Ready for the first Chapter of Project T?

I’m very excited to introduce you all to the world and to Willow. This chapter has not been edited yet so things are subject to change. Still, I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 1: Fairy Tale

They called it the spaceship of hope. Built at just the right time to save everyone from the dying Earth to the new colony on Mars. Lights floated around it to showcase its massive and sleek design. Painted a brilliant white and a deep purple with hints of silver, the ship looked like it would take someone on a trip to world of their dreams. Lights were lit up inside as if they were little stars. Every part of it was majestic and screamed for anyone staring to wonder at the amazing things that it would do. 

Willow stared at the ship from her view behind the platform doors of the space station. Her heart fluttered with hope of a beautiful future and yet despair followed right behind. She didn't know if the ship would make all of her dreams come true or bring the everlasting despair that seemed to plague the world. But she supposed it didn't matter, either. She was getting on the spaceship regardless.

They had cleared out the space station hours ago so that there was only the occasional android walking through the steel roads to clean something or doing a security stroll. The stores and restaurants that were bustling last night with the energy of people's excitement were empty this morning. They were still lit up for the cameras that would capture her and her fiance walking to the spaceship, but there was still the notable lack of life.

David stood next to her, eyes clouded over in a gray haze as he looked through whatever screen his edram was showing him. The small circular device on his temples blinked white every few seconds when he made a decision. She had turned her edram off so that she wouldn't get all of the notifications from her followers wishing her the best in her marriage. She appreciated the well wishes but her stomach turned sour with each one that said they aspired to have a love story like hers. A life like hers. If only they knew. 

Willow shook her head to clear out the negativity that had a habit of trying to sneak into her mind at the most inopportune times. David was a catch by all of society’s standards. Part of an affluent family, handsome and charming when he wanted to be. Any girl would have been happy to be marrying him. And Willow was happy. She had no reason not to be.

The camera robot positioned itself in front of them, the whirring of the bots’ movement being the only other sound in the room besides the hum of the space station. Outside of the dome, more of the robotic cameras positioned themselves to be ready to film their entrance. Soon the countdown until they were live would start. She tapped David who did a few more clicks of whatever he was doing before the Edram's light stopped lighting up. 

"Sorry about that. Some last minute work things for my dad. He isn't sure how the connection will be as we go make our way to Mars," David said, placing an easy smile on his pink lips. 

"I heard that they placed communication towers throughout the entire route. I think we should be fine."

His smile wavered a little before he shrugged, looking away. "That's what they say. This is a new spaceship so who knows how well anything actually works. Especially with the secret son running the place. Whose dumb idea was it to have the wedding on a spaceship again?"

"Your mother and the publicist."

"My mother and her brilliant ideas."

They did their little preparatory dance whenever they were getting ready together. David adjusting her jewelry to fall just right while she adjusted his tie or whatever else needed to be fixed. They both knew the routine well enough that they didn't have to have a team of robots around them to fix everything. Besides, they had already been plucked and primped to look like the most gorgeous interracial couple on the planet. These were just the little things.

The camera robot's screen flashed warning before the countdown from 60 seconds started. Her heart thudded in her chest. This was a performance they always did. It wouldn't be different from all of the other times, but she couldn't stop the feelings that rose up. Misery would meet her on the other side of those doors. She feared that she wouldn't be able to breathe or would loose her steps. If she was anything less than perfect, then she'd hear it from her father and that was more terrifying than facing the general public.

David took her hand when the screen was down to fifteen seconds and kissed it lightly. His hazel eyes searched her dark brown ones for a moment before he spoke. "You are going to be great, Miss Moore."

In those simple words, she felt herself succumbing to the spell his eyes cast on her. Those gentle orbs that always seemed to bring peace to her entire soul. The misery and fear that she felt dissipated at once and she felt that she could do anything. With a slight nod to confirm, Willow felt ready to perform.

They continued to stare at each other, David's eyes going softer as he still held her hands in his. She smiled in the shy manner that spoke to the good girl persona the world knew of her. It was show time. 

The doors swooshed open as the camera went live. Instead of one robot, there were multiple flying around their head and outside of the clear tunnel they walked through. The tunnel itself was short in terms of the length but it was still far enough away that Willow felt uneasy. Just below their feet was the same clear glass surrounding them and it almost made her feel as if she'd fall with one wrong move. But she had to be perfect so she kept the smile on her face and waved to the cameras. 

