Etherworld
Page 26
“You guys can go ahead. I’m going to stay here with my dad.”
“You sure? It won’t be the same without you,” he says.
“You can InstaComm me or something. It’ll be like I’m there.”
“Hold on,” my father interjects, looking at me. “Patrick, could you give us a minute?”
“Yeah, of course,” Patrick says, revealing a heartfelt smile. “Welcome home, David.”
Once Patrick is gone, my dad sets his cup down on the side table and takes my plate, setting it next to his mug. Then he puts his hand on top of mine and looks at me with concern. His face has changed a lot since the last time we sat in this room together. There are more deep lines traveling across his skin, and since he’s still not eating solid foods, his cheeks are much sharper. His once salt-and-pepper hair is now completely gray.
But his eyes are the same kind, thoughtful, and energetic eyes I looked into the day he was taken from me. I’m so grateful to have him back, but I’m still secretly terrified that if I blink he might disappear from my life again.
“Are you okay?” he says.
“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”
“You do, all the time,” he says. “That’s why I’m worried about you.”
“I’m fine, Dad. You don’t have to worry.”
“Regan, listen to me. I know I tell you this a lot, but it’s true: I’m the one who’s supposed to worry. I’m your father, and you’re my daughter, and that’s how it works. Parents worry about their kids, even when they turn into adults.”
There’s an awkward moment of silence. My dad looks down at his lap and lets out a big sigh, and then focuses back on me again.
“It’s not supposed to be the other way around,” he murmurs. “But for the past year, you’ve either been worried about me, missing me, or searching for me.”
“Dad, wait—”
“No, let me finish,” he says, and I stay quiet as his hand trembles a bit. “I couldn’t ask for a more devoted and brave daughter. It’s because of you that I’m here, Regan. It’s because of you that I made it. That we all made it.”
I’m not sure that’s entirely true—everyone in this room played a significant role in taking down Elusion, and we couldn’t really have done any of it without one another. But I know my dad is trying to thank me, so instead of arguing with him, I just smile.
“But now that I’m home, I don’t want you to worry anymore,” he continues. “Actually, I want you to get that time back. I want you to live your life, and go out with your friends, and plan for college, and . . .” He takes a moment to look over at Josh, who is now talking with Piper and Malik, making some strange gestures like he’s telling them military-school stories. “And take off with your boyfriend on his motorcycle.”
I let out a loud laugh, which attracts everyone’s attention. “Yeah, right!”
“Okay, that last part was hard for me to say,” he says, chuckling. “But I mean it. You know how I feel about him.”
Dad adores Josh, and rightly so. He’s not only taken care of Nora, but has bent over backward to help with my father as well.
“I know,” I say.
“Then why don’t you go with him to Patrick’s planetarium tonight?” he says. “You’ve been helping your mom take care of me, and we both appreciate it. But we want you to have this time, sweetheart. You’re never going to get it back.”
“But you just got here.”
“And I’m not going anyplace,” he says, tapping me on the nose. He hasn’t done that to me since I was six, and when he does it now, it almost breaks my heart. “I promise. When you get back, I’ll be here. And so will your mom.”
I know my father is still pretty fragile, but I lunge over the arm of the couch and hug him as tight as I can.
“I love you, Regan,” my dad says.
“I love you too,” I say.
It’s funny. I was worried that things wouldn’t be the same between us when this was all over—that he’d have gone through too much to be the person he was before, and maybe I would have too—and I was right: things aren’t the same.
They’re actually better.
We’re alive, our family reunited. And we all know how lucky we are.
When we pull back from the hug, Josh approaches us carefully, lingering next to me like he doesn’t want to intrude.
I reach out and take his hand. “Hey, you.”
“Hey. How are things over here?” he asks, grinning at me.
“Great,” I say.
“Regan was just telling me how excited she was about going to the planetarium tonight,” my dad tells him.
“Really? Patrick said you weren’t coming,” Josh says, a bit confused.
“I changed my mind,” I say, giving my dad a little smile.
“Good. Everyone is about to leave, though,” Josh says.
“Go ahead; have fun,” my dad says.
Josh takes my other hand and pulls me off the couch. And just as we’re about to step away, my dad adds, “And be careful, okay?”
Josh tips his head at him respectfully. “We will.”
After a few last minutes of good-byes, everyone is filing out of the house, thanking my mom for having them over. I thank her too, and give her a kiss on the cheek, but when I linger a bit, she nearly pushes me out the door. Now Josh and I are right behind Patrick and Zoe, whose fingers are intertwined as they head for his car at the end of the driveway.
