A dark cloud passed over his face. “I don’t know. It could have nothing to do with us, or everything.”
I was so angry I couldn’t even find words to finish my thought. Memories of kissing him washed over me. All our time in the wilderness, in the SLH, every moment now flashed in my mind with a new and sinister angle. My mind struggled to process. “You deliberately tried to make me . . . like you? So I’d try to convince the others that you were trustworthy. You played me like a chess piece.”
Hurt filled his eyes. “That was not my intent.”
“Oh, yes, it was.” I tried to move away from him, but slipped and fell on my knees. He reached forward to help and I twisted away. At the first hint of my resistance, his hands released me. “Don’t. Don’t presume that we’re friends. You aren’t . . . I don’t know who you are.”
“Cassie, what could I have said?” There was a note of exasperation in his voice. “I had no choice. How could I have told you the truth?”
“Just—stop.” I was hurt, furious, unreasonable.
He reached out to me, holding my forearms gingerly. “Let me tell you why you are here. And then I will leave you alone.”
I met his eyes. Gave him a nod.
“It was a surprise to you to discover you were not alone in the universe. It was not so for my people. One of our moons was, in fact, as teeming with life as our own planet. It was our failing that we did not deduce the intelligence of the dominant species. It was, in fact, our downfall. We underestimated them; their intelligence, their intentions. These aliens—the vrag—they turned against us. They killed our scientists, stole our spacecraft, and within no time at all were rampaging across our planet.”
I opened my mouth to say something, but he shook his head and went on.
“I was not alive to witness this. My family just barely escaped the destruction of our planet. Our only chance at long-term survival was to find a livable planet to colonize. They traveled for years upon years, despairing at ever finding another. Until Earth.”
I was beginning to see where this would lead. “But it was already inhabited.”
He nodded, releasing my arms. “My people are desperate. We were willing to share our knowledge, come to humans in good faith, and ask for refuge.”
“You want to . . . share Earth?” And then I realized. “You’re using past tense.”
“Our numbers are few; it could have been done. We planned to invite you here, giving you Odysseus as a show of good faith and to show what we had lost. To meet here in a neutral place, where we would not risk a volatile response.”
I narrowed my eyes. “What do you mean, it could have been done? Aren’t we here? Wasn’t this exactly what you wanted? You hold us hostage until we agree to your terms?”
His eyes went wide in alarm. “No, no, not at all.” His eyes darted over to the pods and back again. “Cassie, circumstances have changed. The alien species that destroyed my planet and my people—they have found us. They have discovered Earth. And we fear it is only a matter of time before Earth shares in our planet’s fate.” He held on to my shoulders. “My people escaped because we had the means to disappear into the galaxy. There will be no such escape for humanity.”
The bottom dropped out of my stomach, a black hole forming where it had been.
I thought of Earth, the only color in the black void. Alone and vulnerable.
“What can we do?” I whispered.
Luka squeezed my shoulders, his handsome face resolute. “My family believes there is a weapon hidden somewhere inside this bunker that may challenge the vrag. Something my people never got a chance to use. We plan to retrieve it, and to return to Earth, with you as our allies, to defend the planet.”
His hands fell away, putting space between us. “By the time your crewmates awake, I will be gone. You need to regain your strength, and they will need time to recover. But you’re safe here, for now.” He glanced down at a screen embedded in the suit at his wrist, then met my eyes. “When you’re ready, we will meet to discuss our mutual survival. I ask only that you consider what I’ve told you. Take what you know of me, Cassie. I never lied except to protect myself. I have only ever tried to help you. Please, help me now.”
My voice was a cautious whisper. “What do you want from me?”
He took half a step closer, his voice going soft. “I want you to be on our side.”
I considered him. How I’d misjudged him so severely in the beginning—how I’d misjudged everyone, really, on sight, and how I’d been proven wrong each and every time.
He was right. He’d only ever been a friend. And now he needed me to trust him.
“One last thing.” I cleared my throat. “What . . . what’s your name?”
He tilted his head, as though confused I would choose that question out of the infinite others. “You know my name.”
“Your real name.”
He took a step closer. We were now breathing the same air. My heart pounded in my ears. “I have always been Luka. I was born on Earth. I have been human since my earliest memories.” He smiled distantly. “I believe I told you once—that I understood how it felt to feel like a stranger in your own land.”
