“Here’s what happened,” said Rune with more confidence than I thought was justified. “You pulled all of us through, but when we came out the other side, you lost your grip. We scattered. They can’t be far.”

As if timed by her statement, a flash lit up the sky toward the city. My head flew up, dried tears staining my cheeks as hope surged in my heart. “Was that a laser?”

“Just might be,” agreed Cage. His tone was light, but I read the relief under his voice. “I’m going to go out on a limb and say it’s Mia signaling us.”

“Why Mia?”

“Because she’s the one who’d be angriest about being dumped on some barren patch of alien desert.” He flashed me a quick smile. “And because in spite of what you think of her, she’s the one who’d be the most worried about getting everyone together.”

What did I think of Mia? After everything, I cared about her, trusted her, and I wanted her to trust me. And maybe the first step to gaining her trust was telling her that, telling her the truth. I really hoped I’d get the chance to see her again and work it out. “All right,” I said, letting Cage help me to my feet. We squared off, the five of us, facing the strange city outlined in the distance. “Let’s say you’re right. Let’s say our friends are over there. What next?”

Rune slid her arm through mine. “We go find them, of course.”

The simplicity of her answer made me smile, nearly laugh. I was pretty sure I’d trapped us on some sort of alien planet and damn near killed myself in the process. I’d split us from our friends, and I had no idea where we were or if I could get us home. But to Rune, the answer was obvious. Fall down forty-nine times, get up fifty. One problem at a time. We were separated; now to get back together. “Then what are we waiting for?” I asked as Cage’s fingers threaded through my free hand. Reed and Imani drew together beside us, and we stood a moment silhouetted against the red-tinged sun, staring into the distance.

The alien landscape seemed to open up and swallow me whole. In such a short time, my life had flipped upside down. I’d lost everything: my family, my corporation, my future. I’d lost my faith in my mother when she pushed the button that she thought would kill me, and then I’d lost the chance to ever reconcile with her when she died. I’d found my father again, and then I’d lost him, too. The same grief swelled in my heart. Dad. He’d never been the most hands-on parent, always toed the company line. But with him far more than Mom, I had memories that weren’t Omnistellar-related. Basketball games and ice cream and breaking the rules when Mom went away.