by C. C. Bolick
“That makes zero sense. You never knew me before.”
“I knew Rachelle.” She lifted her eyes. “Is Rachelle still inside? Can you talk to her?”
“Angel tried to save her, but her power didn’t work. I’ve been down every winding hall in Rachelle’s brain and there’s no trace of her.”
“That’s a shame. Rachelle helped me cope during a time when I didn’t know what tomorrow would bring.”
“Kind of like today?”
She nodded. “Don’t wait for tomorrow.”
“What do you mean?”
“Find Travis and don’t wait until tomorrow to show him what your future could be.”
“Will there be a tomorrow?”
She pressed her lips as she watched me. Maybe she wanted to speak, but her mouth never opened.
“I wish I had Van’s power and could read what you’re feeling.”
“She fears what will come,” Van said from the doorway.
I shivered at his voice. Turning, I stood and faced Van at Rachelle’s full height. Looking at him felt surreal. He looked shorter than before, no longer hovering over me like a great monster. “You actually shot me. I still can’t believe you pulled the trigger.”
“I’m truly sorry,” he said in a pained voice.
I glanced from Van to the queen. “Why would you do this to him? If you wanted me dead, why not kill me yourself?”
“I owe Van more than you could imagine and no one wanted you dead. We had to release your power.”
“You owe me nothing,” Van said.
Kayden turned to Van. “I’m the one who should apologize to you.”
He lifted his head. “Why?”
“You trusted me. I gave you freedom after the government… They made you do their dirty work for years. They made you kill.” She took a deep breath. “So did I.”
Van focused on her. “You’re not them.”
“No, what I did was worse.”
“You wanted to stop a disaster,” he said. “What I’ve done will save countless lives.”
She took his hand and smiled. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For being true to who you are.” She put her other palm against his cheek. “No matter what the government did to you over the last twenty years, they didn’t change the person you are inside.”
He pulled away. “You know who I am and what I did all those years. Why waste your time trying to comfort someone who doesn’t have a heart?”
“Because I know you care—about Golvern, about the people, about your sons… You’ll do whatever it takes to keep them safe.”
“What does that matter now?” he asked.
“It means something to me,” she said.
I watched their exchange with surprise. I’d been in enough impossible situations to recognize what they’d faced. Did I really have the power to save everyone?
She turned to me. “Show Travis how you feel today. Don’t wait until this fight is over.”
Did that mean I might not survive the star? Or worse… would Travis die? “I can’t see the future like you can.”
“You don’t have to be able to see the future to change it.”
“I don’t see how changing the future has anything to do with me and Travis.”
“What if there is no tomorrow?” she asked. “Will you be satisfied with the time you’ve had together?”
“No,” I said.
“Is there anything you could do to change that?”
“I don’t think we have the time.”
She watched me as Dad did when he was about to lose his patience. What was she trying to say?
“Give her the truth,” Van said.
“I knew about tomorrow from reading Tyler’s future,” she said. “We prepared for the destruction. Tyler helped as Pade organized a team and we outlined every piece of the future Noah glimpsed over the years.”
“How long has this been going on?” I asked.
“Months. When Travis came to Golvern, I read his future and realized one event sealed all of our fates. The feeling of knowing I had the chance to stop this, that we all could work together and save both planets, gave me hope like I’ve never felt.”
“Tell her what would have happened,” Van said.
Kayden let out a long sigh. “In the old timeline, after watching you die, Travis drew a laser and shot Pade. He took the love of my life since I took the love of his.”
I sucked in a long breath. Travis was actually capable of killing. “Did it make him feel satisfied?”
“No,” she said. “The guilt drove him deeper into madness until no one could reach him.”
“That’s awful.”
She nodded. “Before taking his own life, Travis forgave me for having Van kill you.”
“Please tell me none of that happens now.”
“Instead of pulling his gun when Travis pointed the laser at me, Pade jumped between us. He knew he wouldn’t be the fastest to draw and decided to take a chance on reasoning with Travis. His efforts to get Travis back to you coupled with the fact he was unarmed caused Travis to hesitate long enough no one died. I’m pleased to report we were successful in changing the future.”
“Wow,” I said. “Thinking about the possibilities is giving me a headache. I hope you don’t have to do this every day.”
“Thankfully no,” she said. “I’ve given you much to think about.”
I nodded. “The part I can’t believe is Travis actually killed someone out of revenge.”
“He cares about you.” She started for the door. “I’ll leave you to digest what I’ve said. But please, take my advice and use your time together wisely.”
Van looked over my face before turning to follow her.
“Kayden?” I said.
She turned back to me. “Yes?”
“What happened to the person who told your future?”
“I later learned he died to save my life.”
“Do you hate him?”
“No more than you hate Van.”
* * * * *
After thinking about Kayden’s warning, I left the room in an attempt to find Travis. We needed time alone to sort out all the shocking events since that morning.
