at him. I don't know how he's going to react to the news - nor anyone else, for that matter - and I'm nervous. I pretend to be busy picking at my cuticles, all the while my thoughts chase each other relentlessly around my brain. Zale takes his place at the front of the Cafeteria and the conversations die down.

"Thank you all for coming as such short notice." It's the first time he addresses the group as a whole in an official setting and it shows. His voice carries a note of timidness and his upper lip is shiny with sweat again. "I first want to assure you all that no one has died and none of us are in any immediate danger." I stifle a snort. Everyone knows we're all constantly in danger. No one is safe on The Skeld anymore. My feelings of disbelief are mirrored on the faces of those around us. A few people mutter darkly under their breath but no on contradicts Zale. "While you've all been busy diligently carrying out your responsibilities on the ship, the doctor and I have made a shocking and, quite frankly, thrilling discovery! At the site of the professor's unfortunate demise, our very own Sage discovered a strange substance on the floor by the air vent." I was wondering when my name would crop up and I pretend not to notice as people swivel their heads to stare at me. "Naturally, the doctor carried out many tests on the substance in order to find out what it is. As it turns out, it has every appearance of being blood. In fact, we are certain it is blood, but there's no denying it's abnormal. It's not dark red but pitch black, and thick and putrid. So why does this matter? You may be asking yourselves. At the end of the day it's a vital discovery because now we know that the thing that killed Warrick and O'Connell is not human. More than likely we are dealing with an extraterrestrial threat."

I tense, waiting for the explosion of fear and anger that usually comes at the tail end of such a terrible announcement. But the silence that follows is cold and dead, heavy and oppressive, like a weighted blanket. Stony faces and tight-lipped expressions stare back at me as I gaze around the room. A few people lean over to their neighbors to converse in hushed tones but other than that no one says a word. It seems like they all believe Zale. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. At this point not much else can really shock us. After a very pregnant pause, Osiris is the first to speak up.

"Aliens..." He lets out a dry, humorless laugh. "Because of course it is. That's just our luck, isn't it? We set out on this damned mission to colonize a new planet and the universe strikes back!"

"If you consider all the evidence, you know, it actually makes sense," Lenna pipes up. "Warrick was bitten completely in half! Something has been moving through the vents, O'Connell was nearly decapitated and now we find strange black blood on the floor? This thing has to be small but incredibly powerful at the same time. What else could it possibly be?"

"And here I was, thinking Ebba's plants were the strangest things out there," Kenzo says gruffly. "I don't like the idea of it one bit, but I reckon it's the truth. We can't ignore the science behind it, can we? Still a mystery, though..."

Suddenly, Quill perks up. "Hey, Osiris - I'll bet anything that it's the same creature that's been sabotaging the security camera wires. I told you, they were cut not chewed. Clearly this entity - whatever it is - has enough intelligence to know about the inner workings of a spaceship."

"You may be right." Osiris scratches his eyebrow thoughtfully. "And if that's true, then I'll bet the creature is also responsible for the power outages we've been having. I just don't understand how. How did the entity get onto the ship in the first place, and how is it moving around? Air vents? But they're so small. Nothing that small could take out two grown men..."

"I told you, the evidence points to aliens!" Lenna says again. "Most likely they can shapeshift or something - oh! Or maybe Quill was right before - maybe they can possess people and one of us is the killer but we don't remember it because we're not in control of our thoughts or actions!" As soon as she says it, she claps a hand over her mouth, looking horrified. "Oh my god..."

"Try not to let your imagination get the better of you," Del says in his calm baritone. "Until we can figure out more about this...thing...there's no reason to invent what we can't prove."

I listen to the conversation in silence, all the while my head is spinning. What does this mean? What do we do now? I'm relieved I can trust my crewmates, but Quill is right - this thing is intelligent. Whatever it is, it's gotten away with two murders, multiple sabotages, and staying hidden on the vessel for months. It's dangerous, it's deadly, and it's wickedly smart. Whatever it wants - and it must want something - must be pretty serious. I feel a hand on my shoulder and look over at Quill, who watches me carefully.

"Are you okay? You're pale as a sheet."