It’s dusk, and the sky is full of pinkish hues from the setting sun. The O2 levels are so good, there’s no need for shields. I’m standing on the sidewalk where Josh’s bike is parked, watching all my friends gather along the curb and talk about the quickest way to get to the sector where the observatory is located. I know the best way to get there, of course, but I keep quiet. I like listening to them bicker and tease one another, like family members do.
“Ready to have some fun?” Josh says finally, as he hands me a helmet.
I smile, glancing back toward the light coming through the window of the house.
“Yeah, I think I am.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
WE’VE RACKED UP A LOT OF IOUs IN THE nearly four years we’ve worked on Elusion and Etherworld, and we want to thank everyone who helped us on our journey. We couldn’t have done it without each and every one of you.
A huge thank-you to our families, particularly our husbands, Brian Klam and Ben Lindvall, without whom we never would’ve made it past the finish line; our ultrafabulous daughters, Lily and Sadie Klam; and our parents, Yvonne C. Gabel, Paul C. Gabel, Randy Guttridge, and Barbara Robinson— your encouragement meant the world to us.
Thanks to Julie Anbender for all your time and effort. And to Ryan Guttridge, who answered phone calls and emails with an amount of patience that went far beyond the duty of blood relatives; we will forever be indebted to you for your overwhelming knowledge of science and technology. Thank you!
As for our agents, Christy Fletcher, Josie Friedman, and Esther Newberg—you were the first people we picked for our team for a reason: you’re the best. Thank you!
Thanks to our amazing and fabulous editor, Jill Davis, who bravely plunged into Etherworld, skillfully nursing us through Aftershock, and to Sarah Shumway, for helping to bring this duology to life. To the incredibly talented Erin Fitzsimmons and Tatiana Plahkova, who designed the book covers, thank you for creating such incredible art.
We owe a great bit of debt to the rest of the Harper team: Susan Katz, Kate Jackson, Rosanne Romanello, Rhalee Hughes, Samantha Dell’Olio, Lauren Flower, Onalee Smith, Amy Ryan, Karen Sherman, Kathryn Silsand, and Laurel Symonds.
And finally, thanks to our awesome publisher, Katherine Tegen. It’s been an amazing ride!
BACK ADS
DISCOVER
your next favorite read
MEET
new authors to love
WIN
free books
WATCH
the latest videos
SHARE
infographics, lists, quizzes
SIGN UP
for bookish fun & news
* * *
epicreads.com
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Photo by Ari Uzi Co.
CLAUDIA GABEL and CHERYL KLAM are the authors of Elusion. They met when Claudia edited Cheryl’s previous novels, Learning to Swim and The Pretty One. Claudia works as an editor in New York, but she’s also the author of several books for tweens and teens, including the In or Out series and the mash-up Romeo & Juliet & Vampires. They liked working together so much that they decided to write a bunch of things together, including movie proposals and TV sitcom scripts. And then one day they had the idea for Elusion, and the rest is the future.
You can find Claudia and Cheryl online at www.claudiagabel.com and www.cherylklam.com.
Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.
BOOKS BY CLAUDIA GABEL AND CHERYL KLAM
Elusion
Etherworld
CREDITS
Cover art © 2015 by Tatiana Plakhova
Cover photo © 2015 by Mark Owen/Trevillion Images
Cover design by Erin Fitzsimmons
COPYRIGHT
Katherine Tegen Books is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
ETHERWORLD. Copyright © 2015 by Claudia Gabel and Cheryl Klam. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
www.epicreads.com
* * *
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Gabel, Claudia.
Etherworld / Claudia Gabel & Cheryl Klam. — First edition.
pages cm
Summary: “Teens go deep within Elusion, the dangerous virtual reality program, to try and stop the company who made it before it is too late”— Provided by publisher.
ISBN 978-0-06-212244-5 (hardback)
EPub Edition © February 2015 ISBN 9780062122469
[1. Virtual reality—Fiction. 2. Science fiction.] I. Klam, Cheryl. II. Title.
PZ7.G113Et 2015 2014026694
[Fic]—dc23 CIP
AC
* * *
15 16 17 18 19 PC/RRDH 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
FIRST EDITION
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers Australia Pty. Ltd.
Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street
Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
www.harpercollins.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Canada
2 Bloor Street East - 20th Floor
Toronto, ON M4W 1A8, Canada
www.harpercollins.ca
New Zealand
HarperCollins Publishers New Zealand
Unit D1, 63 Apollo Drive
Rosedale 0632
Auckland, New Zealand
www.harpercollins.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF, UK
www.harpercollins.co.uk
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
195 Broadway
New York, NY 10007
www.harpercollins.com