Chapter 68

"Oh fudge. I'm going to die." Even upset as she was, Penelope couldn't swear with real words, her upbringing, with a strong emphasis on manners, too strongly instilled. Her lack of strong vocabulary had made her an object of ridicule among her peers in the space program she'd signed up for, but she'd borne their jokes with gritted teeth and stayed true to herself.

Her breath came fast and hard as panic clawed at her. She dropped her face into her hands, too shocked to cry at the news NASA had just relayed. Sure, when she'd undertaken this quest, she'd understood there were risks and filled out the proper forms, including a will-not that she had much to give or anybody to give it to. I wonder what they'll do with my collection of glass cats. What a stupid thing to think of at a time like this. Who cared? She was about to die.

NASA's life-changing words played over and over in her head like some sick joke.