"No." I shake my head. "I'm not sure I'll ever be okay again. I just wish I knew how and why." A thought suddenly crops up in my brain. My grandfather's journal. He was on the same mission years ago, on the same trip, and his voyage ended in disaster. They dismissed the tragedy by saying it was all an accident - an exploded reactor core - but they were never able to provide any solid proof. I've always wondered if there was more to it than that, and now I have the chance to prove my theory. George Korbel and his crew were harboring a dark secret and I'll be damned if I don't figure it out to save my life, and the lives of everyone else on this ship.

"Sage - what's going on?"

I blink. At some point I had stood up and now everyone stares at me, concern and confusion etched into their faces. My mouth goes dry and I have to swallow a few times before responding, "Um...sorry. I'm just...not feeling well. I need to excuse myself...get some rest..."

I turn around to leave, and immediately Quill and Del rise to their feet. Dammit. I forgot about the stupid buddy system and Quill's irritating tendency to protect me. How am I going to keep my grandfather's journal a secret if I've got these two breathing down my neck at all times? I planned on showing Quill the journal eventually, but not until after I've finished reading it for myself. Now that we have to share cabins with our buddies, there's no place I can go to read in privacy. Shaking Quill off shouldn't bee too difficult, especially with Minka staring daggers at him, but Del is another story. I cast an apologetic look at Zale and Dr. Barnett, ignoring everyone else for now.

"You are free to do what you need, Sage," Zale says. "As long as you stick with Del and don't go wandering anywhere by yourself. In fact, if no one else has any questions or concerns, we can adjourn this meeting. As you were, folks!"

The meeting is over but no one stands up. Awkwardly, feeling everyone's eyes on me, I leave the Cafeteria. Before I disappear I give Quill a We'll talk later look over my shoulder. The hallway is deserted and I pretend not to hear Del's footsteps as I make my way toward my - our - cabin. We don't speak to each other until we arrive at the cabin. The space was tiny and cramped before, and it's even more so now. The mass of blankets and pillows on the floor belongs to Del and I have to step over them to get to the bunk, which still belongs to me. I sit on the edge and can feel the slight bump in the mattress beneath which I've stored my grandfather's journal. Del closes the door behind him and sits cross-legged on the floor, leaning against the door.

"I'm going to take a shower," I tell him, a plan formulating in my mind.

"Okay," he says. He levels a neutral gaze at me and I bite the inside of my cheek.

"I'll just...gather my things and go...do that."

"Sounds good. I'll be here if you need anything."

Thank goodness. At least he doesn't insist on being in the tiny shower room with me, but that doesn't mean he won't be on the other side of the door, listening closely in case something happens. I'll take what I can get. I stand and make a show of gathering my shower supplies, including my two towels, brush, and my small bottle of two-in-one shampoo and conditioner. Balancing these items is awkward and I deliberately drop a towel next to my bed. I bend down until I'm eye-level with the mattress where the journal is hidden. I've never been great at sleight-of-hand, but I do my best to cover my dominant hand with my towel as it slips beneath the mattress and finds the hard corner of the journal, which I tug out from it's hiding spot. Not daring to breathe, I stand back up and step across the pillows and blankets on the floor to the small metal door at the back of the room that leads to the shower stall.

"Sage."

I freeze, my hand on the sliding door's handle. Did he see what I did? Is he about to call me out?

I turn my head and regard him over my shoulder. "Hm?"

"Leave some hot water for me."

I let out a sigh of relief, which is quickly replaced with a warm blush creeping from my neck to my cheeks. "Right. Sure."

His face is impassive but his eyes are slightly brighter than usual as he watches me. I open the door and slip inside as quickly as possible, making sure to lock the door behind me. Just in case.

Yikes, that was a close one. I exhale heavily and drop my towels, clothes, brush, and shampoo on the floor. The room is really more of a closet, with nothing but a small shower head, a drain on the floor, a tiny cracked porcelain toilet in the corner, and a vent in the ceiling. I was never actually planning on taking a shower - this is the perfect opportunity to read more of the journal. I turn the showerhead on and step out of my red uniform so I'm in a black tank top and spandex shorts. Testing the water to make sure it's not freezing, I take a breath and dunk my head under the stream. It's a shock to my system at first but the more I scrub the more water is able to soak into my thick waves. I pull my head out and wrap it in a towel. Perfect. No one will ever know. Keeping the water running, I sit on the toilet, opening the fragile pages of the journal to the very beginning. I probably have about five or ten minutes before Del starts getting suspicious. It takes a while for me to get used to my grandfather's curvy, cramped handwriting, but after a few paragraphs it gets a little easier.