Mama found me first and insisted I go to the med-level and get checked out. She seemed worried about how I drew power from the two warheads.
“I feel fine,” I insisted.
Erin heard our conversation and added her doctor’s opinion, urging me to get checked out. “It couldn’t hurt,” she said.
Really? Why would someone dead need a medical exam?
“You should listen to your friend,” Mama said.
I argued with Mama all the way to the med-level. She was wasting precious time when I needed to find Travis. In the waiting room, she left me standing while she went to find a nurse.
“Rena?”
I turned to see Van. “You’ve got to stop creeping up on me.”
He sat down in one of the chairs. “Am I scaring you?”
“You’d like that wouldn’t you?”
“Torturing prisoners has been my duty for over twenty years. In case you’ve forgotten, I’m commander of Golvern’s prison.”
“How about using your commander skills to help me get out of here? I need to find Travis.”
“You’re worried,” he said. “I can see the lines of stress on your face.”
“Could you stop reading my emotions and do something helpful?”
He leaned forward. “What do you suggest?”
“Tell me something I don’t know, something that no one knows.”
“The woman you spoke with in the hall…”
“That was my mom. She doesn’t look the same as before she died. Like me, she’s in another person’s body.”
“I couldn’t help but watch her face as she talked.”
“What did you see?”
“She’s hiding something from you. She feels guilty and has no intention of disclosi
ng this information.”
“You got all of that from the look on her face?” I asked.
“You’d be surprised.”
“What is she hiding?”
“I’m not sure, but she’s hiding it well enough to spark my interest.”
“You’re unbelievable.” Travis walked in and headed straight for Van. “What gives you the right to be in the same room as her?”
Van rose. “I’m not here to fight with you.” He left the room as Travis tapped his foot in annoyance.
“I can’t believe it,” he said. “After everything, I have the chance to touch you again and my powers return. The universe is working against us.”
I smiled. At least he had the gloves on again. “Sometimes we’ve got to make it work for us.”
Travis’s phone vibrated and he checked the message. “Dad wants us to meet for a training session in an hour.” He tossed the phone on a nearby table. “I’ve had enough of saving the world. I just want us to talk with no interruptions.”
“Talking is good.” I reached for his hand. “Now teleport me out of here.”
Chapter Eleven
Travis
I teleported Rena straight to my room. I didn’t ask if she wanted to go there; we just went. She put her arm through mine, careful not to touch my skin, though it didn’t feel like Rena Mason stood next to me.
In my heart, I knew this was Rena. My mind didn’t seem to want to cooperate. Even with the gloves, touching her felt like touching Rachelle. As long as I didn’t look at her, I could manage to listen to her voice and believe it was Rena. Looking at her face was a challenge.
She went to the bathroom to freshen up and I pulled a bottle of water from my fridge. What I really needed was a stiff drink, though I knew I couldn’t get drunk enough to make my problems go away. Plus, Rena hated me drinking.
I flexed one of my gloved hands. It felt strange to be wearing the gloves again. Hours ago, I was ready to use these hands to kill. After finishing half the bottle, I found her in the bedroom sitting on the bed.
She patted the bed next to her. “I want us to sleep together.”
My gut twisted. “I can’t touch you. Even if I could, it’s so strange. Rachelle grew up with my sister. They were best friends and it’s impossible to look at you and not think of her.”
Rena smiled. “With your gloves on, you can touch me. Please, just a few minutes. Hold me for a few minutes and that would mean everything.”
“What if we fall asleep?”
“Someone will wake us when it’s time for action.”
I set the alarm on my phone for an hour and reluctantly sat on the bed next to her. Staring at the ceiling, I wondered what we could talk about for the next hour.
Rena stretched out her legs and laid back on a pillow. She motioned for me to do the same.
Sliding lower on the bed, I rested my head on the pillow next to hers. “The queen insists they need my help, but this is really about you. Do you know what she wants from me?”
“We’ll worry about that later,” she whispered. “For now just hold me. Please.”
I fought the tears that welled in my eyes. As my body began to shake, I rolled away from her.
Rena wrapped her arms around me. “It will be okay.”
“I wanted us to get married, to have a future…” My voice shook with sobs I couldn’t stop. Damn it, I was crying like a baby and for some reason I didn’t care about her seeing. I couldn’t stop the downward spiral. “I wanted everything with you and Van took that away.”
“We still have each other,” she whispered. “That’s everything to me.”
“There’s so much to say.”
“Let’s don’t talk. Let’s just sleep.”
Sleep. In a few hours the world would face destruction and that was her answer? “I can’t sleep.”
“Close your eyes and think about the time we stayed the night at the hotel.”
“Before Sylvia had me locked on the isolation floor? That’s the last thing I want to discuss.”
