Chapter 3

April 24^th 2043

I just talked to my parents for the last time today and I can't stop crying. We're still a week from jump but between the distance and the interference from the jump drive powering up, it, s useless to try to talk anymore. I can't help wish it were otherwise. I just know I'm not going to talk to them again.

I know we're supposed to be able to send messages through satellites and mail through cargo ships that, visit but it isn't the same and it'll take months to years to get a message back. Besides that the satellites won't even be deployed until after the colony is set up and the "Outlook" (That's the ship.), returns to Earth and the next cargo ship isn't scheduled to arrive for three years after that.

The communication's blackout isn't the only thing that's got us down. Some jerk decided that massage meant hand-job and when Lou refused and threw him out, he started spreading rumors about her. It got so bad the captain and the governor came down to talk to her. After a long talk, they didn't charge her but they did suggest she not practice for a while. She was still fuming after they left. She told us that while she had classes and attended workshops in various kinds of massages, she didn't practice them just to avoid this kind of problem. We did make her feel better when we told her we trusted her and asked her for a massage.

There have also been a few fights. None of us have been directly involved but Amy was nearly hit by a flying chair. A few times people have tried to pick fights with us. So far there haven't been any reports of attacks but I think if we weren't in groups, we would have been beaten up.

With all the problems we've all decided to stick close to our pods and to each other. Even with all the trouble, we've still managed to get more supplies.

May 1^st 2043

Jump Day. Even if it weren't for the nightmares, I'd be scared. I don't know how people can do this for a living. I've got such a headache! In fact, everything aches. It doesn't help any that my period is three days early. (I so hate cramps!) That hasn't happened since Mom got me on birth control so I would be regular, and for "just in case" All my hair is standing on end like I'm electrically charged. I'm too nervous and full of energy to sit but too tired to stand. My sense of touch and my nerves are all out of whack. I nearly had an orgasm when I stubbed my toe last night going to the shower and I nearly screamed in pain when I washed my breasts. My breasts are usually really sensitive at this time but my nipples never gave me pain like that before. At least not pain caused by me. It's like everything's backwards.

I'm not the only one experiencing weird things either. Amy and Sarah also have their periods early and Lou swears she's ovulating, even though that part of her cycle was last week. And poor Liz has the worst case of PMS ever! It's usually mild for her, (Lucky her) but this time, if she isn't biting our heads off, she's crying ABOUT biting our heads off. Not that we can blame her any. We all feel like crying too.

Even the guys are having problems but they wouldn't say what they were. I'm sure it's something really embarrassing. I'm not the only one to notice constant bulges in the pants or the way they've been walking bow-legged. It's okay. I didn't tell them about my toe or my nipples either. And the way we looked would have been funny if we weren't so worried about what was going on.

The captain just announced five minutes to jump. I've got to go to bed now and strap in. We've been told it's easier when you're in lying down.

I NEVER EVER, EVER want to go through that again! EVER! I want to go home but if it means going through that again, forget it!

Ugh! It was totally awful! I felt like I was being crushed out of existence, while at the same time stretched to infinity, as I imploded and exploded, was inflated and deflated, all while being turned inside out at the same time. I felt like I was in a gimbal spinning in all directions and while standing completely still. I was freezing and boiling all at once. I felt like my brains were being sucked out through the top of my head while knowledge was being poured back in. Sight and sound were being sucked out of my eyes and ears at the same time I was seeing and hearing both the positive and negative of everything. And then everything shifted so sounds were going in my eyes and sight in my ears. I don't even want to talk about taste. YUCK!

I could hear myself screaming and having a scream put in me. I don't even know if I was screaming from terror, delight, ecstasy, or agony or all of the above. What I do know is that when the jump was over I felt like I'd been wrung out like a wet sheet and hung out to dry, even though I was literally dripping wet. And that's the good part! I'm not going to mention the more personal things. However I will say that I will be forever thankful that I took the captain's advice and went to the bathroom before the jump. Cleaning up the mess was bad enough but it could have been so much worse. Not to mention experiencing it all in reverse ... UGH!!!! It was so totally gross!

About the only thing good about it is that I can say we're safely here. Oh Joy!

We had a quick conference video to be sure we were all okay, so I know I wasn't the only one who looked and felt like hell. We didn't stay on the com long. I think we all wanted a nice long hot shower. I'm so glad the sonic emitters have adjustable temperatures. I may look like a lobster but I feel clean.

We're a month away from Columbus. It looks pretty but I'm too exhausted to take a close look right now. All I want to do is to get into my nice clean bed and sleep.

May 5^th 2043

We're still suffering from the jump, some of us anyway. Liz is back to her chipper old self. My period is thankfully over but my skin is still really super sensitive. It's getting better but I still gasped and nearly jumped out of my skin when Brian's thigh brushed mine as he sat down next to me in the cafeteria.

He apologized and said, "Still sensitive huh?"

I blushed bright red. Our first meal after jump he'd brushed just the same way and I soaked my panties. I was so mortified having orgasmed in front of everyone that I ran out crying and didn't come out of my pod for two days.

That wasn't the only time it happened either and it didn't just happen to me. Charlie walked me back to my pod last night after picking up some things from supply. We took the lift so we wouldn't have to carry everything down the stairs. Trying to go down any stairs with your arms full is bad enough but spiral staircases are even worse. Anyway we'd dropped the things off at Charlie's pod, (he's three pods up from me) and then continued down to mine. The thing is, I normally do take the stairs though for the exercise so I was caught off guard by the tilt caused by the ship's rotation. I ended up falling forward right onto him so we wound up pressed against the side of the lift.

Charlie let out a moan, and worried I hurt him, I started apologizing, when I saw he had his head back, eyes closed, and his mouth open. That's when I felt his hips jerking against mine. I felt my face get so hot as I jumped back mumbling, "I'm sorry."

I glanced down and felt my face burning with embarrassment when I saw the stain on the front of his pants. I quickly looked away as he covered himself.

"Oh-oh G-G-God M-M-My I'm. I'm s-s-sorry!"

He sounded so miserable I actually felt sorry for him. I told him that it was okay and that it was my fault for not paying attention in the lift. I still couldn't look him in the eyes though. I was too embarrassed.

"It it's not your- your f-fault M-My. It's th-the fects of, of the jump d-drive."

I thought it was nice of him not to blame me. Still, I should have paid attention and said so. "Thanks, but I should have been paying more attention. If I had, I wouldn't have fallen against you."

"I-I didn't mind that." He replied and then blushed bright red.

I did too. It would have been embarrassing anyway without "that" happening but I didn't think Charlie liked me like that. Still it was a nice little ego boost, even if I did have the jump drive to thank for it. I mean, plain old me making a guy cum in his pants. Who'd a thunk it?

"Um ... this is my stop. I'd better get off," I blushed all the way to my toes when I realized what I'd said. I quickly amended it saying, "I-I-I mean go in now!"

Charlie nodded and I said, "Goodnight." And scurried inside.

I haven't seen Charlie today and I'm hoping we can get past all of this. Of course, I haven't been awake much of today. I was told off at work for sleeping on the job. Brian though thought it was funny and told everyone about me sleeping while trying to water an orange tree with an empty pitcher. They laughed about it. They thought it was funny when I fell asleep leaning during lunch too. Amy drew a watch on my wrist with a permanent marker. I still haven't gotten it off yet. At least I didn't wind up face first in my soup.