September 5th, 3023,

My daughter, Aubrey, gave me this journal for my birthday. She wants me to record every last detail of the Polus mission. I've never been good at writing down my thoughts. I guess now is as good a time as any to practice.

Apart from the Polus mission, nothing has really changed. I've been an aerospace engineer my whole adult life but I've never actually been to space. I've met the crew, most notably Commander Hawks. He's a likeable enough guy. Pretty serious but has a thirst for adventure.

It's a weird feeling, being hand-picked by the largest space administration in the world. What MIRA wants with my humble talents, I'll never know. Aubrey says it's a once in a lifetime opportunity. I know she's right. I may not be as young as I once was, but I still have the rest of my life ahead of me - why not do something incredible with it? I want to make a difference and pioneering through space is a privilege I will never take for granted.

I trust my adventures will never be boring. The crew got a tour of The Skeld a couple days ago. It's a gorgeous creature. A little outdated but loyal and sturdy. The engines are things of beauty - truly magnificent beings of brilliant engineering. I can't wait to start working on them.

-G.K.

I didn't know my mother gave him this journal. It's weird seeing her name written so casually. The more I read the more I get the sense that my grandfather is right - nothing much has happened to him at this point in his life. The entries dated September 5th - September 30th mostly discuss what it's like working for MIRA and how he likes The Skeld and what his impressions are of the other crew members. They started off with twelve, must like we did. Unlike our Commander Warrick, Commander Hawks seems like a cheerful outgoing character with a penchant for getting to know other people. I greedily drink in the descriptions of the others, particularly interested in the medical doctor, Dr. Ambrose, and his young nurse assistant, Anne. One name stands out to me above all others, which is, of course, Ebba Clarke. I get the impression she and my grandfather were close friends, even before the launching of Polus I.

I'm in the middle of reading a short description of my grandfather helping Ebba tend to her Polusian plants and how he got a nasty bite on his finger that eventually got infected, when I feel a slight chill in the air. I glance at the water pouring from the ceiling and realize it has grown cold. Oops. I gingerly shut the book and set it on my second towel so I can reach up and turn the water off. Guess I lost track of time. Hopefully Del won't be too upset with me. I hastily remove the towel from my head and run a hand through my tangled hair. Good enough. I gather all of my things, including my red space uniform, and exit the shower room. I had gotten used to the hot steam of the shower and the cabin room feels slightly chillier than before. Goosebumps erupt on my bare arms and I shiver. Del is in the same spot on the floor where I left him and he watches me casually as I put my things away. I wrap the journal in a dry towel and place it on a heap on my bed, planning on stowing it away when Del is in the shower.

"Sorry I took so long - you may have to wait a bit before showering. I think I used up all the hot water."

"That's alright. We're due in Storage soon anyway. Zale made an announcement that we're going to give Professor O'Connell a proper sendoff."

I must have been so absorbed in the journal that I didn't hear the announcement over the sound of the running water. "Oh. Okay, then." My gut twists slightly at the prospect of another funeral. I'm not sure how I feel about it. The last funeral we held, no one had much to say. Will I be able to think of something to say about the professor? I sit on the edge of my bed and brush the out the knots from my wet hair, thinking.

"So...did you enjoy reading your book in the shower?"

My hands slip in surprise and I accidentally rip through a large chunk of knot, with hurts so badly my eyes water. I slow my brushing pace, staring at the floor, feeling my heart jump into my throat. Did he just say what I thought he did?

"My...book? What do you mean?"

"The book you keep under your mattress. Is it good?"

I freeze. Shit. I try to think of a quick lie to tell, but the cogs in my brain have jammed and the only thing that spills out is, "I don't -?"

Del stands abruptly, startling me, and walks over to where I'm sitting on the bed. He reaches for my towel and lifts it up. The journal tumbles onto the mattress, laid bare for all to see. The guilt on my face must amuse him because he says, "I know what it's like to be lost in a good book, but I must say I've never liked one enough to bring it in the shower with me." He reaches to grab it but I'm faster. My had shoots out and, faster than blinking, I bring it to my chest, guarding it like a precious baby.

