US (Formerly The After Effect - Book 2)

49 - N E X T / S T O P

The second I see Brink amongst the crowd below, I rip free from Stella's grasp and prepare to jump, but she grabs me again and simply says, "No time!" before the door slides closed in front of me. My hands press against the glass and my face turns hot before tears slip down my cheeks. I left him. Had I known, I'd have fended the people off of us both. I would've—I should've checked. My gut told me he wasn't up here. Why didn't I follow it?

Xena is at the controls and checks over her shoulder before pressing some kind of launch button. In a blink, we zip out of the parking spot and vanish into space. I don't leave my spot at the glass. It fogs up as I breathe against it—short, labored breaths. I'm shivering as I stand there staring at Nazareth as it shrinks before my eyes. Stella has her arms around me but they aren't welcome.

She knew.

"It's what he would have wanted."

I scoff and spin around, leaving my position for the first time since liftoff. "Who are you to speak for him?"

"Aurora, don't take this the wrong way, but I've known him for years..." Her eyes are shiny, like she's upset too. All the more reason to have saved him. "I'm sorry it happened this way."

I sneak a side look at Zeriah hovering over Xena, his arm draped across her shoulders, his head resting on hers.

Xena lost her lover, too. I shouldn't act so selfish. But Brink was at my fingertips. He was there all along. I could have helped him. He could have been right here with me if I had only known. Now he's left to fend for himself. I may never see him again. Who knows what they're doing to him? They people all thought we destroyed their lives, made them eternal slaves.

"It didn't have to happen. Why didn't you try to get him to safety, too? Why did you leave him? You waited for me."

Stella goes silent and tilts her head down. "You're right."

"Can't we turn around? We can pick him up away from the riot, and then leave again. Please," I beg. "We can't just leave him."

"It's far too late now," Xena calls out as she gets to her feet and crosses her arms. She does keep her distance, however. "Time."

"Time?" I ask, cocking my eyebrow.

She nods. "The riot is long over now. It's already been days since we left."

I grimace. "We just took off."

"Time," she says again.

I move to a seat along the edge of the ship and hide my face in my hands. The time difference...I hadn't even considered it. Why hasn't he bothered communicating with us by now? Is he dead?

"Does our communication work in space?"

I watch Stella shrug across the room. "I assume; I don't quite know the length to which it works."

At least I'm not the only one who doesn't know everything.

"It's probably best if you try to get some sleep. Kills time, girl," Zeriah pipes up.

Screw time.

"So that's it, then. He's gone," I whisper.

No one says anything, and that irritates me more than anything. Until finally, Stella, "You can't know that for sure. We're practically immortal. I'm not concerned about his death, necessarily."

Her matter-of-fact speak isn't helping. "Then we should just turn around and get him," I say again.

Xena rolls her eyes and it takes everything in me not to slam her against the glass. "We can't stick around to save everyone's ass," she remarks. "Brink didn't make the cut. We couldn't stick around forever or we wouldn't have been able to leave. You just got lucky and made it in time. K?"