Or maybe I am. Maybe it’s time I accepted Mira’s own words. She didn’t want to stay with me.
No, she left me. She left me to deal with all the aftermath of our lost year, and our torn-apart pod, and that ridiculous Youli message. Alone.
“Jasper!” I hear Jayne call.
I cut away from the path, and follow her voice through the trees to a garden hidden away from the lakeshore. The garden is ringed by pale, flat stones that reflect the moonlight.
“Over here,” she calls.
I follow her voice to a small stone bench. She’s perched on one side, staring at the sky. I sit down next to her. There’s barely enough room for both of us. She leans over, ever so slightly, and our shoulders touch.
“This place is magical,” she says.
“I know,” I say. “It’s like they transported it from another age.”
“An age before space travel.”
“An age without aliens.”
“An age with no war.”
“There’s always been war,” I say. “Don’t you play Evolution of Combat?”
“Fine, then at least no alien wars.” Jayne hops off the bench and sits cross-legged on the ground in front of me. “You’ve been through so much, Jasper. How are you doing? Really?”
I shrug. “I’m okay.” I’m not going to unload my inner thoughts on Jayne anymore. I’d rather her think of me as Jasper Adams, hero, not Jasper Adams, sad and sappy dork who misses his friends. Plus, I’m starting to like this hero stuff.
“Have you been thinking about your sister?” she presses.
I guess I’m not getting out of it. “On and off. Our next stop after West is Americana East. I’ll see my parents, and they’re going to ask about Addy. I was supposed to look after her, you know. Great job I did at that.”
Jayne places her hand on my knee. “You were saving all the Bounders and a good chunk of Earth Force. I’d say that’s a pretty good explanation. Plus, you technically did save your sister.”
“But I can’t tell them that, can I?” My parents can’t know the truth about Addy. Earth Force doesn’t want anyone except level-one clearance officers to know about the Resistance. I’m definitely not allowed to talk about it with my parents.
Jayne doesn’t answer. She knows what the confidentiality rules are, and she knows there’s nothing I can do about it. Instead, she extends her hand.
I help her up. We stand facing each other. I should probably drop her hand, but I don’t. She doesn’t drop mine, either. Even in the faint light of the garden, her purple eyes shine. They’re dark like the midnight sky and filled with magic like the moon.
Jayne turns her head like she can hear my thoughts and they’re making her blush. But the amazing thing is, she didn’t hear my thoughts. She can’t. She doesn’t know I was thinking about her beautiful eyes. She doesn’t know I was thinking about her at all in that way. Which means I don’t feel like a floundering mess the way I do with Mira.
The thing I love most about Mira—our intimate connection—is the thing I’m most happy is missing with Jayne. I can think about anything I want when I’m with her, and my thoughts remain my own.
Mira’s face from the poster flashes through my mind, but I push it away. Remember, Jasper, Mira chose to leave. That’s what she wanted. It’s time I accepted that. It’s time I stop looking to the past and start seeing what’s right in front of me.
Jayne squeezes my hands, then pulls me deeper into the garden. The trees part, and we spill into a small clearing with a lotus pond. She drops my palm and kneels in front of a perfect flower. She lifts its wet, glistening petals in her fingers.
“Do you ever wonder if Addy has it right?” she whispers.
Her question takes me by surprise. I know what it sounds like she’s asking—do I support the Resistance—but can that really be? Jayne works in Earth Force public relations. She knows what’s expected. She knows the risk of disloyalty to the Force. I trust Jayne, but if I misinterpret her question, I could be putting both of us at risk.
I decide the safest thing to do is turn the question around. “Do you?”
“Forget I asked.” Jayne stands and wipes her hands on her shorts.
But I’m not willing to forget it, risk or not. I wonder all the time whether Addy and Marco and Waters are right. Not to mention Barrick and the Wackies who saved Mira and me back on Gulaga.
“No, really,” I say, grabbing her hand, “I want to know what you think about the Resistance. It’s hard for me to dismiss something that Addy feels so passionately about.”