"You can't see this!" I blurt. He raises his eyebrows. "I mean...yes it's my book but...I would rather you not look at it."

His eyebrows lift so high they threaten to leave his face completely. "Oh. It's that kind of a book, is it? I see. I was wondered why it had no title."

The blush that erupts on my face is hotter than anything I've ever experienced. To his credit, Del doesn't judge me. If anything he just seems amused. But I can't leave the conversation the way it is, lest he get the wrong impression of me. "No!" I squeak. "You don't understand, it's not like that. It's...hard to explain." I sigh. I really didn't want to share the truth with anyone until the time was right. In my mind the first person I tell is Quill, but now I'm stuck with no way out. I decide there's a way I can tell the truth without telling him everything. "It's a journal," I admit, staring down at the little black book in my lap. I run my finger lovingly along the spine. "It belonged to...someone I knew. I'm kind of possessive over it."

"I can see that." Del sits down next to me and I twitch. "You don't have to sneak around me, you know. If you want to read someone's old journal, go for it. I don't want you to think you have to pretend to shower just to read it."

"What -?" I drop all pretense. "How did you know I didn't actually shower?"

He shrugs. "You took two towels in with you and only one came out damp. When the water turned off you came out of the shower room way too soon to be believable. You didn't bring a change of clothes in with you, either. And -" He leans toward me and I stiffen, scared to death of even breathing lest he discover my deepest darkest secrets. "-your hair. It's wet and tangled but it doesn't smell like shampoo." He lifts a scraggly strand to demonstrate and tosses it playfully into my face. "Check and mate. Am I wrong?"

"No, Sherlock," I grumble, running my hands down my hair protectively. How could my plan have failed so miserably? "If you were so interested in the journal, why didn't you just ask?"

"Because it's more fun this way. Besides," he says, leaning back on his forearms, "I have some poetry I want to read in the shower but I'm afraid someone will find out. Guess we're more alike than I thought."

I stare at him, refusing to believe my ears. Did Del just make a joke? I huff a little and look back at the journal. It seems silly now. Silly that I wanted to hide it from people. I'm glad Del can make light of a situation that weighs so heavily on me, but I still want to make sure he knows how important it is to me that this stays between us. "Look, I'm sorry I tried to sneak around you, but I have good reason. This journal is more important than it looks and no one but Ebba knows I have it. I'd like to keep it that way until I'm ready to share. Can you keep this a secret?"

"Sure. I never saw it. But I'm going to need something in return."

I raise my eyebrows at him. "Oh? And what is that?"

He sits back up and nods at the journal. "If you find anything interesting in there, I want you to share it with me. I've never read a personal journal before and frankly it sounds intriguing. What do you say?"

"I mean...sure." Huh. I'm not sure what else to say, apart from the fact that the journal so far as been nothing but the daily drivel of an old man. "Don't get your hopes up, though. I'm a month in and nothing exciting has happened." I flick through the crinkled pages, watching the stripes and blobs of inky blur my vision. I notice a few illustrations and quick sketches before they're gone in the blink of an eye and I don't bother searching back for them.

Del feels otherwise. "Woah, wait - hold on. Did you see that? What was that?"

"What was what?" I watch, infuriated, as he lifts the journal from my lap. What's even more infuriating is the fact that I'm doing nothing to stop him. He flicks back several pages until he reaches a page that's full of quick sketches done in what appears to be pen. Del sets it on the bed between us and when I see what my grandfather drew I freeze.

There's no way I can accurately describe what I'm seeing, apart from hideous and grotesque. The picture takes up two whole pages and it's crudely drawn but detailed enough that I can tell what it is. It starts with a figure on the left-hand side standing straight, but as my eyes travel right the figure becomes more and more...demented. The shoulders hunch, the arms and legs lengthen, and something horrible and tentacled seems to be ripping out of the man's back as he screams in terror and agony. The last image on the right-hand side is barely recognizable as a human. It's all teeth and limbs and rippling muscle. The creature has razors for fingers and a wild, bloodthirsty look in its dead eyes that sends tendrils of cold terror down my spine.

