"Why didn't I listen," I asked myself when my ship's engine finally gave out.
It was brutal. The pressure from my descent felt like I was running against a wind tunnel. I wasn't given enough time to digest that feeling when the rumbling from the ship's engine literally knocked some sense into me. I knew I didn't have time to spare, so I rushed to my cabinet. I tried equipping my exo-suit to no avail, it wouldn't respond to my commands. Time didn't stop. I couldn't believe my luck, another engine gave out and my descent turned from a rapid decline into a universal game of rock, paper, and scissors.
A few minutes pass. The heat was radiating off the ship's surface by now, roasting my skin. I started screaming while blasting the activation button with my fists. I'm sweating from fear and I can't help but think this was all my fault. Is this how it ends? The more fearful I became the less the exo-suit responded to me. I try to remember what my dad always told me: "En la vida solo estĂĄ derrotado aquel que deja de soĂąar." I started taking deep breaths and tried one last time. It finally worked! I grab my parent's pendant and sprint out of the room.
I crashed into the wall as the ship slowly became a centrifuge. Blood started to drip from my arm, but I didn't care. I picked myself up and started bolting to the ejection pod. Through the door sprinting down the hall I catch glimpses of the planet. When I looked through the window in the cabinet I saw a blue marble of a planet covered by the fiery flames of my ship crashing. It was soon blotted out by white spots as my vision got darker. I stood my ground fighting the ongoing pain.
I bolted to my room and got the pendant from my mom. After, I ran through the halls of my ship one last time and felt tears escaping my eyes. It wasn't painful nostalgia. I didn't know what it was. I made it to the ejection pod just in time. I enter, I look behind my shoulder. My hand was hovering over the ejection button. I took one last look at my home for the past month and I pressed the button. There I was falling into unknown water.
The wind screamed into my ear as I fell. I think about the mistakes I made and ask if it could be different. Will my life end in a fiery crash into a flooded planet? I decided that I didn't know, but if I survived I was going to find out. I think about my family. I feel an intense pain go through my body as the only light I had faded to black.
I opened my eyes but quickly closed them as the sunlight blinded me. As I groggily tried to stand up I noticed what seemed to be a monster walking towards me. I threw my shoe at it hoping it would stop. Unsurprisingly, that didn't work and it kept on persisting towards me. I tried to fight back. I felt a shock of pain traveling throughout my body and climaxing at my neck. I couldn't stay awake for any longer, my eyes closed not knowing what was going to happen next.
"Squirw-squirwg"
I woke up to the sound of an alarm. I tried to turn it off and go back to sleep, burying myself further into the sheets. As the memories flood back into my mind, I remember what happened. I jumped out of the bed to see the door open. Thinking it would be the monster that caught me. However, to my surprise it was an octopus? It walked towards me, he was pink and red. He spoke in a thick British accent.
"What are you doing on this planet mate, don't you know that it's quarantined," the Octopus said in an agitating way.
I responded with, "Slow down there, I didn't even mean toâŚÂ¨
"Didn't mean to, what are you even doing on a ship by yourself are you trying to get killed, eh" it raged in a Canadian tone.
"I'm sorry?" I asked in a confused tone
The Octopus stormed out of rage and I was left by myself again, like I always am. Why was he angry? I used to help my parents on their "missions," you know, like helping collect some samples on some planets and getting to follow them around since they had no one to leave me with. I am not just some kid.
I rushed out to follow him. The Octopus man had a name-tag, it read Gerardo the third. I snickered.
"Why the third?" I asked.
Gerardo ignored my question and started to vocalize a sentence that was awkwardly forming in his throat. Calming down from his previous outburst, this time Gerardo's voice took form in another accent, a distinguishably Scottish accent.
"What are you doing here kid?" He said frankly.
"My ship crashed and I landed on this planet," I explained
I continued to explain my situation as we walked. We soon entered a room. What I saw in front of me was breathtaking. It looked like a huge aquarium that connected to the outside. I was stunned by the way the light shone from above, the sea animals swimming by. It was something I've never seen before. I was so used to the dark depths of space I didn't know what I was missing. I walk closer to the aquarium, stubbing my toe on the way. I looked around seeing random trash and doohickeys on the ground. I groaned in pain.
"Why the heck is this area filthy, it's worse than my room?"
"Well I didn't know I'd be having guests over." Gerardo announced mockingly.
"Watch where you step. I don't want you breaking one of my gadgets."
"Ok, but you need to clean up if you want to keep them safe. Otherwise it's no longer my fault." I threatened.
Under his breath he mumbles brat.
"What did you say"
"Nothing you bipedal manatee" He scoffs.
"Whatever, so what do we do now?"
"We? What do you mean we?" He responds
"Well you rescued me from my crashed ship, I have no way off this planet."
He face palms or face flippers?
"So unless you have another ship for me to ride, I'm stuck here with you."
"Fine, I'll help you get a ship but in turn you help me with my experiments." He smirks, at least I think he smirked.
"Sure what do you need?"
"I'll tell you later, brat" he says plopping away to a room labeled lab.
"Might as well make myself home," I mumbled.