PRODUCER
A little too loud to ignore?
CAMERON
Are you kidding? I could hear every word of Ember eviscerating Finn. Poor guy.
PRODUCER
Can you give us a reaction we can use? Maybe tell us that they woke you up and then show us how you would have reacted had you been in the mess.
CAMERON
I had morning shift, so Palm sent me down to sleep pretty early. But then I woke up around midnight to the sound of voices. I think they thought they were being quiet but… aye, no. They were not.
Cameron makes a face, lips drawn down in a yikes expression.
Producer laughs.
PRODUCER
Perfect. So, what do you think that was all about? Just high tensions after an imperfect dinner service?
Cameron smirks.
CAMERON
Oh, aye…
Cameron winks at camera.
CAMERON
I’m sure that’s all it was.
My father made me train for a marathon once.
I was not a runner, but Dad was, and he insisted running was a lesson in persistence and determination for everyone. It wasn’t something that was negotiable, when he told me I was going to run that marathon with him. It was an order. My father wasn’ta military man, buthisfather was — and that dominance was a trait my grandpa passed down, apparently.
I hated every second of training, every mile I ran and every ounce of pain my body went through in the process. But when the day came, I was surprised by the overwhelming emotion that surged through me when I hit the halfway point. I was elated. Then, I was sure I’d never finish. I pushed through the discomfort and the agony, and though I fell into a heap of bones once I crossed that finish line, I felt the most intense pride I’d ever experienced in my life.
I’d done it. I’d finished something when it felt impossible — even when my body wanted to quit, when my mind convinced me I couldn’t do it.
I remember my father standing over me with a hand to help me stand, and once I was upright, he’d squeezed my shoulder and said,“Remember this feeling. Bottle it up and take a sip when you need a reminder that you can do hard things, Ember. You can achieve anything. And nothing worth having is easy to get.”
I reached for that feeling now as I checked in with Bernard one last time before turning in for the night. He assured me he could handle cleaning up and encouraged me to go get some sleep. He’d have a little later report time in the morning whereas I’d need to get up early to help Leah serve breakfast.
The perfectionist side of me wanted to stay up and make sure Bernard did everything right. We’d already royally fucked up dinner service — I needed everything else to run smoothly. But I had to trust him. That was part of being a leader, and I knew it was the hardest part for me.
Delegating meant things wouldn’t get done the wayIwould do them, and that was never easy for me to accept.
Still, I was just tired enough to accept that I couldn’t do it all. I dragged myself down the stairs to the crew quarters, rubbingmy temples against the headache that had been throbbing for the last hour.
You can do hard things. This is nothing. The pain will pass. The fatigue is temporary.
I gave myself the best pep talk I could, but when I landed in the crew mess and found Finn waiting there for me, I sighed.
I knew he was waiting for me. There was no other reason for him to still be awake. The galley was clean, the dishes done, and he had to be up before I did to get breakfast going. But instead, he was leaned against one of the tables, arms folded, eyes on me.