I work my mouth but no sound comes out. I look up at Del, who has frozen.

"Del?" I finally manage. He says nothing. Doesn't even acknowledge me. It's like he's been turned to stone. I look back at the picture and notice a few hastily-scrawled words in the margins, as though my grandfather was trying to capture them before he forgot:

Seven feet tall

Extendable claws (?)

Prehensile barbed tongue

POISON? ACID?

Incredible speed

Superhuman strength

Nightvision

Silent deadly assassin

POLUSIAN?

I stare at the words for so long my vision blurs, like maybe if I stare long enough they will disappear or turn into something more pleasant. No such luck. My hand reaches out to touch the last word, written in bold letters and underlined heavily. POLUSIAN. Polusian...I've heard that word before, when Kenzo talks about Ebba's plants. Polusian plants. Polusian people...Polus. Another chill runs down my spine as pieces clunk into place in my head.

People from Polus.

Carnivorous plants aren't the only thing waiting for us on that cold, deserted planet.

I go to close the journal but Del reaches out and grabs my wrist, startling me. I gasp and look at him. His face is set and stony. All of the light has left his dual-colored eyes, and they're dark - almost black - when he looks up to meet my gaze.

"Del, what -?"

"You were right," he whispers hoarsely. "This can't get out. You have to keep this a secret. No one can know."

I blink. "But - Del, what if it's important? What if there really are creatures like this out there? What if -?" I stop mid-sentence as a thrill of terror fills me. "What if they have something to do with the extraterrestrial murderer on board?"

"Think about it, Sage," he says urgently. "How would people react if this information got out? They would panic! It would be utter chaos. Besides, we don't know for sure if this is actually out there - it could just be the musings of a demented artist -"

"My grandfather was not demented!" I say, miffed. "He was brilliant."

"Your...grandfather?" Del tilts his head and I realize I've said too much. "Sage, does this journal belong to your grandfather, George Korbel?"

If I hadn't known better, I would have thought Del and I knew each other in a past life. There's no way he knows so much about me. My mouth goes dry as I stare at him. "How do you know about my grandfather?"

"Everyone knows about George Korbel. He's practically a celebrity - everyone who was part of the Polus I crew is famous. Ebba knew him, too. I assume she's the one who gave you this journal?"

"Yes...how did you know this journal was his?"

"You share a last name. Also, his initials are embossed on the front."

Okay. Del really needs to stop noticing the little things. It's starting to make me uncomfortable. "No one was supposed to find out about this," I groan, snatching the journal back and shoving it unceremoniously beneath my pillow. I put my head in my hands and prop my elbows on my knees. "If MIRA gets a hold of this information, my whole family will be accused of harboring vital information about the Polus I tragedy, not to mention we would become the talk of the country - possibly even the world."

"MIRA won't find out," Del assures me. "Because we're not going to tell anyone - remember?"

"Well, I'm going to tell Quill," I mumble. "And now that you know, too, that makes three people who are in on the secret."

"Trust me, I'm good at keeping secrets. So is Ebba."

"Ebba can't even talk."

"Exactly."

I have no choice but to believe him. I run my fingers through my hair and they get caught on the stubborn knots. I make an impatient tch noise in the back of my throat and grab my brush, attacking the knots with unnecessary force.

"You're going to rip your hair out pulling on it like that."

"Oh yeah? And what would you know about brushing hair?"

I regret the words as soon as they come out of my mouth. It's not fair for me to lash out, but this whole thing makes me really frustrated and nervous. After seeing those horrible pictures of what I can only assume are aliens, all I can think about is running into one of them in a dark corner of the ship. I try not to dwell on it too much. Thinking about them slithering through the vents will only give me nightmares."

"Apparently more than you," Del replies calmly. "Everyone knows you start from the bottom and work your way up, otherwise the knots will just get bigger." I cast him a dark look over my shoulder. "I have a sister," he says, as though that explains everything. I stop hacking at my clumpy hair and sigh.

"Fine. You do it, then." I hand him the brush and fold my arms over my chest, trying to communicate without words just how miffed I am. It's petty, I know, but it works.