After all of these years, they knew how to look in love. A quick look here, a brush of makeup for glowing skin there. Even when she looked at their pictures, it was hard to spot the cracks in their relationship. But when she had never seen true love, she wasn’t sure that she would know what it looked like anyway.

At the end of the platform a woman stood with a gracious smile on her lips and tablet in her hands. She was almost the same dark brown complexion as Willow but rather than wearing an afro, this woman had long braids swinging down her back. She wore a plain white, fitted dress. that stopped just above her ankles with a silver pin with the Nalserexis logo pinned to her left breastbone. She could have been the same age as Willow but she didn't know. 

“On behalf of Parker Space Enterprises, welcome to the Nalserexis," she said when they stopped in front of her. She looked at them when she spoke but she shifted her body to be more in line with the cameras behind them. "We are pleased for you to join us. My name is Jasmine and I am the executive coordinator for Parker Space Enterprises. Please follow me onboard.”

Jasmine walked in front of the cameras following them but kept her pace slow as she talked about the details of the ship. They continued down another tunnel, this one the dull gray of metal with the occasional window. She stopped at one, surprised to find herself looking at Earth. It was duller than she expected but she supposed that the photos she saw growing up wouldn’t reflect the Earth that they currently lived on with all of the climate changes that happened in the last few decades. David urged her on. 

Each step she took that brought her deeper into the maze of the ship brought back the dread surrounding her. She’d be on the ship until she said I do and went to Mars to start her knew life as a married woman. It felt like she was willingly walking into a cage like a prized animal. It was scary and made her feel queasy at the thought. The cameras were still trained on her face, as if daring her to break out of character as the happiest woman alive. Still, her palms were sweating from the nerves or David's body heat. Nothing could be edited in a livestream so she gently pulled her hand away to focus her energy on walking and smiling for the billions of people watching them experience the world's first spaceship cruise. 

A crowd of people met them at the main entrance of the ship when they boarded. As they got closer, it was their wedding guests, or really the guests of whoever David's parents thought were worthy of an invitation. Everyone stood in their jewel toned attire, most in deep reds or blue. It was notably pale, Willow sticking out even more than she usually felt in this environment. The crowd smiled at them cheering and clapping as David guided them through the space. It would be just a few more steps before they would hit their mark, where the lights were already in position for their welcome speech. 

"Everyone is so gracious to welcome us onto the Nalserexis. It is beautiful and our welcoming host has graced us with a few inside details," David said when they stopped. "I cannot be even begin to express how happy we are to have you all here to share in the celebration of love. Willow is and always will be the light I follow in my waves of darkness. You all know how I can be." There was a few hints of laughter but David ignored all of them, turning to Willow. "With her by my side, there will never be darkness in my life. Never be a day I go without warmth. I love you and I cannot wait to marry you."

Willow found herself falling under his spell again, her heart lurching in her chest as if trying to jump out and give it to David. He leaned in to kiss her, the movements slow as if time had decided to pause for them right then to let her decide to back out now. Despite everything else, kissing David was never something that she hated. She readily met his lips. He was always gentle and passionate, making her feel desired. Wanted. It was a feeling she never wanted to let go of so she would he be happy kissing him all the time.

When they broke apart they stared at each other in the midst of the deafening applause and the cameras zooming in to their faces. Her line was coming up but she didn't want the moment to end. Finally, when it had almost felt like too much time had passed, she whispered, "I love you, too."

David pressed another quick kiss to her lips before breaking away and facing the cameras again. He continued with the rest of his rehearsed speech but Willow didn't listen. Her part was done for now and she could just sit with the ranging emotions inside of her with a smile on her face. She was in a daze, present enough that she knew when to laugh but lost in the desire and sadness that battled in her heart.

David's speech was over too soon. An android with the Nalserexis logo printed on it's chest guided them away. She waved to a few people as she walked by but as soon as they were through the doors and they shut behind her, she dropped her smile. 

It was quiet now, only the sound of their footsteps and the android's mechanisms working as they moved. The halls were not as comforting as she would have thought. The walls were a stark white with a continuous line of light traced into the floor and ceiling. The silence and the light made her all too aware of the chill coming from David. He had taken her hand again at some point and his grip was tight. His lips were pressed into a thin line avoiding even looking out the floor to ceiling windows. She squeezed his hand, causing him to look at her. A sneer was on his face that quickly softened when she smiled at him.

