Timestone

Chapter Thirty-Seven ϟ Indecision

Her uncle? Andrik called me Evelina's . . . uncle. He must be as crazy as she is. That's the only explanation that makes sense. He's gone mad.

"Her uncle?" I blurt out in confusion.

Andrik responds with a look of joy. "Ah . . . so you don't know everything." He seems to revel in my confusion. "My dear brother, Evelina is my daughter, which makes her your niece."

I remain speechless as the confusion continues to swirl in my head.

"After Mom disappeared, I married a girl on Tanek's crew," Andrik explains. "When Tanek learned we were having a baby, he sent my wife to live in the caverns. He had chosen me as his successor and didn't want me distracted by family life."

Andrik closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. "My wife died giving birth to little Evelina. A simple procedure could have saved her had she been living with me at the compound. They didn't have the knowledge or the equipment in the caverns."

Her uncle? I'm still struggling to accept this.

"Thank the stars Evelina survived," Andrik continues. "A cavern family raised her, but I needed her in my life. I was always there for her, though time passed much too quickly. Living her life within the time dilation field, I watched her grow from a baby to a little girl and then to a young woman in just over a single year of my time."

I thought I had gotten used to the idea of time dilation, but hearing Andrik tell of Evelina's rapid aging . . . it all feels so strange.

"Before I knew it," says Andrik, "Evelina caught up to me in age and passed right on by. But she's always been my little girl."

Evelina smiles and leans her head toward him. Andrik gives her another squeeze around her shoulders and continues. "Ever since my wife died, I've been planning my revenge against Tanek." He pauses as if something has just occurred to him. "I guess you and I aren't so different, are we?"

Evelina interjects. "Daddy promised me I could kill Tanek." She spits on the shoe of the guard standing next to her. "For mother . . ." she adds.

"That's right," says Andrik. He looks back at me. "For the longest time, I denied her request. I didn't want my little girl to be responsible for someone's death—not even Tanek's. But as time passed, I just couldn't say no to an elderly woman's last wish."

I stare at Evelina. I can't believe the older woman standing there is my niece. She isn't Aunty Evelina. I'm Uncle Miro. I feel pity for her. Can I blame her for wanting to avenge her mother's death? Isn't that precisely what I'm here doing? I feel a twisted sort of bond with her. I feel like . . . hugging her.

Andrik keeps going. "Even in my anger at my wife's death, I knew Tanek held the key to getting off this planet, so I bided my time and played the long game for revenge. Over the years, I earned the loyalty of the entire crew. From there, it only remained a matter of when to kill Tanek and take over his command." He smiles again at Evelina and looks to see my reaction.

I remain silent with my hand on the throttle.

"Miro, don't do this," he pleads. "I don't blame you for what you must be feeling. Come out from the shuttle. Let's talk. You're younger than I am. You still have plenty of time to make a life for yourself."

I remain silent.

"We can still be a family," he says. "It's what Mom and Dad would have wanted."

For a fleeting moment, I long to do as he suggests. I've lost my mom and dad, and now Vela. The pain feels insurmountable. Yet here, before me, stands my brother and my niece. They're my only remaining family. Despite the awful things they've done, we're blood. A small part of me wonders if I can look past their actions and accept them into my life.