flying, and now she was about to climb aboard a spaceship. The mere thought made her heart beat faster.
Micah deactivated the molecular mask and she watched in open-mouthed wonder as the spacecraft materialized before her eyes. It didn't look like a saucer at all, she thought, more like a sleek, silver-hued bird of prey.
Micah flicked a switch. The hatch opened, revealing a ladder and the dark interior of the ship.
Lainey licked lips gone suddenly dry. A spaceship. This wasn't a dream. It was real.
She couldn't do it, she thought, distraught. She couldn't climb on board that thing and just fly off into the unknown. She couldn't leave her parents, her friends, everything that was familiar. She just couldn't.
She looked at Micah. How could she tell him she had changed her mind, that as much as she loved him, she simply didn't have as much courage as she thought, that she couldn't go with him?
And then she saw the sadness in his eyes and knew she didn't have to say a word.
"I'm sorry." Tears flooded her eyes, and she wondered how she would ever learn to live with the awful pain she saw reflected in the depths of Micah's eyes, pain that she had caused him.
"I'm sorry," she whispered again. "So sorry."
"It's all right, Lainey," Micah said quietly. "I understand." He inclined his head toward the baby. "May I?"
Feeling as though her heart was being torn in half, Lainey handed the baby to Micah, her tears coming harder and faster as Micah cradled the infant in his arms. His eyes glistened with unshed tears as he gazed down at his son.
Tenderly, he caressed the baby's downy cheek, pressed a kiss to the top of its head, lightly stroked the fragile webbing on one tiny hand.
"Take good care of my son," Micah said, barely able to speak for the anguish that engulfed him. "When he's old enough to understand, I hope you'll tell him about me."
"I will. You know I will."
Micah hugged the baby close to his heart for a long moment and then, feeling as though his very soul was being ripped to shreds, he returned his son, the only son he would ever have, into Lainey's keeping.
"Farewell,cominza ," he whispered hoarsely. "Be well."
He kissed her then, quickly, deeply, for the last time. She saw the tears in his eyes, tears he made no effort to hide, and then he was walking away from her, and Lainey knew with sudden painful clarity that when he was gone, her only chance for lasting happiness would have gone with him.
"Micah! Wait for me!" she cried, afraid now that he would leave her behind. "Micah, please wait!"
She saw him hesitate, saw him turn, the hope in his silver-blue eyes almost too painful to behold, and then she was running after him, her fear of the unknown swallowed up in the thought of spending the rest of her life without him.
"Lainey!" He caught her in his arms, careful not to crush the baby, as his tears mingled with hers. "Lainey, are you sure?"
"I'm sure. Oh, Micah, I've never been surer of anything in my life."
"I'll make you happy, Lainey, I promise."
"You already make me happy." She smiled up at him through her tears. "Let's go."
Epilogue
Lainey sat at her bedroom window, staring out at the night sky. Millions of stars twinkled overhead, dazzling in their number. Somewhere out there, amongst all those stars, was a small planet she had once called home. Earth. In two days, she would be on her way to Earth. She could hardly wait to see her parents again.
A soft sigh escaped her lips. So much had happened in the last five years. She had been places and seen things she had never dreamed existed as they explored the galaxy, looking for a place to settle down.
In the end, they had made their home on a small planet named Marna Two, which seemed to be inhabited by people who didn't fit in anywhere else.
Marna Two was a lovely place, reminiscent, in many ways, of Earth. The sky was not quite blue, not quite lavender, but something in between. There were grass and trees, oceans and lakes, furry animals and brightly colored birds.
As Lainey had always believed, there were lots of different kinds of people: some with blue hair and very pale skin, others who were incredibly hirsute with enormous eyes. And yet, as varied as their appearances, customs, and languages might be, they were all human in shape, reminding her of a