They went up an elevator to one of the top floors before they finally arrived to their room. The android opened it with a digital key before allowing them in first. The room was surprisingly like a little apartment. Where Willow had imagined just four metal walls with a basic bed, there was actually a little warmth to the room. It was lavish in the decorations with every piece accenting some part of the room, but not too much that it felt cluttered. The was still the plain white walls and lights etched into the walls but the green plants softened the room. 

"Are they real?" Willow asked. 

The android's eyes whirled as it processed her question. "If you are referring to the plants, yes. Some are from Earth, some are from Mars. If you are interested, we can give you briefing on each plant."

"No thank you," David said, walking past them. He was already loosening his tie to settle in.

"Of course sir. If you have any questions or concerns, please use your edram which already connects to our system once you are using our connections. Or you may use the digital keypad by the door and one of the ship's attendants will be with you."

The robot waited a few moments as if waiting for a response from them. When they gave none, the android dismissed itself, the door sliding open and shut quickly.

"I think that went well," David said. "What do you think?"

It didn't matter what she thought as they both knew. It mattered what they media was saying about it. Still, she appreciated the thought behind the question.

"You were perfect I'm sure our parents will say about you. Me, they will find something to critique. They always do."

David came behind her as she sat at the vanity. His eyes searched hers. "How do you think you did? That's all that matters."

"Fine."

"Fine?"

Willow shifted as his gaze on her intensified. There was still a kindness in them, but he didn't blink. The prickling on the back of her neck where he had started massaging grew more uncomfortable the longer she looked at him. But she couldn't move. Couldn't look away and could hardly breathe. It was like he was trapping her to the chair and in the silence, despite his smile, she grew a little uneasy. 

His face was blank but doubts crawled in. She quickly analyzed everything that she did, from the moment the cameras started rolling. Off the top of her head, she couldn't think of anything. But looking at him, the smile on his face but the eyes searching hers, saying that she was fine did not seem like the right answer. Her heart hammered in her chest and she froze. 

"Willow?" he asked again as he met her eyes through the mirror. 

"I could have done better."

"Really? I think you were perfect," he said, finally letting go of her shoulders. He walked away, taking off the rest of his clothes. "But if you think you could do better, I'm sure no one would complain to see your best. After all, my parents are paying for a perfect bride. Perfection is the only option."

She laughed along with him but she couldn't take her eyes off of him. The uneasiness lingered, making the cold room feel even colder. Maybe she really didn't do as well as she thought. She'd have to replay the video to see. But she appreciated that he said something so that she could prepare for whatever her father would say to her about it. A little fear blossomed in her heart as she searched David for any sign of dissatisfaction. If he was, she'd never hear the end of it from her father. 

"David?" she called right before he disappeared into the bathroom. When he peered back out at her, she smiled despite the raging emotions in her. "Thank you for being my friend. I think we could live a good life together. We work. People love us. I will do better. I will be perfection."

“I know you will," he said, smiling back before he disappeared behind the door.

Soon she heard water running and Willow was left alone in silence for the first time in so long that it almost unnerved her. Without David there to distract her, the deep, uncomfortable feelings rose up from the depths she pushed them in. The hurt, confusion, stress, grief; it all flooded in and a few tears dropped to her cheeks. But there was no room for that now. She had to be perfect for David. 

Willow tried to push them away with her little mantra. Her father was doing what what best for her. She was marrying the man of her dreams. David loved her. But as their months of their engagement grew longer and the window for any potential escape closed, the mantra had become useless. Even more so now that she shared a room with him and had to be perfect all the time. 

She needed to get away. Reset so that David wouldn't have doubts about the perfect bride promised to him. She stood, grabbing her Edram in case someone wanted to reach her. 

David came back out, water dripping from his curly hair. "Going somewhere?"

Willow quickly checked her reflection in the vanity to make sure nothing looked amiss before turning to him. "I'm actually going to see if I can find my father before I undo all of this. Do you need anything?"

He shook his head but didn't look at her. She was grateful. With her still needing to reset, she wasn't sure what her face would say. She looked okay enough to go in public but when David actually paid attention to her, he read her too well. And she didn't want to cause him to have anymore doubts than he already had because of her most recent performance.

