Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 88265 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88265 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
A burst of light blinds me. I tighten my hold on Aruan’s hand as we’re sucked into a vortex. It feels as if my body is being pulled apart. In that moment, the thought that goes through my mind isn’t life-altering or philosophical but a mundane question.
What day of the week is it? What is the date? I’ve lost track of time since landing on Zerra—if time even flows the same on Earth as it does there. Where will my parents be?
As it turns out, they’re at home, preparing lunch in the kitchen when I wake up on the floor in my living room. Pans clang together, and the fridge door squeaks familiarly as someone opens it.
“Hold on,” a man says—my dad. “Did you hear something?”
“It sounded like a thump,” my mom replies, her tone apprehensive.
Aruan is crouching next to me, stroking my cheek while peering into my eyes.
“All right?” he asks in a soft voice.
I let him help me sit up, mumbling under my breath, “I think so.”
I look around. The living room is exactly as I remember it. The painting of an Italian summer scene hangs slightly askew on the wall. The beige sofa with the brown-and-red throw cushions still has a dent in the seat on the right where Dad likes to sit and read. A pile of books is stacked on the coffee table. The cozy mystery on the top will be Mom’s. The Twenty-first Century Cosmic Science lying on one side will be Dad’s.
Footsteps fall on the floor of the kitchen. My heart starts thumping, threatening to burst out of my chest. Aruan takes my elbow and helps me to my feet. I blink, afraid that the room will vanish and I’ll wake up from a dream, but the space remains unchanged.
Dad appears in the doorframe of the kitchen, carrying Mom’s carving knife in one hand. He looks the same and simultaneously different. He’s grown thinner. His hair is the same brown that’s graying at the temples, but the shadows under his eyes are new.
Emotions crash into me, compassion, elation, relief, and trepidation warring inside me. Instinctively, I reach for Aruan’s hand. He squeezes my fingers, reminding me that he’s right here… that he’ll always be there for me when I need him.
“Dad?” I croak.
The knife drops from his hand and falls soundlessly on the carpet. He’s frozen in place, his face as white as if he’s staring at a ghost.
“What is it?” Mom asks in alarm, appearing behind him with her phone in her hand.
She stills too, her lips parting but no sound leaving her mouth. She’s grayer than I remember. Her face is gaunt, and her cheeks are hollow. It looks as if she’s aged ten years in a few weeks.
“Mom? Dad?” I inch closer. “It’s me, Elsie.”
“Is this real?” Mom’s eyes are wide with shock. “Am I looking at a spirit?”
“It’s me,” I repeat, smiling through the tears that spring to my eyes. “I’m very much alive.”
My dad opens and closes his mouth. “How is this possible?” He looks at Aruan, his shoulders tensing. “Who’s this man?”
“I can explain.” I hold up a hand when my mom starts swiping a finger over her phone. “Please, Mom. Put the phone down. No one can know we’re here, or I’ll have to leave.”
At “leave,” my mom lowers her phone with a shaky hand. Her lips tremble as she looks between me and Aruan. “Elsie? Is it really you?”
“In the flesh.” I smile at Aruan. “And this is Aruan, my… boyfriend.”
Dad’s face is a mask of confusion. “You ran away?”
“No.” I edge closer. “It’s a lot more complicated than that.”
“I don’t understand,” Mom says, her voice close to breaking. She looks me up and down. “You look so… healthy.”
Dad takes in my shirt, pants, and boots before turning a gaze on Aruan’s tunic. “Why are you dressed like that?”
“I’d like to explain,” I say, “but I think you need to sit down.”
Dad gives in first, overcoming his disbelief to rush forward and wrap me up in a fierce hug. He sets me free and holds me at arm’s length. “Elsie? Is it really you?”
“Yes,” I whisper, blinking away my tears.
Mom lets out a sob and clamps a hand over her mouth.
“It’s okay, Mom. I’m okay. Everything is going to be okay.”
She crosses the floor like a sleepwalker and stops in front of me. Emotions wash over her features as she tilts her face and studies me. She shakes her head in disbelief, and then she pulls me in for a hug too, sobs racking her frail shoulders.
We hold each other for a long moment as I try to soothe her. Aruan looks on from a distance, considerately giving us space.
Mom pulls away first, wiping her eyes and sniffing as she says again, “I don’t understand.”
I take her hand and lead her to the sofa. She sits down with her phone clutched in her lap. Dad comes over and plops down next to her, not taking his eyes off of me. I take the sofa facing theirs and pat the seat next to me.