Flying High

The group sat in silence as General Paris went into another room and came out with a whiteboard, standing behind it. Before flipping it, she would read all the names and positions.

"Lets begin with our Captain. The Captain of ISSAFE Crew number 25 is… Phoenix Nadia Everlot." Phoenix looked up, her expression shocked. She didn't say anything, instead she just sunk in her seat more.

"Co-Captain of ISSAFE Crew number 25 is Dominique Cartier Willston." Phoenix and Dominique looked at each other, smiling a bit, then looking back at the Major General.

"Our Pilot and Co-Pilot are Alexander Azure Norway and Silas Antoine Tremblay, in that order. Our logistics crew, which I find the most important, are Jenn Linda Schneider and Sapphire Lovelace Everlot."

Jenn's speculations were right. She guessed correctly for everyone, even herself. She smiled to herself softly, then looked at everyone. Major General Paris flipped the board to reveal the positions now handwritten, letting everyone sitting at the table see. They took a look, then looked at each other, smiling.

"Now, we'll finish the rest of the tour of the ship. You don't have to remember anything as of right now, but if you do it would be great."

The crew got up, following her around the ship, being shown the important parts, which were essentially on the first floor. At the end of the hall was a ladder, but it was off limits as of right now. As they finished they went back outside, seeing General Moon and Winterson waiting for them.

"Well, how do we feel, crew?" General Paris asked. Everyone nodded and then Phoenix looked at General Moon who was looking straight at her.

"I think we'll fit right in. It felt as if we belonged in that ship, and we truly do." Phoenix smiled at him and he smiled back, looking at General Winterson as she also smiled. They both turned their backs and headed towards the elevator, most likely going up to the room. The kids took the stairs on the right again like they had before, going up to the first floor to take the elevator. This would give it enough time to come back down, and it did. General Paris insisted that she take the stairs all the way up, saying she had to make a stop on another floor.

As they walked into the elevator, the group was silent. Phoenix stood in the back, her heart racing. The ride to the meeting room wasn't long, but it was for her. She looked down at her feet, watching as someone came to her. It was Silas.

"What's wrong?" he asked, looking at her. Phoenix smiled a bit and then replied, "I don't think I'm fit enough to be the Captain." As she said that, everyone turned around and looked at her, Jenn being the first to speak.

"Are you kidding? You're a great fit for Captain! You might not see it, but we surely do! Being honest, I'm just glad it isn't me." Everyone then agreed with Jenn, making Phoenix feel better. Then, the elevator dinged, everyone walking out. Silas stood beside Phoenix, then suddenly grabbed her hand. She turned towards him, and looked puzzled as the boy held her hand tightly.

"You were meant to be the Captain, I'm sure of it, and you'll do a great job." Phoenix smiled at the boy and then they continued walking to the meeting room, sitting at their desks. Inside, the Generals would meet them, waiting for them to be seated.

"Well, that was all we had in store for you guys today. From today on, you have 3 meetings left. Those meetings will be going over training, what to expect, what to do, and what not to do. We will explain each category, how long they last, and so forth. We hope you're all prepared, for the biggest moment will come." General Moon clicked the button on the desk, making the board on top go away as he said that. He then walked out, confirming the meeting was over. The other Generals followed him, leaving the 6 alone.

Alexander cleared his throat, then got up slowly, running out of the room. Phoenix looked behind her, then got up and ran after him. Silas followed her, then Dominique, then Jenn, then Sapphire. They took the stairs to the last floor, all standing in front of the ship.

"2 years flies by fast, guys. We'll be leaving this planet in no time," Dominique says. Everyone nods, looking at the tall ship that sits in front of them. They had a small celebration, screaming while standing in front of it. As they take a look at it for one more time, they get on the elevator going to the first floor.

"What are your plans for later?" Silas suddenly asked Alexander. Alexander shrugged, looking at the boy as he held open the door for everyone to walk through.

"Well, my dad isn't here so I'm going to the cafe on the corner to wait for him, then we'll eat dinner there."

"Oh sweet! My mom's also picking me up there, I'll walk with you." With that, the two boys walked to the cafe, seeing some of the others drive off. They saw Jenn getting in the car with the sisters, all of them sitting in the back seat. Dominique was walking on the side walk the opposite way, then sitting at a bench that was near a bus station. He was on his phone, not talking or doing anything.

Silas and Alexander decided to go to him and invite him with them, which he said yes to.

As the three were walking, they looked up at the sky as it was growing darker every second.

"Can you guys believe that we'll be up there soon?" Dominique suddenly asks. Silas and Alexander look at the taller boy, then look up at the sky again.

"It is a bit hard to believe, I'm not going to lie, but I have a good feeling about our crew," Silas replied. They all smiled, arriving at the cafe and sitting down. They sat down in a corner, basically secluded from everyone else in the cafe. Dominique and Silas ordered food, sharing some with Alexander.

"So, how do you guys feel about the positions?" Alexander asked. Dominique swallowed the tater tot he ate, then raised his hand.

"I feel like they're absolutely accurate. You and Silas as pilots is one hell of a good decision."

"I feel like you being co-captain is good as well, just because it gives a good dynamic. Plus, you and Phoenix seem like relative opposites, but not too opposite," Silas chimed in. They all nod in agreement, then Alexander eats one of Dominique's tater tots, as he offered him some.

"I feel like Phoenix deserves to be captain. Honestly, she's the smartest out of us. She's good at math and quantum mechanics? She's definitely fit to be captain," Silas said, biting into his sandwich.

"Dude, that seemed like an entire love confession based on the fact that she's smart," Alexander murmured, looking at Dominique who nodded in agreement. Silas rolled his eyes and smiled.

"It's way too early to even have a crush on someone in the crew. Plus, that just feels illegal now."

"She is pretty though! There's no denying that," Alexander replied. He ate another tater tot, then narrowed his eyebrows while swallowing. "Also, how do you feel about your own positions? We're talking about everyone else but ourselves."

"I'm glad to be co-captain. I'm happy as co-captain as well, because it's just great for me. Honestly, if I was anything else I'd probably be unhappy. Then again, being a pilot seems fun."

"It seems fun until you have to be the first person to go through the wormhole."

"I forgot all about that."

"Yeah, but that ship transparency feature General Winterson told us about seems cool, so maybe we should turn that on when going in."

"Oh that sounds great."

"Don't do that, the people in the middle beg you to not," Dominique exclaimed.

"But aren't there 3 people that sit in the front? I swear I saw three seats through the window!"

"Probably Phoenix? Since she's the captain?"

"That would make sense, or Dominique if she's too scared."

"Why would she be scared? She got on that ship first."

"Good point, Silas."

The boys continued talking, staying even when Alexander's dad arrived. They spoke with him as well, but not about anything related to ISSAFE. They introduced themselves and even arranged to hang out with each other. Dominique offered for his dad to meet Alexander's dad, and then Silas chimed in saying his mother could be included. They all ate dinner together, Silas's mother coming in and joining them.

"Hey, Dom, how are you getting home?" Alexander asked.

"My mother asked me to take the bus today. My dad's working a night shift and she had plans."

"We could take you home," Alexander's dad said. Dominique's eyes grew wide and then he smiled, nodding.

"I'd appreciate that, thank you."

Then, the 3 parted, shaking hands with the parents. Dominique got home safety, Silas's mother finally didn't complain about anything, and Alexander was content with how life was going.