***Author's note***

If you're reading this, thank you so much for taking the time to look at the new chapter of Miles & Breaker! I genuinely appreciate your interest in my story. I've had this entire world trapped inside of my head for years, and I'm so excited to share it with you.

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I glanced at my reflection, straightening my dress and adjusting the strap of the duffel bag on my shoulder. After ensuring the presentability of my appearance, I reached for the exit panel. A deep, steadying inhale filled my lungs, but it did little to calm my anxiety about what lay beyond the tranquility of my dormitory.

Opening the door, I peeked out of the threshold, looking both ways. I was greeted with an odd sight: an empty hallway. As I'd just completed another year of school, I found the lack of harassment surprising.

Emboldened by the lack of people outside, I quietly stepped into the corridor. Voices, still far off, echoed from my left. I turned right and began my trek.

Each hallway I encountered was strangely silent. I relaxed, realizing that I may actually arrive at the fitness complex without incident.

"And we are broadcasting live from Station Alpha. We are presently conversing with the enchanting Miss Jada Breaker. Miss Breaker, could you bestow upon us just a few moments of your inestimably precious time?"

I suppressed a frustrated scream, knowing I had little choice in the matter.

Turning to face the cheery woman's camera, I put on my famous smile. "Undoubtedly, Maurice," I replied as cordially as I could manage.

The least they could have done was send Sal instead.

"Many thanks, Miss Breaker. If I may: would you agree that, for several weeks preceding today, you've undergone a momentous deal of disquietude?"

I chuckled, translating my thoughts into media-speak before replying. "Tensity, perhaps, but nothing as inexorably dramatic as disquietude. And, shall I add, the tensity proved to be advantageous, as it facilitated my endeavor to cogitate the fundamental data demanded by my penultimate annual assessment."

"And, if I may again be so bold, have you any conjectures relating to the outcome of that assessment?"

"At the risk of giving an audacious impression, I can confidently assert that my performance on the assessment was well beyond satisfactory."

But not for everyone, I added silently.

“Indubitably,” Maurice agreed, chortling, a forced smile exposing her too-white teeth. “Finally, Miss Breaker, the episode that has captivated the public: may I inquire about your sentiments relating to the singular decision we all raptly observed yesterday?”

I sighed mentally. This was the question I had been dreading. The competitive environment on the stations highly discouraged any kind of friendship among students, so you can just imagine how poorly they viewed romantic relationships. Any proud station member would have echoed the general sentiment of Dana being immature, blinded, and above all, unintelligent.

But, I was Student Ambassador. I had the right and the responsibility to speak truth. So, I smiled brightly, looking directly at the camera, addressing not only Maurice but the thousands of viewers I knew were watching me intently.

“I believe it was courageous.”

Maurice’s smile dimmed almost imperceptibly, and her face tightened with what appeared to be surprise, or discomfort. With my history, what answer had she expected? Still, understanding my status as a major component of the media, I knew she realized the impact of my words. All of my admirers would rethink Dana’s actions, wondering whether she really had merited the condemnation she received. Even more, the viewers were hearing this expression from someone who had seen the injustices of the deportation system firsthand, from someone that, they knew, felt personally victimized by it.

A valid question to address at this point is who my alleged “admirers” were and why they admired me in the first place. My admirers spanned all ages, all location, and all walks of life: on Earth, and on every station. Children looked to me as a role model; the elderly saw me as a personification of the goodness and progress of our society. I was hailed as an heir, if you will, to the legacy of the stations. After all, the founder of the stations was my great-grandmother.

You can imagine the media attention a relative of Asia Breaker, the inventor of our modern world, would receive. My life had been publicized since birth, tracing my roots from the start on Theta, then my journey through first grade on Alpha, and everything before and after. It was...exhausting.

But, in that brief moment, it was worth it, for both Maurice and I realized how important my small statement could become.

Maurice giggled artificially and turned to the camera. “Now there’s an interesting thought,” she said, as if speaking of a deluded child. Anger flared inside of me at her condescending tone. However, I knew that her attempts to frame my statement as trivial would do nothing to diminish its public impact.

“Humor me once more, Jada,” she said, facing me again. “What will occur, now that you are completely companionless and entering your twelfth-grade class?”

Finally, an answer I didn’t have to think about. “I honestly can’t predict that. I suppose I’ll just have to be patient and observe what happens, just the same as you.”

“Well, this adjourns our interview with the lovely Miss Breaker!” I smiled one last time into the camera before Maurice and her crew bustled off down the hallway to harass another poor, unsuspecting innocent.

I expelled a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. Now that Maurice had finished her interview, she wouldn’t reasonably expect another one for at least the rest of the day, I hoped. I was free to resume my quest to reach the fitness complex. Clutching the strap of my duffel bag, I jogged towards my destination, wishing that both the newscasters and my peers would leave me in peace.

*

That evening, I was reclining in my bed when my dormitory control panel bleeped. “Interface,” I called.

“Yes, Miss Breaker?” responded the eloquent electronic voice.

As a note of explanation, every station dormitory (well, every room, for that matter) came equipped with an individual voice interface system. It communicated with various computers throughout the stations network and responded to virtually any verbal command, statement, or inquiry. It was invaluable as a caretaker for younger children and answering their countless questions, so by the time we matured, most on the stations had learned to rely on it.

“Would you verbalize the control panel alert?”

“I would, Miss Breaker. Message is as follows: Dear Ms. Breaker, we are pleased to inform you that arrangements have been made for a transfer student to join your twelfth-grade class on Station Alpha. Student will be arriving tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM in hangar twenty-seven, shuttle bay eight. We sincerely hope that you will be able to join us in welcoming our new student to Station Alpha. Best wishes, Transfer Student Accommodations Committee of Station Alpha."

While I had physically heard the full message, my mind hadn’t focused on any content past “transfer student”. How had a seventeen-year-old managed to raise their percentile enough to merit a transfer to Class 1 of Alpha?

I supposed I would ask the following day.