From Darkness Comes - Book 2 in The Dissonance Series

An Alternate Universe

The uproarious sounds of the celebration become muffled as the door slides shut behind me. I'm grateful for a moment of solitude, that is, until I hear the sound of footsteps approaching. I dash around the corner, not wanting to be spotted, and hide behind a large fern. It's just a couple of passengers from the ship, stumbling back to their homes, already too intoxicated and the night's just begun. Once they pass, I step out from behind my hiding spot and follow a path away from the party.

The ground lights up with each step I take, like bioluminescence, as if the ground is a living organism. I think back to the dust I held in my hand, the previous day, how it glistened. I let out a small laugh, amazed by the complexity of this planet. For six months, I tried to picture this place, but not even my wildest imagination could have come up with the things I've seen so far. I breathe in and out, wondering what it is exactly that I'm breathing. It's clear that the oxygen is different on this planet. Subconsciously, I put my hand to my purse, with the tiny bottle of liquid oxygen inside, making a note to ask my brother about it, next time I have the chance.

I wander off the path, deeper into the trees, hidden from anyone passing by, away from the light and into the darkness, lit only by the strange pink and orange colors streaking across the sky. The sun isn't the only thing I miss. The absence of the moon, ever present on Earth, even in the daylight, creates a longing for home. There are so many little things that I used to take for granted.

"Guess I'm not the only one who needed to get out of there," Wyler says, startling me as he peeks out from behind a tree with long drooping branches. The branches move out of his way without him even touching them. Every inch of this planet is alive, filling me with wonderment, and reminding me that I'm a foreigner in this strange miraculous land.

"You scared me," I say, clutching my hand to my chest. My dress blows in the wind and I wonder for a moment where the breeze is coming from. Trapped inside this bubble, everything is artificially made.

"I'm probably the least scariest thing about this place," he says stepping towards me through the self-moving branches. "So you weren't enjoying the party?" he asks.

"It's hard to enjoy anything right now."

"You seemed to be enjoying yourself when we were dancing," he smirks.

"A momentary lapse in judgement," I tease, trying not to think about how much I loved feeling his strong arms wrapped around my body, pulling me close to his chiseled chest.

"You know Ever, it's okay, to be happy, every once in a while. It's what they would want, for us to be happy."

They. He doesn't name them. Maybe he meant my parents, his mom, or maybe he meant Lex and Kelly. I want to object, but he isn't wrong. It's what I have thought of many times. My parents loved me. They gave up everything to protect me, from the very life I am now living. The last thing they would want is for me to spend the remainder of my days torturing myself, living in agony.

"Says the guy who's hiding in the trees."

He laughs.

"I guess I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop. There's a reason they brought us here, or at least...me. No offense."

"None taken. I guess I have my sister to thank for my life being spared. It's because of her that I'm here. She asked your brother for a favor. She's the reason I'm alive."

I had figured as much already. From the moment I met Vega, it became clear that she had played a role in Wyler being put on the ship, especially given the fact that he was infected. Only someone with quite a lot of clout could have achieved such a thing. I still don't fully understand her role in all of this or her relationship with my brother.

"She must love you very much."

"Love isn't a word that's in Vega's vocabulary. She has other reasons."

"Guilt?"

"Maybe," he shrugs. "But doubtful. We never had a great relationship. I think she resented me as much as my mother did." His brow furrows.

"Well, whatever the reason, I'm glad you're here."

"Me too," he steps forward, closing the gap between us. "Ever," he pauses, his fingertips brush my hair, lightly tucking a loose strand behind my ear. "Do you think there's a place in this world for us, a place where we could be together?" He brings his lips close to mine. I can feel his breath hot on my skin.

"I don't know." My breathing becomes shallow as he moves closer. My heart races.

"I know you feel it, the way I do. I can feel your heart beat faster when we touch. I can see the pinks of your cheeks when I'm close to you," he says, rubbing his finger across my bottom lip. The amber flecks in his irises gleam wildly with desire and I wonder if mine match his own. Can he see it, my equal desire for him?

I want to give in, to be weak, to be selfish, but I can't afford to indulge in this kind of behavior right now, or maybe even, ever. Giving myself, my heart, to Wyler, means that I belong to him. But I don't belong to him or even to myself. My parents may have tried to protect me, to hide me from the truth and to try and give me a normal life, but by giving me the anecdote, my mother, unknowingly, did the opposite. She made me special, unique, even irreplaceable. I belong to mankind now, and more specifically: Environettix.

I put my hand up and back away.

"I can't. Not now. Maybe not ever."

His eyes drop to the ground trying to hide his disappointment. Then he looks back up at me, seeing right through me, seeing through my lies. He's all I've ever wanted, but I'm not sure what I want matters anymore. I'm not sure it ever did. It seems my life is destined for something bigger, whether I desire it or not.

"You said you would take whatever you could get. My friendship is all I can give right now, and even that, I'm afraid, isn't much."

The amber flecks in his irises turn dull and dark, like a candle snuffer extinguishing a flame. His disappointment is evident, but he nods in understanding. "It's enough. I'll wait as long as it takes."

"Even if you have to wait forever?"

"Then I'll wait forever."

"Eternity is a long time."

"We're in outer space now, a different planet," he waves his arms around at our surroundings. "Space can be altered. Time stretched. It's not linear. And we don't need to be."

"So what are you saying?

"Maybe there's a place in time for us where this actually works out," he says smiling, but there's sadness behind his smile, like he knows what he's saying isn't true.

I have to admit I like the thought of a different timeline, running parallel to ours. One where everything is okay. One in which all the people I love are with me. One where I could be free of the burden of being the last female alive able to procreate. An alternate universe where Wyler and I could date like normal people. But I guess therein lies the problem, because no matter how you stretch time, one fact remains the same: we're not normal, and we're not human.

"It's a nice thought," I say.

"Maybe one day it will be a reality."

I don't respond because I can't make any promises. As my brother said: the future is a gift, not a guarantee.

"Come on," he says when I don't reply, holding out his hand. "Let's get back to the party."

I take his hand, and as he winds his fingers in between mine, I feel electricity zing through my body like it always does when we touch. Wyler's eyes lock onto mine, amber flecks returning, like embers in a fire, never fully extinguished even when you think the flames have been put out, and I know he feels it too, the electrical shock that pulses inside when we're near one another. I wonder how long it will be like this, if my body will always react to his touch this way, because eternity seems like a long time to be tortured by this feeling without acting upon it.