She pulls her hand loose. “We should go. We need to get back before curfew.” She turns and starts to walk away.
I must have said too much. As I follow Jayne out of the garden, the air hangs heavy, like there are words between us still clawing to get out. We walk in silence past the gate guards and back toward the air rail station.
Then something shifts, and the tension in the air seeps away. Jayne skips ahead, then spins back and smiles, beckoning for me to catch up. As we near the crowd waiting for the next air rail car, she squeezes my arm and cozies up against me. “Oh, Jasper! Can I have your autograph?”
I shrug her off. “Shut up.”
“Don’t forget your hat and glasses,” she says. “I’m too tired to fend off your admirers on the way back.”
15
THE NEXT MORNING, FLORINE WAKES me up at 0545.
“I thought we discussed this!” I grumble, pulling the blanket over my head. “I’m low-maintenance. Let me sleep!”
“Get up, Jasper Adams! You are required to board the hover bound to the Eurasia East aeroport in fifteen minutes.”
I bolt up. Jayne must have overridden the computer with a new wake-up time. That means I need to hurry.
I take a two-minute shower and stuff my gear into my trunk. Water trickles off my hair as I bend to pull the Earth Force–issued tight navy socks over my damp feet. Just as I drag my trunk into the hall, building management comes by with a huge, rolling cart to collect the luggage for the Lost Heroes Homecoming Tour. A few minutes later, I dash to the elevator then sprint through the dining hall and grab a handful of yogurt squeezies to suck down in the hover.
The aeronauts are already loaded into their vehicles when I race into the garage. A flock of EFAN cameramen turn their lenses on me as I bolt toward Jayne, who’s standing in front of the last hover in line, tapping into her tablet. Terrific. There’s going to be web coverage of me and my wet hair. I guess that’s what Lucy meant when she said she wants them to catch us in our natural environment. Hopefully, these natural moments end up on the editing room floor.
“Nice of you to join us,” Jayne says when I skid to a halt by her side.
I smile. “You kept me out late last night.”
Jayne shushes me as we board. She’s dressed in her Earth Force uniform, but I can still picture her in shorts and a purple tee pulling the orange hat over my head and dragging me out exploring. She said people would recognize me, and she was right. I can hardly believe that girl asked me for my autograph. That would never have happened to the old Jasper Adams. I guess it’s time to accept that the new Jasper Adams—the hero Jasper Adams—is here to stay.
“Good morning, sunshine,” Lucy coos as I climb onto the hover. Other than Jayne and me, Lucy is the only one on board.
Why on earth is Lucy riding with us? She usually insists on sitting with Denver and Max.
“We’re heading home!” She squeezes her hands together and lifts them to her chest. “Americana, here we come! Just think of it, Jasper, we spent so many days dreaming of returning as celebrities, just like the aeronauts before us, and here we are! The day has finally arrived!” She pats the cushioned bench beside her, expecting me to scoot close. “Let’s review our lines for the West rally. They’re a bit more elaborate than our Eurasia East script, and I know you struggled with that one.”
“I didn’t struggle.” I almost add that she may have me convinced I was once on a populari
ty quest, but I certainly didn’t spend my days dreaming of becoming an Americana West superstar. That’s signature Lucy.
Lucy smiles. “Oh, I’m not trying to make you feel bad. I know the stage is not your natural calling like it is mine. But we’re on a very tight timetable. The rally’s tonight, shortly after we arrive. The Americana West event is going to be huge and lots of important people are going to be there. And they’re planning to film the Lost Heroes Homecoming Tour web special tonight, so it’s really key that you have your part down, okay?”
It’s not like I have a choice, so I just nod Lucy on.
“Great. So, when Sheek and I finish our introductions . . .”
I try to focus on what Lucy’s saying—or at least I kind of do—but my mind won’t stay put. I’m back onstage at last night’s rally, the cheers swelling, the crowd pulsing with excitement. Are they really expecting the Americana West rally to be even bigger? Lucy’s wrong. I am a natural. Once I settled in last night, I could have stayed onstage forever, riding the wave of elation, giving my fans exactly what they called for.
