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Vraik shakes his head. “An apology?”
“Yes,” I say. “An apology. You know, just like, an ‘I’m sorry.”
Lök stands above me. “We saved your life back there. That twice by my count.”
I nod. “And you stole me from my home and loved ones,” I say.
If I can understand where they are coming from, they can understand me.
Lök’s face turns stern. “You came with us because you have no loved ones,” he says.
His words cause me to falter. A bitter taste hangs on the back of my tongue. Everyone is silent.
He has stepped over the line.
Shaking with slight fury, I turn the question. “And you? Who do you have? Two aliens? Some slaves to do your bidding? They’ll turn on you too, you know. Everyone will.”
I’m a Scorpio. Come at me, and I’ll come at you ten times harder.
This time, Rekker speaks. “You are correct. We have no one either.”
His voice is solemn, filled with grief.
Vraik clears his throat. “Forgive Lök. He is ill tempered. We’re just trying to survive, Emma.”
Lök hangs his head. “I am sorry.”
That’s all I wanted to hear.
“I know you’re going through a lot, but we both are,” I say.
The planet is mostly destroyed. In the center, high-rises and an inviting neon holograph morphs into the sky. But no one is allowed inside those pearly gates. It is an experience made for the ruling class only.
On the peripheral of the elite city is abandonment. It appears to be a place that used to hold promise, but now lays bare to waste.
“There is a great tragedy in all of us,” I say. “But yours is one I’ll never fully understand. Earth has never been this bad. But you can’t hold that against me. This isn’t my fault.”
I used to think Earth was a terrible place. Monotonous and cruel. I was spoiled and forgot everything that made it good.
The grass is always greener on the other side.
“Yes. For us, it has been war after war, after endless war. We have never known peace,” Rekker admits.
“Yet, you search for it with every fiber of your being. We all do,” I say. “That is why you took the Resnyx.”
“No,” Lök interjects, shaking his head. “If there is one thing I am sure of, it is that the Resnyx can never bring us peace. It is purely by chance we found you. Now, you are our only path toward pea
ce.”
“Even you must know that is a lie,” she says. “My presence only brings you instability.”
My face turns hot. Is this the start of something real? Or is it the end of structural order forever? If there’s one thing I know, it’s that hope can go a long way.
Lök eases forward, hands smoothing over her waist, cradling me. Every muscle in my body tenses, but I find myself giving into his malevolent strength.
Although he can be a little bold, his eyes are honest when he speaks. “We need you,” he whispers.
His mouth hovers close to mine.
