by K. J. McPike
“We can take you back home with us,” Brendan suggested.
Delta gaped at her cousin. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
“C’mon, Del,” Brendan said. “If it weren’t for them, we never would’ve made it out of the lab. The least we can do is help them. There’s plenty of space on the farm, and our moms would love the help.”
“It’s not that.” Delta fidgeted with her hands and looked out at the ocean. “What if the Astralii find us again?”
Brendan frowned. “They don’t know where our house is. They caught us in the next town over. As far as they know, we could live anywhere.”
I looked between the two of them, not sure what they were talking about. Mom had mentioned once that Delta grew up on a farm, but I didn’t know the full story of how she and her cousin had come to be at the lab.
“We can make it work,” Brendan pushed. He turned to Trace. “You’re more than welcome, too.”
Trace gave him an appreciative smile. “Thank you, but I’d like to get home to my own family if that’s okay.”
“Of course.” Brendan looked around at the rest of the group. “The offer stands for any of you.”
“Thanks,” I said. “That’s very kind, but I think we need to get back home, too.”
“Do you guys have to go right away?” Macy looked between my siblings and me, and I hesitated. I was eager to get back—I missed my parents and my friends and my life as I knew it before. But we couldn’t just leave the people who’d made us as comfortable as possible in this timeline without so much as a backward glance.
“We can make sure you guys get settled first,” I said. “And I’d like to say good-bye to Kole and our mom.”
“And we still need to stick around so Delta can program the stones for us,” Oxanna added.
“Delta, I can help you get anything you need that’s crystal related,” Kai offered. “I’m sure there’s a crystal shop somewhere in this city.”
Delta nodded, her short blonde hair growing damp where sweat collected at her temples. I realized that the air was getting hotter, the sun getting higher in the sky.
“And I can take all of you to the farm,” Kai said, looking between Delta, Brendan, and our friends. “I just need Dixon to take me into Delta’s past so I can see what it looks like.”
Dixon gave him a thumbs up. “No problem.”
“Trace, just let me know where home is for you, and I’ll take you there, too,” Kai added.
Trace grinned at him. “That would be perfect. Sounds like it’s about time all of us go home.”
“You take care of yourselves,” Kole said, the ocean breeze tossing his sandy-colored hair as he stood next to Mom in physical form. Kai had brought both of them to Lanai so we could say good-bye as Delta worked on programming stones to protect us from Sariah.
“You take care, too,” I said. “Thank you so much for your help.”
“Yeah,” Dixon agreed. “We couldn’t have done this without you.”
Kai and the rest of my siblings chimed in with their thanks—even Salaxia, who’d barely interacted with Mom and Kole at all—but Kala was still pouting. I had to admit, I did feel bad that Kala would have to give up our friends here. I would miss them too, but I knew I was lucky to have loved ones I would be going back to. I promised myself I would do my part to help Kala get settled and make friends in our proper timeline, as well.
“I am just happy we could help you,” Mom said, though I couldn’t fathom how she could mean it—not when she’d had to flee her home as a result.
After Sind invaded my memories and saw that Mom and Kole sympathized with semmies, Arlo had ordered a hit on both of them. Thankfully, Mom’s friend, Ursula, overheard what he was planning and warned them in time, but they were still going to have to live the rest of their lives in exile.
“I hope you are returning to a future that treats semmies better than they are treated in this time,” Kole said.
“Thanks.” I shared a look with Oxanna. I wouldn’t mention that things hadn’t changed much at all, even two decades into the future. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if things would ever change.
“I hope you guys like it in this realm.” Ulyxses gestured to the clear blue water that ebbed and flowed just a few yards away. “It’s kind of pretty.”
“And the food is way better than that nasty mush,” Salaxia added.
We all laughed, and I put an arm around her, squeezing her to my side.
“That much is true,” Kala admitted, one side of her mouth turning up in a reluctant smile.