She chuckled. “You knew the whole time she was going to lock you up. You’d seen the future, remember?”
“That doesn’t mean I want to think about it.”
“If you knew she planned your capture, why not run from the base? Why go through with our night together?”
“When I saw your future, I knew I’d be captured, but you almost died. I realized then it didn’t matter if she locked me up. She couldn’t change who I am or the fact I love you.”
“We could have run together.”
“And go where? There’s no place on this planet where we could hide from the agency.”
“Mama told me that once. It’s why she ran with me and hid in Florida for all those years. It’s why my dad gave up being an agent.”
“After almost losing you, I wanted you to have the perfect day.”
“That day was perfect,” she said. “I can’t argue with my Double-oh-Seven.”
“I’m dying to know what Miss Science thinks of being a ghost. Goes against everything you learned in those books.” I felt myself relax for the first time. “Never imagined you’d be here in a different body, did you?”
“Can’t say that I did. Maybe don’t mention that dying word again?”
I laughed. “Anything for you.”
She snuggled closer to me while taking care not to touch the skin on my neck or face. “So, you could face a coma for me, but not go to sleep?”
“I guess you’ve got a point.”
“Sleep, Travis. That’s all I’m asking.”
In a few minutes, her body relaxed and her breathing found a steady rhythm.
With my arms wrapped around her, I soon faded off to sleep myself.
* * * * *
Rena
I opened my eyes to Travis sleeping soundly at my side. We still lay across his bed, but he was no longer wearing the gloves. I held out my hand and realized my skin looked normal.
He stirred. “Rena?”
“You finally made it.”
Slowly, he rubbed his eyes and sat up. “You look normal again.”
“We’re in your head now. I look like your mind thinks I should look.”
“Well, my mind must think you look like some kind of goddess.”
“I hope it’s just me. The real me.”
Travis reached for the bedside table. “My phone is gone.”
“You won’t need it here. Time is different. A few minutes on the outside could be weeks or months here.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Have you ever had a dream that seemed to last for days?”
“Yes.”
“The dream probably only lasted a few minutes but in your head it went on and on.”
His eyes took on a playful glint. “You’re telling me we could make this dream last for days?”
“Or weeks.”
He blinked and roses filled the room around us. Deep red roses, falling from the bed and covering the floor.
I looked around in excitement. “Where did the flowers come from?”
“When your mom visited me in the coma, she showed me how my mind can control our surroundings. If I want flowers, I simply have to think them up.”
“This is amazing. I thought I’d have to teach you, that it might take days for you to adjust.”
He pulled me close. “No adjustment required. What do you say to the perfect night?”
“I’ve already had the perfect night.”
* * * * *
The next morning, I woke in Travis’s arms. Despite the fact I doubted we could have a more perfect night together, he proved me wrong. Out of fun, I insisted on another night, and then a third to prove my point.
But every day wasn’t perfect.
On some days, we lived through Travis’s worst fears. Memories like his father disappearing when he was nine. Finding his powers at thirteen was a struggle and being kept from his sister by Agent Lockhart brought tears to my eyes.
One day he took me to a beach. After swimming together all day and watching the sunset, I reached for his hand. “I think it’s time for us to wake up.”
He nuzzled my ear. “I don’t ever want to wake up from you.”
I smiled. “You’ll always have me like this. All you have to do is go to sleep.”
A grin crept across his face. “I never thought about it that way. Before I only imagined getting revenge on everyone who did this to you. I thought I’d never be able to hold you again.”
“Because of my power we get a second chance.”
He sighed. “And because of your power, you can save the planet.”
“Is it that bad of a trade? I’ve thought about what happened and I don’t blame Van or his queen.”
“What should we do now? Wake up and finish that day from hell?”
“You promised me a ring. You said we would get married.”
His grin faded and his eyes shined with new purpose. “You still want to get married?”
“Of course. I think we should do that right now.”
Before I could argue, the beach disappeared and we stood on a rock next to a waterfall that rose at least a hundred feet above our heads.
“Where are we?” I asked.
“A resort I once visited. It was for a mission, but when I saw this waterfall I committed the entire scene to memory. I decided then if I ever got married, I’d bring my future wife here and marry her on this rock.”
I put a hand on his chest. “You do have a romantic side.”
He leaned close. “Don’t tell anyone.”
Laughing, I glanced around. “There’s no one here to tell.”
“Welcome,” a voice to my right said and I jumped, nearly falling from the rock. The man was dressed in a black suit I might expect a preacher to wear. “Are you ready to say your vows?”
I turned to Travis. “You imagined us a preacher?”
“I thought we’d make it official.” His smile widened. “As official as us getting married in my head can be. How do you like your dress?”
With shock, I looked at the long white dress that now flowed to my feet. Lace trimmed the edges and the tinniest spaghetti strings possible looped over my shoulders.