“Ow!” I pull my foot back in pain. Given the strategic placement of Jayne’s shoe on the hover floor, it’s clear she just stomped on my big toe. “Why’d you do that?”
Jayne just smiles and flicks her eyes at Lucy, who is glaring at me. The hover is stopped, and the Eurasia East aeroport is visible in the distance.
That was a very quick trip. I definitely zoned out.
“I said, do you think you have them down now?” Lucy says through gritted teeth.
She must still be talking about our lines for the Americana West rally.
“Definitely.” It’s always best to be definitive around Lucy. “You don’t need to worry about me for a second. Jayne ran lines with me last night.”
The muscles in Lucy’s face relax. “Excellent. Come directly to the on-air salon once you board. Nev and Dev are waiting.” She opens the door and disappears from the hover.
“Nev and Dev? Again? ” I say to Lucy’s back. She ignores me and keeps walking. “I never agreed to that!”
“Actually, you did,” Jayne says. “You nodded yes to all of Lucy’s questions while your mind was somewhere else.”
“Great. What else did I agree to?”
“Nothing you could have gotten out of, so don’t worry.”
“Thanks for getting my attention at the end, but you didn’t need to disfigure my foot in the process.”
“You’re welcome,” she replies, ignoring the second half of my sentence. “Why did you lie about us running lines last night?”
“I thought it would get Lucy off my back, and it looks like it did. Why does it matter? We were together last night, weren’t we?”
Jayne’s lips press together in a thin line. “Yes, obviously, but that was supposed to be a secret.”
“I thought us sneaking out was a secret, not us spending time together. What are you so worried about?”
“Nothing. It just wasn’t on the schedule, that’s all.” She points at the door. “Let’s go.”
“Why do I get the feeling you don’t want anyone to notice us alone together?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m worried if I get out of the hover first, you’ll space and forget to unload.”
“Touché.” I climb out of the hover behind her. “Where are we anyway?”
“Our security team advised we use a different route to get to the aeroport. We’ll take the pneumatic pipeline the rest of the way.”
Jayne nods at a raised platform where the rest of our group is gathering. A long pipe extends from the platform all the way to the aeroport. In the distance, the sun rises over the Eurasia East skyline.
Something wasn’t right about that exchange with Jayne, but I’m not going to waste my time trying to figure it out. If she’s worried about spending time with me, who cares? These days, there are plenty of people who would kill for a few minutes with Jasper Adams.
I follow the old aeronauts onto the pipe platform. The solid doors slide back to reveal an open passenger capsule. We stream in single file, having to duck to avoid hitting the capsule’s roof. I take a seat behind Bai. Seconds later, the doors slide closed and the chairs recline until we’re nearly lying down. Claustrophobia creeps into my chest. I knew I wouldn’t be a fan of the narrow, windowless capsule. The ceiling panel opens above me. It holds a VR visor. I pull it over my face and blink through the channels until I land on the Paleo Planet safari. That should be distracting enough to keep me from hyperventilating on the short ride to the aeroport.
The sound of an air generator fills the capsule followed by the strong sensation of forward propulsion. The VR screen flashes on, and I’m walking through the high grass, scoping a saber cat in the distance. It’s so lifelike. I wonder if Cole has this visor. Playing Evolution on this would be outrageous.
A flock of fuchsia birds dips low to drink from the river in the distance. That might be the watering hole we visited. The place where we first battled the Youli. It took every bit of our skill to protect the other Bounders. We worked well together—me, Cole, Lucy, Marco, Mira—even when Marco decided to kamikaze the Youli on the ridge and got himself flung into a herd of mammoths. I ended up having to jump off a Youli ship as it prepared to bound.
I wonder where Marco is right now. Is Addy with him? Are they safe?
What about Mira? She could be anywhere in the galaxy right now.
I push Mira from my mind. I can’t afford to get distracted before the big rally tonight. Plus, who needs Mira when there are thousands of people who are desperate just to see me onstage?
