I huff out a breath. I hate to think of how much I’ve missed while I’ve been sleeping. ‘So much time,’ I whisper to myself.
As if reading my mind, Sebastian continues to speak. ‘We managed to take control of Headquarters the other night. Not many recruiters survived the cave-ins, or Mia’s black hole. Those that were left have been imprisoned. M’s been very busy. He’s placed a council in charge until an election can be called, with members being chosen from each area of the community. The council has already removed the restrictions on the bridge to North Hope and they ordered the experiments in the hospital to stop. Teams are already working on taking down the wall between East and West Hope.’
‘Really?’ My eyes are bright with excitement but I find myself pushing down a surge of disappointment. I would have loved to see that happen.
‘Really.’
We talk for a while longer, until Aiden insists I need more rest.
‘I’ll be back in the morning,’ Sebastian says, as they both leave.
I smile up at him and nod, pushing down a yawn. For someone who’s slept for two days I’m surprisingly tired.
Once he’s gone, I shuffle down my bed to go to sleep, but when I close my eyes I feel a presence nearby.
I open my eyes to see Ryan by my bedside. His body isn’t quite solid as he stands there. It’s almost transparent, like how I’d imagine a ghost to appear or a faded projection of some kind.
‘Ryan?’ I push myself up in bed. ‘What’s wrong with you?’ My voice is quiet and I know it’s because I’m scared to know the truth.
‘I think my problem is that I no longer exist,’ he gives a sad laugh. ‘Or that I won’t very soon.’ He sighs and looks thoughtful. ‘When Joseph died, and you lived, the future I’m part of ceased to exist. Sebastian won’t become the person that I am. His path will be different now.’
‘So, you’re dying?’
He shakes his head. ‘I’m not sure what’s happening to me. Can someone die if they never existed?’
I frown. ‘Of course you exist.’
‘Maybe. Maybe not.’
We both fall into a troubled silence. I struggle to come to terms with his fate. I don’t understand anything of the physics of time travel, but surely there’s another way?
‘I don’t want to lose you,’ I say, my voice small.
He reaches out and softly touches my face. ‘You won’t ever lose me. Not really. Especially not now that we have matching battle scars to prove our love.’ He rolls his eyes, making me laugh. ‘Who knew I could be so smooth?’
I smile. ‘I knew.’ I look away from him, so he doesn’t catch the tear that runs down my cheek.
‘So, do you know what happens now?’ I ask. I subtly wipe the tear away, before looking back to him. Ryan is nowhere to be seen though and the air where he stood is empty.
I want to call out his name, to see if he’ll come back, but deep down I know that he has gone for good. I swallow and look down into my hands, tears now running freely down my cheeks. I shouldn’t be sad. His disappearance is the final signal that our future has truly changed. I will miss him though.
Aiden enters the room and I glance up at him. I shake my head, trying to rattle my thoughts together. My mind is suddenly foggy and I feel like I’ve forgotten something.
I glance around the rest of the room, before turning back to Aiden. ‘Was someone just here?’ I ask him.
‘Not that I saw,’ he replies, before dimming the lights and leaving again.
I touch my cheeks that are wet with tears and frown. My sadness is a total mystery and I can’t remember what could have caused it. I’ve probably had too many painkillers. Dismissing my tears, I pull my sheet in close to my chest and close my eyes.
There’s a strange, empty feeling inside of me, almost like a small part of me is missing, but I have no idea what it could be. My thoughts drift away from the emptiness though as the minutes pass. And before not too long, I begin to forget I’d felt slightly hollow at all.
My heart warms and my being is filled with contentment as I focus on the people who I love. Their faces flit through my mind and I smile into my pillow because I know that I will see them when I wake in the morning.
I have no idea what will happen now. No idea what the future may bring, or what tomorrow holds. But, I know that for once it is going to be filled with happiness and laughter. Tomorrow isn’t just the promise of a new day, but the start of a new life.
EPILOGUE
‘There was a time when I was afraid of being tested.’ I rub my arms as I stare at the bright white lights on the ceiling above me, and push down a shiver. The ARC is still the same sterile white place I grew up in, but the fears that once consumed me no longer seem to echo down its corridors. People now know the truth about what it means to be tainted. Instead of fear and mystery, the doctors in the Hospital Wing now offer freedom in the form of the cure and the people of the ARC are lining up to receive their injections.
‘There was a time when you were afraid of your own shadow,’ Sebastian retorts.
I reach down and pick up a pillow from my bed. ‘Hey!’ I exclaim, throwing it at his face. Sebastian ducks out of the way, but I call on my talent and make the pillow float up and hit him from behind. He laughs and rubs the back of his head. Reaching for me, he pulls me down onto his bed and on top of him. My hair falls on either side of his face and our noses nearly touch. ‘What I meant to say, was that you are one extremely brave girl.’
‘Exactly,’ I say, grinning.
He brings one hand up to my face and pulls me in for a kiss. His lips are warm and my skin tingles with pleasure. I could lose myself forever in his kisses.