“I am certain we will enjoy it.” Mom’s smile was at least convincing. Her crystal-gray eyes shifted across the beach to where Delta sat with Brendan, Trace, and our friends from The Hill. All of them had made a circle around Delta’s crystal grid, watching her as she programmed stones. “We will be safe here, and we will be living with friends. I could not ask for more.”
I did take some comfort in knowing that Delta and Brendan had invited Mom and Kole to stay on their family farm with the others. And I knew Mom had always felt like she didn’t belong in Alea—that was what she’d told us in our original timeline, anyway. Still, I wished her parting with Alea could have been on her terms, and not because we’d shown up in her life at the wrong time.
But at least she could live out this life with Brendan. The version of Mom I’d grown up with had fallen in love with him, and the two had planned to run away together before he’d been killed. I wondered if these alternate versions of them would end up together. Would that mean Mom and Dad would never fall in love in this timeline? Would my siblings and I even be born? It hurt my brain to think about it.
“It’s been great getting to know you.” Kai’s voice came out tight as he looked at his dad, the sight stabbing at my heart. Part of me wanted to give him a minute alone with Kole, but if he had decided not to tell his father the truth about who he was, I had to respect that. I didn’t want to force a moment between them if Kai wasn’t okay with it.
“Guys,” Macy called out from down the beach. “Delta finished your crystals.”
“Coming,” I called back over my shoulder. Taking a deep breath, I turned back to Mom and Kole. “I guess we’ll get our stones and get going,” I said.
“I’m sure your parents miss you.” Mom gave us a charged look.
“Yeah,” Oxanna said. “We miss them, too.”
We all walked over to join the other group, and Delta handed us clear, gumball-sized stones. I studied the quartz, smooth and warm in my hand. For my main defense against Sariah, it looked harmless enough. Polished, clear, and almost perfectly round. No one would suspect a thing if I turned it into a necklace.
“Thank you,” I said, slipping my stone into the pocket of my jumpsuit.
“You’re welcome,” Delta replied. “I’m happy to try and help keep you safe. Just be sure to keep your stones with you at all times. If Sariah comes near you, they will trap her astral energy and keep her from taking you out of your timeline.”
“Sweet!” Salaxia rubbed her quartz between her palms. “If she comes near me again, I’m throwing this right at her face.”
Brendan let out a baritone laugh. “That’s one way to work the stones.” He winked at her, and she grinned.
“Oh.” Delta knelt to pick up two more clear crystals from where they lay in the sand. “Don’t forget to give these to your parents. They may need protection, too.” She handed them to me, and I slipped them into my pocket to join the other stone.
“Thanks for making extras,” I said. “I really appreciate it.”
“No problem.” Delta dusted off the seat of her jumpsuit, sending sand sprinkling back to the beach. “Just promise me you won’t be traveling through time again.”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” Dixon said as the rest of the group got to their feet. “Once we get home, I may never project again.”
Everyone laughed, though I could see that Macy was already starting to tear up. I til
ted my head to the side, and she gave me an apologetic shrug. “I’m going to miss you guys,” she mumbled.
“We all will,” Bianca agreed. “Well, maybe not Elliot, but…” She gave him a playful nudge, and he rolled his eyes. But there was a hint of a smile.
“We’ll miss you guys, too,” I said, surprised at how true that was. As eager as I had been to get back to my parents and my correct time, saying good-bye in this timeline still stung. Having friends that understood our abilities had been an amazing comfort.
We all began our farewells, Kai, Kala, my siblings, and I moving down the line to hug our friends. When I got to Macy, she sniffled as she wrapped her arms around my waist.
“Promise you guys won’t forget me?” she whispered.
“Of course not.” I blinked back the moisture in my own eyes and squeezed her tightly. “One day, I’ll be telling my kids stories of the girl who constantly destroyed me in Nerts.”
She made a noise between a laugh and a wheeze. “Good.”
