Inside the ship, it was warmer than Willow had dared to assume. The sudden warmth made her shiver briefly, and she realized how cool the climate on Bogano actually was. At that moment, she was grateful for her warm school robe and scarf.

Willow took a moment to quickly glance around for orientation. Slightly to the right from the entrance was a semicircular sofa with orange upholstery and a round table in front of it. Behind it, there seemed to be some kind of kitchen. To her left stood a round, table-like object in the middle of the room. She was getting annoyed with so many unfamiliar things. She suppressed the urge to roll her eyes.

"Do you like cleaning?" asked the small alien, Greez. The question was so unexpected that it confused Willow. While her thoughts raced to understand what he meant, she just stared blankly at him. It was her thinking face, a look that had often drawn negative attention in the past, but Willow couldn't help it.

The captain seemed a bit uncomfortable as she still didn't answer.
"Because, um... because you have the broom on your back," he muttered, pointing with one of his four hands at the broomstick peeking out from behind her.

It clicked for Willow. She had almost forgotten the broom. She couldn't blame him for the thought and understood the question. And inwardly, she was relieved that these people knew what a broom was.

"The broom isn't for cleaning," she replied, about to explain further, but then remembered that non-wizards weren't supposed to know about magic. At least, that was the rule on Earth. Did it apply to other planets too? Could the Ministry of Magic find out? Maybe she was far enough away. They had already seen her wand, though. Willow skillfully pushed aside the fact that they hadn't taken it seriously.
"I... I don't know if I'm allowed to talk about it," Willow admitted quietly.

"What? Why not? It's just a broom!" The little captain placed two of his four arms on his hips.

Willow almost laughed. "Just a broom could get me into quite a bit of trouble." She ran a hand through her hair. "But if you've never heard of Earth, we should be far enough away," she said more to herself than to the others present. The three exchanged a look that Willow couldn't interpret.

Explaining what she used the broom for felt a bit ridiculous. They won't believe me anyway. So just say it.
"I use the broom for flying."

The following silence was deafening. Cere and Greez looked at each other for a moment, then started grinning before bursting into giggles.
"Yeah, right!" the older woman wheezed, nudging her small friend repeatedly. If the situation weren't so serious, Willow might have joined in the laughter.

Only the boy didn't laugh. He watched Willow with crossed arms. What was his name again? Callum? No, that wasn't it. The name was shorter. Cal? Yes, that must be it.
The boy, Cal, looked at Willow with curiosity, mirrored by the robot on his shoulder.

"Flying?" he began. "What do you mean? How far can you travel with it?"

Willow was relieved that he asked. It made her feel a bit more taken seriously.
"Well, definitely not interplanetary distances. Not from planet to planet. More like from village to village. Or when paths are impassable."
Cal just nodded, and the giggling subsided.

"She's serious?" the little stout one whispered, eyes wide.

"I promise you, I mean every word. I... I don't know what happened that brought me here. I don't know if it's the result of a mistake on our part or if this is exactly where I'm supposed to be. Something must have gone wrong; I wasn't supposed to come alone, but the portal closed faster than it should have.
Now I'm here, alone, in this place, on a completely different planet that I've never heard of. But I can't go home yet. Not before I've tried to find Victor Rookwood."
Willow wasn't sure how much she could or should say. She had explained herself in the hope of being taken seriously.

"Why are you looking for this Victor Rookwood?" Cere asked.

Willow sighed. Explaining would take too long.
"I can't say. All that's important is that he has information on something I need. And I need it as soon as possible. I don't have much time."
She did her best not to seem too closed off. But it wasn't her place to tell strangers about Sebastian's terminally ill sister.

"But you're sure he's here? On Bogano?"
Willow was starting to like the redhead. He at least asked the important questions.

"I'm not sure, no. But I can't imagine the portal was a complete failure. If he's not here, then... then..." she trailed off. Then it wanted me to find you.
Her eyes widened as she realized this. She couldn't be sure, but anything would be better than staying on this deserted planet.

"Would it be..." Willow took a deep breath. She hated having to ask. It would make her dependent on others, something she never wanted to be again. And she didn't want to seem intrusive.
She started again, "Would it be possible for me to stay with you for now? Until I find a lead, then I'll leave you alone. And if I haven't made progress in a week, I'll go home. You'll never see me again, as if we never met."

Cere, Greez, and Cal exchanged glances. Both Cal and Greez shrugged before Cere made eye contact with Willow again. She didn't seem entirely convinced, but Willow could understand. She probably wouldn't be either if she were in Cere's position.
"Welcome aboard the Mantis, Willow."
_

Willow felt a weight lift off her shoulders when Cere officially invited her to stay. She wasn't sure what she had done to deserve such outrageous luck amidst her misfortune, but she wouldn't complain. Now she was in one of the rooms at the back of the ship, or as Cere called it, the Mantis.

A few minutes ago, Cere had shown her this room.
"You can sleep here. Make yourself comfortable, but keep it tidy. Greez can't stand mess."

And that's what Willow was doing now. She placed her shoulder bag beside the bed, leaned the broom against a wall behind the door, and draped her scarf over the back of a chair that stood in front of a small desk. There wasn't much more furniture in the room. Just the desk with the chair and the bed. But Willow didn't need anything more. She was used to a minimalist life and would never ask for more.

She took a moment for herself and sat down on the relatively large bed. She pulled out her wand and turned it in her fingers. She had always liked the dark wood of the wand and the twists that helped with gripping.

This year, Ominis and Sebastian had given her a wand handle as a gift. Its colors were emerald green with silver lines forming a diamond pattern. When she had unwrapped it, she had burst out laughing. The boys always teased her that she would fit much better in the house of Slytherin. The handle was beautiful, and Willow loved it. But she didn't use it, fearing it would get dirty or even break. She reached into her leather bag and pulled it out. Her two friends didn't know, but she always had it with her. And in this moment, it brought her immense comfort.

They gave her the handle for her birthday. Willow didn't know when her actual birthday was, so her friends insisted on celebrating it by the second of January each year.
Something she had never done before, because it wasn't of much value to her either.
So, by this rule, she had turned seventeen now, but it wasn't out of the question that she was actually a year older.

With a small sigh, she put the handle back in her bag but reached for a small picture at the same time and pulled it out as well.
The picture showed her with all her friends, captured in a moment of hearty laughter and playfulness. It was one of those enchanted photos that moved.

Willow had to smile as she thought back to that day. She already missed her friends. After one last look at the picture, she tucked it into the breast pocket of her red-and-gold school vest.

With a final deep breath, she got up from the bed. According to her watch, it had been an hour since she last checked the time.

She couldn't barricade herself in this room; that would only come across as ungrateful. So, she stepped through the metal door, which still seemed a bit strange to her. Cere had explained it opened automatically through a sensor. Whatever that meant.
Shaking off the thought, Willow made her way back to the center of the Mantis.
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