I turn off the VR headset and close my eyes.
Then I’m at the rally, gazing out at the sea of faces stretching back as far as I can see, all of them chanting my name.
• • •
There’s an Earth Force officer standing at the door to the jet as we board. I recognize her from the security briefing at the space station. She’s stopping everyone as they pass.
“Please place tablets and wristlets in the bin and line your bags against the wall,” she says, gesturing to a circular black basket beside her. “This is a security scan. All your belongings will be returned to you upon landing.”
“Are you kidding?” I ask. “I was going to play Evolution during the flight.”
The officer raises her eyebrow. “Comply with orders, Officer Adams.”
So she outranks me. So what? Doesn’t me being one of the heroes on the Lost Heroes Homecoming Tour count for anything?
“Don’t worry, kid,” Denver says from up ahead. “You’ll be spending your whole trip in styling.”
The whole trip? I roll my eyes. “I thought we already went through that.”
Denver shrugs. “I don’t get involved in those decisions, kid. Ask your friend Lucy.”
No thanks. Maybe I’ll try hiding out in a corner and hope they forget about me.
I hand my tablet to the officer and lean my blast pack against the wall. I’m glad I decided to shove my gloves in my socks rather than leave them zipped in my pack. I have no idea what would happen if they discovered the gloves during the security sweep, although I can’t imagine it would be good.
I follow Denver toward the passenger cabin. “What’s with the security scan? They didn’t do this on our other flights.”
“Not sure, but it probably has something to do with the mole. I overheard some chatter this morning that we moved to red alert on the risk of a possible domestic terror event, and they think the mole is directly involved.”
That must be why they rerouted us this morning. “Do they think the mole is someone on the tour?”
“Maybe? Like I said, if you want details, ask your chatty friend. My days of being in the know are in the past. Fifteen years in the past, to be exact.”
I don’t even get a chance to hide because Dev and Nev swoop in as soon as Denver and I step into the cabin.
“Oooh! There you are!” Dev’s lavender sweater vest has a cu
rsive D on the heart.
“You were fabulous at the rally!” Nev’s wearing a matching vest but in lemon yellow. “You’ve never looked better!”
“But you will!” Dev says. “We have an enhanced glam plan ready to roll out for tonight’s rally!”
“Right this way, Jasper,” Nev says.
They each grab my hand, and we walk in a chain down the cabin aisle and into a back hallway. They lead me to a small room that they’ve done up as a salon. Everything is draped in pink cloth, and the room smells like roses. Lucy would love it.
“It’s nothing compared to our salon at the Style Gallery,” Nev says, “but we make do, don’t we, Dev?”
“Most definitely. We would do anything for our young, handsome, oh-so-popular poster boy.” Nev winks and smiles.
I force a smile. Why did they have to make everything smell like roses? “Got any of those purple eye pads?” If I have to endure this style session, I might as well sleep through it.
• • •
When I wake up, the captain is announcing our arrival at the Americana West aeronautical port. Dev spins me around in their styling chair to face a giant, rhinestone-rimmed mirror. My skin is radiant honey like last time. My hair still has that messy style, but now it’s amped up with streaks of actual gold. They’ve done something different with my eyes, too, so they look deep and penetrating.
“So, what do you think?” Nev asks.
“I kind of look like a superhero,” I reply, already picturing myself on the grand stage in Americana West.
“You’re our golden boy!” Dev says. “Now hurry back to your seat and strap in before we land.”
16
AFTER TOUCHING DOWN AT THE aeroport, ten kilometers off the shores of Americana West, we take an elevator deep below the surface of the water and board a subterranean transport, another ride with no windows. (Are they trying to push my claustrophobia buttons? They’re lucky I don’t puke!) The transport takes us right to the main hub of Americana West, where they’re holding the rally. From there, we’re escorted in a private air rail car to the rally site, where the crowds already number in the tens of thousands and are growing by the minute.
The Heroes Return Page 13
