Snippet #911218

Her back still against the corner, Nuri watched the exchange between the two kids who seemed to be about her own age. She ducked her head and hid a smile as the boy stammered at the idea of rooming with a girl. He certainly didn't look Chinese, so Nuri placed him as an American. They were still conservative in some areas about such things.

Nick, the girl called the boy, though she still wasn't sure what the girl's name was. It was Nick's bags that she had seen in room ten. Now the girl was eagerly trying to get in there with him, not that Nuri really blamed her. Nick was pretty cute. So these would be the people in the room across the hall from her. It was good to note. They both seemed friendly and at ease talking to others, unlike Nuri, who preferred to hang back and observe. Her mother would give her a sound talking-to. Some diplomat she was turning out to be. Still, there was wisdom in gathering intelligence before jumping right into the fray.

She bit her lip and continued looking around. A few last-minute crew made it in just before the last call for lift-off. She wondered what had held them up so long. Perhaps they were close to their families. Nuri had posed for many pictures with her family and still gotten aboard with plenty of time. Perhaps they were just procrastinators. Nuri marked their faces, making a mental note to keep a close eye on them until she could be sure of their dependability. One wanted to know who you could count on, out in space. They would not come earthside for at least a year. Nuri hoped that she'd been placed with the best of the best.