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“That’s a busy day.” I glance at Mom’s unconscious body. “What about her?”
Dad follows my gaze. “I waited for you, so I could ask for a favor.”
I look at him.
“I know you’ve worked really hard to bring her out of that comatose state—and I’ll be forever grateful to you for that. But I was wondering if you’d let me do this last part. She might be more receptive if—”
“Of course.” I actually feel a little relieved. A part of me was dreading trying this again—and possibly failing. “I just want to get her back.”
“I’ll do it now,” Dad says solemnly. “And I’ll make sure she’s got all her memories back while I’m at it.”
I face Asha. “Speaking of memories… Did you—”
“Yes,” my sister says. “I remember you now. As soon as there was a quiet moment, Kojo unlocked the black window for me. I now remember you, Dad, Mom, and Valerian.”
My eyes sweep over everyone in the room. “I also got it all back,” I say softly. I meet Valerian’s gaze. “And I mean, everything.”
His ocean-blue eyes are warm and bright, like tropical waters. Suddenly, the medical bay morphs into Valerian’s living room—and the illusion makes it so we’re the only ones there.
“You’re giving us privacy?” On my wrist, Pom’s fur turns coral pink.
He nods, squeezing my hand tighter. “Before the Overtaken attacked, you wanted to talk,” he murmurs. “What about?”
“Ah, that.” I give him a mischievous grin. All my uncertainty about us is gone. “I think I’ve figured it all out. Memories of us as kids really helped.”
He arches an eyebrow. “Care to include me in your revelations?”
“If I must.” My grin widens. “I know you’re crazy about me. I’m beginning to warm up to you also. What do you say we see where that leads us?”
I decide not to tell him about the seer’s “husband” prognostication. She said knowing the future could change it, so why tempt fate?
A slow, dangerously sexy smile curves his lips. “Are you saying you want to go steady?”
In answer, I rise up on tiptoes and kiss him. There are no thoughts of germs in my mind, no thoughts of anything but the man in front of me and the heat streaking down my spine as his skilled tongue dances with mine for several long moments.
Reluctantly, he pulls away, and the illusion disappears, revealing the medical bay and the rest of my family.
“Now we just need to get her back,” Dad is saying as he strides over to Mom’s bed.
My breath catches, and I forget all about the kiss.
This is it.
Valerian squeezes my hand reassuringly as Dad touches Mom’s forehead with his fingertips and closes his eyes.
We all wait in tense silence.
The seconds tick on.
My eyes meet Asha’s, and I can see the same worry on her face.
What if it fails?
What if the accident did some irreversible damage after all?
Even Chloe is still, a tiny V between her little brows. She can sense the somber mood of the adults.
Dad removes his hand from Mom’s forehead.
I can’t see his face, so I have no idea if he’s triumphant or devastated.
Slowly, I start toward the bed—and as I’m reaching out to touch Mom’s hand, she smiles and opens her eyes.
Epilogue
Everyone who participated in the battle against Phobetor is in the dream world with all of Soma, my new home.
Over the last few weeks, my sister and I have convinced both sides of Soma, the Escapists and the others, to reunite into one people, and now all of us have gathered to honor the ones who perished during The Attack—including Soma’s fallen leader, my grandmother and namesake, Bailey.
Soma funerals have two parts, Body and Mind. The Body part happens in the real world, where the flesh of the departed is recycled by special machines that perpetuate the cycle of life in the colony. The Mind portion happens in the dream world, like many other Soman rites of passage. Here, a dream construct of the departed is created jointly by everyone their life had touched, and then the construct delivers a farewell speech—a kind of reverse eulogy.
“Dear citizens of Soma,” Bebe’s construct says from a large podium. “During this somber occasion, I beg you to be joyful.” Smiling beatifically, she looks at where our family is sitting. “The goal that our people have been toiling toward for countless generations has now been achieved. Nightmares are back to being mere dreams and no longer threaten to tear families apart. You get to return to normal—whatever will pass for normal in the future, be it parking this colony ship on a planet, or taking it on an interstellar voyage, or something I can’t even imagine, being gone and all.” She locks eyes with me. “Be at ease. I would gladly give up my life many times over for what we have accomplished. For the new world we created.” She turns her gaze to my niece. “A world where my great-granddaughter can thrive. A world where…”