I pull back and look at him. ‘You, Sebastian, are a bad influence…’
His eyes are bright and playful, and I get the feeling that being a bad influence is exactly what he wants.
‘Elle, Copper won’t play with me!’ Kelsey calls out, from down the corridor.
I roll off Sebastian in one swift move. He gives me a conspiring grin, which I blatantly ignore as I look around for Kelsey and the dog. They appear in the doorway together, both with unique looks of frustration on their faces.
‘Did you pull his tail again?’ I ask.
‘No,’ she responds, looking down at her feet.
Copper’s expression tells a different story.
Sebastian gives one of her pigtails a playful tug. ‘You know he doesn’t like that.’
She pouts and throws herself onto one of the beds in the small room the three of us have been sharing. Copper keeps his distance, sitting on the ground a little further away.
‘Have you seen Hunter since we arrived here?’ Sebastian asks.
I shake my head. ‘Not really. I’ve seen him in the hospital a few times, but he’s been keeping to himself since his dad died. It seems a change of scenery hasn’t helped.’
‘It’s been months...’
‘Yeah, but killing Joseph isn’t something he’ll easily forget.’
He scratches behind his neck. ‘I suppose not.’
A knock sounds on the doorframe and I look up to find Aiden there, with Quinn beaming beside him in the open doorway.
‘Are you two playing nice?’ I ask Quinn, as they step into our room. I’m surprised I didn’t hear them bickering out in the corridor as they approached. I’ve never seen two people who set each other off so easily.
Quinn shakes her head. ‘I am, but Aiden’s impossible.’ Despite her words her smile is indulgent and I wonder at exactly what is going on between the two of them.
‘We’re not rostered to help administer the cure for another hour,’ I say, glancing down at my cuff.
‘Oh, I know,’ Aiden replies. ‘I have something I want to show you guys.’
I lift an eyebrow, questioningly. ‘And that is…’
‘A surprise.’ He grins. He’s clearly excited about something. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so happy. He waves for us to follow him, and keeps a hurried pace
as he leads us through the long, sterile corridors of the ARC.
We’ve been here for just over a week, but that week has been draining. I’ve spent more time providing people with reassurance about life on the surface than giving any cure injections. The more I talk about life above ground, the more I can’t wait to return to it. I hope it lives up to the beautiful picture I’ve painted for people.
As Aiden takes us through the hospital that’s still under repair, and up the brand new lift that leads to the surface, I begin to have my suspicions about what the big surprise is. When he pushes open the door to the hangar though, I find myself unable to move.
Before us stands an endless crowd of people dressed in grey. A sea of ARC citizens slowly moves towards the helicopters on the far side of the hangar. Tears prick the corners of my eyes as I watch mothers and daughters, fathers and sons making their way towards their new future. Some have looks of trepidation etched onto their features, but mostly I can see expressions of hope and anticipation.
‘We finally did it,’ Aiden says to us. ‘We just administered the last cure.’
I let out a laugh of happiness and tears spill down my face. Quinn grabs me up in a hug and then Aiden, Sebastian and Kelsey pile in. I can hear Copper barking happily in the background. Everyone is laughing and there’s so much promise for the future in the air.
‘Do you guys have room for one more?’ I turn to the voice in my mind and find Hunter standing over by the doorway, with his hands shoved in his jean pockets.
‘Always,’ I respond, pulling myself from the group and walking over to him.
‘Did you hear the news?’
He gives me a nod and a small smile. ‘Yeah, it’s pretty obvious.’
I glance over my shoulder at the masses of people gathered. ‘True.’ I pause before I continue. ‘How are you?’
‘I’ve been better, Winters,’ he replies, his face dropping. ‘I can’t hate myself when I did the right thing. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.’
I know what he means. He killed his father and while he knows it was the right thing to do, it can’t be easy to accept that.
‘I’ll be alright,’ he continues. ‘I have to be. I have a hot date with a talented fire starter lined up once I’m back in Hope.’ He winks.
I laugh and bump his shoulder against mine, which makes him smile. His eyes turn serious again. ‘I really will be alright.’
I wonder if Hunter’s words were to convince me or to convince him, but inside I know he will be okay eventually.
We return to the rest of the group, who have been joined by April, Adam and Lara. The three of them are chatting animatedly and removing white lab coats. They must have been there when the last cure injection was administered. I can feel Lara’s excitement tingling across my skin and I give her a warm smile.
‘I think it’s time to go,’ April says, grinning as she looks across the crowd towards the helicopters.
‘I think you might be right,’ Aiden replies, with an even bigger smile plastered across his face.
We all slowly begin to make our way across the hangar towards the helicopters at the far side. Sebastian, Kelsey and I bring up the rear of the group. Kelsey is quite happy swinging between our hands as we walk and I think Copper is simply glad to have a reprieve from her ever-reaching grasp.
‘So, what do you think will happen when we get back to Hope?’ Sebastian asks. ‘I know the election is in two weeks, but what do we do now?’
I pause. I’ve been asking myself this question for months now, but I’m yet to come up with the answer. What do we do when all is right with the world?
