People are rejoicing, thinking maybe the tide is turning—maybe our planet is going to get better again. Maybe we can grow more of our own food.
Meanwhile, I just want to leave.
My gaze arcs around this tiny room. Months ago, the woman who used to feed and care for the horses had them alltransported off the planet somehow. I used to help her. And even though I understood why she took them with her when she left, I miss the horses. They were the one bright light in my life.
I sink my hips to the floor and let out a sigh before reaching for the one piece of technology I have—the one thing Earth has clung to. I tap the screen to open it and skim throughGalaxyCosmo, our social media, our only source of news.
My message box has a notification—unusual. I tap on it.
Let’s meet.
I don’t hesitate. I stand, reaching for the rain jacket I’ve never needed until recently. It isn’t even mine. My grandmother had it, and I dug it out of her closet in her vacant, empty home. When the roof blew off a few years ago, I lost the one place I had to live.
When I step outside, there’s no more rain. Just wind now. I hurry through the darkness into one of the—if you can call it that—fancy apartment buildings in town.
Minutes later, my friend Lena is letting me in. Her blue eyes are bright, her blond hair swinging in a ponytail. “Come in, come in,” she says.
I walk in, glancing around in surprise. Lena, Jenny, and Martha are all here.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
“There’s rain. Finally,” Jenny says.
I glance over. “Well, yeah, but why are we meeting tonight?”
“There’s one of those matchmaker recruitment meetings for the other planet tomorrow. I say we go,” Lena says.
“Oh, you mean, no matter what?” I prompt.
The following day, the rain is long gone, and the sun is beating down as I walk to the building where they’ve been holding these interviews for over a year now. I don’t care whether I find a mate—I just want to escape Earth.
This isn’t some glamorous, exciting story where we fight on behalf of Earth. We just want women to have better lives. If I end up marrying an alien space cowboy, so be it. But if not, hopefully, I can get them to see they have to attach some conditions to the help they give Earth.
Aphroditea is the richest planet in the galaxy. They spread their wealth amongst the planets, and Earth is the stepchild no one wants to deal with anymore. Earth was once powerful and led so many advancements for the galaxy. But while other planets took those advancements and made better worlds, Earth has destroyed its own.
As there always is for these interviews, there’s a line. While I’m waiting, I see Lena waiting a ways behind me and wave to her, along with Jenny and Martha. Before I know it, I’m seated at a plastic table and a woman named Jane is smiling at me.
“You’re a princess?” I ask, unable to hide the skepticism in my voice.
She rolls her eyes a little as she nods. “I am. That’s how I ended up there. I actually think it would be great for you to come, but I’m a little worried.”
“About what?” I try to keep the sharpness out of my voice.
“Do you actuallywantto go?” she presses.
I startle myself when I feel a tear slide down my cheek. Clearing my throat, I blink quickly—only to send more tears splashing onto my cheeks.
Jane reaches over, her hands curling around both of mine. “You’re leaving with us in an hour.”
Improbable as it is, Lena and I are both selected, which means Jenny and Martha will try to sneak onto the ship. When it was just me taking the risk, I was ready. Now, I’m fretting.
Although only four women are selected—which I learn is the maximum they take on any trip—the ship is busy with activity before we depart. It’s a transport ship for goods and food for Earth. They’re even bringing back more horses, taken from another area on Earth. There’s also a tense exchange as some men from Earth are being returned from the other planet.
When I finally step onto the spaceship, I almost can’t believe how basic it is. It’s a utilitarian space.
I’ve never left Earth. You have to be very wealthy to travel off Earth, and I amdefinitelynot that.
I feel an unfamiliar sensation inside me, a sense of awareness chasing over the surface of my skin, an almost visceral feeling followed by a tug, right in the center of my chest. I glance around.
