From what I can figure, the paradox merged me with my other self when it reset the timeline, but for some reason I kept my memories even though no one else did. Maybe because of my eidetic memory or maybe because I was the one who caused the paradox. I’m not sure.
This time, during our twenty-four hours in the future, I knew Lynne Marshall, the project manager for Project Chronos, was the real murderer. I convinced Adam and the others that trusting one another was the only way to stop her and save our lives. Adam told everyone about his true purpose in going to the future—to bring back the cancer cure for his mom and Lynne’s daughter—and we formed a new plan.
When we got back from the future, we pretended to have future shock, just as we did before. Then Adam made sure Lynne’s daughter got the cure, giving Lynne no reason to hunt us down this time. We prevented her from becoming a murderer and saved all of our lives in the process.
Then we began to work on our next part of the plan: taking Aether down for good.
The other time travelers from Team Echo arrive over the next few minutes and begin to fill the apartment. Even though our team pretended to have future shock, Vincent still sent the others to the future anyway. After they returned from their first trip, Adam and I made contact with them. We convinced them to help us stop Vincent, and along the way we became friends. Just as I knew we would.
Everyone grabs food and begins to settle around the TV. I watch from the doorway with a small smile on my face as they all chat with one another.
“Scoot over,” Trent says to Zahra as he wedges himself beside her on the couch.
“There are plenty of other places to sit,” she snaps at him, although she doesn’t move away.
“This spot has the best view of the TV.” He gives her a sly grin and offers her some guacamole and chips from his plate.
She rolls her eyes at him and takes a chip off his plate. The two of them have this cute love-hate thing going that I never could have predicted, but that somehow totally works. They’re both still in the denial stage, but it’s obvious they’re going to get together sooner or later.
“How’s art school going?” Paige asks Zoe as they pass by me to grab a soda.
“It’s pretty good,” she says, giving Paige a warm smile. She’s still shy and quiet, but Paige’s friendly exuberance easily won her over.
“And your sister? Is she okay?”
Zoe nods and her eyes light up. “She’s at home watching a movie with my girlfriend tonight. I still can’t believe I got custody of her after all these years.”
Paige throws her arms around Zoe. “I’m so happy for you.”
They rejoin the rest of the group, and Paige finds a seat beside Ken, who gives her a quick kiss. On the other side of them, Chris and Adam chat with the final member of our group of former time travelers: Jeremy.
I debated for a long time about what to do with Jeremy, but in the end I decided I couldn’t punish him for something he might do, or something he did in another life. Instead, I have to help him try to make different choices. Better choices.
“Here we go,” Zahra says, turning up the volume on the TV.
Everyone goes quiet as the news report plays across the screen. A woman’s voice says, “Vincent Sharp of Aether Corporation was indicted today for illegally running experiments on minors, among other charges.”
As we watch, Vincent scowls as he’s led out of the downtown office building in handcuffs, along with Dr. Kapur and Lynne. There’s no sign of Dr. Walters or Dr. Campbell—we convinced them to leave Aether months ago.
As Vincent is roughly shoved into the back of a police car, we all cheer. We’ve been working to bring down Vincent and end the time-travel program for the past year, and it’s finally over. Now we can move on with our lives.
Zahra rewinds the clip so we can watch it again, but Jeremy gets up to grab more food. I head into the kitchen with him and set down my plate.
“You okay?” I ask.
“Yeah.” He draws in a shaky breath. “My dad’s done some terrible things. I’m glad he’s going to pay for them.”
I rest my hand on his shoulder. “You’re a better man than he is.”
“Thanks, Elena.” He flashes me a smile and rejoins the others in the living room. Hopefully now, with his father out of the picture, Jeremy will never become the person I saw in the other timeline. He doesn’t have a reason to form Pharmateka or try to beat his father in some twisted game.
I’m still going to keep an eye on him though, just in case.
With Vincent heading to jail and Aether crumbling, it feels like my whole life is ahead of me. I know what I want, though. I saw it in one of the futures I visited. A life with Adam, where we try to make the world a better place.
In a few years, after we both finish school, we’re going to start Future Visions with Chris. I plan to invite the others to join us too, if they’re interested. Sure, their skills might be bit on the shady side, but I trust them more than anyone else. They’re my friends. My family. My future.
Adam leans against the doorway, crossing his arms. “What are you thinking about?”
I turn to smile at him. “Nothing.”
He pushes off the wall and approaches me. His dark hair is perfectly messy, his glasses askew, his blue eyes full of intelligence, strength, and love. His hand moves to my face, his knuckles sliding down my neck before circling the origami unicorn pendant I always wear. “You have that look on your face like you’re somewhere else. In another timeline.” He tilts his head. “Remembering another life.”
Adam’s the only one who knows what I’ve been through, or some of it anyway. I told him as much as I could so that he’d understand how I knew certain things. He still asks me about our future sometimes, but I refuse to tell him anything else. I don’t like keeping secrets from him, but sometimes it’s better not to know your own fate.
I keep the knowledge of our future daughter inside me like a warm light. Someday we’ll see her again. I’ll make sure of it.
“The only life I want is here with you, now.” I slide my arms around his neck and pull him close for a kiss.
For once, I don’t know what the future will hold. But I know we’ll face it together.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Completing a trilogy has been one of the most rewarding and challenging experiences of my life. I started writing Future Shock in 2012, and I’m deeply grateful to everyone who has joined me on the journey from the first spark of an idea to the publication of this final book. I couldn’t have done it without your support.
To Gary, for being the best husband ever. I wouldn’t be an author today if not for your unwavering faith in me.
To my parents, Gaylene and Peter, along with the rest of the Adams and Briggs families, for all the encouragement over the years.
To my agent, Kate Testerman, and everyone else at KT Literary, for all their hard work getting this series out into the world.
To the entire team at Albert Whitman for everything they do behind the scenes. In particular, my editors, Wendy McClure, Eliza Swift, and Alexandra Messina-Schultheis, who make each book shine; my awesome marketing and publicity team, Annette Hobbs Magier, Laurel Symonds, and Tracie Schneider, for everything they do to promote my books; and Jordan Kost and Paul Stinson, who made my covers so awesome.
To all the author friends who have shared this journey with me through the years, with extra special thanks to Rachel Searles, Kathryn Rose, Jessica Love, Audrey Coulthurst, Sybil Bartel, Stephanie Garber, and Riley Edgewood.
To the lovely authors who were kind enough to blurb Future Shock: Karen Akins, Melissa Landers, and Amy Tintera.
And finally, to the friends, readers, bloggers, teachers, librarians, parents, and booksellers who have read the series or shared it with others—thank you, thank you, thank you.
ELIZABETH BRIGGS
is the New York Times bestselling author of the award-winning Future Shock trilogy and the Chasing the Dream series. She graduated from UCL
A with a degree in sociology and has worked for an international law firm, mentored teens in writing, and volunteered with dog rescue groups. Now she’s a full-time geek who lives in Los Angeles with her husband and a pack of fluffy dogs. Find her online at www.elizabethbriggs.net.
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