Chapter 6

The date to sign the contract was finally decided.

Three days from now, Samuel would have a car pick me up at school and drive me directly to the Stellar Survey Initiative base.

For the next eight years, I wouldn't be coming back to this city.

Before I left, I wanted to see him one last time.

I wasn't hoping for anything special. I wanted to say goodbye in person.

After five years, there should be a proper farewell.

I went to the flight club on the west side of the city, the place Elias always hung out on his days off.

There was a huge stretch of grass, and the runway was pretty short.

Only small sport planes could take off there, but Elias always said the airspace was clear for clearing your mind and letting everything go.

When I got there at four in the afternoon, sunlight slanted in from the west.

The white sports plane cast a long shadow across the tarmac.

Elias was squatting on the ground, his back to me.

Wren was standing in front of him, dressed in a pale yellow flight jacket, her hair pulled into a low ponytail, smiling with her head tilted.

Her left foot was lifted a bit, and her ankle was red, obviously sprained.

Elias was crouched in front of her, gently resting her ankle on his knee as he carefully massaged it.

His touch was light, his fingertips moving in slow circles, and every so often he'd glance up to ask, "Does it hurt?"

Wren bit her lip and shook her head, her smile shy and gentle.

I stood at the entrance for a long time.

One of the pilots I knew walked by.

He called out, "Hey, Ms. Hale. Here to see Elias?" and gestured eagerly toward the grassy field.

The shout caught their attention.

Elias looked up, glanced past Wren's shoulder, and saw me.

His expression stayed the same, not a twitch in his brow.

He barely looked at me for a second.

He dropped his gaze right away, going back to massaging Wren's ankle, like I was nothing but an extra on the field, totally invisible.

Wren, on the other hand, smiled and waved at me, her voice bright. "Elowen, you're here, too?"

I nodded, but didn't say a word.

I was holding a small, square bag.

Inside was the lucky charm I'd kept in the lab's dust-free cabinet for three months.

I sealed it in an anti-static bag, so the tracking system inside would always be ready.

There were a few other things in there, too.

It included a water bottle he'd once tossed my way, a greeting card he'd absentmindedly crumpled, and a diary I'd filled over five years but never managed to give him.

I didn't go over to them.

I dropped the bag off at the front desk and told the club manager to give it to him.

Then I grabbed a sticky note and fished a pen out of my pocket.

I paused for a few seconds, the tip of the pen hovering over the paper.

I had so much I wanted to write.

I wanted to ask if he remembered carrying my backpack for me, if he remembered the holiday that year.

I wanted to ask if he remembered how he used to stand at the door waiting for me every New Year when we were little.

In the end, I wrote one sentence. [Elias, I'm not waiting for you anymore.]

There was no exclamation mark, a calm tone, as if I were simply talking about the weather.

I stuck the note on the bag and turned to head for the door.

As I walked out, I glanced back.

Elias was still crouched down, and Wren was leaning in close, whispering something to him.

He looked like he was smiling, his features gentler than usual.

The scene was beautiful, like a painting. And finally, I didn't have to be an outsider to that picture anymore.

The door closed behind me, shutting out the noise of the club.

The air outside was cool, carrying that crisp, dry scent unique to early winter in the north.

I took a deep breath, shoved my hands into my coat pockets, and started walking slowly down the street.

There was nothing in my pockets.

They were empty like my heart, finally drained after five long years.

My phone buzzed. It was a message from Samuel. [Elowen, everything's ready. The car will be waiting for you at the north gate of the school at 8 AM the day after tomorrow.]

I replied with a single word: [Okay.]

The moment I sent the message, I suddenly felt so much lighter.

It was like finally taking off an old coat I'd been wearing for years.

That coat was beautiful, embroidered with five years' worth of flowers, but now, those flowers had wilted, and all that beauty felt heavy, making it hard to breathe.

I powered off my phone and didn't look back.

This city was huge. Nothing would be different without me.