a damn thing about Crux.
So. I dunno. Maybe I’m not in a hurry? I could maybe hang out as Christopher for a while. Just take shit in. Kind of like a casual virtual vacation.
I could really use a vacation. I wonder if that friend of mine will let me take his boat out?
Hey, maybe I have a boat?
“Do we have a boat?” I ask Ty—Toby.
He looks up at me, his thumb in his mouth. His words barely make it past the thumb. “I like boats.”
“Me too. I want to go on a boat. Float on an ocean. Do you have any idea how long it’s been since I had a vacation?”
He shakes his head at me.
“Long. Time. Very long time. And it wasn’t even a real vacation. Tray and I went to Gallent Station, which is in the Vacation Sector—not by Mighty Minions, though. Other side. Thank the sun.” I chuckle. “But they had a beach there. They hired Tray to mess with their virtual. Damn. How long ago was that? Maybe six standard years. Anyway. I went with him because everyone was home at the time. Jimmy, and Luck, and Valor. Even Serpint and Draden were home. That hardly ever happens. So it was a lucky break for me and I got to leave the station. I can’t say I really enjoy gate travel. It always makes me feel weird. Like my stomach is floating.”
I look down at Tycho and he’s smiling up at me. Sucking on his thumb a little. He nods his head. “Like the airplane.”
“Airplane. Yeah. That’s probably right. It was a nice beach, Tych. Like I’m talking that bright yellow sand. It’s so yellow, it’s almost gold. And there are red beaches too. It was pretty cool.”
“I wanna go to a red beach.”
“Yeah. Well.” I chuckle. “This was adults only, if you know what I mean.” Then I remember who I’m talking to. “Never mind that.”
“Did I go?”
“No.”
“Did Dellie go?”
“No. You guys weren’t there.”
“Did Mommy go?”
“No, she wasn’t there either. It was just me. And Tray. But he was working. I was just tagging along.”
“Who’s Tray?”
“Oh. Well.” I rub a hand down my face. “He’s your… uncle, I guess. My brother. Not real brother, but we might as well be. We’re definitely family.”
“Where is he now?”
“I don’t know. I kinda wish I did though. I don’t know where any of them are. But that’s nothing new. It’s been like that for a long time now. Ever since ALCOR sent Serpint and Draden away.”
I look down at Tycho, waiting for him to ask me more about them. But his eyes are closed. I keep talking anyway. “After Serp and Draden left, Jimmy and Xyla left too. Then Valor and Luck. Only Tray and I stayed behind with ALCOR. It kinda sucked, Tycho. I’m not gonna lie. I missed them pretty hard. And I was a little bit jealous, ya know? They all went to cool places and I was stuck on Harem. Then people started coming and my life got super busy and really complicated. So that vacation on Gallent Station was pretty nice.”
“What are you talking about?”
I look up and see Corla standing in the doorway to my office. “Oh. I didn’t know you were there.”
She comes over to me, frowning. “What the fuck, Christopher?”
“What?”
“We discussed this! We had an agreement! We left that place behind and were never going to talk about it again!”
“What?”
“Don’t play stupid with me, OK? I’m not in the mood. I heard what you said. How dare you tell him those things? I cannot believe you even uttered those names. We made a pact!”
“Wait. You know them?”
“Know them? What the hell is wrong with you? They helped us get here!”
“Hold on.” I stand up, taking Tycho with me. “You’re Corla?”
“Shhh!” She hushes me, then looks over her shoulder, like she’s afraid someone might be listening.
“No! You don’t understand! I’m Crux, Corla!”
“Oh my God!” She grabs her hair. “I know who you are. Shut the hell up!”
“No, you don’t understand. I’m not your Crux. I’m another Crux. I just got here. I walked through a spin node and—”
“I’m not listening.” She covers her ears with her hands. “I’m not hearing this. I can’t hear you.”
“Stop it,” I say, pushing one hand away from her ear. “Why are you being weird if you already know everything?”
She stares at me, open-mouthed. “We made a deal, Christopher. We never say a word. We cannot contaminate this world with that one or—”
A chime sounds in