Once I’d finished saying bye to everyone from The Hill, I came to Trace and hugged him, too. “You’re the reason we’re going to get home,” I said. “I can’t thank you enough.”
He patted my back awkwardly. “No sweat. You guys are the reason I can go home, too.”
We shared a smile, and I looked over at Delta and Brendan. “Take care of them,” I said, dipping my head toward our friends from The Hill.
“That we can do,” Brendan promised.
Delta lifted the bag that held her supplies and slung it over her shoulder. “You all take care of yourselves, too.”
“We will,” I told her.
Kai projected with Delta and Brendan first. Then he came back for our friends from The Hill, taking them in groups of two.
Mom and Kole looked on, and we gave each of them a hug good-bye. Mom squeezed me for a long moment and whispered, “I hope I get to meet you one day. All of you.”
I blinked, realizing she meant that she hoped we’d be born in this timeline. I offered her a tight smile. “Me, too. I’d be lucky to have you as my mom in any time.”
Kai showed up then, and he took Mom and Kole to join the others at the farm. Once the three of them disappeared, the rest of us stayed quiet. I tried to wrap my brain around the fact that we were going home, that I was going to see my parents and Nelson and all the people I cared about back in our timeline.
Kai appeared again, and my heart stuttered.
“Okay,” he said. “Now it’s our turn to go home.”
Dixon smiled and held out his hands. “Sounds good to me.”
Chapter 32
Confession
The racing images stopped, and I stared up at the transposer for what I hoped would be the last time. It glowed golden against the dark tunnel, daring us to move our physical bodies further into the past—daring us to believe we could get back to our proper timeline.
“Whoa!” Salaxia’s voice came from somewhere to my left. Though I couldn’t see her—or anyone else we’d projected with—I could easily picture her staring up at the swirling circle of light above us. “Is that the transposer?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Ulyxses answered. “But don’t go through it until we say so. If anyone sees us, it’ll splice time again.”
A laugh echoed down the tunnel, and I turned toward the sound. Mom stood with Ursula and Ori, all of them covering their mouths to mask more snickers. They moved toward the trap door leading to the cliff house, and I backed out of their path.
“Sal, make sure none of them bump into you,” I said, staying as close to the tunnel wall as I could without actually touching it. We’d warned Salaxia to stay away from them before Dixon projected us here, but a reminder wouldn’t hurt. After everything we’d been through to get to this moment, I wasn’t taking any chances.
The trap door thudded shut, and Oxanna didn’t waste any time. “Let’s do this,” she said. “Time to go home.”
“Wait,” Kai called before any of us could switch into our physical bodies. “Give it an extra minute, just to be sure they’re far enough away. I dunno if them hearing us will change the past, but I’d rather not find out.”
“Good point,” I agreed. “Dix, do you think you can hold on for a bit?”
“Yeah,” he replied. “I’ll hold on as long as I can.”
No one spoke while we waited. I didn’t hear any sounds from Mom or her friends, and I wasn’t sure if the trap door blocked noise or if they had already left the cliff house. I counted to one hundred in my head, and still not a peep from them.
“I think we’re good,” I said finally. “We should switch before Dix runs out of energy.”
“And remember to be quiet,” Ulyxses added. “We’re in a tunnel, and sound can carry.” Ugh. That was all we needed—to screw this up with a rogue echo. “I’ll need a minute to make sure I can navigate the splices to get us to the right future, so no one make a peep.”
We all murmured our agreement, and I thought I caught Kala’s voice in the mix. I knew she still wasn’t excited to come back to our timeline. Just before Delta started programming the crystals for us, I’d overheard Kai promise Kala that he’d try and find as many of our friends from The Hill as he could in our original timeline. Though they wouldn’t know who we were, at least they would be familiar faces for her. Plus, I was confident they would be happy to have semmie friends. I was just hoping against hope that they hadn’t been caught in the raid.
“Okay, guys,” said Dixon. “After you.”
