The Girl They Sold to the Moon Read Online Free Page A

saw Dorothy Prospect enter the dressing room, she thought her heart would leap out of her chest. Their eyes met with a mental
Eureka
. Tilly slipped through the crowd to get next to her.
    â€œI’m totally doped I got the Moon assignment,” said Dorothy, trying to get her legs into the suit. “I had to look at my slip three times just to make sure. I’m scullery, kitchen detail, Block 41. If it’s bad, at least I’ll have a friend close by.”
    Tilly helped Dorothy into her suit. “I’m Block 41 too. And yeah, at least we’ll go through it together. I never asked you how long you were in for. I’m in for six months.”
    â€œLucky you,” Dorothy puffed. “I just turned seventeen. I’m in for four years—special circumstances.”
    Tilly stiffened.
Four years
. That seemed like a death sentence. “How in the name of--” her words were cut short when a bull separated the two with his sting wand. “Get moving,” he growled. “You don’t want to be late for launch and held over. Follow the yellow line out to the tarmac. Take your Dramamine-3 aboard the mag-bus, if you’re prone to motion sickness.”
    Late for launch.
Then it was really happening. Destination: a quarter of a million miles from home, leaving a little place behind called pier J, Long Island, container 121. Where she was headed, she wouldn’t be running up and down a muddy shoreline collecting hermit crabs, barking back at the seals or watching seagulls scribble lines in the sky. No more breaths of sweet, salt air in the morning. It was never much of a home, but at least a home where she could escape outside and come and go as she pleased. Now home would be a pressurized Habitrail city filled with dirty Prairie Dogs.
    Tilly watched the maglift bus stop just short of the launch pad. Four moon shuttles sat in supine positions, looking like delta wing darts encased in bronze sconces. Vaporous gases escaped from the rear engine vents, billowing into a light mist.
    The bulls ushered the twenty girls off the bus. One called out, “Form a line; call out your names and code numbers, starting with the first in line.”
    It took a while to get through the identification process. A few of girls choked up and gave the wrong code numbers. A few others stood mute, mesmerized by the rocket gantry and steaming exhaust.
    They surrendered their boarding slips. A flight coordinator led the way underneath the launch gantry. They arrived at an elevator lift that led to their personal moon shuttle: Aphrodite 009.
    Whisked up to the gantry platform, they entered the shuttle passenger cabin and took seats in accelerator couches. Tilly took a window seat, staring at the decor inside--plush by anyone’s standards. The bulkheads gleamed with bright paint, lines and patterns of gold, orange and white. The single aisle carpet gawked blood red. Dorothy sat next to Tilly, activating the monitor in the back of the seat in front of her. They watched a three-minute orientation, explaining emergency procedures, flight rules, and a quick description of the ship’s emergency exits.
    Dorothy removed a sack from the seat pouch and wedged it between her legs, and then glanced at Tilly. “I always need a gak bag for stuff like this. I’m just letting you know ahead of time.”
    â€œSpew away, girl. I’ve been on enough boats in my life to break me in. I don’t get motion sickness.”
    Till pulled a tourist flight packet from a side pouch and began to read a random subject topic:
Tranquility Harbor—Your Home Away from Home
.
    Greetings, traveler! We hope you will enjoy your stay at our Tranquility Harbor Facility, your premiere vacation destination. Our pressure domes are guaranteed to keep you safe and sound while you browse our many shops, restaurants and entertainment spots. Don’t worry about one-sixth gravity. Our complex foundation is electromagnetically