"I know you're mad at me for barging in on your secret," he says and I can hear the remorse in his voice. "But I want you to know that you can trust me." When I don't respond he doesn't continue. Instead I feel his fingers on my scalp as they gently part my hair into three pieces and he begins to work the knots out of the first piece. I rub my bare arms, telling myself that the goosebumps are a result of the air-conditioned cabin.

Roughly ten minutes later all of the knots are gone and my hair lies long and smooth against my back. The brush continues its steady motion from stop to bottom. Finally, after much longer than is necessary, Del pushes the hair back from my face, his fingertips brushing my bare shoulder. Part of me says he did it on purpose, while the other half insists it was an accident. Resigning myself to the fact that I'll never know for sure, I turn and take the brush back from Del, setting it on the tiny nightstand next to the bed.

"Thanks."

"Sure."

I hug my arms tighter to my chest. We dissolve into a silence so thick Minka could cut it with her knives. I should get up and get changed, I tell myself. Yes, that's what I should do. My brain sends the signal to the rest of my body but my muscles don't move. Del shifts next to me and his knee touches mine. Horrified, I feel my heart hammering against my chest and realize I haven't been this nervous or on-edge since I followed the weird noises and found O'Connell's body. I glance at our knees and realize with a terrifying thrill that I like it.

I like him.

Against my better judgement I finally look into his face. Unsurprisingly, his eyes are trained on me, watching my every movement. My brain scrambles for something to say but my tong is swollen and sticks to the roof of my mouth. I swallow heavily and open my mouth but the words are cut short as Del shifts again and the entire side of his body is pressed up against mine. Pull away, the voice in my head commands. Okay, I agree. But I don't pull away. With movements I have zero control over, I lean into him and place a hand on his thigh. What am I doing? Stop this. You are a professional! This is not profess -

"Shut up!" I snap, jumping a little when I realize I've yelled out loud. Del frowns.

"Um -"

"No! Not you. I'm sorry." I exhale shakily. "I'm just...tired of the negative voice in my head."

"What is it saying?"

It wants me to run away from you, as fast and far as humanly possible. I give a half-hearted shrug and dare to look in his face again. He says nothing. We contemplate each other for a few moments. I feel his arm wrap around my waist and pull me closer. As much as I tell myself I don't need this, I know the truth.

I want this.

He leans in and I need to make a split-second decision. What do I do? This could completely disrupt my entire professional role on this ship. Then again, I haven't been kissed in forever and I've been suppressing feelings for Del for a while now. What do I do, what do I DO? In the end I decide neither to lean in nor pull away. I just sit there and close my eyes, enjoying the feeling of his warm hand on my back and his breath on my cheeks as our foreheads touch. My heart hammers and I realize this is much much worse than finding a dead body...

I sit there, breathless and scared out of my mind, waiting to feel his lips press against mine...

BAM! BAM! BAM!

The hammering on our cabin door is so loud and so jarring we spring apart like someone administered an electric shock. My heart is in my throat and my head spins. I move blindly, standing up so suddenly I crack my head on the low ceiling above my bed. Swearing under my breath, I grab my dirty uniform from the floor and screech, "WHAT?" at the door.

"Hey, it's time for the funeral." Quill's voice. "Are you coming or not?"

Because of course it would be my brother.

"Y-yes, just - give me one second..."

"Is Del in there with you?"

"NO!" I shout at the same time Del says, "Yes." We stare at each other. There's an awkward silence on the other side of the door.

"Uh...okay. Well, Del if you're in there, Zale wants us all in Storage. If you're not in there, you can ignore all of this."

Mother of MIRA I am SUCH and IDIOT.

Huffing angrily at myself, I march over to the door and fling it wide open. Quill's tall lanky form fills the doorway. He takes in the scene - me in my tank top and shorts, my wet hair, my uniform in my hand; Del sitting on the edge of the bed, a guilty look splashed across his face - and looks back at me with a small smile.

"Um...is this a bad time?"

"PERFECT TIME!" I snap. "I just took a shower and was going to bring this to the laundry room for a new one. So...out of my way!" I punch his skinny arm and push past him into the hallway, ignoring his noises of pain and shock. With steel in my heart and fire in my veins, I march in the direction of the laundry room without a single glance back at either of them.