“Three minutes,â€? a voice said through a microphone.

In merely three minutes, this ship would be rocketing off into space. The most unfamiliar place for me to be.

You would think that three minutes would go by painfully slow, feeling more like a day than just 180 seconds. Things you dread usually feel longer, but this wasn’t the case. The three minutes went by quickly, feeling like no time at all.

It didn’t feel like we were moving at first, but, gradually, as the rocket picked up speed, I was pushed further back into the cushions of the seat.

Then, almost simultaneously, everything was still.

Weightless.

I held on to the chair, terrified of letting go. If I moved, there was no way of knowing where I was. There were some shouts of surprise as everyone around me drifted across the room. I gripped the seat even tighter.

I couldn’t hear anyone moving; I had nothing to judge where they were by.

Someone put their hand on my shoulder. “Regan?â€? I recognized this as Theo’s voice. “Are you okay?â€?