I blinked at him, remembering.
“But my people, my family, we call ourselves megobari.”
Despite everything, despite knowing the truth beneath the surface, he was still Luka. The planes of his face were so familiar and so dear to me. And beneath the anger and confusion and fear, I still cared about him. Still trusted him.
A beat of silence. And then one of the pods began to beep.
“My people wish to help yours,” Luka said, backing slowly away, leaving me propped against the bulkhead. “I ask only that you help convince your people that we are telling the truth. There’s no time to waste with arguing.”
Looking into his eyes, I saw no deceit. “I’ll do what I can. But I want to know all the details first. Everything. No more deceit.”
“Agreed.” He smiled. The hatch opened into the airlock. He glanced out at it and then at me. “It was . . . good to see you again.”
If I hadn’t been dehydrated, my eyes might’ve filled with tears. “I didn’t know if I ever would.”
“It won’t do for me to be aboard when your crew awakens. But when they do, we’ll be waiting.” A loud vacuum sound broke the silence as Bolshakov’s pod began to empty of gel, and Luka shot a quick look back before meeting my eyes again. “Remember what we promised.”
I sat straighter, finding my body’s strength returning. “Yes.”
With a solemn nod, Luka exited the hatch, the door closing behind him.
We’d promised each other—a long time ago now, but recent in my memory—that no matter what, we would not let anything that might be between us jeopardize the mission.
I understood that now.
Think of all the things that motivate you. My family. Earth. And now, my friends. This was why we’d come. This was why we were here.
My job wasn’t over because we’d arrived safely; it had only just begun.
I faced the pods of my crew as, one by one, they began their waking sequences. I squared my shoulders and forced air into my lungs until the pain was only background noise. Time to be strong.
Time to get to work.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
RARELY ARE DREAMS achieved alone. This book began, literally, as a dream. I truly never thought it might become anything more than that. But thanks to the support of a legion of incredible people working behind the scenes, it became the book you hold in your hands. I’m going to try to express my gratitude to all of those people here.
First, to my wonderful editor, Jen Klonsky, who understood this book and what it needed, and carried it every step along the way. Anytime I had an idea I was iffy about, you always responded with enthusiasm. Thank you for that. And thank you for always encouraging and supporting the diversity in this book.
Thank you also to everyone at HarperCollins who helped make this bo
ok a reality, including Catherine Wallace, Sarah Kaufman, Alison Klapthor, Alexandra Rakaczki, Sabrina Abballe, and anyone else who I may have left out: I think you’re all wonderful.
To my amazing superhero of an agent, Kristin Nelson: Working with you is another impossible dream come true. I’m unbelievably proud to be part of the NLA family. Thank you for your laser-sharp editorial eye that whipped this book into shape, for loving it as much as I do, and for finding it a perfect home. You changed my life.
A special thank-you is due to astronaut Randy “Komrade” Bresnik, who took the time to answer my questions about astronaut training and what it truly feels like to see Earth from a distance. I hope I was able to express a fraction of your experiences through Cassie. (Though, please don’t check my math too closely.) Also, a big shout-out to NASA in general, for being the inspiration not just for me, but generations of kids who looked up at the stars and wondered. Thank you for letting me be a part of #NASASocial and touring the facilities at Marshall. I hope I’ve done you all justice. Keep fighting the good fight and chasing that horizon.
Thank you to Ayesha Patel, Mathangi Subramanian, Sangu Mandanna, Urvi Patel, Katie Slivensky, and AdriAnne Strickland for their advice and assistance, helping me portray, hopefully, a more sensitive, accurate, and respectful representation of the different facets of Cassie’s character. Your insight was invaluable and much appreciated.
To my library ladies, past and present: Carrie, Barbara, Brenda, Pam, Martha, Sara—and Nate, who isn’t a lady but still counts—thank you for being the best coworkers a girl could ask for, and for all your wholehearted and enthusiastic support of me and my writing. It’s rare to have coworkers who are also friends, and I thank you for making each day pass in relative comfort. Also, thanks for all the cake. Special thanks to Sara for reading rejection emails out loud to me so the blow would sting a little less, and for beta reading. And to Barbara, for making my pie-in-the-sky hopes of finding an astronaut to interview a reality, leading to one of the coolest emails I’ve ever received hitting my in-box.