Oxanna made it to the transposer first, followed by Kai. I dove through it next, falling to the cold, hard ground at the same time as Kala. We had barely shuffled to the side when Salaxia hit the bottom of the tunnel.
“Ow!” she cried.
“Shh!” I looked toward the trap door, straining to listen for any indication that someone on the other side had heard us. When none came after a few moments, I let myself breathe again.
Pushing up to my feet, I reached out to help Salaxia stand. “That hurt,” she whispered.
I held a finger to my lips and put an arm around her to soften the blow.
Dixon appeared last, dropping to the ground with a soft thud. He sprang back up, looking at the rest of us with a wide-eyed smile that said we’re almost there.
We all turned to Ulyxses, his expression a mix of excitement and worry. My wobbly knees were right there with him. Though Trace’s explanation made sense, and we’d seen firsthand that my brother had been able to project into the future before we made any changes to the past, I still couldn’t stop my nerves from creeping in.
Ulyxses shut his eyes, and the rest of us seemed to inhale at once. His narrow face relaxed, offering no sign of what was happening with his projecting, but I studied him like looking away might ruin our chances of getting home. Once I was sure he wasn’t going to tell us he couldn’t project to the future at all, I felt my shoulders relax a bit.
He still had to find the right path to the future we’d come from. Though our time travel had only caused two splices that I knew of, Sariah’s projections through time could have caused any number of different paths.
I shoved my fists into the pockets of my jumpsuit, feeling the stones rattle against my fingers as I bounced on my toes. Every moment seemed to linger longer than the last, and by the time Ulyxses’ eyes shot open, my heart was throwing itself against my ribs at full force.
A wide grin spread across his face, and relief hit me so hard my eyes teared. Oxanna’s hands flew up to her mouth, and then she threw her arms around Ulyxses. I was tempted to do the same, but we could celebrate later. If anyone came into the tunnel, we’d splice time and ruin everything. Glancing toward the trap door, I tugged on Oxanna’s elbow and held out my hands.
We all formed a circle, and I squeezed my eyes shut. Soon, flickers of movement registered, disappearing almost as soon as they emerged. A flash of light burst into view and disappeared to our left, followed by another. I wondered if those were the splice points
.
Before I could ask, I found myself facing another me. She stood in the darkened tunnel with alternate versions of my brothers, Oxanna, Kai, and Kala, all of them bathed golden in the light of the transposer.
“Okay,” the Ulyxses in astral form said. “This is right before we went into the past. As soon as they disappear, you guys switch into your physical bodies.”
I stared disbelievingly at the group before us, all of them holding hands. Their version of Dixon told them to close their eyes, and I couldn’t help the dread I felt on their behalf. I knew everything they would have to go through to get to where we were now. I wouldn’t wish that journey on anyone.
“Here we go,” the Dixon in physical form said. With that, his group vanished.
“Hurry up and switch,” Ulyxses said. “The way our luck is going, something’s going to knock me out of my projection.”
The next thing I knew, Dixon burst into being, his body hitting the ground below the transposer. The rest of us quickly joined him, and Ulyxses came through last.
Reaching out steady myself against the tunnel wall, I looked around at the others as if in a daze. Were we really back? My parents flashed into my mind, and my stomach flipped.
“We need to find Mom and Dad,” I said, shoving my overgrown bangs out of my eyes. “If we just picked up right where we left off in time, then we have to make sure they don’t go to the house.”
“Does anyone have a phone?” Dixon asked.
I shook my head. I’d long since lost track of everything from our original timeline.
“Forget calling them.” Oxanna gave Kai a deliberate look. “You can bring us right to them.”
“It’ll probably be easier to bring them to you,” Kai said. “But let’s get out of this tunnel first.” Holding out his hands, he gestured for us to form a circle.
We did, and the next second, we were all back in Lanai. I noticed Kai stagger a bit in the sand, and I laid a hand on his arm. “Maybe you should take it easy for a minute,” I said. “I’ll see where my parents are.”