‘We live happily ever after, of course,’ Kelsey responds.
I laugh and give her hand a squeeze. ‘Anything else while we’re at it?’
‘No, that’s all,’ she responds. She lets go of my hand and runs ahead to chase Copper.
‘So, what do you think of the plan?’ Sebastian asks, slinging his arm around my shoulders.
‘I think it has potential.’
‘Yeah, it sounds pretty good to me.’ He pulls me close and kisses the top of my head. Kelsey squeals with delight as she catches Copper’s tail. Sebastian smiles, dropping his arm from me, and jogs forward to catch up with her.
Watching them and the rest of my friends together makes my heart warm. It makes me believe that our future really will be a happy one.
I glance back at the door that leads down to the ARC one last time, knowing I will never see it again. The thought doesn’t make me sad, but hopeful. It shows me how far we’ve come. How much I’ve grown since I first left this place. When I turn and face all the people that are gathered I know that everything we’ve been through has been worth it. That this is what it was all about.
‘Come on, Elle,’ Kelsey says, giggling as Sebastian picks her up and lifts her onto his shoulders. He holds out one hand to me and I know that whatever my future may bring, it will be our future, together.
As we walk to the helicopters waiting to take us home, surrounded by our friends, I can’t help but feel that maybe we can’t answer the question of what comes next. Maybe our destiny is yet to be written.
—
The End
—
Keep reading for a sneak preview of the first book in Alexandra’s new series, In Ice We Burn. Available now!
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IN ICE WE BURN
BLURB
A world of frost and snow. A prince with a heart of ice. A darkness lurking in the shadows, so evil it may destroy them all.
Eighteen-year-old Sloane has spent years training to be lethal. She can cut a man down as easily with her bare hands as she can with a sword. But when her brother goes missing on the green planet, Aeris, she will need more than her skills with a blade to save him.
Sneaking aboard the rescue mission may be easy for her, but the woods of Aeris aren’t as empty as her people first assumed. Sloane is about to meet her match, and he’s not exactly human…
Kidnapped and dragged to a mysterious frozen world, Sloane must gain her captor’s trust if she wants to escape. The only problem is: she didn’t plan to care for the strange people who live there. She didn’t expect the smoldering attraction she feels for the man who keeps her prisoner in the snow. And she never imagined the dark creatures that haunt the foreign world could hold the answers she is looking for.
Will she succeed in escaping? Or will she find a reason to stay?
Buy In Ice We Burn Now to find out…
IN ICE WE BURN PREVIEW
CHAPTER ONE
The timing couldn’t have been worse, of that, Sloane was certain. Her years of training at the Academy had prepared her to be cautious, to be wary, to fight like hell when it was necessary, but they hadn’t readied her for this.
The man’s helmet weighed heavily in her hands as she watched his frozen, distorted face peering out at her from the cryochamber. She turned from him and stepped her feet into his space suit. He would live. At least, he should live. She’d never put someone into cryostatus before, but her options had been limited when she’d cornered him and that needle had been the closest weapon at hand. He didn’t deserve what she’d done to him, but she didn’t have time to worry about that now.
A voice echoed off the walls in the room as it sounded out over the intercom. ‘Will the first response team please make their way to the drop pod. Ten minutes until launch.’
Sloane cursed. She thought she had more time than that. With one swift movement, she had the suit zipper up. She slammed the helmet down on her head and ran into the hallway. Ten minutes
wasn’t much time, but it did give her long enough to get to her sister before the pod departed—not that she’d approve of what Sloane was up to.
Rowena took her time opening her door. When she did, her hair was hung over her face and as usual her eyes were focused on the ground. There was a time when the twin girls looked so alike, not even their mother could tell them apart. But that was a long time ago, and the only similarity most people now saw was their waist-length, white blonde hair and vivid green eyes.
‘Can I help you?’ Rowena asked, shying back from the light that spilled into her room.
‘Rowe, it’s me,’ said Sloane, quickly pulling the helmet from her head.
‘Sloane?’
Sloane checked over her shoulder and moved past her sister, into her quarters. Like all sleeping chambers in the ship, the quarters were small with only a plinth to sleep on that stretched from one wall to the other and a small cupboard to house personal effects. The circular mirror that hung on the wall of most rooms was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Rowe had one of the few rooms with a porthole that looked out at the dark abyss of space. Even from the centre of the room, Sloane could catch sight of tiny stars twinkling brightly in the distance through the small circular window.
Sloane tucked the helmet under her arm and faced Rowe. ‘I haven’t got long.’
‘Why are you in a space suit?’ she asked, pursing her lips, as she looked Sloane up and down. Her eyes were curious and calculating as though she already guessed at what trouble Sloane was getting into.
Sloane followed her gaze down to the massive white suit she wore and shook her head. ‘There isn’t time to explain. Something’s happened and I need to get on the drop pod going to Aeris.’
‘But you’re not in the first response team…’
‘I should be,’ she muttered. ‘But that’s not why I’m going. Ash and his team have disappeared.’
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