To my critique partners, Alexa Donne and Emily Neal: You guys are my rock. I’m so lucky to have found you and so grateful for our friendship. Five years of this publishing journey and I don’t know that I would’ve made it without you by my side. I quite literally wouldn’t be where I am today without you. Extra-special thanks to Alexa, for your constant and unwavering support. She encouraged me to send out the query I was too afraid to send that ended up changing everything. You guys were my life rafts in the treacherous query seas, and this book owes its life to you both.
Big shout-out to my various circles of writing friends who have all lent me support and advice somewhere along the way! To Roshani Chokshi, for your mentorship and advice, and for gracing me with your goddess-like wisdom. To the Epic Book Club of Love (even though we never seem to read any books): Jilly Gagnon, Anna Priemaza, Chelsea Sedoti, Kristen Orlando, and Kayla Olson; the Lucky 13s: Mara Fitzgerald, Austin Gilkerson, Rebecca Caprara, Julie Dao, Kevin van Whye, Jordan Villegas, Jessica Rubinkowski, and Kati Gardner: I can’t wait till we can all pose in front of our published books with our matching T-shirts; and finally my fellow 2017 debut authors who have become friends, especially Elly Blake (for being the best roommate ever), Sarah Tolcser, Misa Sugiura, Sarah Henson (for navigating Darcy Miller and me safely through the Smoky Mountains and back!), Sandhya Menon, Tanaz Bhathena, and Axie Oh (I promise I’ll work more on that Secret Other Book now!). And to anyone and everyone who read early versions of this book before it was any good, I thank you.
To my sister, Kayla, who was the very first person to read this book, sent in emailed chunks straight from my brain—you were its first cheerleader, and the reason this book was ever even finished. Your excited flailing was the best motivation. I’m glad we were able to keep your favorite title! Thank you for being my sister—I know that it wasn’t always easy. But it is a very reassuring feeling to have someone who always understands you, the way only siblings do. Love you.
To my parents: You sacrificed so much to make everything in my life possible and paved the way for me to succeed. Despite not being readers yourselves, you made sure to read to me so that I would always love books. You assured that I grew up in a loving, supportive home. You are the best second set of parents for my child I could ever ask for, and I’ll never be able to repay you for the years of free babysitting. (Sorry about that.) I feel so lucky and blessed to have you both. Love you always.
To Nick: Thank you for working so hard for our family, and for all the solo parenting required for me to finish this book. I’m so lucky to have found my partner in life when I was sixteen. Thank you for putting up with me these past twelve years, and for always doing the dishes.
To my Rosie: This book existed before you did, but I am more proud of you than I’ll ever be of anything else. I’m sorry for all the times my work has taken me away from you. (Hopefully you won’t remember very much of that.) Thank you for choosing me as your mom. I hope you learn that you can do anything you aspire to in life. (But please—just for me—please don’t go off on a dangerous mission into deep space. Anything else is cool.) I love you more than all the stars.
To anyone and everyone who has read this book and passed it along to a friend—librarians, booksellers, bloggers, readers—I thank you from the bottom of my heart. There is no better champion of a book than a friend who says to another friend, “You HAVE to read this.”
And thank you, reader, for picking up this book and giving it a chance. I hope it inspires you to take a chance on your own dreams, too. Even if nobody else does, know that I believe in you.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
PHOTO BY BETH WINFIELD PHOTOGRAPHY
HEATHER KACZYNSKI writes books for teenagers and other people who like books about teenagers. They’re usually about teenagers saving the world, because she really believes they can.
Heather never got to go to space camp, so she had to settle for writing about it. After graduating cum laude with a degree in biology, she returned to her first love of books, and now works in a library near NASA. She lives with her husband, their daughter, and way too many books. She’s not nearly brave enough to go into space, but she did twirl a fire baton in high school. Visit her online at www.heatherkaczynski.com.
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BOOKS BY HEATHER KACZYNSKI
Dare Mighty Things
CREDITS
COVER ART BY LUKE LUCAS
COVER DESIGN BY SARAH NICHOLE KAUFMAN
COPYRIGHT
HarperTeen is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
DARE MIGHTY THINGS. Copyright © 2017 by Heather Kaczynski. 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.
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2017943433
ISBN 978-0-06-247986-0
EPub Edition © September 2017 ISBN 9780062479891
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FIRST EDITION
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