He squeezed me. “You and me both.”
I batted his arm. “That’s not what I meant.”
James and Markus carried the last few packs to the ship, though James wasn’t supposed to carry anything heavier than a few pounds for several more months. I looked around Caelia one last time. Part of me would stay here, with Dad, with the ocean. I hated to leave the lush trees and the scent of the wildflowers, even if it was only for a little while. To go from a pod city and an underground bunker to a place like this was unbelievable.
I don’t think I ever really believed I’d make it off Earth. I thought I was destined to die on that sun-scorched, water-challenged planet, yet here I was on Caelia. Which made it that much harder to leave.
Alec jogged up to me with barely a limp in his step. “Here,” he said. He had a pink flower in his hand and slid it behind my ear. “To remember us until we’re all together again.”
I fingered the soft petals. “Thanks, but I’ll see you soon enough.” I glanced over at Reed. “I’m glad you two found each other. She’s a sweetheart.”
Alec nodded. “Yeah, she is. Take care of yourself, Tora.” He leaned over. “And don’t tell, but I’ll always consider you my ángel.”
I smiled. “It’s our secret. And a way better a nickname than Gunner, for sure.”
I looked over at the ship and knew it was time to get on board. The light break had brought a soft, warm wind and the sky was a crystal clear blue. It boded well for a good flight. My friends that were staying behind seemed content, and those going with me were optimistic. Everyone was on the mend and I knew that the days I’d need a walking stick were limited. A slight queasiness lingered in my belly but I knew it was it was due to having to leave Caelia.
A wave of nostalgia hit me as Markus’ ship rose into the air. I might be leaving for now, but Callie City was my home and those Consulate burners weren’t going to keep me away for long. When they came back and found Callie City deserted and the weapons gone, that would be the end of it. They’d go back to their side of the planet and hopefully never set foot here again. I was taking back my city, my beach, and my flowers as soon as possible. The ocean with its pink sand beach was the last thing I saw as we zipped away toward the horizon through the calm skies.
“I’ll be back,” I whispered to the waves below.
Acknowledgments
I’VE HEARD SEQUELS ARE TRICKY, BUT THIS BOOK WAS A BLAST to write, and I’m so thankful for the people that helped me along the way. A huge thanks to my fearless agent, Jessica Regel, for her insights and comments, which make me a better writer, and for her all-around awesomeness. Also, thanks to JVNLA, especially Laura Biagi, who gave me fantastic notes on this book, as well as Jennifer Weltz and Tara Hart, whose tweets always make me smile. I’m so grateful to everyone at Egmont USA, especially my fantastic editor, Alison Weiss, for believing in this series. This book would not be what it is without my phenomenal beta readers: Valerie Kemp (a.k.a. the plot-hole queen), Lynne “Zloty” Matson, and Sara Raasch (“young Sara”). I’d have lost my sanity entirely without the support of the incredible YA Valentines, and my amazing writer friends, Wendy Terrien, Sue Duff, and Aimee Henley.
I feel so lucky to have people shouting about this series to the world, including Michelle Bayuk and Margaret Coffee at Egmont, and the awesome team of Julie Schoerke, Sami Jo Lien, Marissa DeCuir Curnette, and Grace Wright at JKS Communications. The science in this book was vastly improved thanks to Fran Bagenal, Professor of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences at the University of Colorado-Boulder. Any scientific errors are entirely mine.
Finally, to all my friends (both online and in the real world) and my family, thanks so much for your love and support. To my hubby and kiddos, you’re my everything and make me feel like the luckiest person on this little planet. Thank you.
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