The Writer's Contest Club discussion

Please vote on the poll for our next short story contest. Instead of suggesting on the topic this time, however, I allowed write-ins on the poll so you can add your own votes and this way will be more efficient. The last contest didn't have many entries, hopefully we'll get more this time! The genre is Science Fiction and we're picking an object to focus on for this contest. The poll will end on the coming Sunday, which is six days from today or the 20th of June. In the future, we'll try to finish the polls by the following Monday of the end of the last contest, but for now, this will do.
Have fun!
https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/2...

This is the last day to vote on the poll! Please do so if you haven't!
Tomorrow morning you can all start writing your Science Fiction stories according to the results.

Write a Science Fiction with a ball! That's your prompt and stories are due Friday night, (26th)!
Have fun!

THIS IS THE LAST DAY TO ENTER YOUR STORIES!

Trapped
By N. J. Jewkes (Sushie)
I'm fine with this getting on our group's blog.

Mari stared back.
Her lids pried open, refusing to blink, look away, close for even a second or less. Stars above her and below her. In front and behind her. From all around they watched her every move, analyzed her every thought, learned every desire. All Mari needed was a weakness. One mistake and she could be free.
Mari propelled herself upward in the anti-gravity space, touching her thumb and forefinger to the camouflaged surface and dragging them apart.
Wrong Galaxy... Again. Mari sighed. She spun around and propelled herself back to where she was earlier. She swept a finger across another surface and a small search bar popped into view, covering the many stars with a keypad.

CALVENT GALAXY

The area around her zoomed on a darkened patch in the stars. She came to a stop when she reached a cluster of mainly blue and white specks of stars, swirling beautifully together.

ARRIVED AT DESTINATION

Star dust hovered around her, but never touched her skin as Mari lead the space around her forward with a few taps on the "screen". She maneuvered through clusters and astroids and comets. Around stars and ice and formations. In the great span of the universe, only one planet. A green planet thriving with life. A planet that sat seemingly motionless in space. Rotating, but with no apparent movement. Mari's hand laid frozen halfway to landing her ball.
She was so close. Tears fought their way out as she thought, So close. So easy. Why do they not try to stop me? Why do they let me go so easy?
Mari's hand retreated.
Why?
She pressed a hand against the camoflaged surface, avoiding any buttons or the sort.
Ena...
Why?
She horrified screams of her sister as Mari was taken away. The weak promise of a boy to keep sweet Ena safe. Wet cheeks and cold fingers. A throbbing head and guttural screams.
Silence.
So much darkness that Mari wanted to watch closely for the rest of her days. Grab the sorrow and weave it into a blanket. One she could sleep in, crawl in, never leave behind.
But then a star woke her up, blinking down at her. Another shone down. Two more. Three.
Mari struggled at the memory, and stared at Floresca.
Ena...
Her brain was pounding at the stress of the decision. Sleep clouded her eyes and a longingness in her thoughts. She blinked once. Twice. Her body went limp, floating across the stars and her lids closing softly.
Mari opened her eyes and saw--from every possible angle--her own, limp body floating in the miniature, anti-gravity ball with starry patterns lining the walls. A search bar was opened on the side and the planet, Floresca sat seemingly motionless in space. Rotating with no apparent movement.
Mari heard voices from around her.
"She closed her eyes." They said, "She will know soon enough." We knew it would happen." " Could she learn about the exit?" "Amplify the camofloge." "Take her away from Floresca." "She can't know it's real."
Then she felt control of her own body again. She was seeing things from normal angles, just as she saw the empty stars around her. A darkened patch in the stars where she now knew Valvent Galaxy lay. She was back where she'd started.
Had it been a dream? Or was that what they wanted her to think? Or did they want her to think that they wanted her to think it was a dream?
This was getting too complicated.
And there was a much easier way to find out.
"Hello?" She called into the empty space. Her voice echoed back at her.
Why would it echo in space?
"Hello!" She called again, louder this time.
No answer.
Did she expect one.
"I know you're up there out there." She screamed, kicking a wall. "I know you see me! I know you watch me! I know you are afraid of me." This got a reaction.
"You misread us." The voice came from every direction at once. "We do not fear you. These stars keep you in check. You serve us."
"Don't lie to me. I heard you talking. I know about the exit." Mari hoped the partial bluff payed off.
"We said nothing of where to find it." But Mari could sense a tinge of uncertainty in his voice.
"You never had to."
This time there was no reply. "Where have you gone? Are you too afraid?"
"I can assure you, my silence has no relation to fear."
"Show yourself!" Mari screamed, launching herself at a wall, her patience dwindling.
She stopped, staring at the darkened patch in the stars. "Why take me away from Floresca? You told some others that it was because you didn't want me to remember. But maybe you knew I was listening. Maybe..."
Mari typed.

CALVENT GALAXY

She smiled.