She exited the room, the extra space immediately making her feel a little more settled to be out of the room. No one was in the hallway, which she appreciated. For a moment, she stood outside the door without moving. She did not want to find her father at all, but it seemed like an acceptable excuse to get out of the room. Still, being out here she felt more exposed. Her eyes caught the cameras at the other end of the hall, seeming to train its eyes on her. She took a deep breath, fixed her face to be more pleasant and moved.

She did not go the way that she came, instead opting to move further down the hall. All of the doors to the rooms looked the same, the only difference being the silver numbers on the outside of the doors. Her heels clicked on the floor, louder than she would have liked since there was nothing there to absorb the sounds. She came upon a door that didn't have a number and when she opened it, she found herself in a stairwell. It circled up and down. The lighting was dim, compared to the brightness in the hallway. She only pondered for a minute before she decided to go up. She wasn't sure how many steps she climbed before she reached the next level and came upon the next door. 

She almost stayed in the stairwell. She was already alone but then she heard another door open with voices. She paused to listen to them. They were talking about boxes. It was hard to tell which direction they were moving with the echoes but she didn't want to be here in case they were moving in her direction. Willow didn't want to deal with the ramifications of being found. Even if she looked okay, she was probably in a space she had no business being in. It would be a public relations nightmare being caught breaking the rules on day one of the journey.

Panic filled her and she rushed through the door. Darkness met her before lights slowly lit up when they sensed movement. The hallway wasn't like the others. It looked half finished. Everything was the same white but the doors weren't numbered and instead of a long window facing the doors, there was just a gray metal wall. It was strange, a little creepy and the hissing of the ship didn't help ease her fears. But she continued to walk as quietly as she could. She was too open. She needed to hide.

There were only three doors to choose from. The first two she tried were locked. She made it to the last one just as the door to stairwell opened and the voices became louder. She prayed for only a second before trying the door. It opened. She rushed inside, relief flooding her until she realized that they could be coming to this room. It was filled with boxes and they were talking about boxes. 

"No, no, no," she whispered to herself. She cursed herself for even trying to find a space alone. When would she ever learn there were no safe spaces for emotions in her life. Not when her mother died, not in her engagement, nowhere. 

That's when she noticed a little door behind a stack of the boxes. It seemed to be hidden on purpose and it was only because of the angle she was at, that she saw it. She maneuvered around the boxes quietly until she made it to the door. There was a marking on it. It looked like the Nalserexis logo but as if a kid drew it. She placed a hand on the door, too tired to hope that it would open. But when she pushed, the door opened with a soft click. 

The room that she entered was not like the closet she just escaped from. Instead, it reminded her more of their room except it was empty and a little smaller. White everywhere with a large window for one of the walls. What was stranger was the glowing wall on the opposite wall as the door. It glowed a dark purple but the white lights dispersed inside to make it a little lighter. That wall didn't even reach all the way to the top of the ceiling. She didn't know what the space was for but she quickly shut the door behind her and listened to see if the voices were there Nothing. It was quiet. 

Finally she could breathe. At least for the moment. 

Willow sat in front of the window, leaning against the glowing purple wall. It was warm against her back in a space that was so cold. She savored the moment. This would probably be the last the last time she had space to herself. Soon, the wedding festivities would begin and perfect, sociable Willow who was in love with David Esperanza would have to show up. The feelings she had been keeping at bay trying to hide rose up again and she sighed. In the safety of being alone, she just let them. Tears escaping her eyes from the prison of her eyes. 

The silence intensified as she stared at the stars. Willow was not sure when but at some point the ship started moving. She stared at the stars passing. On Earth she used to reach for the comfort of the night sky since it made it harder to see her and the cracks that made her imperfect. Now, as she sat on the floor of a spaceship traveling across the stars, she wished she never longed for the comfort of night. With the night sky surrounding her, she was stuck on a spaceship with people who didn’t really care for her or her happiness. 

Still, Willow allowed herself to dream. She imagined David truly loving her, meaning all of the kisses they sold the public. She imagined her father holding his grandchild and being happy that she was his daughter. The vision made her smile, made her feel warm from inside. They were simple things that could happen and maybe by the end of their journey, they would be on the path to making them come true. But Willow's smile faltered as reality settled in. That kind of ending only happened in fairy tales and she was not in one.