Chapter Text
8 A.M. on the Resolute
Penny just got up, because she was woken by her older sister.
„We have to put new bandages on.“ Judy said in a soft tone.
She kneeled in front of Penny und out the old bandages off, throwing them into the trash. She washed her hands, sanitized Penny’s cuts again, and put the new bandages on. It took only took seven minutes, and now Penny was sitting there with new, clean bandages. „Thanks.“ She simply said, smiling.
„It’s looks like nothing is infected, that’s good.“ But please don’t do that ever again.
„Thank you. Like, for everything you do for me. I wouldn’t know what to do without you.“ Penny said.
„Of course.“ Her sister replied, laying on hand on Penny‘s arm.
There was silence for a moment. It somehow was uncomfortable silence.
Penny looked at the clock and remembered „I got a science class at 8:30, I shouldn’t be late.“ She stated, getting up from her bed and to her closet in order to pick out clothes to change into.
„I am gonna go to Will. I promised to listen to his geology presentation for his science class.“ Judy answered and went out of her sister’s room.
At 8:17, Penny was already sitting in the classroom, so she could talk a bit to Teresa before the class started.
Many kids weren’t in the classroom yet, and those who were there stood around and talked or sat in their chairs, tapping around on their high-tech communicators.
As always, Teresa sat down on her assigned seat next to Penny as soon as she entered the classroom and put her backpack down.
Today Teresa was wearing a black T-Shirt, a blue flannel shirt over it and black Jeans. She also wore her bright red shoes again.
„Guten Morgen.“ The German said. Penny knew that this meant ‘good morning‘, and even if she didn’t, she would have been able to guess what it meant by the context.
„Good morning.“
„Science itself is so interesting but Mister Narack‘s lessons are so god damn boring.“ Teresa complained while leaning back in her chair.
„Can’t agree with you more, even though my favourite lesson is english.“ Penny said.
Teresa looked at her. „So is mine.“
„Another thing we have in common, next to our hatred for cooked peppers.“ Teresa said smiling and Penny laughed.
The lesson started a bit later, and Mister Narack told them everything about some bioactive substance and how it is already used to heal paralysis of mice and how it could also heal paralysis of humans, and that was actually an interesting lesson, Teresa found.
Afterwards, they went to the cafeteria for lunch, sitting across from each other. The meal was weird looking vegetables and some sort of meat that neither of them could assign to.
Later on, they would meet in Teresa‘s Jupiter, Jupiter 56.
Penny was looking forward to that, and so was Teresa.
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3 P.M. on the Jupiter
Penny was asked inside the Jupiter by Teresa.
The German‘s parents weren’t here since they were working on the B-deck, and therefore they had the Jupiter all to themselves. Well, Teresa‘s younger brother, Jonas, was there, but he wouldn’t bother them since he spent most of the time in his room.
They went into Teresa’s room and Teresa closed the door. Penny looked around, and on the shelve she saw a lot of Rubik‘s cubes in different shapes and sizes, and she assumed that Teresa must be a cuber, which she was.
Also there were two empty wheat beer glasses on the shelve next to the cubes. She used them as decoration, even if she would also drink beer out of them.
„You drink beer?“ Penny asked disbelieving.
„I‘m german, and I‘m from Bavaria. That’s the state that most of the stereotypes about germany come from. Beer, sauerkraut and sausages and stuff. So what else would I do?“ Teresa smiled, and so did Penny. Okay, so she was drinking beer sometimes. So what? It’s not like she drinks gallons of liquor. … right?
„Well, in America it‘s illegal for our age. Just saying.“
„Yeah I know, but a: we aren’t in the USA, we’re in space, and b: There isn’t any beer on board either way, unfortunately.“ Teresa said.
Teresa sat on her bed and asked Penny to take a seat aswell, either on the bed, the chair or wherever else she wanted to. Penny sat down on the bed next to Teresa, and Penny looked round once more. There, on Teresa‘s desk, were a lot of CDs. At least fourty or so.A bit oldschool.
„What are those CDs?“ She asked the German.
„Oh, just my favourite songs, I burned them to CD myself, because I like listening to the radio while going to sleep or doing whatever. I also have the songs on my phone and my MP3 player. I listen to music almost all the time, you know.
„You listen to music while you go to sleep?“ Penny didn’t know how someone could possibly fall asleep while music was playing.
„Yeah, it’s not loud, I actually turn the volume very quiet. But I can’t sleep with silence.
„Alright. Could we listen to something?“ Penny asked.
„Sure.“
Teresa let Gus Backus - Der Mann im Mond from 1961 play. It was a german song, so Penny didn’t understand anything.
„What kind of a genre is that?“
„It‘s a german genre. It’s called Schlager.“
„Schlager? That sounds kinda weird.“
„Well, it basically means ‚hits‘. In germany, it‘s its own genre, though.
„Huh. What’s the song about?“
„It‘s a space related song. And was released in 1961, I think. By an American.“
„What‘s it about exactly?“ Penny was really interested, since she wasn’t understanding anything.
„It‘s about a guy that lives on the moon, like a real ‚moon man’ or whatever, and while he looks down to earth, seeing how people begin to develope the first space shuttles, he wonders how long he‘ll remain alone up there.“
„That sounds like a nice song. I wish I could understand it.“ Penny said.
„If you like, I could teach you some german.“ Teresa offered, smiling.
„I would like that.“ Penny smiled.
„That would be great. But right now, I just wanna dance.“
„Dance?“
„Yeah. Come on. I won’t laugh at you. If you don’t laugh at me, that is.“ Penny added, laughing.
Now, Teresa stood up from her bed, and walked over to Penny, who already started dancing to the song playing in the radio.
Now, both of them were dancing. They were dancing to a song that felt way too old to still be dancing to it at their age. But they did, because they were enjoying themselves - and each other’s company. Dancing around the room, it felt like everything in the whole universe stopped and only this room was still moving. Like they were drifting off the Resolute, to the man on the moon.
After the song ended for the fourth time, they sat down again.
Teresa showed Penny some of her other favourite songs, while Penny seemed to be contemplating. Was this really a love interest, or did she love Teresa platonically, as a friend? Sure, Penny found Teresa attractive, intelligent and funny, but that didn’t mean she was in love with her, did it?
She didn’t know.
Yet.