“So, who do you think forged the letter?” Presley asked, keeping her voice low.

  Max didn’t look at her. The sun was blinding his eyes, which were healing, but still purple and tight.

  “I dunno. I think it’s dangerous to talk about it here.”

  “You say it’s dangerous to talk everywhere.”

  “Well, it is.”

  Presley groaned and grabbed her probe, walking away from Max and further into the crater. Why couldn't she be more reasonable, Max wondered. Stone wasn’t playing around. His face had experienced that firsthand. Who planted the letter was unimportant.

  Someone obviously wanted them to believe Edward had left the letter. However, the expedition's sole purpose was to explore the dig site. No one was supposed to find out they’d gone missing. But things had gone wrong, and Alex had taken his place. Max knew telling the truth wasn't the best course of action. How could he admit to anyone he’d watched them roll under the Orb and disappear? When would they be back? They might never come back. They might be dead. No one left because of a boycott of the looming launch back to Earth. Everything about the letter was a lie.

  “So you’re not going to try to figure it out?” she asked.

  “General Stone probably wrote the letter.”

  Presley’s face lit up even though Max was unable to see it.

  “That’s what I think, too,” she said. “Sloan thinks the letter was real. She said anyone who tries keeping us here is dead to her.”

  “Whoa, maybe I should reconsider staying then.”

  “You want to stay?” Presley asked, shocked.

  “No, not really, but I like triggering Sloan. Plus, she won't kill me. I'm the only one who sits with her at lunch back home. ”

  Presley smiled and punched Max in the arm playfully.

  “Ouch.”

  “Oh God, I’m sorry,” Presley said, eyeing Max's arm as if it might be injured. "Did you ever date Sloan?"

  “No. I'm not a woman, remember. And Sloan is too scary to date, even if she did find me attractive.”

  “Well, Mia likes her.”

  "Does she?" Max asked.

  "Stop teasing me! You know about Sloan and Mia."

  “Never, it’s too much fun,” he said. "And yes, I know about Sloan and Mia, but I can't see it. Mia still wants Trevor."

  Presley eyed Max. "Why do you say that?"

  "I don't know. Guys pick up on when girls like a guy. And again, Sloan is scary. I could see her trying to control Mia."

  "I thought you liked Sloan."

  "I do. I know her pretty well. If she trusts you, there are no problems. She's just an intense person. A bit unhinged sometimes."

  But Max knew unhinged could be situational. He was waking up unhinged most days. Camden had been locked up in solitary confinement. Mary Jane was inconsolable because she believed Edward was gone forever, and Kai had just stopped talking. Sloan’s sniper story had completely undone the kid.

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  "You know who I'm worried about? Kai," Presley said.

  “Yeah, me too. But, Sloan probably made up seeing a sniper outside the ship the night we found the letter."

  “It's possible, but what if she didn’t?”

  “Maybe it was Stone.”

  “Everything can’t be General Stone, Max.”

  “Why not?”

  “I mean, I dunno, he’s not a God. He can’t be everywhere all the time.”

  “He could have written the letter ahead of time, planted it on the ship, and then waited outside to shoot anyone coming out of hiding.”

  “I guess, but how would he have explained that if he'd actually shot someone?”

  “Self Defense."

  “Well, Sloan would have been an eyewitness.”

  “Not if he shot her, too.”

  “Oh my God,” Presley said.

  “Maybe we shouldn’t go home.”

  “Yeah, there are definitely red flags around continuing to spend time with Stone.”

  “But we can't stay here forever!”

  “That is a problem.”

  “I mean, someone down on Earth could come save us. It would be a six-month delay.”

  “How would they know we're still here, Pres?”

  “When General Stone returns without us, it will be pretty clear someone needs to come back up.”

  “They'll say something crazy like we all got killed and there was nothing left to bring home.”

  “Lilly is smart enough to hack the system. All we need is a way to communicate and food. We have tons of food. Enough to last for two or more years.”

  “Yep.”

  “Then why would we go back, Max? Give me one good reason we should launch on time.”

  “Certainty.”

  “What do you mean, certainty?”

  “Well, if we shut up, do everything they say, then we get to go home. It will suck, but we get to go home.”

  “But we can go home later, like you said.”

  “I think there’s a chance we could go home later, but I’m not certain.”

  "Red Rock's not going to stop colonizing Mars. They'll send another crew."

  "Yes, but the next crew may take more than two years. Long enough for us to run out of food. No one would question it."

  Presley nodded, pushing her probe into the soil as if frustrated.

  “Shit, it’s insane to try to stay here, isn’t it?”

  “Kind of.”

  “That letter was fake. Ms. Lawrence would never gamble on not getting us back safely.”

  “Nope, she wouldn’t.”

  “Unless someone made her do it. Maybe someone is holding them against their will.”

  Max thought about Alex and the knife, and shame washed over him. He’d done nothing to protect Ms. Lawrence. Where the fuck were they? Commander Mitchell kept saying they’d be lucky to find their bodies at this point. But it didn’t feel like they were dead. It felt like they had gone somewhere else entirely.

  "What does Trevor think about going home?”

  “Trevor has enough on his plate.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He just found out his girlfriend has a girlfriend.”

  “Mia and Trevor breaking up is old news.”

  “Tell that to Trevor. The man walks around like a lost puppy dog.”

  Presley laughed. "You think Mia and Trevor will get back together, don't you?"

  “Yeah, I can see it,” Max said. “Why? Are you interested in Trevor, too?”

  Presley glanced at Max, annoyed. “Why do you do that?” she asked.

  “Well, I know you've friend-zoned Camden, Alex is a psycho, Edwards is missing, and Kai’s not really in the mood to date. You seem to have lots of questions about Trevor.”

  "But I’m in love with you, Max,” she said.

  Max felt the oxygen in his helmet drop rapidly, even though the sensors remained silent. Holy Jesus, what could he say to that? Of all the girls he’d ever known, he’d never met one like Presley. He knew her favorite color and what books she’d brought off the ship. He looked forward to the days they were assigned to probe the crater together. He loved how her hair smelled after dry shampoo and how her nose scrunched up when she got mad. Each night, he fell asleep to her beautiful face, dreaming of her lips and the rest of her body. Did he actually love her, too?

  “Oh,” Max said, smiling.

  “Oh? That's all you want to say to me?” Presley screeched, jumping on top of him.

  “I love you, too, Pres," Max said, grasping at his O2 tubing, which had suddenly come undone. "Jesus, you're gonna kill me out here, Presley.”

  “Looks like you two are disregarding orders,” said General Stone, standing over Max, who was now on the ground.

  Presley quickly reattached the tubing and stood, stepping away from Max, who seemed paralyzed in front of General Stone.

  “Aren't you two supposed to be collecting samples?”

  “Yes, sir,” said Max, knowing he’d never let the man take his anger out on Presley, even if it meant a second broken nose.

  “It was my fault. I distracted her.”

  “Well, it turns out the whole lot of you are useless. We found your missing friends. Clean up here and report to the rover in five.”

  “Wait, you found them?” asked Max. “Are they alive?”

  “For now, they’re alive. Follow my orders. You know all too well what happens when you don't.”