Page 55 of Between Earth and Eternity
I nod and quickly cross the street, entering the alley they disappeared into. The only light to guide me is the soft blue glow of the fluorescents from the surrounding buildings. The path forks, and I chose the right, even though it does seem a bit more ominous, but if I were sneaking around, which Laz and Payson clearly are, this would be the logical choice to stay undercover. A couple of twists and turns later, I don’t find any sign of them—or anyone else, for that matter—until I hear voices up ahead. Entering a nearly empty street, a group of men look up when they hear me, but I don’t recognize any of them. They stare at me, saying nothing, and I take that as my cue that I choose the wrong path after all.
I bolt to the end of the street, heading toward what sounds like a busier part of town—more people to witness or hopefully prevent something sinister. I turn to see if I’m being followed and clumsily trip in the process.
“Skyler?” I gaze up to find the face of an old friend. I blink as I step into a memory. I am surrounded by friends. Ben andMarkus are giving Elliot a hard time about something while Sarah and I watch on, laughing at El trying to explain himself.
“Sarah?”
“What the hell are you doing here?” She reaches down and helps me to my feet. Thankfully, my suit protected me from any scrapes.
“It’s a long story.” I grimace.
“Well, hopefully not too long. I need to comprehend how the hell you are on Sega right now.”
The dark circles under her eyes don’t go unnoticed, her face harder and more worn than the last time I saw her nearly two years ago.
“The edges of town can get a bit seedy. Come on, I’ll take you back to the main.” She guides me through some side passages that I most definitely would have become lost in if I’d attempted to get back on my own, and we soon re-enter the lively part of town.
She turns to me as if seeing me for the first time, like we can be ourselves now that we aren’t in danger. I don’t want to know what would have happened back there if she hadn’t appeared.
“Skyler.” She pulls me into a tight embrace. “It’s so good to see you.”
“You too.” Tears sting my eyes. Seeing her makes me think of Elliot and the rest of our friends. How things have changed since then. So many goodbyes.
“How exactly are you here right now? Is Elliot here?” She glances around like he’s been waiting for her to ask so he can appear. Because in another life, I would have never done anything without him.
“The Lottery,” I say with a forced grin.
“I had no idea.”
“Did they not stream the Lottery here?”
“They did. I just didn’t really see the point in watching. Plus, my schedule is all over most of the time.”
I scrunch my eyebrows, confused. “Someone in your family could have won, or someone you know.” I gesture to myself, and it gets a chuckle out of her as she tosses her boxer braids over her shoulder nonchalantly.
“Good point. But come on, the chances of that happening were slim.” Her response surprises me. I never took her as a pessimist. In fact, she was always the opposite, hence why she wanted to go off planet. She had big dreams. Lofty ambitions.
“I heard from your parents that you are—what was it?” I stare off, trying to remember. Sarah’s mom was so proud when she told me. “An air filtration engineer, right?”
Sarah snickers. “It sounds so fancy when you say the official title. We call it an air scrubber here.”
I have a slight idea what that might entail based on the system we used at home to keep the air as clean as possible for Gran, but perhaps she can enlighten me.
“I’m meeting back up with a friend who is also a Lottery winner. Do you want to join us?” For a minute, she’s hesitant. And I’m a tinge insulted. This is not the Sarah I knew back on Earth.
“Sure, why not.”
I lead her to the shop, place an order for a couple of coffees, and find an open seat near a window so I can look out for Ori.
“So, were they good the last time you saw them? My parents?”
I honestly can’t remember when we’ve crossed paths. It was right after she left, but I do my best to reassure her. “Yes. They seemed well.”
She stares at her drink.
“I’m sure they miss you very much,” I add, attempting to lighten the mood. Her face drops, probably in hopes I hadmore to say about her parents, but I don’t understand why she wouldn’t already know for herself.
“Sarah, is everything okay?”
