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My eyes popped open and took in the face of the dark, handsome stranger. His deep brown eyes reminded me of the woods above land. Thick hair framed his face and carefully trimmed beard.

“Travis Gould.” He held out a large hand to shake.

It was warm, but calloused, and he didn’t hold back on the strength of the welcome.

“Samantha Meadows,” I said. “What department are you in?”

He scoffed. “None. I refused the work study. My parents, unfortunately, did not. My dad is head of Interior Design, and my mom is the main vital-systems engineer.”

I nodded. Bennet Systems notoriously hired females for lead science roles. With the exclusion of my father of course, since he and my mother met Mrs. Bennet back in college. He’d been a fixture since the start, which meant the rest of us were as well.

“Why’d you refuse the work study?” I asked, curiosity getting the better of me.

“I will never work for those assholes.”

I smiled despite myself. Maybe we had something in common.

“I don’t work for them either,” I said. “Dragged here with family, same as you.”

The shuttle lurched like it’d been hit by a torpedo, and I froze, clutching the armrests of the seat. My head pounded as my blood pressure skyrocketed.

“You okay?” Travis asked, his thick eyebrows furrowing into one as he stared at my white knuckles.

“What was that?” I breathed.

He grinned and pointed toward a giggling group of girls by the glass. They waved and made silly faces at a dolphin that hovered on the other side. The creature appeared to be smiling ear to ear. I was confused for another moment until one girl put her hand on the glass and the dolphin headbutted it, making the whole vessel seesaw.

“What if it breaks the AC glass? Or it knocks us off course?” I asked, staring at the horrible sight. The engineer in me knew it was a ridiculous fear, but the terrified woman in me disagreed.

Travis laughed, bringing my attention back to him. The rest of my blood rushed to my face and down between my legs when he set his hand on mine. I guess not getting laid in over a year had unfortunate effects on my body.

“It’s a dolphin, not an enemy submarine. I’m pretty sure even the assholes could’ve predicted that. In all seriousness though, are you sure you’re okay? If you’re afraid of the ocean, this is not going to be a pleasant trip.”

“Thanks, Captain Obvious. I’m good.” I stood up on shaky legs and strode as confidently as possible over to join my father and Jackson. Alyssa was off chatting with Candice, so it was as good a time as any to make a half-assed effort.

“Sammie.” Dad held out a hand for me and I took it, forcing a smile. I promised I’d try after all. “Enjoying the view?”

“Jackson sure is,” I said, noting my brother’s wandering eyes, which were locked onto his newest target, a young woman with the body of a super model, too much of which showed beneath her tangerine romper.

My six-foot-two brother bumped me with his hip, making me stagger.

“Are you eight or twenty-eight?” I asked, downing the remainder of my water and popping the rest in my mouth.

My father’s smile was worth it though. The way his eyes crinkled when it was genuine always warmed my heart. If only he’d reserved it for our family and not shared it, first with BS and then Alyssa.

“Stand over here, Little Dragon,” Dad said, repositioning me with a clear view of the glass. My heartrate sped up, but he held me tightly from behind, grasping my arms for security.

“Dad, I’m not twelve anymore,” I said, making light of his pet name, given because of the way my nostrils flared when I was super angry, like I was about to spit fire.

“You’ll always be my baby. Now if you look a bit down and to the left, you’ll be able to get a first glimpse. It should come into view any minute, and this is the prime spot. That’s why I’ve been staking it out.”

I bit my lip so as not to make a snarky comment. I promised Mom I’d try. I should at least do so for the first day, I supposed.

Within the next thirty seconds or so, a glowing light appeared in the dark waters. As we swooped toward it, the shining bubble seemed to rise from the depths of the Atlantic, revealing a ten-mile-wide snow globe of something out of a 50’s futuristic B movie. Emerald green pastures dotted with bright red and yellow blooms punctuated the circular space. In the center of the maze-like perimeter stood a speckled white statue of some sort. Around it, gleaming silver buildings of rounded glass and metal shone beneath what appeared to be…sunlight.

“How?” I asked, unable to take my eyes off the scene. The cheesy brochure I threw in the recycling can upon receipt didn’t do it justice.

“They’re called nanosuns,” Dad said, reading my thoughts. “I developed them myself. They even dim and wane into a moonlight effect at night that follows the actual cycle of the moon.”